Labs

If you're on a budget, look away now. The Sonos system isn't for the light-of-pocket. The kit we have on test here comes in at a hefty £1123, which makes it, by some margin, the most expensive media device on test. You can get a Sonos system for less, but it's still a streaming device for people who don't mind spending money on their music.

The Sonos base units and handheld controller look a million dollars. We tested the ZP80 and the ZP100 units. The ZP80 is a small 3 x 5 x 5in box. It connects to your Mac with an Ethernet

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cable, and to this you can connect either speakers or an amplifier. This base unit can then communicate with other Sonos devices in your house. In our case, it was the ZP100, a heftier version of the ZP80 with internal amplifier and speaker socket to which we attached the Sonos 100 loudspeakers.

Operating all of this is the Sonos controller, which has an iPod-like interface for navigating content and controlling the zone players. The immediate problem with the system is the need for one of the zone players to be physically connected to a Mac at all times and for the Sonos Desktop Controller software to be running.

For a music-only device, the Sonos is very expensive, but it's aimed at people who want audio quality and a high level of control over their music. Audio is, as you would demand for the price, spectacular. The controller is a great way to navigate even a large music collection, although having to attach one unit - the cheapest of which is £269 - permanently to your Mac is a poor compromise. If money is no object and audio quality is vital, then this is the system you should be considering.