Let there be music

I'm a big fan of iTunes, but playing music on computers isn't much cop, unless you have additional speakers plugged in. Mind you, the new iMacs definitely have better speakers in them (each with a dedicated amplifier) than the iMac series preceding them. It's actually pleasurable to listen to music on them.

But in our house, we have three Macs. They all talk to each other, share music – and they're all rigged to play iTunes through our stereo.
The networking is a new feature of iTunes (v90) called Home Sharing.

Actually, you can share much more than just music between your iTunes-equipped computers. Movies, music videos (and TV shows, in the US) are all playable on any machine in your network, no matter what Mac they're on.

It does require you to have an iTunes account, and you have to authorise each computer to play iTunes media associated with that account. Once that's done, your Home Share libraries appear in your source list down the left of iTunes, under 'Shared'.

Clicking on an available library brings up a list of the media available in that library. You can only view Home Shares in list view, not in Grid or Coverflow.

Stream it

However, you can do more than that. You can get an AirPort Express and run cables from it into your home stereo.
An AirPort Express is a $189 unit (or buy a refurb for $159) that's small – in fact, it's just a little bigger than a power supply that you plug into an electricity socket. In fact, that's exactly what you do – you plug it into a power outlet.

It has the latest 802.11n wireless technology, and it works with any Macintosh with OS X v10.4 or later installed, and PCs with Windows XP (SP2) or Windows Vista.

Accessing its network requires a Wi-Fi Certified 802.11a/b/g-enabled computer (ie, a PC with a wireless card – or any Mac with AirPort, which includes all Macs except the Mac Pros, into which you have to install one or specify it as an option at purchase). Or plug an Express into it, I guess, or full-noise AirPort Extreme.

I had an Express originally to run a home wireless network, which it can achieve handily. We had four users then, at home, but it handles up to 10. It also has a USB port built in – plug in a compatible printer and you can share that wirelessly, also.

I quickly discovered its so-called AirTunes feature. I ran a long cable from it under the house into the back of the stereo and voila! Any Mac on the network could then play it's collection over the home stereo, which was a tremendous boon.

But then I got a Time Capsule to back all the Macs up wirelessly. Since this also furnishes an even larger, more powerful wireless network, I then used the Express as an extender and plugged it in next to the stereo in the lounge. Once again, any Mac on the network can choose to play its library and playlists through the stereo in the lounge.

This got even better with the iPhone, which is also, of course, on the home wireless network. You can get a free Apple app called Remote which lets you choose playlists, stop and start songs, view cover art and even change the volume of anything playing through iTunes on the home stereo.

All this replicates, for a minimal cost (and assuming you already have a home stereo), a full-on and much more expensive system like that created by Sonos.

Until now, that is. Sonos has released a new system that's essentially a wireless, amplified speaker box. At $899 in New Zealand, the Sonos ZonePlayer S5 just needs a power outlet. It comes with a free install disc with Windows and Mac software on it that lets you add music to it, then run the system remotely.

This saves you the $849.99 for a hardware Sonos Controller, the wireless, handheld remote with a 3.5-inch full-colour display and touch screen that most full-noise Sonos system users buy, along with their other Sonos products.

Even better, perhaps, if you are an iPhone or iPod touch user – Sonos has a free app in the App Store that lets you use your Apple device as a ZonePlayer controller. How handy is that?

The ZonePlayer S5 itself has two tweeters, two mid-range drivers and a subwoofer. The all-digital sound architecture sounds pretty good, if a little bassy (unless you turn off the Loudness feature that's on by default).

With the S5 you can add a room of music anywhere you want – simply plug it in to a power supply and enjoy. It has a volume up and down on the top, and that's it. It's not waterproof, but wireless range is good – you can use it in any room in the house, or on the sheltered deck, for example.

When you first boot the software, the Sonos controller lists the content from your iTunes library. It's a shame it doesn't just let you play your iTunes library out of iTunes but hey, this is not Apple technology. Sonos is a third-party concern based in the US.

An added advantage, though, is that you also give the Sonos access to the internet (either directly with an Ethernet cable, or via a Sonos ZoneBridge – $275 – likewise wired into your router) and then you can stream internet radio through your system, too.

Sonos, by the way, uses it's own wireless system – it does not integrate with the network served by Apple's AirPort technology. But as an added benefit, it can access music services like Napster and Pandora.

The S5 is smart-looking, relatively unobtrusive (a help against the Home Style Police Department) unit that sounds great.

- Mark Webster mac-nz.com