RSS Feeds
Home
Sonos Improves Wi-Fi With ZonePlayer ZP90 and Small Self-Powered ZP120 Audio Streamers
Posted by Adrian Covert at 3:46 PM on August 5, 2008
Sonos upgraded their ZonePlayer lineup to the ZP 90 and the ZP 120. The ZP 90, which connects to existing home theatre amplifiers, is essentially the same as the ZP 80, but now features SonosNet 2.0, which combines MIMO antennas with Sonos' existing mesh network. The ZP120, Sonos' main amplified unit, also includes SonosNet 2.0, but is also smaller (17.8 x 7.6 x 20.3cm vs. 25.4 x 10.2 x 20.3cm) , lighter (2.3kg vs. 4.5kg), and has more power (55W vs 50W) than the previous ZP100.
In addition, Sonos updated their system software to version 2.6, which Classical.com and LiveDownloads.com to its list of music services for use with the Sonos Controller 100 (which has yet to be upgraded from its original design, btw), and are offering US$200 worth of free downloads between the three services. The update also enables support for NAS Hard Drives, and 65,000 music files. There's also an eMusic promo in there. The ZP 90 and 120 are available now for US$350 and US$500 respectively, or as part of the BU150 bundle which includes the ZP 90, 120 and CR100 Controller for US$1000. [Sonos]
SONOS INTRODUCES THE
SONOS ZONEPLAYER 120 AND SONOS ZONEPLAYER 90Wireless Range and Amplifier Design Innovations Deliver State of the Art Multi-Room Music Experience
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - August 5, 2008 - Sonos®, Inc., the leading developer of wireless multi-room music systems for the home, today introduced two new ZonePlayers to deliver a state-of-the-art multi-room music experience. With innovations in both wireless technology and amplifier design, the Sonos ZonePlayer 120 (ZP120) and the Sonos ZonePlayer 90 (ZP90) make Sonos the ideal system for music lovers who want to enjoy all the music they love, all over the house. The new ZonePlayers are available starting today at all Sonos authorised retailers and at HYPERLINK "http://www.sonos.com" www.sonos.com.
The two new Sonos ZonePlayers give music lovers the ability to add music to absolutely any room. Connect speakers to the amplified ZP120 and place in the bedroom or the backyard. The non-amplified ZP90 can be connected to a home theatre or stereo, allowing customers to make use of the audio equipment they already own.
"Sonos' mission is to fill every house--and every room--with music," said Phil Abram, President & Chief Operating Officer, Sonos, Inc. "These new products continue Sonos' heritage of blending the latest technology, software and user experience to create an unmatched music experience in the home."
The new ZonePlayers incorporate SonosNet™ 2.0, our latest wireless mesh network technology, which doubles the wireless range of the Sonos Multi-Room Music System. SonosNet 2.0 uses Sonos' mesh network combined with state of the art MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) wireless technology which uses 3 antennas to send and receive music. SonosNet 2.0 helps assure the music gets to all the right rooms, near or far, at the right time - creating perfect synchronisation of music without all the wires. The extended range works between any mix of ZP120s and ZP90s and is compatible with all previous generations of Sonos ZonePlayers, Controllers and ZoneBridges.
Sonos ZonePlayer 120Advances in power supply design, digital amplifier engineering, industrial design, and mechanical engineering make this the smallest, lightest, most powerful amplified Sonos ZonePlayer ever. The incredibly efficient amplifier and power supply, combined with the fan-less design of the aluminium case, allows the ZP120 to operate silently. The ZP120 delivers 2x55 watts per channel RMS at 8 Ohms. With measurements of THD+N < 0.02%, 20Hz-20kHz, the ZP120 delivers powerful low distortion audiophile quality sound to every room of the house. The ZP120 can be connected to speakers and discreetly placed on a bookshelf, under furniture or beds, or hidden in cabinets with connections to in-wall speakers.
The ZP120 will retail for $499 individually. It is also included as part of the Sonos Bundle 150 (see accompanying press release) for $999.
