Sonos & Sonance - Outdoor Speaker Streaming Audio Bundle with xPress Audio Keypad - White/Gray

When the bespoke Magnolia Outdoor Streaming Bundle arrived, I was surprised how large the packaging was. Inside the box were 4 items, all individually packaged, so this has been put together as a kit by Magnolia/Best Buy. You get the two Sonance MAG 06 Outdoor Speakers, the Sonos Connect:Amp and the iPort xPress remote. (Description says 'Audio Keypad' but lets face it, it's a remote!). I opened the Sonos Connect:Amp first, as it's the coolest looking piece of kit in the box. It's a nice, sleek designed box in aluminum and white. It has three buttons on the front, play, and volume up and down. That's it. On the back, you get four really nicely engineered, spring loaded speaker wire terminals. They push and grab the wire when you place it in the hole. Very secure connection. There is also a subwoofer connection and a voltage switcher, two ethernet ports and audio left and right connections. It's vented on top to let out the heat. This unit is NOT rated to be left outdoors. It is not waterproof or weatherproof at all. Next up was the iPort xPress remote. It is a relatively simple remote with play/pause, next track, favorite, volume up and down buttons. This remote is wifi enabled, so it will work anywhere that you have wifi signal in the house. So you don't have to worry about a signal not going through walls or glass to get to your Sonos Connect:Amp. It charges via an included USB adapter and charges within 3 hours. A little LED status indicator on there lets you know what state it's in and charge apparently lasts 6 months. Next I opened the Sonance MAG 06 Outdoor Speakers, which are IP66 Weatherproof rated. They were larger an slightly heavier than I was expecting, but their build quality is excellent. They feel really tactile, the included mounting hardware and brackets feel nice and solid. They have connection terminals on the front of the speakers in an IP rated and sealed area, making it easier to keep them water tight, but to also access them during installation. I mounted the brackets using the screws from my pre-wired speaker housings on my back patio. The holes in the mounting bracket match up perfectly with an electrical box outlet, and being as that was cemented into my wall, it was the perfect place to mount the bracket. Two screws and pulling the wires through the center of the bracket was a breeze. (Please note that no speaker wire is included in this kit at all). My house was pre-wired for outdoor speakers, so that is what I used. The speakers are a little heavy to hold in one hand and feed the speaker wire from the back to the front, so I ended up resting it on my shoulder as I did do. The clip into the speaker bracket with a satisfying and authoritative 'click'. They are adjustable up and down (or side to side depending on how you mount the bracket), with a locking mechanism as well. There is a black IP rated cover to go over the speaker connections, and then white vanity grills to go over the front of the speakers. With the outside part sorted, I headed back indoors and got to work setting up the Sonos Connect:Amp. Using the spring clamps in the back I hooked up the speaker wires into the back of the Sonos Connect:Amp and plugged it in. It turns on with a green light on the front and that is it. Downloaded the Sonos App and also the iPort app for the remote.Setting up the Sonos Connect:Amp was really simple, you find the product within the app and it walks you through setting it up. Took about 4 mins total to set up (assuming you have your wifi password to hand!). The iPort app is equally as easy to use and connect to your Sonos system. I then linked my Spotify family account and my Amazon Music account to the Sonos system and pressed play. First song I played was Disturbed's rendition of 'The Sound of Silence', which has amazing clarity, and depth of bass along with rising intensity throughout. It sounded good, but not amazing, like the Klipsch and Pioneer Elite setup I have in my living room. Delving a little deeper into the app, I found out why... you have control over EQ and Loudness settings as well under 'My Room'. Click on that in the app and you can adjust the settings there. The whole system 'woke up' then, filled the patio with strong, dynamic sound, enveloping me while I was grilling! Sounded a lot, lot better than I was expecting for an outdoor system. Very impressed with the sound. It's bright and loud without distortion. The bass is strong without being overbearing. I would highly recommend this package to anyone wanting to extend their music collection out into the back yard! Very impressed!

