Showing posts with label connected home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label connected home. Show all posts

9/28/2011

Sonos BU130 Digital Music System Bundle Review

Sonos BU130 Digital Music System Bundle
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
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.

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Sonos BU130

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7/09/2011

Sonos CR200 Wireless control of your Sonos Multi-Room Music System Review

Sonos CR200 Wireless control of your Sonos Multi-Room Music System
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Been using my CR200 for about 3 weeks and it has been a joy.
Compared to the original CR100 (which itself seemed fabulous when first received) the CR200 is from a different planet. It's much smaller, lighter, and the screen is bigger and brighter. I am not sure I would pay to upgrade for those benefits alone however.
The real advance is in the search functionality. Gone is the ipod style scroll-wheel with the tedious onscreen keyboard and in is a full touch sensitive on screen keyboard. Once you get used to it (it takes a little practice) the difference is night and day. If you have a large music collection, or especially if you use Napster or Rhapsody, searching using the CR200 is a joyous experience. Not only is the input vastly quicker now that you can type, but the search itself is predictive such that when you type "depe", for example, Depeche Mode will already be on screen vying for your attention with DePedro. The combination of vastly faster typing combined with the improved search makes the search experience on the old CR100 feel like wading through cement in comparison.
Rhapsody plus the CR200 really is a wondrous thing, it really makes searching for music a joyful experience. I frequently have to stop myself squealing with delight.
So, if the CR200 vs. CR100 = a no brainer, how about vs. an iPod touch or iPhone? My experience using the Ipod application is limited to about 5 minutes. My reasons for preferring the CR200 were twofold: 1. I really value the speed of the search experience - having to wake up my iPod, load the app etc was a trifle unappealing. Furthermore, I have a big house with lots of sonos players in far flung corners (like the basement) and I really wanted my remote to work on the Sonos Mesh as opposed to wifi (which the iPod uses). These are perhaps not big reasons, and if you already have a suitable touch or iPhone it may well not be worth the upgrade. As irrational as it may be though, I just wanted a device built from the ground up for Sonos rather than an apple product I could dumb down to do (almost) as good a job.

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Sonos Controller 200 (CR200)Dedicated wireless Controller with full-color VGA display and ultra-responsive touch screen. Pick it up or touch the screen and it's instantly on, ready to play your music. Dedicated Mute, Volume and Zones buttons get you to the functions you use most. Includes a Sonos Charging Cradle and removable battery.

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4/25/2011

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

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

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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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3/21/2011

Sonos S5 Wireless Internet Music Player (White) Review

Sonos S5 Wireless Internet Music Player (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 Wireless Internet Music Player (White)

The reason Sonos works so flawlessly all over the house is because we designed a complete multi-room music system from the ground up. From the flexibility of our ZonePlayers to the ubiquity of our Controllers, no other company gets multi-room music like we do. Our system lets you play the same song in every room with perfect synchronicity. Or you can play different songs in different rooms and please everyone in the house.

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