Big Picture Big Sound

Sonos recently announced the ZonePlayer S5, another slick wireless system for its musical lineup. Now it's actually shipping.

Unlike its other products, the S5 down on the clutter. Instead of spreading speakers around your house, the one unit has five of them, along with five dedicated Class-D digital amplifiers.

So, it's not a whole-house solution, per se. However, it's easy enough to tote around the house and still get a lot of good music --  thanks to built-in Wi-Fi. Also, there's no need to go searching for a controller, since it works with any iPhone or iPod touch. Of course, if you like the Sonos Controller, it works with that as well.

"This is the best time in history to love music," said John MacFarlane, CEO of Sonos. "The marriage of devices such as the iPhone and the Sonos ZonePlayer S5 connects consumers to an entire world of music and gives them an easy way to control it all from the palm of their hand, in any and every room of their home."

Aside from iTunes, the S5 supports Last.fm, Napster, Pandora, Rhapsody 3.0+ and SIRIUS Internet Radio. It also comes preloaded with 25,000 web radio stations.  

The S5 is available now in the U.S. for $399; global distribution will come later this month. Once you get it, tap into recently released Sonos Software v3.1, a one-button free software upgrade that allows users to Tweet music selections right from any Sonos product.  

Where to Buy:

• Sonos S5 ZonePlayer (Amazon.com)