Sonos ZonePlayer 120 Technical Specifications
Class-D Amplifier: Great sounding amplifier that is lightweight, small and very energy efficient
Output: 2x55W RMS (55W power into 8 ohms, TDN+N<0.02%)*
Speaker connections: Spring binding postsLine In: Auto-detecting RCA allows any external audio source to be played by all ZonePlayers in the system
Subwoofer out: Auto-detecting RCA, 80 Hz crossover
Wireless connectivity: SonosNet™ 2.0, a secure AES encrypted, MIMO peer-to-peer wireless mesh network
Network bridging: 2-port switch (10/100Mbps, auto MDI/MDIX) allows Ethernet devices to connect through SonosNet
Power Supply: AC 120/240V, 50-60Hz, user-switchable
Dimensions: W 7.3 inch x H 3.5 inch x D 8.15 inch (W 185mm x H 89mm x D 207mm)
Weight: 5.1 lb (2.3 kg)
Product finish: Anodized precision machined extrusion aluminium case. Aluminium casing also facilitates passive cooling.
*Both channels driven, minimum continuous average power, 22Hz-20KHZ-AES17 measurement bandwidthSonos ZonePlayer 90
The Sonos ZonePlayer 90 allows music lovers to play all the music they want, all over their house, on all of their favourite audio equipment--a home theatre system, powered speakers, a premium table top radio such as a Bose Wave® Radio, and more. It is the easiest way to integrate existing audio equipment into a multi-room music system.
The ZP90 will retail for $349 individually. It is also included as part of the Sonos Bundle 150 (see accompanying press release) for $999.
Sonos ZonePlayer 90 Technical Specifications
Sound quality: THD+N < 0.009%, 20Hz-20KHz
Line-out: Analogue (RCA), digital (optical and coaxial)
Line-in: Analogue (RCA), auto-detecting
Wireless connectivity: SonosNet™ 2.0, a secure AES encrypted, MIMO peer-to-peer wireless mesh network
Network bridging: The 2-port switch (10/100Mbps, auto MDI/MDIX) allows Ethernet devices to connect through SonosNet™
Power Supply: AC 100-240V, 50-60Hz
Dimensions: W 5.5 inch x H 5.4 inch x D 2.9 inch (W 139.7mm x H 136mm x D 74mm)
Weight: 1.5 lbs (0.69 kg)
Product finish: Light grey, high quality PC
Sonos System Technical Specifications
Audio formats supported: MP3, WMA (including Windows Media DRM), AAC (MPEG4), Ogg Vorbis, Audible (format 4), Apple Lossless, Flac (lossless) music files, as well as uncompressed WAV and AIFF files. Native support for 44.1kHz sample rates. Additional support for 48kHz, 32kHz, 24kHz, 22kHz, 16kHz, 11kHz, and 8kHz sample rates.
Music services supported: Best Buy™ Digital Music Store, Napster®, Pandora®, Rhapsody® 3.0+, SIRIUS® Internet Radio, and downloads from any service offering DRM-free tracks, including Amazon MP3™, eMusic® and more.
Operating systems (for stored files): Windows® XP SP2 or higher, Windows Vista™ Mac OS X v10.4 and v10.5 NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices supporting CIFS.
Internet radio supported: Streaming MP3, WMA
Album art supported: JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF
Playlists supported: Rhapsody, iTunes®, WinAmp®, Windows Media Player®, and MusicMatch™ (.m3u, .pls, .wpl)
In conjunction with today's ZP120 and ZP90 announcement, Sonos also introduced Sonos Software 2.6 to all Sonos customers. The new feature update includes more than $200 in DRM-free music offers, support for music collections with up to 65,000 tracks, and more. See accompanying press release.
Sonos is the first wireless, multi-room music system that lets you play all the music you want all over your house -- and control it all from the palm of your hand. To learn more about Sonos, to place an order or to locate an authorised Sonos dealer, please visit HYPERLINK "http://www.sonos.com" www.sonos.com or call 877.80.SONOS.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
mhlaxp
Posted 5:02 PM 5/8/08
I'm still confused as to what the hell these things actually do. They connect to existing speakers and play digital music files, I think, but I see no mention of hard drives anywhere so I assume they can, what, play your computer's music library or something? Or can it play from a networked media server?
