As a young girl, I used to lie in bed every night with my headphones and cassette recorder, playing the music I loved over and over again (think New Kids on the Block, New Edition, Depeche Mode). I would play (sing) stop, rewind, guess at the beginning of the song, stop again, rewind some more, stop, fast-forward because I went too far, and finally reach those first perfect notes. Commence poor singing again.
Repeat.
Over the years, my love of music hasn’t changed. And my taste is as eclectic as ever. Though the modes of delivery have evolved, (I still have my ‘boombox’ with both cassette and CD from the late 1990′s) there has always been something playing in my home or car.
But despite the many crazy advances in technology and the many ways to consume: first Napster, and now itunes, Spotify, and Pandora… I just hadn’t found anything easy. If you were to follow me around my house with a hidden camera – you would see me carrying my laptop everywhere I go just to access my music library – and Spotify (which I ADORE). However…. let’s be honest, the speakers on my Mac, while valiant for a laptop, do not create stereo quality and can often barely be heard over the shower. Trust me, I’ve tried. The Mac has come made the trek to the bathroom too often as I love to have music on while I’m getting ready.
Now, you have to realize I have found a solution, yes? And one that actually makes me giddy. So, giddy, in fact, my family is making fun of me. Recently Sonos asked if I would be interested in trying out their Play:3 Sound System.
Here is a quick look at how it works:
And this is what an entire system looks like:
The speaker I now have in my home is the lower horizonal one you see on the right, along with the ‘bridge’ which is the smallest white box you see near the front. The ‘bridge’ allows the Play 3 (or Play 5) to play music wirelessly in your home. The bridge is connected to your router via ethernet and the speaker?
GOES ANYWHERE YOU WANT IN YOUR HOME.
Sonos plays anything from your personal music library, as well as Pandora, iHeartRadio, Sirius, Spotify (it does require a premium account) and so much more!
And? Are you ready for this? You use your iPhone (or smartphone or tablet) as the remote control!
I know! I can’t stop playing with it. Just this morning, I was upstairs and turned the Sonos on downstairs while my kids were eating breakfast. They almost fell from their stools in their haste to yell, “Mom!! The music just came on!”
Want to hear “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen followed by Kenny Chesney, Pitbull, the Zac Brown Band and Maroon 5? Done.
All controlled by my phone.
And the set up was easier than I could have dreamed (once I moved past the user-error). As long as you are attaching the system to the correct router (note: some people are technologically challenged and will spend a very long time banging their head against a proverbial wall until SOMEONE points out the router mix up), the entire process – from unboxing to hearing music – was less than 10 minutes.
Now…. for the next few days – through June 9th (perfect timing for Father’s Day or Graduation – hint, hint!), Target is running an in-store only promotion for a free wireless bridge (value: $49.99) with the purchase of the Play:3 or Play:5 System.
Now that I’m hooked, I’m trying to decide if I can live with just one.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Sonos, but, as always, opinions and experiences are mine alone (I mean – who else would admit to plugging the cable in to the WRONG router? Better yet – who has the WRONG router still hooked up in their home? *sigh* )
