Sonos ZP100 Digital Music System Bundle (BU101) Review

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(More customer reviews)I had been wanting to install a whole house audio system long before I even had a house. When I was a kid, I dreamed of being able to go from room to room and have my music follow me. Back then I envisioned a CD changer hooked up to all my speakers and listening to a selection of my favorite CDs. If I only could have dreamed bigger, I would have thought of the Sonos system.
I got an iPod three years ago and it was great to rediscover songs/CDs/artists that I hadn't listened to in awhile due to (1) the volume of my collection and (2) not having the ability to manipulate songs across the collection easily until the advent of mp3 playlists. But the iPod changed that. I loaded all of my CDs on an external hard drive, synched my iPod, and had all of my songs in a handheld device no bigger than my wallet. Or so I thought.
Turns out, I had too much music to fit on one iPod. So it was great to have *most* of my favorite music on the iPod so I could easily take it in the car or listen to on a single system within my house, but I still wanted access to all my songs and the single iPod couldn't pump music throughout the whole house without some costly wiring expenses. And along comes the Sonos system...
I had first read about the product nearly a year ago and it had gotten rave reviews wherever I looked. Thinking it was out of my price range though, I never really considered purchasing it. However, I then began to research different alternatives. The more I price compared a total solution (ie: running speaker wire throughout an existing house, a central media manager so I could run different and/or the same feed(s) to different rooms, and a remote to control it all), the more attractive the Sonos system became. Given all of the extra costs with a different system (not to mention the inevitable set up frustration), I was convinced that the Sonos system was my answer. But could this finally be IT or was I going to be let down by something that seemed to be soooo good, it almost seemed overhyped?
Without question, the answer is yes, this...is...IT. It is honestly the easiest computer interface/setup I have ever used. Connect a ZonePlayer to your router, press a couple of buttons, and follow the on screen prompts. Then follow a similar procedure to connect the remote (Sonos Controller). Another ZonePlayer in another room set up via the Controller (quicker than the 1st), and you're good to go. The remote controls up to 32 ZonePlayers (ie-rooms) so it should satisfy anyone's needs if you want to expand (and you'll want to!).
After 15 minutes, you'll be listening to Bach in the Basement, Frampton in the Family Room, and Sinatra in the bedroom. Or listen to the same thing all over the house. And the best part? There are NO buffering issues in this wireless music system. How'd they do it? I don't know, but it really does work.
Another important feature that is often downplayed but nearly equally cool, is the RCA input on each ZonePlayer. This allows you to connect an external source and send it throughout the rest of the system. So you can connect a tuner to one of the ZonePlayers, and then send your favorite radio station to the rest of your house. Connect another to a TV and send the TV's audio throughout the house. What for, you ask? I agree, I won't be using it for regular shows, but it should be great for sports and being able to keep up with the game when I run outside. To make that happen...
I'm hoping to add another ZonePlayer outside in the Spring so I can go from the upstairs to the main floor to the basement and even outside, all the while listening to the same song throughout the journey. I'm really looking forward to the good weather!
So as you can see, I just can't praise this product enough. For those of you who think it's expensive, compare it to a full solution like I did. If you have a large CD/mp3 collection and an imperfect listening solution, this is the one product that can tie it all together easily and achieve that sonic nirvana you've been searching for.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sonos ZP100 Digital Music System Bundle (BU101)

If you're looking for a simple, powerful, and stylish way to play your favorite music all over the house, look no further than the Sonos ZP100 digital music system bundle, which includes everything you need to set up the audio system of your dreams. The system gets you started with two Sonos ZonePlayer 100s (ZP100s, for short) and a Sonos controller, enough equipment to cover two rooms with full digital music access. When you're ready to expand your wireless, multi-room digital music system, simply add more ZonePlayers and controllers as needed.
Watch a demo of the Sonos Digital Music System. it in action [Flash]

The ZonePlayer 100 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 ZP100, with its built-in amplifier, communicates wirelessly with your PC or Mac and sends the music directly to any connected pair of speakers. You can even play the same song in different rooms or different songs in different rooms.

With 50 watts per channel of power and a guaranteed total harmonic distortion of less than 0.02 percent, you can count on superior audio quality playback--without hisses, crackles, or hums. The first ZP100 connects to your broadband router, but you have total freedom with each additional ZonePlayer. You can put one in the basement, garage, kitchen, and anywhere else, as long as you also connect a pair of speakers. 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. Connectivity is easy, as the ZP100 features spring binding post speaker terminals, RCA-type line-in and line-out jacks, and 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 complement 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 need access the Sonos controller (included in the bundle). The wireless Sonos controller gives you instant control over your entire digital music collection, along with Internet radio, subscriptions to online audio services, and even music from your favorite CD or MP3 player. You can turn off the upstairs music while you're downstairs. You can change the song in the kitchen from the den. Plus, 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 even lets you queue the right tunes for the right moment; you can build, edit, and save playlists right from the palm of your hand.

