In its short history, Sonos has established itself as one of the most simple and successful wireless multi-zone systems for playing music from PC-to-stereo(s). At CEDIA this week, Sonos released a software upgrade that integrates the Rhapsody music service, so users have direct access to a huge library of songs and commercial-free and customized radio stations.

The basic Sonos system is comprised of two small boxes and a handheld color LCD controller. Using the controller, you can play music stored on a PC by wirelessly streaming it to stereos in multiple rooms around a house; part of the appeal of the system is that users don’t have to log onto their computer to search or play music. The basic Sonos system, at $1000, includes two ZonePlayers, one of which needs to be plugged into an Ethernet port on your network. Other ZonePlayers communicate over a wireless network that is automatically configured. As many as 32 music zones can be added to the Sonos platform, but each new ZonePlayer costs $350.

The Rhapsody service is now available directly via the Sonos controller, and users in the United States will be able to try a free 30-day trial of Rhapsody, which is one of the more popular services for streaming music over the Internet. Other new features added in the software upgrade include alarm clock settings so that users can have up to 32 alarms set to music or radio stations. A new sleep timer and music scheduler also allow for more customized music playback options.

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