The Wrensilva Sonos Edition Console

Wow -- $5,000!

Looks ok, but I'd prefer a more MCM look, like some of the old Zenith or Barzilay consoles. Nobody will ever top the JBL Paragon, though, which goes for a good bit more than $5K. ;)

I can't see much more work by Sonos itself than signing the paperwork on the partnership. Doesn't look like they are producing any special components, itt just looks like the manufacturer mounted two standard Play:5s inside a wood console.

I know retro is in vogue with some and many will find it an attractive piece of furniture but I can’t understand why a company projecting a modern innovative image would want to be associated in any way with such an anachronistic looking product. I appreciate it’s not a Sonos product per se but how does it add to their image in any meaningful way albeit it’s not a Sonos product only incorporating two Play 5s?

I know retro is in vogue with some
While entirely accepting the psychological basis of this, well dressed kit does sound better. I am not saying these consoles are - IMO they look hideous - and I also doubt that Sonos spent any hours on this, but I would love to see Sonos play units dressed in wood - like Bluetooth radios/speakers from British makes like Ruark or Pure Audio as an example. To approach that quality, they would have to come from Sonos as part of the range.

There are quite a few Chinese products that have modern gear in very old fashioned clothes, but I shudder to think of the sound quality and reliability from these. Also, I suspect they use plastic that looks like wood. The idea may be good, but I very much suspect execution quality.

In the UK we have this, its just been updated but its predecessor looks beautiful in the flesh.

http://www.ruarkaudio.com/products/r7-high-fidelity-radiogram

In the UK we have this, its just been updated but its predecessor looks beautiful in the flesh.

http://www.ruarkaudio.com/products/r7-high-fidelity-radiogram

Cool! Those spindle legs are very MCM.

More to my liking: http://www.ruarkaudio.com/products/r1-deluxe-bluetooth-radio

In the UK we have this, its just been updated but its predecessor looks beautiful in the flesh.

http://www.ruarkaudio.com/products/r7-high-fidelity-radiogram

Viewed it with much amusement. I’m of an age where, through DIY necessity, cheap legs such as these were screwed to each corner of a piece of wood to make a coffe table. Or cheap radiograms had the same legs. Thought they were really smart at the time before such a thing became old fashioned. Now it’s “cool”. Its so true that what goes around comes around!