Sonos

I thought I knew what love was. I thought I was a happily married man, I thought I was fulfilled and content - and then I met her. I have only known her for less than a week and already I know I can never live without her. I have been seeking her and dreaming of her most of my adult life and now she is mine. Fortunately Julie not only understands but shares my fatal attraction to this sleek little beauty. And before I go any further let me explain that "she" is my new stereo system.

I have had numerous stereo systems over the years ranging from a Zellers all-in-one Korean import to a variety of respectable name brand components. The vogue used to be stacks of interconnected turntables, tape decks, receivers, amps and equalizers - all feeding into huge refrigerator sized speakers. I used to love to get down behind a cabinet literally crawling with wires and plug them all in, splice speaker wires and run them under couches and rugs, over door frames. I used to fancy myself an audiophile and I would pore over manuals, compare decibels, hertz and watts and twiddle dials and knobs endlessly. Then computers came along and I ran even more wires to connect yet more input – drilling holes through walls so we could connect to our beloved stereo. But no more... now there is Sonos.

What or who is Sonos you ask? Well - it is an almost miraculous, totally wireless music system that is controlled from your laptop or any wireless device. It is a breeze to set up and the software is almost eerily intuitive in anticipating your next wish. Want to play music stored on any computer in the house? No problem. Want to stream live radio from virtually anywhere in the world? Piece of cake. Or subscribe to a variety of music services and play any music you can think of - instantly. Done and done!

Now all of this would be more than enough on its own - but throw in room-filling, crystal clear sound with enough volume to satisfy thirsty ears; add portability and simplicity of design and I think you can see why I am so smitten.

Over the years our listening habits have – how do I put this …matured? We have evolved and so has the music industry. Just yesterday Leonard Cohen released his first album in over eight years and we listened to it on our new Sonos system through a legal music streaming service that we subscribe to. We have owned literally hundreds of records, tapes and CDs over the years and we still have many of them stored away in boxes and drawers. But I don't think we will be adding to that collection much in the future. We will still be listening to music and paying for the privilege - but gone are the days of plastic and vinyl.

The wireless transformation that is taking place seems so modern and cutting edge but when you think about it, music has always come to us through the air - listening to live music is of course the most pure form. But tuning into a universe of pure, commercial free streaming music suits me just fine. I have paid my dues so to speak and now it is time to sit back and enjoy everything that Sonos has to offer. Can't wait to see what else the future holds - maybe a Sonos in every room? Oh yeah...!