Maybe if I had heard of Sonos before this article or knew what Mimo was I wouldn't be scratching my head.
mhlaxp
michaelleung
Posted 5:59 PM 5/8/08
I would like one...but hey! I'm not made of money.
michaelleung
nachomaans
Posted 5:57 PM 5/8/08
mhlaxp: there's a good explanation of the system here: [www.sonos.com]
What I'm really hoping for is an iPhone app to control the system!
Sonos controller is expensive and bulky, and music selection from a large library is a bit tedious, even with the "Power Scroll" shortcuts.
- Apple's wifi-based Remote app for iPhone/iPod Touch is showing the way.
- Salling Clicker ([salling.com]) is more feature-packed and versatile but Bluetooth-based, so not practical for multi-room audio (much shorter range).
- There is an unofficial solution to run SonosWeb on the iPhone ([www.cliqklabs.com]) but I couldn't get it to work well.
Will Sonos listen?
nachomaans
doobiebros2two
Posted 7:04 PM 5/8/08
So no s?
Hmm...
I'm not sure I follow...does it cure a debilitating illness or may I take my interest elsewhere?
doobiebros2two
scarbrtj
Posted 7:44 PM 5/8/08
'Bout time, Sonos. The product line was gettin' a little dusty.
You know one of the most intriguing and handy features of the Sonos ZPs? The RCA line-ins on the back.
scarbrtj
jeepingeek
Posted 10:33 PM 5/8/08
@Joseph: I have a questions about that. With the Airtunes system can you play something different in each zone or does is only stream one song at a time? I would love six zones each with the ability to play something unique or all play the same thing but i have not found a solution yet that isn't rediculously priced.
jeepingeek
Joseph
Posted 10:23 PM 5/8/08
@Joseph: Acutally no, I take that back. I forgot that you need a computer as well which will push the price over the top. Maybe it just works into the work flow better.
Joseph
Joseph
Posted 10:20 PM 5/8/08
Sonus better start stepping their game up. With an iPhone/iPod touch, the free remote software on iTunes, and a $100 airport express, you pretty much have the same thing. Oh except it's cheaper.
Joseph
Maksimir
Posted 11:01 PM 5/8/08
I've had the Sonos system for over 1 1/2 years now and I absolutely love it. Its price is a bit prohibitive but I still think it was worth it for me. I would like to see a new Controller though, a thinner and lighter version would be great but please no touch screen - I still like the tactile feel of buttons and scroll wheel, not a smudge fest on my lcd screen.
Maksimir
QAdam
Posted 10:59 PM 5/8/08
Sonus should have just made their remote (which i do like) just interface with some application...or a host of applications on your PC. Also, you can spec different Airtunes...the same way you can open up multiple itunes playlists.
And their price.....jesus....350 for a remote that just does audio, isnt configurable and does nothing else but work with their system....$150 best id say.
QAdam
bytepusher
Posted 11:17 PM 5/8/08
Airtunes from one computer can play 1 content stream to 1 or many speakers including the computer speakers. It cannot play multiple things in different rooms for example. Now I THINK if you have multiple computers (or possibly multiple virtual images) each running iTunes/Airtunes then you can have each computer run different streams to different rooms but I have NOT tested this for myself.
bytepusher
pete
Posted 12:01 AM 6/8/08
Wouldn't an iPod touch and multiple Apple TV's do this as well (+video), and cheaper?
pete
raleel
Posted 1:20 AM 6/8/08
@jeepingeek: @bytepusher: I can verify this. I have an iphone, an express, and 2 computers running itunes. You can have one computer play to the express and the other play to the computer (the second output). You can have one computer play to both at the same time. You can control these independently using the remote app.
