Showing posts with label multiroom digital music systems. Show all posts
Showing posts with label multiroom digital music systems. Show all posts

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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Sonos ZonePlayer ZP80 Add-On Player Review

Sonos ZonePlayer ZP80 Add-On Player
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Great add-on device to my music system, bringing internet music and digital music from my computer to my theater system. It seems expensive for for merely converting wifi radio frequency to RCA inputs to the home theater system. Especially when I realized I needed to buy another bridge device to connect this unit to the home network. But it is simple to install and use. It is unobtrusive and clean.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sonos ZonePlayer ZP80 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 80 (ZP80), which is part of the complete Sonos Digital Music System. With the ZP80 you can wirelessly stream the music you have stored on your PC or Mac to your home audio equipment -- your home theater receiver, stereo system, powered speakers, and more. Just connect a ZP80 to any amplified audio device in any room, and that device is instantly and seamlessly part of a wireless, multi-room digital music system. 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 up to 32 ZP80s set up in your home, you can use the full-color Sonos Controller to wirelessly control all those devices from the palm of your hand. Sonos liberates the digital music that's stored on your PC, Mac or network attached storage (NAS) box and wirelessly streams it to any ZonePlayer in any room. You can access music stored on up to 16 devices on your home network, plus Internet radio, subscriptions to online audio services like Rhapsody and Audible.com, and even music coming from an external audio source, like your favorite CD player.
You can also use a ZP80 to retrofit a conventional multi-room audio system with home-run speakers or as a wireless extender to increase the wireless range of your Sonos system. No matter where or how you use the amazingly compact ZP80, the digital and analog outputs will deliver superior sound to every room. And because it's designed to minimize noise and distortion, the music you hear will sound virtually identical to the original.
The ZP80 features optical and coax digital outputs for superior audio quality, so it's ready to connect to your high-end home theater or stereo system. There's even an analog audio input for connecting a CD or MP3 player directly to the ZP80, and you can listen to that music on all the other ZonePlayers in your house.
Sonos In Depth The ZP80 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 ZP80 featured on this page, which connects directly to your home theater or stereo, or the ZP100, which features its own built-in amplifier. Or better yet, choose both for the ultimate in multi-room music.
If you choose to extend your system with a ZP100 you can use your own speakers with it, or connect a pair of Sonos SP100 Loudspeakers, which are aesthetically and acoustically designed to look great with your Sonos Digital Music System.
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 ZP80, 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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Cisco Linksys Wireless Home Audio Trio Kit--Includes Two Players with Two IR Remotes and One Controller Review

Cisco Linksys Wireless Home Audio Trio Kit--Includes Two Players with Two IR Remotes and One Controller
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I purchased the Wireless-N Music Extender (DMP100) and the Wireless-N Touchscreen Remote (DMRW1000). I attached the DMP100 to my Onkyo TX-SR805 receiver. I use this receiver in my home theater and to drive my zone 2 speakers which cover my patio outside. I used a hardwire LAN connection for connectivity to my home network. I do have a wireless network in my home as well, but have extensive wired infrastructure in the house and went ahead and used it for connecting the DMP100.
All of my Rhapsody music is stored on a Cisco Media Hub (NMH410). I have been using Rhapsody for the last 2+ years and love the service.
Setup for both the DMP100 and the DMRW1000 were incredibly easy. They have a software app that comes with them to help ease the setup of the products into your wired and/or wireless network. Both products were configured and running in under 10mins. It me longer to download the latest version of the software app than it did to get both products configured and fully operational!
During the installation, the software app asks you for your wireless SSID and any encryption key information. All of this is transferred to the device while it is connected to your computer via USB. The screens during the setup process are easy to follow and understand. The DMRW1000 connected to my current Wireless G network without any issues. I have purchased the Linksys WRT610N (Wireless-N Simultaneous Dual-N Band) router, but have yet to integrate it.
After setting up my receiver to zone 2, I walked to my patio and used the DMRW1000 to select my songs. The DMRW1000 was able to see all of my songs, playlists, favorites, etc stored locally on my network attached Cisco Media Hub. I then used the DMRW1000 to go to Rhapsody's online music service to search for songs by Michael Jackson (the wife felt compelled after his recent death). The DMRW1000 has a touchscreen keyboard (QWERTY) to type information. The connectivity and searches were easy to do and the response from Rhapsody were fast.
Another VERY cool feature is once you purchase more than one Wireless-N Music Extender (DMP100), these show up on the remote. Therefore, you can choose to play Michael Jackson on one DMP100 in the kitchen while you have your favorite playlist running on the other DMP100 that provides music to the patio. This gives you complete command of your whole home audio!
Battery life is pretty good, but could be better. I got about 6 hours. Granted, with a new toy, I was playing with it more than under normal use ;-).
Complaints - really none. I did notice that the music dropped twice. Each time though, connectivity to my wireless G network had dropped. I expect this to be resolved once I install the N router (I'll update my post once this happens).
Overall, two thumbs up for both products.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Cisco Linksys Wireless Home Audio Trio Kit--Includes Two Players with Two IR Remotes and One Controller

Experience your music all around your home - sounding great and at your control, without wires. The Trio Kit is a great way to start your Linksys by Cisco wireless home audio system in any two areas of your home. Included with the kit are two players / wireless-N music extenders each with IR remote controls and one controller / wireless-N touchscreen remote.

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