Showing posts with label wireless music system. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wireless music system. Show all posts

3/11/2012

Sonos ZonePlayer ZP100 Add-On Player Review

Sonos ZonePlayer ZP100 Add-On Player
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Sonos is truly an amazing product. I wanted a system that could both stream music wirelessly to multiple rooms in perfect sync OR send different songs to different rooms. Sonos is the only product that does this.
I've now had it for two days, and it's just a mind-blowing product. In addition to playing music in perfect sync, there are just so many things about Sonos that is well thought out. Just an example - I have a large music library, and on my iPod I find it very annoying to scroll through the lists. Sonos answer? Well, the Sonos remote has the same type of scrolling wheel, but also a set of three buttons that are used differently depending on what you are doing. When you are scrolling lists, one button is used for "Power Scrolling", which let's you pick the first letter, and once selected you've now jumpted to that section. Simple, but brilliant.
Another great feature - the ability to re-arrange/add to your playlists using only the remote! Locate a song and select it, and Sonos wilk ask you it want to play it now, play next, or at the end of the playlist. Or, re-arrange a playlist in free-form - just select a song, use wheel to "move it, then "place" it somewhere else.
And let's talk about the music library features...all other system I've seen do their own indexing, which typically is not done to your personal preferenes in terms of categories/genres, etc. So does Sonos...but Sonos offers an additional way of viewing your library - the folder structure on your computer! That way, I can browse my music the way I'm most familiar with it.
Controlling volume, letting multiple players play in sync, is all very simple to do - whether from the remote or from the PC/Mac software.
The link to Internet radio stations is awesome - I particularly like the integration with Rhapsody..the fact could instantly see all my existing playlists was truly mindblowing.
Other cool features...the Alarm and Clock (seems to be set correctly via the internet). Updating the software for the units and the remote was a breeze - the remote tells you an update is available, then installs and you're done.
I could go on and on about the coolness of this product...the fact it also acts as a network switch, that each unit allows additional sound inputs (allowing you to for instance plug in an iPod and play throughout the house), the ability to create playlists with songs from both your computer and Rhapsody, the equalizer, the individual room volume controls, the subwoofer out, the simplicity to add more players/zones...
Simply an amazing product, both the hardware, software, and the overall design.
Thank you, Sonos!


Click Here to see more reviews about: Sonos ZonePlayer ZP100 Add-On Player

For those looking for a simple, powerful, and stylish way to play all your favorite music, all over your house, here's the answer: the Sonos ZonePlayer 100 (ZP100), which is part of the complete Sonos Digital Music System. The ZP100 brings great sounding music to any and every room in your house -- regardless of where your music collection is stored. That's because the wireless ZP100, with its built-in amplifier, will work anywhere you've ever dreamed of having music. You can even play the same song in different rooms or different songs in different rooms.
Watch a demo of the Sonos Digital Music System.
With 50 Watts per channel of power and a guaranteed total harmonic distortion of less than .02 percent, you can count on superior audio quality playback -- without hisses, crackles or hums. All you have to do is plug it in, connect your choice of speakers and you've got a room filled with music. You can even connect the ZP100 to your favorite CD or MP3 player and listen to that music on all the other ZonePlayers in your house. The ZP100 features RCA-type line-in and line-out jacks, as well as a subwoofer out jack. Simply put, the ZP100 is ready for any setup you have, large or small. You can even match the ZP100 with a pair of Sonos' very own SP100 Loudspeakers, which are aesthetically and acoustically designed to look great with your Sonos Digital Music System.
Sonos In Depth The ZP100 is just one part of a complete Sonos Digital Music System. To make your system complete, you'll also need the Sonos Controller. With a wireless Sonos Controller in hand, you'll have instant access to all your digital music, plus Internet radio, subscriptions to online audio services, and even music from your favorite CD or MP3 player. Use the Sonos Controller to access your entire digital music collection and Internet radio from the palm of your hand. Turn off the upstairs music while you're downstairs. Change the song in the kitchen from the den. The Controller's full-color 3.5-inch screen lets you see album art, browse playlists, get detailed track info, and more. To start listening, just pick a room, pick a song, and hit play. The Controller also allows you to queue the right tunes for the right moment; you can build, edit, and save playlists right from the palm of your hand.
With Sonos ZonePlayers in the rooms of your choice, you can play the same song in different rooms, or different songs in different rooms. As mentioned, you can have up to 32 Sonos ZonePlayers throughout your house -- from the bedroom to the backyard. Connect your first ZonePlayer to your router and all the others work wirelessly. Choose between the ZP100 featured on this page, or the ZP80 which does not have a built-in amplifier but connects directly to your home theater or stereo. Or better yet, choose both for the ultimate in multi-room music.
If you're just getting started with your Sonos system, you'll want to check out Sonos' ZP80 and ZP100 Digital Music System Bundles, which combine two ZP80 or ZP100 units respectively with a Sonos Controller. The bundles offer an easy, economical way to get in on the Sonos action. Then, when you're ready to expand you can purchase a ZP80 or ZP100 for more rooms in your home.
Sonos Setup You don't need to be a professional installer to set up a Sonos system, or a technical wizard to use it. Sonos was designed to work right out of the box. All you need is a high-speed Internet connection and a router to get started. Then, unpack your components, lay them out in your home, and the result will be music to your ears.
Software Sonos offers desktop software for PC and Mac that's as simple to use as the Sonos controller. Designed with a user interface to accommodate a larger screen, the Sonos Desktop Controller software for PC and Mac will guide you through both set up and music sharing. It offers all the same functionality as the Sonos Controller, but instead of being in the palm of your hand, it's all on your desktop.
Use the software to set up your system, as well as music sharing. It also helps you set up music folders on your hard drive so they can be shared across all ZonePlayers. The software provides control of your Sonos Digital Music System from your desktop, and you can use it to add and edit your choice of Internet radio stations.
What's in the Box Sonos ZonePlayer ZP100, power cord, ethernet cable, Sonos System Setup software CD-ROM (Windows 2000, Windows XP SP2 or Mac OS X v10.3 and v10.4), and Sonos Digital Music System Documentation.

