How I watched the Formula 1 this year

For many years I’ve been able to get to Melbourne to catch the Australian Grand Prix. The chance to see the cars race for the first time in the season and hear them fly into the first corner is just something I love to be part of. This year I couldn’t make it but I made a small change to improve the experience anyway.

A large delivery arrives on my doorstep at the office. I start to wonder how I will even get it home. It is the range of products that will add some serious sound to my viewing experience on the weekend. Like many of us, we own large screen televisions but rarely do they actually produce decent sound.

Sonos has sent me for the following:

• 2x Play: 1 speakers
• 1x Playbar
• 1x Sub
• 1x Boost Bridge

It’s big and heavy. The subwoofer alone has a serious weight to it. That excites me. I start to unpack all the goods and start with the smallest items, the Play: 1. Before I can unpack anything else I get too excited and set it up, install the app and play some music. Wow. This little guy, the height of a wine glass and as thick as a 1.25L coke produces some real power. One speaker can fill a room.

The setup is all very simple, you just know there is a lot of great technology working in the background so that you don’t have to. Within an hour I have all the equipment setup in the lounge-room and connected to the television. It was just a matter of plugged them into power and telling the Sonos app where they were. Like earlier in the piece I was excited at each piece added. The Playbar without the sub is actually rather disappointing. Once I connected the sub though I was thoroughly impressed. TV audio was really solid and pronounced. During the ads I can quickly play music from my phone and within an instant flick it back to TV audio. This is all too simple.

Come race day I was not disappointed, the sound of the now rather quiet F1 cars was much better than it was ever going to be at home and certainly made up for the lack of live viewing. I do wish that I was there though, only to see Sebastian claim his first podium with Ferrari.

Total cost to implement this system: $3015 RRP