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS, UNBOXING, SETUP & CONFIGURATION: Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much. I mean, I’ve heard a lot ‘about’ Sonos, and I know a little about Sonance, but I never expected what I heard. Moving on, the packaging was, to say the least, considerably larger than I had expected, and that was due (as I’d find out only after opening the multiple boxes (will explain in a bit)) to the fact that the Sonance speakers were quite a bit larger than I’d expected. Upon opening the primary packaging, you are greeted with four boxes inside the “big box”, namely the CONNECT:AMP in one box, the iPort xPRESS in another box, and each of the speakers (as well as their brackets, installation hardware, etc) inside two other boxes. On one hand, I sorta-kinda understand the “idea” behind packaging everything this way – as this system is a Best Buy/Magnolia “exclusive”, they probably wanted each component remaining in its usual (ie. retail) packaging, thus allowing them to use as minimal styrofoam as possible (there are only three “pieces” of Styrofoam…one placed between the two speakers, “cradling” the amp & iPort xPRESS boxes, and two more inside the amp box. On the other hand, I would have preferred a more “environmentally-friendly” packaging. Seeing how Sonance used molded cardboard inside each of their speaker’s boxes, a similar approach could have been used for the entire packaging. Considering this is meant as a “bundle”, inside the primary packaging, everything could have been held in place by similar molded cardboard. Ok, enough complaining about the NON-environmentally friendly packaging…time for the “important” stuff. SOUND QUALITY: The title of my review truly does say it all…this system sounds INCREDIBLE. I was, literally, amazed. I won’t be able to say much about the functionality of the CONNECT:AMP, as I am still just scratching the surface of its capabilities, but, from quickly perusing through the Sonos Connect app, I can easily see that its streaming capabilities are WAY beyond what I could have possibly imagined. As of right now, I’m only streaming via iHeart Radio. While I do have an incredibly large music collection (over 12,000+ songs, all at 256-320kbps), their only “network accessible” form is through the WB MyCloud connected to my router. I am in the process of replacing the MyCloud with a proper NAS, which will also increase capacity from 4TB, to 12TB (using four 4TB drives in a RAID5 configuration), which will be accessible from the CONNECT:AMP. Not that I have configured this…yet…but the CONNECT:AMP can also be used as the “brain” for multi-room, multiple-source audio, by adding additional Sonos speakers in other rooms, and (through the smartphone app) linking them to the CONNECT:AMP. It may be a little while before I start going this route, but…eventually…this is a strong possibility. For right now, I’ll just enjoy the single-source sound coming through the Sonance MAG06 speakers…and, speaking of those………. As for the Sonance MAG06 speakers (essentially, the same as Sonance’s Mariner 66 speakers), they are extremely high quality, producing amazing sound. I realize these are waterproof, and intended to be installed outside, but, for now (meaning, until we move into a house with a backyard & patio), they are installed in the master bedroom, on the wall behind the bed’s headboard, high above each nightstand. While I considered installing them on the opposite wall, facing the bed, I figured, by reflecting the sound off the wall in front of the bed, as well as having some sound “spill over” to the side walls, I could enlarge the soundstage somewhat. It doesn’t matter whether I’m playing Christian music from K-Love, or classic rock from The Bone…either sounds fantastic. ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: There is one “down side” to the package…not that it’s an actual “down side”, but, for anyone without an iOS device, this is directed at you. The iPort xPRESS Audio Keypad included needs to be paired with the CONNECT:AMP, exactly as one might expect. Unfortunately, this is NOT done through the Sonos app, as one might expect. No…iPort requires you to use their own app in pairing to the CONNECT:AMP, and, even worse, they have decided to ONLY create an iOS version of the app. In a time where both Android AND iOS are extremely popular mobile OSes, and when companies, such as Sonos, are intelligent to realize this, and crate apps for BOTH mobile OSes, WHY is there ONLY an iOS version of the xPRESS app??? Sonos openly welcomes BOTYH mobile OSes, so one would think that, being a Sonos accessory, and NOT an Apple accessory, that there would be an app version for Android. As such, I was not able to test/review the xPRESS Audio Keyboard (and this WILL be reflected in my rating). It seems ludicrous to include a $100 accessory in a bundle, when said accessory can ONLY be used if you own a mobile Apple device. FINAL VERDICT: Overall, the Sonos/Sonance Outdoor Streaming Music System is incredible (at least a 9 out of 10), and I would recommend it to anyone, ESPECIALLY if your looking to get high-quality music outdoors. Depending on the gauge wire you use to connect the speakers to the amp, you can place the speakers up to 650ft…YES, I said 650 feet…from the amp. The Sonos CONNECT:AMP is top notch, as are the Sonance speakers. Based on this, alone, I would have given this a 5-star rating. Unfortunately, there’s a rock in the heel of this bundle, and that’s in the form of the