Digital Trends

Sonos Digital Music System

May 23rd, 2005 | by Rebecca Day

The Sonos Digital Music System is a self-contained package comprised of ZP100 ZonePlayers, a two-fisted handheld controller and optional speakers.  Finished in the now-familiar iPod gray and white, the ZonePlayers don’t look like traditional audio gear. The ZonePlayer’s 10.2 x 8.2 x 4.4-inch footprint is narrower than the standard 17-inch width of analog-age components.  Built in is a 50-watt-per-channel amp, which contributes to most of the ZonePlayer’s 10-pound bulk.

The rear jack pack of each player features spring-style binding posts.  That means no wrapping wire or screwing in posts.  You just press and release, a refreshingly simple design.  Oddly, though, while the posts on the rear of the ZP100 are red and gray to discern between left and right channels, the wire that ships with Sonos isn’t color-coded to match.  That would have been a nice finishing touch, since Sonos speakers also use red and black posts.

Also on the back are a quartet of Ethernet jacks, an analog audio input for, say, an MP3 or CD player, and an audio output including subwoofer out for connection to a home theater receiver.  A power cord completes the section.  At least one ZonePlayer in a Sonos system has to tether to a router (the other zone controllers operate wirelessly over the mesh network), and then the others can operate wirelessly.  The remaining Ethernet jacks on a Sonos ZonePlayer can be used to connect to a PC or other network storage devices. 

The Sonos System with aftermarket speakers

ZonePlayers are minimalist in design. Two buttons control mute and volume from the ZP100 front panel.  Everything else must be done by the CR100 controller, a hefty but slick remote control with a 3.5-inch color interface that’s reminiscent of the iPod with its scroll wheel and gray and white paint job.  The controller selects the music in your local room, which could be the Sonos library on your PC, subscription-based Rhapsody Internet radio channels, or an auxiliary source.  Here’s the cool add: you can also control any other Sonos zone in the house.  Press the speaker button and you can mute the sound in another room.  Press and hold for 3 seconds, and all rooms mute. 

The Sonos Controller