The system supports up to 32 Sonos ZonePlayers throughout your home--from the bedroom to the backyard. Expansion options include additional ZP100s, or you can choose the ZP80, which doesn't have a built-in amplifier but instead connects directly to your home theater or stereo systems. Or better yet, choose both for the ultimate in multi-room music. You can also add more Sonos controllers to give more people access to your music library.

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 PCs and Macs that's as simple to use as the Sonos controller. Designed with a user interface that accommodates a larger screen, the Sonos Desktop Controller software guides you through both setup and music sharing. It offers the exact same functionality as the Sonos controller, but instead of being in the palm of your hand, it's all on your desktop. You can also use it to set up music folders on your hard drive or to add and edit Internet radio stations.

The ZP100 measures 10.2 by 4.4 by 8.2 inches (W x H x D) while the Sonos controller checks in at 6.5 by 0.95 by 3.8 inches. The entire bundle is backed by a one-year warranty.

Rhapsody and Sonos Now you can hear more music, in more rooms with Sonos and Rhapsody, the #1-Rated Digital Music Service. Sonos connects directly to Rhapsody via the Web, so you don't have to download an application or even turn your PC on. Instead, all that music (millions of songs + ad-free radio) is instantly accessible from the palm of your hand-to play in any room you choose.
With the Sonos Controller you can browse the entire Rhapsody Music Guide, everything from Top Artists, Albums and Tracks to New Releases and editorial recommendations. You can even view track information and album art. And whenever a new song is released, it's in your hands and ready to play-in the bedroom, bathroom or backyard. Rhapsody features Instant, plug-and-play access to millions of songs and ad-free radio on your Sonos system
Discover new music right from your Controller-browse by genre or check out the charts, then build your own library of favorites and create custom playlists
Get album and playlist recommendations based upon the songs and artists you've chosen.
Over 100 professionally-programmed commercial-free radio stations spanning dozens of formats
Customized radio stations based on your favorite artists

Free Rhapsody 30-day trial The minute you took your new Sonos® system out of the box or updated your software to Sonos v2.0, your free 30-day Rhapsody® Trial was ready to go. Now, it's your turn to start listening to all those songs, all over your house.
Simply pick up your Sonos Controller, hit the music button and you'll see the Rhapsody Trial. Now select the Rhapsody Music Guide and browse for your favorite artists, albums, genres, and more.

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Sonos BU130 Digital Music System Bundle Review

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(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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Sonos ZonePlayer ZP100 Add-On Player Review

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(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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VortexBox 1TB Automatic CD ripping NAS Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this gadget after a considerable amount of frustration with a Netgear ReadyNAs I had expected to use as a server for my Logitech Squeezebox Duet. The ReadyNAS supposedly performs this function but with a large collection of files it is simply too slow to keep up with indexing and searching etc. Plus ripping my 2,000+ CDs was a real chore. I read about this product and jumped on it.
Well, within a week of getting my Vortexbox appliance, all my CDs are in my mini storage, my Levinson 31.5 transport sold on eBay, and my entire CD collection is now available to me throughout my home without the slightest issues, disappointments or problems.
I initially corresponded with the manufacturer a few times with questions about configuring this device to suit my particular needs I got immediate, understanding an useful help. I cannot speak more highly of the builder. In fact, I sent a modest voluntary donation to them as I felt the help I got was above-and-beyond. Since I became familiar with this gadget, I have had zero issues, it has been up and running for over sixty days without a reboot, issue, glitch etc. You just pop a CD in the slot and it will rip it to flac and/or any almost any other format you care to have.
Useful tip: if you are ripping a large collection disable the creation of MP3 copies (the system rips to both flac and mp3 by default). This will speed up the tedious job of ripping enormously and you can go back later on and create MP3 versions of any or all of your stuff as a background task when you're done transcribing your collection. Info on how this is done is on the manufacturer's simple but very useful web site.
Anyway, this is a great product from nice people and if anything happened to it I'd buy another in a flash.

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Sonos ZonePlayer ZP80 Add-On Player Review