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12/13/2011

Sonos S5 Zone Player Starter Kit with BR100 ZoneBridge (White) Review

Sonos S5 Zone Player Starter Kit with BR100 ZoneBridge (White)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Just got the S5 about an hour ago. Setup couldn't be easier. Step 1 - connect the power cord to an power outlet. Step 2 - hit the Mute and + button to get the S5 added as a new zone, Step 3 - hmmm....I don't think there is one. Just hit play and enjoy pure bliss.
This is my 4th Zone player (see my other gushing review of the Sonos system on the Sonos bundle page), and anytime my wife asks, "how many of these white boxes you really need?", the answer is always "one more".
Portability is the key feature of S5. Moving it from Kitchen to backdeck is just a matter of unplugging the power cord and replugging at the new location. It's all in one box. And the sound quality is not bad either. With all 4 zone players on party mode - some connected to very expensive Klipsch towers - I have ran around to compare the sound quality at various locations. The verdict - this little guy stacks up nicely against the big boys.
And the iPhone controller is not too shabby either. Don't see the need to buy the new touch controller (CR200).
Awesome product. Pure genius. Just get it.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sonos S5 Zone Player Starter Kit with BR100 ZoneBridge (White)

The Sonos S5 All-In-One Wireless Music System is a high-performance wireless music system with 5 speakers powered by 5 dedicated digital amplifiers, all in a compact single cabinet. With 2 tweeters, 2 mid-range drivers and 1 subwoofer, the S5 delivers crystal-clear, room-filling sound that rivals much larger, more complicated audio equipment. Plus, the all-digital sound architecture provides precise sound reproduction, just as the artist intended. With the S5 you can quickly add a room of music anywhere you want — simply plug it in and enjoy. And thanks to the S5's superior wireless range, no room is out of reach.The S5 Wireless Music System is an easy and affordable way to start sending music all over your home.With the included Sonos ZoneBridge which acts as a sending unit, you'll be ready to go almost instantly.

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12/01/2011

Sonos S5 Zone Player Starter Kit with BR100 ZoneBridge(Black) Review

Sonos S5 Zone Player Starter Kit with BR100 ZoneBridge(Black)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Just got the S5 about an hour ago. Setup couldn't be easier. Step 1 - connect the power cord to an power outlet. Step 2 - hit the Mute and + button to get the S5 added as a new zone, Step 3 - hmmm....I don't think there is one. Just hit play and enjoy pure bliss.
This is my 4th Zone player (see my other gushing review of the Sonos system on the Sonos bundle page), and anytime my wife asks, "how many of these white boxes you really need?", the answer is always "one more".
Portability is the key feature of S5. Moving it from Kitchen to backdeck is just a matter of unplugging the power cord and replugging at the new location. It's all in one box. And the sound quality is not bad either. With all 4 zone players on party mode - some connected to very expensive Klipsch towers - I have ran around to compare the sound quality at various locations. The verdict - this little guy stacks up nicely against the big boys.
And the iPhone controller is not too shabby either. Don't see the need to buy the new touch controller (CR200).
Awesome product. Pure genius. Just get it.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sonos S5 Zone Player Starter Kit with BR100 ZoneBridge(Black)

