Sonos Zoneplayer S5

The basics

The Sonos Zoneplayer S5 is network-connected stereo unit able to access music from your PC or Mac’s hard drive, as well as tune into Internet radio and online music services like Last.fm, Napster and Pandora.

The good

The Sonos Zoneplayer S5 is compact and, by Sonos’ standards, relatively affordable – but doesn’t feel like a budget model when it comes to the crunch.

Audio quality from the integrated speakers (there are five in total) is detailed, with the high end precise and the bass far more controlled than on most compact systems, letting you hear the nuances of bass lines rather than a just a wave of low end booming.

The wealth of listening options it gives you is also a treat, and the fact that you can turn your iPhone or iPod touch into a remote control is a lovely touch.

The bad

If you don’t have the aforementioned iDevice, however, you’ll either have to control playback through your computer or shell out for an expensive (but lovely) Sonos CR200 touchscreen remote control. There’s also no Wi-Fi built-in, so you’ll have to connect the S5 to your router via Ethernet cable.

The bottom line

The Sonos Zoneplayer S5 is designed for quite a specific need – it’s a high-end network audio player. If that’s what you’re looking for, you can’t really go wrong.