The only thing you really can't do is multiple streams from the same computer.. that I know of. I'll have to start up itunes in two accounts on my mac when I get home and see how that works. My guess is that it won't work, but if it does, you should be good to go. 1 mac mini, multiple accounts. Unfortunately, that also means multiple libraries right now, but that might be able to be fixed by using a library in /Users/Shared or something and using the same itunes account on both of those.
Apple TVs can be used as well, but I think you still need a computer to sync to. I'm not 100% on this, but it makes me want to go and get the one I've been thinking about now for a while.
raleel
Rabbi Dave
Posted 2:55 AM 6/8/08
or any windows media extender except they would also do hdtv, dvr, dvd, and your digital music library. sonos was ahead of its time and then everything else just passed it by
Rabbi Dave
RalphWiggum
Posted 3:35 AM 6/8/08
Sonos is the single best gadget investment I've made since buying my first Tivo.
I love the system and am happy to see new hardware offerings (not that the previous one's were anything to scoff at.) Anyone who thinks they can accomplish the same setup with iTunes/Airtunes/iPhone has no idea how the system works and the benefits it offers for a full housewide multi-room audio setup.
Sonos is the best in its class, plain and simple.
RalphWiggum
Maksimir
Posted 3:24 AM 6/8/08
here's a good article on Sonos at Tom's hardware:
[www.tomsguide.com]
Maksimir
jeepingeek
Posted 4:32 AM 6/8/08
@Rabbi Dave: The problem I have with that setup is that I cannot play the same thing in all rooms at the same time, not unless i have 6 people all press the play buttons at exactly the same moment. I'm lookin for a solution that can play both to the whole house and to each room individually. Sonos is actually quite inexpensive compared to many other systems with it's abilities. Though I haven't investigated the Logitech Slim Duet offerings yet.
jeepingeek
zed0
Posted 6:58 AM 6/8/08
The Sonos system seems like a great solution for multi-room needs. I'm looking to get the BU150 bundle.
zed0
MacSeven.com
Posted 9:12 AM 6/8/08
People are quick to balk at the price of Sonos, having had Sonos in my house for around a year and a half now I can honestly say it was so cheap for the endless hours of entertainment and ease of use that it provides. People happily pay big bucks for cell phones and large monthly commitments, but for some reason have issue with Sonos pricing - I don't get it.
Also, people are saying just use an iPod touch and airtunes, that works for some - but Sonos works so well not just with your own library but services like Rhapsody, Pandora, and many others. I pair a Rhapsody subscription to my Sonos system - love it.
MacSeven.com
Kiamat
Posted 8:07 PM 7/8/08
Another satisfied Sonos user here. I've been using two ZP100s for about 2 years now and I just can't say enough about this system. Yes, it's expensive, but it works. Right out of the box it does exactly what it's supposed to and it does it extremely well. Paired with a NAS and my Rhapsody subscription I have all the music I could ever want or need.
I will say, though, a system like this is for serious music addicts, not casual listeners. Personally, I listen to music like most folks watch TV.
Kiamat
attraktor
Posted 5:35 PM 6/8/08
the sonos system does indeed "just work". i have been using it with great results for about 1 1/2 years now and it has a great WAF. one of its key features is being able to play back all of my music without turning on a PC and/or monitor/tv. one area which could use an upgrade though is the controller - it should support double-byte character sets particularly, chinese, japanes and korean. i read in one of the sonos forums that the existing hardware in the controller (display panel? memory?) was the limiting factor so maybe any entirely new controller is needed, please make it smaller and lighter too, sonos!,
attraktor
attraktor
Posted 1:07 PM 6/8/08
the sonos system does indeed "just work". i have been using with great results for about 1 1/2 years now and has a great WAF. one of its key features is being able to play back all of my music without turning on a PC and/or monitor/tv. one area which could use an upgrade though is the controller - it should support double-byte character sets particularly, chinese, japanes and korean. i read in one of the sonos forums that the existing hardware in the controller (display panel? memory?) was the limiting factor so maybe any entirely new controller is needed, please make it smaller and lighter too, sonos!,
attraktor