News from Sonos

By Stephen Mejias • Posted: Aug 14, 2008

Uncle Isaac is building a new house. When he asked me how he might go about getting music to play throughout several different rooms of his home, the first thing that came to mind was Sonos. (Of course, if it was my house, I'd have a different-colored turntable in each room: Colonel Mustard in the library, Professor Plum in the study, Mr. Green in the billiards room, Miss Scarlet in the kitchen (wink wink)….)

Last week, the dudes from Sonos stopped by the office to share their latest news. They were excited.

Sonos' Bundle 150 includes their new ZonePlayers (ZP 120 and ZP 90), updated Sonos 2.6 software, and the company's wireless Controller. With the ZP 120, Sonos has shrunken their original ZP 100 by 35%, while increasing the power to 55Wpc and doubling its wireless range. Now, three antennas in the little feet of the ZonePlayers all send and receive music using something called MIMO (Multiple Input / Multiple Output). Sonos VP Thomas Cullen explained that the signals of the previous ZPs were not strong enough to penetrate through the thick walls of European homes. With three antennas all working simultaneously, rather than two taking turns, the idea is that Sonos should be able to send music to any room of your home, in addition to garages or sheds outside of your home. In Jersey City, I could probably send music from my apartment all the way to the bodega at the end of my block.

The smaller ZPs are not only powerful. They are pretty adorable, too. The ZP 120 measures just about 7" W x 3.5" H x 8" D, and weighs a handy five pounds. You could toss it around from room to room, but you wouldn't need to. Its partner, the ZP 90 DAC/preamp, is even cuter. It measures just 5.5" W x 5.5" H x 3" D and weighs 24 ounces (or two pints). To get the ZP 120 so small, Sonos employs class D amplification. When John Atkinson expressed his concern over the use of switching output stages and their high levels of ultrasonic noise, Tom Cullen remained enthusiastic, saying that his product has solved the problem.

Meanwhile, the Sonos 2.6 software is a one-button update available to all Sonos customers. By registering their new Sonos system, or upgrading their existing system, Sonos users receive three DRM-free albums from Classical.com, 50 DRM-free downloads and one free audiobook from eMusic, and ten complete, DRM-free concerts from LiveDownloads.com.

The Sonos Bundle 150 (including ZP 120, ZP 90, and Controller) costs $999. The ZP 120 costs $499 by itself; additional ZP 90 Zone Players cost $349.

Comments

Submitted by Paul S. on August 15, 2008 - 9:23am.

Too many gadgets in this modern world.

Submitted by AlexO on August 15, 2008 - 7:25am.

Aren't you glad grandpa Abraham didn't get to sacrifice uncle Isaac? Good thing grandma Sarah stepped in and spared uncle Isaac. Where would you be otherwise? Grandma Sarah is such an angel. :D

Submitted by Haroon on August 15, 2008 - 8:12am.

Sonos desperately needs a new controller and earthly price or Apple with its Ipod Touch will soon tear it apart.

Submitted by AlexO on August 15, 2008 - 8:15am.

Furthermore, all of this can be done much less expensively with a PC and wi-fi.

Submitted by Austin on August 15, 2008 - 9:01am.

I agree re: a strategy for Apple. I have an iPhone with the remote application which is soooo seamlessly integrated with iTunes. It's really a great application. Coupled with an Airport, data from the computer can go anywhere in the house.

Submitted by Rastanearian on August 15, 2008 - 9:19am.

It is not possible to affordably do what the SONOS does with a PC and wi-fi. If you actually price out every thing you need it will not be cheaper and it will suck.As for the iPod or iPhone, walking around the house with earbuds doesn't qualify as multi-room audio.

Submitted by MeLoveMusic on August 15, 2008 - 10:38am.

Am I reading this right...Stereophile readers saying to use a PC and wifi to listen to music in their houses? Come on.I've been a Sonos customer for more than 2 years and sure I'd like a black unit to fit better with my existing set-ups in the house, but I've tested all of the alternatives - there is nothing that sounds better or is easier to use on the market. PERIOD. I haven't tried out the new zoneplayers, but from what I've read, the new amplifier sounds great and for me, putting these in guest rooms and in the garage is a great way to get that music to rooms I've always dreamed about having music in. And, the ZP80 (which feeds my existing set-ups) sounds great too.

Submitted by Gregory Lett on August 15, 2008 - 11:56am.

The new players are fantastic! Yes, there is nothing on the market like Sonos. I just sold a Sonos setup to someone that got rid of their Squeezebox.Sonos is easy to use works, and is easy to setup.

Submitted by Ward on August 15, 2008 - 3:40pm.

I'll toss in my lot with the Apple Remote/Airport Express team. If you're serving music off a computer, 2 $100 Airport Expresses and 1 $300 iPod touch ($500 total) will be cheaper than 1 Sonos controller and 2 ZP 90s ($1100). Of course if you get the ZP 120 to avoid having to buy an amplifier, or use a streaming service like Rhapsody so you don't have to buy a computer (although most people will have a computer they can use...), the value proposition improves.

Submitted by Austin on August 15, 2008 - 5:10pm.

Rastanearian - You're completely missing the point. Please research Apple's Remote app for iPhone and iTouch.

Submitted by Shazam on September 8, 2008 - 4:01pm.

While you need to have a re-clocker mod (i.e. Cullen Circuits) to get the most acoustically from the ZP-80, the user interface is still the best in the class. Plus, you don't have to have a computer running on your network to use the system. A simple NAS storage unit will do what neither SqueezeBox nor Apple can.Besides, I have no doubt they are hard at work on a touchscreen remote as we speak.

Submitted by JH on September 12, 2008 - 11:17pm.

It is all about the remote. Why can't they move beyond the big outdated once-sleek now clunky remote. Nice receivers but move on ... they are now living in the past with their oversized 2nd G Ipod of a remote. I am going with Duet - small devices, better price point and a slick remote. Multi-room etc...

Submitted by Arno on October 3, 2008 - 10:00pm.

JH: Go with the Duet and discover why Sonos is better. The slick but squeeky remote won't nearly have the wireless coverage Sonos has, becuase you are feeding it off youor home wifi. Sonos has a distributed, proprietary wifi, in which every player extends your coverage and makes streaming more reliable. And as soon as you figure in the PC, the Duet is more expensive. FWIW, even the power a 24/7 running computer consumes compared to a NAS may over time outweigh the initial investment. Sonos costs more, but you also get more robust technology.

Submitted by Tosui on November 23, 2008 - 11:13am.

@ShazamI completely agree about the NAS being so much better than what Apple can do, but I have seen SlimDevices running off them. Either way, neither is as good as Sonos seems to be.@RastanearianNice point about the iPod + earphones. Apple can't do a multizone solution, regardless of equipment you buy! That's a deal-breaker in my book.