included iPort xPRESS keypad. While the Sonos amp can be controlled through iOS or Android apps, setup/configuration of the xPRESS keypad REQUIRES an iOS device. If you are a fan of Apple products, then great, as your getting an excellent system, and saving some money at the same time. However…and this is a BIG “however”, if you’re an Android user (this also applies to those who are still using older cell phones, and without tablets), then you end up with a completely useless accessory, PLUS you will have WASTED money, as you will have spent more on the bundle (based on the regular $1200 price) than you would have had you purchased the CONNECT:AMP & speakers separately (of course, anytime this bundle is on sale for anything less than $900, by all means, brag it QUICK, as it’s a steal-of-a-deal). I would have GLADLY given this bundle a 5-star rating, had it not been for this one major “hiccup”. The truth is, if your going to include a wireless keypad accessory, make CERTAIN it can either be paired by using the product’s native app (in this case, Sonos Connect)…or, if requiring its own app, that said app is available on ALL major platforms. Since this is a Magnolia/Best Buy exclusive, one would think Best Buy would have been smart enough to understand this, ESPECIALLY when Android devices outnumber iOS devices by a considerable margin. The overall bundle is wonderful, but it’s marred by the inclusion of an iOS-only accessory, thus the reason for my “lowered” 4-star rating. Disclaimer: This product was provided free, or at reduced cost, for the purpose of reviewing the product. Nevertheless, the above review, be it positive, negative, or anywhere in-between, is a 100% honest review, and the price paid played absolutely no part in my review.

I have been eyeballing some outdoor speakers for some time now and when the opportunity came along to give the Sonos/Sonance combo a shot I jumped. Unpacking the box revealed a well packed pair of Sonance speakers (individually boxed), Sonos Connect:Amp (individually boxed), and the iPort xPress Audio keypad. I decided to 'test' the setup first before committing. The Sonance speakers have some real heft to them and feel very well built. They use a soft-dome, 1" tweeter and 6" fiber-based cone. They come with an accompanying mounting bracket and hardware. The Sonos Connect: Amp is pretty straightforward. It is basically an amp with both wired and wireless networking built in. First and foremost, the amp is NOT weather resistant and intended for indoor use so keep that in mind when deciding where to place it. The amp offers stereo line-in and also has a subwoofer pre-out which is a nice touch. Both the speakers and amp have nice, solid speaker wire push terminals. Once I got everything wired up, I installed the Sonos app on my iPhone and plugged in the Connect: Amp. Immediately the app detected the amp and after a quick setup including creating a Sonos account I was off and running. I authorized the app to use my Apple Music account and Plex server and fired up the first track. Out of the gate I tried Tears for Fears "Working Hour" which I purchased from HDTracks in 24/192 FLAC. This is the first gotcha. Turns out that Sonos doesn't play anything higher than 24/48 natively so my Plex server began transocding the audio to a supported format. To be honest, I was pretty floored by what I heard. I have listened to outdoor speakers before, but these were so clean and clear. The Sonance offered a crisp sound with excellent midrange output. Bass is reasonable considering the 6' driver and I wasn't expecting subwoofer like performance, but as a whole it was a very balanced sound. I then queued up Dire Straits "Ride Across the River' and was once again wowed by the quality of sound. This was another FLAC track that originated from the JVC XRCD2 release. The same open and balanced sound hit me and I was sold. On top of the quality of sound I was getting I was incredibly happy with the Sonos app. Both of my services I added integrated seamlessly into it and made controlled my music a cinch. I decided to connect the xPress Audio keypad to see what it offered. While it isn't going to make finding something to play easier as it only offers the ability to play favorites directly, it does offer volume control and play/pause/next track capability. This is important otherwise you will be fumbling for your phone or tablet anytime you want to change the volume or pause a song. The nice thing is the xPress is Wi-Fi based and battery operated so you can have it with you where you sit or keep it attached to the magnetic backplate. The keypad charges with a standard USB cable and is included. Overall the system is a complete and refined package of known quantities. Sonos has been doing wireless audio for years and is a market force in that segment. Sonance has been manufacturing high quality speakers for more than 10 years. It is a great match and comes in one convenient box. All you need to supply is the speaker wire if your house is not pre-wired. That is the unfortunate situation I find myself in having to crawl around in my crawl space to run speaker wire. I am more than willing to do it as I believe the end result will be great, easy to use audio on my back deck. If you want an outdoor speaker system that can deliver consider this on your short list. On a side note, I am enjoying the use of Sonos so much I am now considering other speakers for my house. A testament to what they have delivered in both quality and ease of use in my opinion.

