Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...
 Spectacular April 9, 2008
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
This is the absolute best digital jukebox out there, period. As an added bonus, it's flexible, scalable, multizone, wireless... and systems costing twenty times as much do not even come close the ease of use: Sonos currently has the highest Wife Acceptance Factor of any techno-gadget out there, only equaled by TiVo.
Although some amount of technical savvy is required for the initial setup, anybody can pick up the beautiful remote and immediately figure out how to use it (it's a bit like an iPod).
This bundle contains the wireless controller and its charger (but no charging cradle, more on this later), a ZP80 and a ZP100. The main difference between the two zone players is the ZP100 has a built-in amplifier so you can hook up speakers directly to it, whereas the ZP80 doesn't but it offers digital output (coax and optical) which the ZP100 lacks. Both zone players feature an analog input (you could use it for a TV or a satellite radio receiver, for instance) as well as analog line output. It's the perfect starter kit for a two-zone system; you can always add more controllers and zone players later as needed, and seamlessly integrate them into your system.
Sonos has been relentlessly adding features since its initial release: Rhapsody, Pandora, Napster, Sirius Satellite Radio (no antenna needed, you get the feed over the internet). Reliability has been exemplary.
The price may seem a little steep for a music system, but the nearest competitor (Logitech Squeezebox Duet Network Music System) is nowhere near as fully featured (no amplifier, no audio input, no Sirius) and doesn't cost much less for a two zone system. It also seems to be a lot more complicated to setup and use, but I must admit not having any first-hand experience with it.
The only blemish on the Sonos is that they sell the charging cradle separately for a ridiculous amount of money (it's just a dumb piece of plastic) when it's an indispensable part of the system. Considering the fairly high price of the system, I fail to see the rationale behind excluding it from the bundle... It must be the brainchild of some marketing moron. Other than this minor but irritating point... This is just the most enjoyable, reliable, easiest to use system out there.
This NAS box is a perfect complement to your Sonos system and will host the music files so you can turn off your computer and keep the music going: D-Link DNS-323 2-Bay Network Storage Enclosure
The infamous cradle (don't forget to order it): Sonos CC100 Charging Cradle for Sonos CR100 Controller
Edit: the Logitech Squeezebox Duet now supports Sirius.
[Edit August 2008] Sonos released new ZonePlayers, ZP90 and ZP120, part of the new BU150 bundle which replaces the BU130. Don't buy the now obsolete BU130 bundle unless you can get it at a significant discount over the BU150.
great product July 1, 2007
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
I've had Sonos for two years, and have added two zones to my original two. I'll simply say that I haven't bought a piece of consumer electronics in the last 10 years that has given more enjoyment and caused less frustration than Sonos. If you're serious about multi-room audio this is the way to go.
Man you gotta get one of these! July 12, 2007
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
Fantastic product. Pipe music wirelessly to every room in your house and when you're finished setting that up, send the tunes out to the garage and to the hot tub. I have 6 amps and plan on adding three more, so as you can see I'm hardly objective about the system. And why? Because it just works, and works perfectly. I have access to my entire hard-disked music library via the color remote and when I'm in the mood can stream music via internet radio or via Rhapsody etc. Let me cut this short by saying if you have the cash, this is the way to go. Easy set up, flawless operation. Couldn't ask for more.
Home Run June 29, 2007
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
Pros: simplicity, build quality, reliability, flexibility, Pandora
Cons: still expensive, Pandora extra cost
I have been searching for a wireless audio system for my home for years. There have been virtually no choices at the $1000 level. The Sonos founders must have noticed. I am amazed that they got everything right the first time around. I ordered the BU130 bundle plus the Sonos speakers. The setup was simple. Connected one of the two units (either one will do) to my router (using wired connection). The router recognized it immediately and I was in business.
The bundle comes with the 100 (amplifier included) and the 80 (no amplifier). The speakers turned out to be weak - would not get those again. If I had a choice, I would not get the 100 again because I don't need the amplifier. But, the package includes it and the package is cheaper than buying two 80s and a controller. You might find the four 10/100 etherports on the 100 useful (I didn't).
I connected my media system to the 80's line input and I now can pipe that sound all over the house (no wires). I just bought another bundle to add more rooms.
This system is just crazy rich. Besides the obvious flexibility of line-in from any of the units, Sonos includes 30-day trials of Pandora and Rhapsody. If you've ever tried Rhapsody, you may find it hard to go back to radio (broadcast or Internet). Unfortunately, you'll have to pay for it after the 30 day trial. Pandora is basically like satellite radio. I'm not hooked, yet. Sonos also delivers a broad selection of Internet radio genres. All of this is selected from the fantastic remote. Be sure to spend the extra $40 for the cradle.
One last comment. When I first set the system up, I was concerned that the range would be limited. I've had it all over my house, in every room and closet and upstairs far, from the server. No problem.
 A bit of a miss for audiobook lovers December 11, 2007
7 out of 13 found this review helpful
There are some important considerations for audio book lovers that are unclear in the product description -- the lack of bookmarking and ebook support. I purchased this because I am a big audiobook fan and would rather have an audiobook playing throughout the house than music or tv. I am an Audible.com subscriber and have found that Sonos does handle Audible.com content well. However, I also have a significant collection of audiobooks in mp3 format (especially those not available on Audible such as the Harry Potter books).
Unfortuantely the Sonos player is missing the ability to bookmark non-Audible files -- a feature which is commonplace in mp3 players such as the Creative Zen (which offers bookmarking) and iPod (which remembers position on mp3 files). I've examined Sonos' support discussion forum and found that users have been requesting this feature for over a year now. Mp3 book owners should beware. You'll be spending a lot of time fast-forwarding and rewinding in order to find the spot where you left off.
Sonos also doesn't play the protected wma file ebooks you can download from NetLibrary.com (which is offered as a service by many local public libraries).
So the Sonos system is still lacking quite a bit of functionality desired by audio book lovers. Your only option is to download the book to your mp3 player, then hook the mp3 player to the Sonos line-in plug. However, I found this did not work well for several reasons. First, I had to always go to where I placed my mp3 player in order to pause or restart, and the volumne of the line-in seems considerably lower than what the Sonos can do by accessing the files directly. So even with my Creative Zen and Sonos cranked up as high as they will go, the volume is still too low for me.
In short, audio book lovers should take a second look before deciding if this will meet their needs. A simple set of remote speakers attached to your mp3 player may give you better functionality at about 1/10th the price.
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