Now you can stream Internet radio and your MP3 playlist without having to be next to your computer. Great for social gatherings, or doing household chores while listening to music. The S5 is a high-performance, all-in-one wireless music system that delivers crystal-clear, room-filling sound. Simply plug it in wherever you want music and enjoy. The 5-driver speaker system is individually powered by 5 dedicated digital amplifiers and includes 2 tweeters, 2 mid-range drivers and 1 subwoofer for high-quality sound that rivals much larger, more complicated audio equipment. To start playing music, one ZonePlayer or ZoneBridge must be connected to the router, then all the rest work wirelessly. The Sonos ZoneBridge makes setting up your Sonos system super fast and easy. It's the ideal solution if your house doesn't have Ethernet wiring or your router is in a room where you don't want music. Just connect the ZoneBridge to your broadband router to instantly activate the SonosNet wireless mesh network. Now your ZonePlayer will work wirelessly, anywhere in your house. The ZoneBridge can also be used to extend the range of your Sonos system. Audio formats supported Support for compressed MP3, iTunes Plus, WMA (including purchased Windows Media downloads), AAC (MPEG4), Ogg Vorbis, Audible (format 4), Apple Lossless, Flac (lossless) music files, as well as uncompressed WAV and AIFF files Music services supported Deezer, iheartradio, Last.fm, Napster, Pandora,Rhapsody, SIRIUS Internet Radio, Spotify, Wolfgang's Vault and downloads from any service offering DRM-free tracksOperating systems (for stored files) Windows XP SP2 and higher; Mac OS X v10.4 and higher; NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices supporting CIFSWireless connectivity SonosNet 2.0, a secure AES encrypted, peer-to-peer wireless mesh networkNetwork bridging 2-port switch (10/100Mbps, auto MDI/MDIX) allows Ethernet devices to connect t

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11/18/2011

BreatheAudio Elevate Whole Home Audio System - Complete Package For 4 Rooms Review

BreatheAudio Elevate Whole Home Audio System - Complete Package For 4 Rooms
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(More customer reviews)
This little system has plenty of power for most installations. It sounds great and functions extremely well. The wall-jack provided ensures that the messy wires stay inside the wall. Just one cable (looks like an old parallel port cable) connects the machine to the wall. The kit has everything you need for a 4-room distributed audio system. I have installed three of them and I have no complaints.

Click Here to see more reviews about: BreatheAudio Elevate Whole Home Audio System - Complete Package For 4 Rooms



