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CES 2010
Something Fishy at CES2010
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 05, 2010
Despite what you’ll hear from the other journalistic types, the only real reason why anyone who pontificates about electronics makes the annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show is the free food and booze. And the free hats and t-shirts…and the pampering of the press…and the potential for (maybe) a free set of earphones or iPod case… Then, of course, there are all the attractive female booth greeters and canned-demonstration presenters who make you feel like you’re the first person they’ve talked to all week and that you’re someone very special…if you’d only sit through this incredibly fascinating presentation. I guess there are also some cool gadgets and gear to see here, too, but it really comes down to the free food. (Did I mention free booze, too?) Tonight, it’s the “Annual Pre-CES Sushi Feast 2010” sponsored by DTS. Can life get any better?
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In-Wall Speaker Reviews
Sonance SUB 12-500 In-Wall Subwoofer System
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Mar 21, 2011
Price: $3,000 At A Glance: Extremely rigid back-box enclosure construction • 4-inch voice-coil flat woofer • Class D amp can power one or two woofers

Beaucoup Bass in a Box

Some days it’s just better not to defy the laws of physics or other important aspects of the universe. Gravity, the speed of light in a vacuum (but not in a Dyson), entropy, and Murphy’s Law are all there for good reasons. As my mother used to say (calmly petting the Schrödinger cat in her lap), “Pick another parallel universe out of the infinity of multiverses if you don’t like it here.”

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CES 2011
Sonawall Takes Sound to New Heights
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 08, 2011
Sonawall’s Spodak UW-200 system is an add-on to any surround system that’s designed to move the focal point of the sound up to where the TV image is. The system includes a pair of tiny on-wall pod speakers and a special crossover that lets you fine tune the blend of the pod speakers with the rest of your system. MSRP is $350 for the system. The company also makes a 5.1-channel system ($800) and a 2.1-channel desktop system ($500) using the same pod speakers and a subwoofer.
Streaming Device Reviews
Sonos Amp Streaming Amplifier Review
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 23, 2019

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $599

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Impressive versatility
Easy integration
Designed for shelf or rack mounting
Minus
EQ limited to bass and treble adjustments
Noticeably bright sound with some speakers

THE VERDICT
The new Sonos Amp is a marvel of simplicity and versatility that will enhance and expand any Sonos multiroom audio system in ways that are worth far more than its $599 price tag.

“All good things,” goes the proverb, “must come to an end.” As if to prove the veracity of that old saying, Sonos announced in early 2018 that the company was pulling the plug on a piece of gear that's been in its lineup for so long that most Sonos employees probably thought it was (metaphorically speaking) part of the building.

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Remotely Possible
Sonos Beam Smart TV Speaker Puts Alexa in Your Living Room
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jun 08, 2018
It may be hard to believe, but it's been under four years since the Amazon Echo was first introduced in late 2014. Since then, the number of companies offering or developing so-called "smart speakers" has mushroomed to the point where smart speakers have become yawningly commonplace. The recently introduced Sonos Beam, though, takes the concept of a smart speaker to an entirely new level—and into a previously neglected room. When Beam begins shipping on July 17 of this year, it will include Amazon Alexa as a built-in voice-control service; and, Sonos says, Beam will have...
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Wireless Multiroom Speaker Reviews
Sonos PLAY:5 Wireless Music System Review
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 19, 2016

Performance
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $499

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Auto-senses and adjusts output for vertical and horizontal orientations
Trueplay room EQ
Capacitance touch controls with audible feedback
Pure butt-kicking sound
Minus
Slight high-frequency edginess when used vertically
Tiny feet bumps are visible on sides of speaker

THE VERDICT
The Sonos PLAY:5 gets a radical makeover that adds $100 to the price but combines an amazing user experience with stunning audio performance.

Here’s the bad news: After six years, Sonos has stopped making the company’s first and, until now, best all-in-one wireless speaker system, the PLAY:5. Now for the good news: Sonos has a replacement for the PLAY:5 called…wait for it…the PLAY:5. (Confusing, I know.) At $499, though, the new PLAY:5 is $100 more than the original. For multiple reasons, the original PLAY:5 was my all-around favorite wireless speaker. Will its replacement prove worthy of its heritage—and the higher price?

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Soundbar Reviews
Sonos Playbase Review
Darryl Wilkinson  |  May 03, 2017

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $699

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Only 2.28 inches tall
Utilizes Sonos Trueplay acoustic tuning technology
Can be part of a Sonos multiroom audio system
Minus
No volume level indicator
Optical digital and network audio inputs only

THE VERDICT
For the folks who don’t mount their TV on a wall—that is, for the overwhelming majority of TV owners—the Sonos Playbase is an elegant way of creating an excellent-sounding home theater system that’s nearly invisible, super-easy to set up, and blessedly simple to use.

A surprisingly salient special survey by Sonos says that something like 70 percent of slender-TV owners select to stand their set on a flat surface rather than sticking it on a wall. (Say that silently seven times.) Seriously—OK, that’s enough of that—Sonos says that the vast majority of people who own a flat-screen TV don’t mount it on a wall. Instead, they set it on a cabinet, cart, table, shelf, the floor, or just about any other semi-sturdy, close-to-flat surface that isn’t already covered with useless sh-tuff.

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Remotely Possible
Sonos Trueplay Speaker Tuning: The Bear Facts
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Dec 14, 2015
Sonos Trueplay. What is it, and can it make a stuffed bear disappear?
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Remotely Possible
SONTE Wants You To Be a Part of the (Wi-Fi) Film Industry
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Apr 19, 2013
If the folks at SONTE have their way, the company’s new Kickstarter project is going to be curtains for the window treatment industry. Or, rather, it won’t be curtains…
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Home Theater Systems Reviews
Sony DAV-HDX500 BRAVIA Theater System
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jun 05, 2007  |  Published: Jun 06, 2007
This Sony HTiB does the listening for you.

Sony may not have invented the Home Theater in a Box, but it's certainly gone a long way in perfecting the concept. Where most companies make just a couple of HTiBs, Sony has close to a dozen ranging from a cute "1000-Watt" system with a five-disc changer and bookshelf speakers costing $299 all the way up to a 780-Watt $1,999 package that includes floorstanding front speakers, wireless rear speakers, and a DVD/ CD/SACD player. With so many choices, we wondered, what could we get from Sony for five hundred bucks? They answered the question by sending us the DAV-HDX500 BRAVIA Theater System.

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