Summary

The Sonos Music system is all meshed up. That’s a good thing. A new twist on multi-room audio, Sonos uses a wireless mesh networking technology called Sonosnet to transmit music files from a home PC to up to 32 zones in the house (go slowly; at a minimum of $600 per zone, the overall tag can add up fast)  While remote music players from Linksys, Creative and others have sought to do the same thing using Wi-Fi, there’s always some household appliance that seems to get in the way in the 2.4-GHz airspace: a microwave oven, a cordless phone (at least, that’s the way it is in my house.)  I can’t even get my PC in the basement some 20 feet away from the upstairs router to make a wireless connection over 802.11g—even after hours on the phone with tech support.

But I could with the Sonos ZonePlayer, and without hours of aggravating setup.  Mesh networking is the enabler.  The Sonos controller communicates with the nearest ZonePlayer, and then that ZonePlayer communicates with the other ZonePlayers throughout the home instantaneously.  As a result, the system can play in rooms that are out of range of the first ZonePlayer, and you enlarge your network as you add ZonePlayers.

Editors note: The Orb Audio Classic Two speaker system (available in white to match the Sonos system) would be a perfect fit for the Sonos Digital Audio System. Check out our review.

Full Review

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

I was a little scared of the Sonos system before I tried it out.  It had done nothing to warrant my fear but plenty of other wireless networking experience had prepared me for the worst.  So when I followed the setup instructions for the Sonos and the products performed dutifully according to instructions, I was startled, to say the least. I connected the first Sonos ZonePlayer to the router, powered it up, installed the bundled software on the PC, and waited while Sonos grabbed my music from Windows Media.  To add the second ZonePlayer, I used the remote control’s setup menu and then pressed and released the mute and volume buttons on the Player to add it to the system.  It was as simple as it sounds.

Of course, nothing’s perfect. I do have a couple of quibbles with setup documentation. The manual says to take the Controller and speakers to your router for setup, but there’s no reason to take the speakers into an already crowded office. You don’t need to hear anything during setup, and lugging speakers around isn’t my idea of fun.

The Sonos system setup in an office

Second—and this is the larger issue—I didn’t realize that after initial setup, the primary Zone Controller would have to stay forever tied to the router for the system to work.  I tried unplugging it, thinking the wireless network had been established, but then all the music disappeared from the remote control’s display.  So that means I now have two music systems in my office—my PC system and the Sonos ZonePlayer—because that’s where the router is.  Sonos says most of its customers address this issue by hiring someone to run a long Ethernet cable to another room where they want a music system. That’s not very practical in my situation.  In future incarnations, I’d like to see a small module—without the heavy and expensive amp—handle the router duties.

One hazard of a remote control-dependent system—especially one with a power-sapping color touchscreen—is that when the remote goes down, you lose your ability to control the system from anywhere.  I left the Sonos remote uncharged over a weekend and when I came back Monday, no juice.  So I had to plug in again, wait for the system to recognize other devices on the system, and then kick into gear.  It took about 8-10 seconds for startup—not a big deal—but not the immediate gratification I’m used to.

Controlling the system via remote is a breeze.  Hit the Zones button and you see a readout of what song is playing in which room along with album art when available.  You can put the system into Party mode, in which each zone plays the same song throughout the house, and you can even adjust the volume level for every room as a group or individually by zone.  Of course, the standard playback functions are there, too: normal, shuffle, repeat, and shuffle-repeat.

The colorful display from the Sonos Controller

You can also mute the entire system at once or just select one zone.  That’s another caveat to the system.  The ZonePlayers never power off.  The digital amps do power off when they’re not playing; however, according to Sonos, in standby mode each ZonePlayer draws about 5 watts of power.

Conclusion
 
Sonos has nailed it.  Without the need for expensive custom installation or drilling through walls, you can have far-reaching multi-room audio and fast access to your digital music, all from a no-brainer controller.  The sound quality was as good as I could expect, given that I store music on my hard drive at varying quality levels.  High bit-rate recordings sounded terrific on both my speakers and the supplied Sonos pair.  The system is compatible with the four digital music formats: MP3, WMA, AAC and WAV files.
 
At a $1,200 buy-in price for two ZonePlayers and a controller, the Sonos Music System isn’t cheap.  Additional ZonePlayers are $499 each and controllers are $399 each.  A bundle (speakers included) lists for $1,499.
 
But you can start small with this system and add on as you need to.  The Sonos is an impressive digital-age multi-room music system that gives you room to grow. 

Specs

Controller Specs:

Zone Player Specs:

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