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11/07/2011

Sonos ZonePlayer 120 Amplified Wireless Multi-Room Music System Review

Sonos ZonePlayer 120 Amplified Wireless Multi-Room Music System
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
A few months ago, I decided to upgrade my music system. I began looking at CD "jukeboxes" that could load my entire collection. Along the way, I discovered the world of wireless music systems, and began researching them. Sonos seemed to be well-received, so I finally made the decision to purchase a ZoneBridge and a ZonePlayer 120. This setup has fulfilled every expectation I had for a new music system, and more. It's an easy and pleasant way to listen to music you already own, and to discover new music.
Below is my review of all the main benefits I see to this amazing system.
1. System Setup
Sonos offers many hardware options, but they all have a few things in common. A Sonos ZoneBridge connects to your computer - it "indexes" music on your hard drive and connects to the Internet for music services (more on that later), then it beams all this to a ZonePlayer, which is hooked up to speakers somewhere else in your home. It creates a wireless network dedicated just to music and does not interfere with other wireless devices. You can add more ZonePlayers, and they all pick up the same wireless signal and allow you to listen to your collection in multiple locations throughout your home.
The ZonePlayer 120 has standard jacks for directly connecting speakers. You can also hook up an ethernet cable, if you want to stream music through a wire instead of using the wireless signal. Finally, the ZonePlayer 120 allows you to connect an analog device using standard RCA cables. For my setup, I just hooked up two speakers.
To get ready for this system, you must rip all your physical CDs into a music library. This is the most time-consuming part of the process. But there is nothing unusual here. You can use iTunes to rip CDs into your library, just as you normally would. To get the best sound quality from the Sonos system, you should rip everything using "Apple lossless" format (instead of MP3). This is really easy to do in iTunes. Lossless is not required (you can use MP3s if you want) , but it's better because you'll get CD-quality sound.
After you rip all your CDs into an iTunes library, you run the Sonos "Desktop Controller," which comes free with Sonos systems. This is one of the easiest and most intuitive software applications I've ever used. Just tell it to set up your music library. It finds your iTunes collection and "indexes" it in the Sonos system. Depending on the size of your collection, this may take a little while. With my collection of about 400 CDs, indexing takes about three minutes.
After that, there is an automated process where the software "locates" your ZoneBridge and ZonePlayer. On your computer screen, it literally shows a picture of the devices with arrows pointing at the buttons you need to press. In less than five minutes (seriously) the Sonos Desktop Controller can have the whole system done and ready to go.
Other than that, you just decide whether you want to use one of Sonos' remote controllers, or get the free Sonos app which runs on the iPhone or iPod Touch. I use the free app, and it it works great: I turn on the iPod Touch, click the "Sonos" icon, then scan my entire music collection and play anything, within a few seconds.
2. The Listening Experience
Of course, easy set up does not matter if the system doesn't sound good. Well, Sonos sounds great. The music that plays through the ZonePlayer is CD quality (remember to rip in Apple lossless format). It's as simple as that.
There is about a three-second wait time when you first click on the icon on your controller, as the Sonos systems starts up. But after that, you can run through your collection without delay. I like how my music collection is suddenly organized alphabetically by artist, album, or track names. If you're like me and have a large collection, this indexing of your music is itself a great improvement over looking through hundreds of CDs for the one you want! Of course, the accuracy of your index relies on the album and artist data you provide when ripping your CDs into your iTunes library.
Once the music starts to play, it just works. I've never had interruptions due to wireless connection problems. While the music plays, you see album artwork on your controller, plus the standard play/pause/forward/rewind functions we're all accustomed to. You can also create playlists.
3. Music Discovery
Of course, having your entire music collection easily accessible is great. But the Sonos system goes much further. I was pleasantly surprised after I started using my Sonos system to see some excellent music discovery options I had not known about before.
Through the Sonos system, you can access Pandora (the free Internet radio service) and play it through your stereo speakers.
You can also access radio stations from around the world and play them live over your stereo system. I've enjoyed cruising my local radio stations, or stations from around the world. You can find stations in obvious places like the US, Europe, Africa, and South America. But you can also find them in remote areas of the South Pacific, Asia, Antarctica (I'm not kidding), and places you may have never heard of before. It seems as though almost every corner of the globe is represented in this system. If you find a station you like, you can bookmark it as a favorite. It is important to point out that when you play a radio station through this system, it is not a canned pre-recorded program. You're hearing the actual broadcast, exactly as it would be heard by a "regular" radio.
You can also take out a subscription to an online music service. I chose Napster for $60/year. At any time, in about a minute or so, I can locate artists, albums, or tracks and play them on my stereo system. The sound quality of Napster is not quite the same level as the lossless files ripped from my CD collection, but it's very good. You can bookmark your favorite albums or artists to play them easily each time you start the Sonos system. Napster even has some interesting spoken-word "albums" like poetry readings and stories. You cannot create CDs from Napster music, but I use it all the time to hear enough to decide if I want to buy the actual CD, which I then rip into my library.
There are numerous other music services available through the Sonos system. All of them show up right on the main menu of your controller.
4. Product Support
The Sonos system often feels overwhelming when you're first looking into it. When I began reading about it, I was confused about all the different ZonePlayers, could not tell what I really needed, and did not know about the sound quality of the equipment. For me, it was great having the Sonos user forum, a group of customers helping each other. There are a lot of patient people there who are willing to help you understand what the Sonos system is all about. After purchasing the system, you may have a question or two about options and possibilities, and the user forum is great for all of this.
5. Conclusion
As you can see, I'm a big fan of what Sonos has done with their music system. It really has opened up all kinds of listening possibilities. I can play music easily and at high quality levels, and I even see my own collection better now - sometimes noticing CDs and songs I had forgotten about!
I recommend this system strongly to people who want to modernize their music library but keep the same music quality they are accustomed to with CDs.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sonos ZonePlayer 120 Amplified Wireless Multi-Room Music System

The Sonos ZonePlayer 120 is amplified, wireless, compact, and convenient. With its state-of-the-art digital amplifier, the ZP120 works anywhere you've ever dreamed of having music - the bedroom, the bathroom or even the backyard. All you have to do is plug it in, connect your choice of speakers and you've got a room filled with music. And with the ZP120's superior wireless range, music lovers really can play all the music they love, all over the house. The design of the ZP120 is both compact and cool so you can feel free to hide it away or leave it out for all to see. And every ZP120 includes a Sonos Desktop Controller for the ultimate in control and convenience.

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