The Sonos speaker system arrived a day late; nonetheless, it looked great! As some of my fellow reviewers have stated, it’s a huge “all in one” box that houses speakers, amp, keypad and accessories such as brackets and nails. After unboxing and finding a nice unit, here is what I discovered: Setup: Setup for me was “tricky” in so much that I have never dealt with wires; therefore, I requested my neighbor who has an electronics background for assistance. I will state, I was a good student as I watched what was a seamless process. I will quickly note, I elected to put this unit in-door which has worked out thus far. Back to setup, firstly, I downloaded the Sonos app from Apple’s app store since the keypad only works with IOS, I used my Ipad Air for this process. Seemingly, everything went well; however, after conclusion of the setup process, I could not hear any music coming from the amp. After, re-checking my steps, still “no music” was heard! Therefore, I went back to the drawing board and since I am an avid Android cell phone user, I downloaded the app from the Android store which was a seamless process because I was already a registered user; therefore, everything synced up and I was in business with AWESOME sound coming from the amp!! Shortly afterwards, I went back to my iPad and uninstalled the Sonos app and then reinstalled in which I got everything working properly! After reassessing, what I did incorrectly, the only thing I may have missed was the selection of the Amp during setup while on IOS. Lastly, I downloaded the app for the keypad in which the first two tries were unsuccessful; however, the third try was the charm as the firmware needed an update which didn’t take long. The keypad works well and it’s very useful as it controls sound seamlessly. Sound: The sound produced from the speakers is wonderful! The sound is just pure without any scratching and/or distortion. The bass is good. While I am not an audiophile, I do know and appreciate good sound quality which comes from these amazing sounding speakers! During setup, I added Pandora, Audible, Amazon Music and Calm Radio which has some amazing jazz music along with other genres. I elected to listen to “smooth jazz” and man it sounds great as only jazz produces a language, sometimes intimate, boisterous, but always layered with immense sound experiences. Notes: If by chance you don’t have an iPhone and/or iPad, you can still download the Sonos app from the Android store and control your music via that channel. Unfortunately, the keypad only works with IOS (Apple) for now; however, I am hopeful after Sonos’s reps read these reviews, they’ll add access for Android devices to their keypad. I personally see usage of both apps for dual purposes in so much, if I don’t want to turn on my iPad for music control, I can just use my phone to access/control my music. Recommendation: Yes, I recommend this audio streaming bundle if you’re wanting a great sounding outdoor as well as indoor experience. It’s great for summer outdoor entertainment as well as indoor entertainment.

OK, first impressions: Overall, high quality. The amp has a sleek, compact look of quality. The tactile feedback is great. Feels well made, simple and attractive. The speaker connections are strong and positive. The speakers are also excellent quality on initial unpacking. They are heavy (in a good way) and also have a high quality look and feel. They are bigger than I was expecting, but I'm not disappointed. The design for the insertion of the wire is great. The wires come in from behind and are connected to another set of very nice connectors. Then you place a cover on the front and the connection is well secured and sealed from the elements.And then you place the grille on for the clean look and even more protection, Mounting was pretty simple and the brackets were solidly sturdy. OK, now its time to set up the head unit... Easy money. I had it connected to wireless network, updated software and ready to go in 3 or 4 minutes. No problems at all. Now for the remote. Here is where I am disappointed. The only way to get it associated with the network and amp is through an Apple app. Sorry all, but every one in this house are Android users. I mean, I guess I get it if you choose to alienate all Android or other users, but at least offer a PC based option. The remote comes with a micro USB cable so why not develop a simple app or web option to program the remote. This is a huge disappointment. I guess I'll have to wait until the kids get there school -issued iPads and we'll see here in a couple weeks, but a bummer. The remote does come with a clever magnetic holder that can either be mounted magnetically or into solid surfaces with screws. The remote hold is solid and unique. I just wish I could use the dang remote! As for the app, I have had no issues with it. I find it easy to use, easy to setup and manage. Works well and no complaints so far. OK, now we are all set up (except the remote control bummer) and ready to go. The sound is quite good. Very crisp and clean highs, no muddled mids and the bass is pretty good. While I'm no audiophile, the sound to this ear is pretty impressive. To put it to the test, we had the hot tub going with all 3 zones of jets full blast and the kids were in the pool with 2 of their friends splashing, diving, laughing and everyone could easily hear the music clearly. Even from far end of pool, it was great. At full blast, there is no distortion and everything is crisp, clean and clear. End of the day, really good system with one major flaw. Give us an option for programming the dang remote! Had that been an option, this is easy 5 star but that embarrassing faux pas with the remote is a real bummer.