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(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 Premier Kit--Includes One Director with IR Remote, One Player with IR Remote, and One Controller Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I ordered this the day of the release and somehow received a previously opened box, someone at Amazon decided to check the system out and try and re-package it to look unopened. However it's pretty obvious when the all the plastic sleeves that the remote and extenders were packed in had torn tape and wrinkles, cords not packed right, etc., not to mention the whole box being re-taped shut.
On to the system. Well there were a lot of things to like about the concept of this system, however Cisco must have outsourced the implementation because it pretty much failed across the board.
The touchscreen is inaccurate (yes I calibrated it) and unresponsive at times, though the QWERTY screen had nice size keys you have to type slow for it to register letters properly, and sometimes it would highlight the letter showing you pressed it, but the letter wouldn't actually register in the text box. You cannot power down the remote besides removing the battery. The remote failed to find the other components even though they show up properly in the packaged EasyLink software. The remote showed 2/3 signal when 3 feet away from my Draft-N DB router, and 1/3 signal when roughly 25 feet away. Both the remote and extenders failed to access my shared music folders, and would return the message "System Busy" nearly instantly like it never even tried to connect.
On to the extender with the display. Although Cisco claims that you can setup your system sans PC software, it completely failed to do so. The use of the side buttons to control the unit through the display is cumbersome and not well planned. Since they are universal you have to press one before the on-screen graphics are displayed to show you the action assigned to each button. When you do this, the system performs whatever function is assigned to it, so it may exit or skip, since you can't see the assigned action until you press it first. The button graphics at times block the left 1/3 of the text box used for searching and to enter your network password. Therefore you are unable to change to the proper letter because you can't see what your doing. The volume scroll pad around the power button is also poorly designed, you have to touch and leave your finger there for a second before you can scroll otherwise it doesn't register the move. You also have to scroll really slow so it can keep up, oh and don't accidentally press the power button while your doing it (the scroll pad is quite small). The backlight behind the power button is also really bright and annoying especially the orange when powered off at night. If they were smart they would have put the same scroll pad from the remote which also has up, down, left, right and center click, instead of the worthless power/volume setup.
On the extender without a display, it makes no sense to ship a secondary remote with it that has anything besides power, play/pause, volume and prev/next. instead they ship a full remote identical to the secondary that comes with the displayed unit beside changing the color of the home button, it's absolutely pointless beyond the simple controls I listed above since you can't see what you're doing. Unless they expect people to memorize the interface or something else ridiculous.
Overall, after hours of wasted time all I got was some Rhapsody out of the one unit with the display, I hooked up some bookshelfs to it and it sounded good for what it is. The PC control interface was pleasing to the eyes, it displayed each zone and would show album art within each zones frame. It was also easy to link the extenders into party mode with 1 or 2 mouse clicks, however it does take 30 seconds or so for the units to sync to one-another. Otherwise the system as a whole was a great concept, but complete failure. The remote interface was simple and easy to navigate, but if Cisco can't fix the touch interface and address its sluggishness via firmware, what good is it. Cisco stripped any sort of diagnostics or manual setup from both the extender/remote menus, as well as the PC software, so when their proprietary setup doesn't work you have no work-around. I used their walk-through install (after manual attempts failed) which includes a self-diagnostic, and according to it all my components installed properly, well so it said. And yes I re-installed and tried again, I also checked that my firmware was up to date, still no inter-system com's, nor access to my music.
Well that was my experience, not too swift! For a $1,000 I expect a proper product that works as designed, not with the major failures and flaws. These days processing power is cheap enough that no new device with empty memory/storage should run so poorly, I can't imagine it handling any sizable music collection without freezing. For this Cisco wasted enough of my time that I felt compelled to type my first product review.
Please remember you mileage may vary, I hope for others sake that my hardware was in many ways defective.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Cisco Linksys Wireless Home Audio Premier Kit--Includes One Director with IR Remote, One Player with IR Remote, and One Controller

Experience your music all around your home - sounding great and at your control, without wires. The Premier Kit is a great way to start your Linksys by Cisco wireless home audio system in any two areas of your home. It includes one director/wireless-N music player with IR remote control, one player/wireless-N music extender with IR remote control and one controller/wireless-N touchscreen remote.

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

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(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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Sonos ZonePlayer 90 Wireless Multi-Room Music System for Home Theater or Stereo Review

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(More customer reviews)Seeking to upgrade my home audio setup, I picked up some ZP90s along with a Logitech Squeezebox boom and duet, figuring I'd play around with them and then sell what I didn't like.
Overall, I did feel the Sonos setup offered the best usability. The setup was a breeze, the software very use-friendly and easy to quickly find what you want and play it on the appropriate player(s). Another real treat was the iPhone application, which lets me use my phone as the remote and eliminates the need for the costly and bulky controller. Rhapsody, Pandora, and Last.fm are the 3 major music services offered, and all work very well. There's also the bonus of listening to local radio stations without the static, although I was disappointed to find you could only configure it for one location at a time (listening to KEXP in Seattle would have been great).
However, there were two shortcomings when compared to the Squeezebox. The first is the requirement that at least one of the Sonos players be hard-wired in to the network. This wasn't a problem for me since the Sonos is just 20 feet away from my router, however I'm sure there are users out there that won't be as fortunate. The Squeezebox was completely wireless and could go anywhere in the house, so it has a clear advantage there. The Second was not having support for the Slacker music service. I slightly prefer this service over Pandora, and find myself turing on the Squeezebox more due to that reason.
Summary - If you have the money and want something easy to use, and are OK with having at least one Sonos device hard-wired to the network, then this is for you. But if you love Slacker, need something 100% Wireless, or just don't quite have the budget, go with the Squeezebox.

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The Sonos ZonePlayer 90 lets you play all the music you want, all over your house, on all the audio equipment you already own - your home theater receiver, stereo system, powered speakers, and more. Just connect the ZP90 to any amplified audio device in any room and it's instantly part of the wireless Sonos system. The ZP90's digital and analog outputs deliver superior sound to every room. And with the ZP90's superior wireless range, no room is out of reach. The ZP90 is super small, so it will fit just about anywhere. Plus, every ZP90 includes a Sonos Desktop Controller for the ultimate in control and convenience.

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Sonos ZonePlayer 120 Amplified Wireless Multi-Room Music System Review

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(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.

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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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