The days of needing a huge boom box in your backyard for parties and get togethers are over. Thanks to sound systems like this you can get amazing sound in your backyard and no longer need to buy 16 triple D batteries for a few hours of listening. All kidding aside the Sonos & Sonance is an amazing system. In the box you get the 2 Sonance speakers, a 110w amp, the xPress audio pad, power cord, and manual. Set up was pretty simple with the exception of the remote. It requires the app to set up, and that app is iOS only at the moment. We dont do Apple here in my house, so hopefully they will release an Android version of the app soon. Other than that setting up the main unit and connecting to the network was pretty simple. The speakers are very sturdy and waterproof. They will last a very long time with how well made they are. The main unit is also sturdy and well made. The layout is very simple and easy to use. Sound wise... wow. Much more than expected. Very crisp and clear highs, mids, etc. Might need a subwoofer if you like that real low bass, but not needed in my opinion. The speakers have plenty of punch and sound great. Overall this is an amazing, easy to use, awesome sounding system. With one flaw I hope they eventually fix. And that is Android support. In the past it would have made a little more sense to be iOS only, but with how popular Android is now all systems that have associated apps should have support for both. Other than that the Sonos and Sonance streaming audio bundle is a great option for anyone wanting amazing outdoor sound without having to buy 16 triple D batteries for that old boombox. I use to have one of those huge carry on your shoulder ones, and remember how often and expensive it was to get new batteries. And this was way before rechargeable batteries ;-). Its been awhile since we had a backyard party. Now with this impressive sound system Im hoping to change that. Looking forward to backyard barbeques again.

When it comes to sound quality, I call myself an expert or audiophile. I love listening to music with perfect base and clarity. While I have a very nice home theater and a gaming room with great sound systems, I had never been fortunate enough to find an outdoor system that met my demanding ears. That is, until now. I just tried this Sonos & Sonance Outdoor Speaker and am so amazed. The speakers are heavy, waterproof and produce the best sound I’d ever heard for this type of speakers at a home outdoor environment. In my opinion, a subwoofer would make it close to what you experience in outdoor concerts. Subwoofers can be purchased separately if you want to add more oomph to an already great system. It’s a dream come true right when my back yard is going through a makeover. I’m ready to invite neighbors and friends over to enjoy the sound. I will not go through the details of setting this up but it was very easy. The CONNECT:AMP app is intuitive and flexible and allows you to stream from different sources. This equipment deserves high bit rates and my advice is to always choose 256 or higher for streaming. The amp is powerful and easy to operate. The included iPort Xpress keypad is nice but it seems that it can only be set up with an iPhone or iPad. No Android support. Not a problem for me but it may be for others. Taste is a personal thing but I do like the design. It does look and feel of high quality. I like the tactile feedback as well. Although I always feel bad about placing a system like this to the elements, it seems that it does a good job of protecting itself. Is there room for improvements? Definitely but my 5-star rating is based on material and sound quality, not on other features it could have. Those are the two most important ones to me. The app and the remote are welcome and I love them but nothing is more important than overall quality and this system does meet that in my opinion. If I could, I would have given it 4.5 stars due to its lack of Android support to the keypad. As I said, not an issue for me but not everybody is an iPhone fan.

In my mind, outdoor streaming audio is wireless. Well, this is an exception and a throw-back to component stereo, and so worth it. Physical setup is pretty straight-forward. You have to go old school and think of placement and running wires. The speakers are weatherproof but the console isn't, so you need to mount it in a protected place and plan how to route the wires. This is not designed to be a portable system. I had to get out of my home-assistant mode and look at this as a new genre of tech, since I'd never used a Sonos system before. It is its own microcosm of sound and connectivity, so I had to reframe my expectations. I set up my Sonos account and configured the device. It took a little bit if fiddling to get it to connect -- the device looks for your 2.4ghz network, not your 5ghz, so your phone has to be connected to the same version of the network to go through the setup. Next I synched my Pandora account and gave the system a go. I did enjoy being able to control it from my phone, but I can't just shout, "Hey Google, I like that song" like I normally do. The sound quality is nice, and it does get loud. Nice, full, rich loud, not shouty empty hollow loud like we hear from many portable speakers. I gotta explore the other connections and options for Sonos, but so far I'm really happy with this system.