![]() An iPod-style scroll wheel with selector button offers speedy navigation through your music library. Nine backlit buttons (with a nifty PowerBook-style ambient light sensor) control music playback and menu navigation, supplemented by three "soft" buttons whose function varies according to the item on screen. The graphical interface is displayed on a bright 3.5 inch (8.9 cm) 320 by 240-pixel color LCD screen, with gorgeous colors and icons, smooth animation, and a clean layout that inspires thoughts of what might happen if the iPod and TiVo were to mate. The handheld Controller CR100 is equally impressive in form and function. I wouldn’t hesitate to put one out in the open (where guests and spouse would see it), or nestled in a bookshelf or cabinet where lesser devices might have cooling issues this thing is engineered so that you needn’t dwell on such details. It is visually attractive and also subtle enough to disappear into the background. Three buttons on the front control the volume and mute all other functions are controlled either from the handheld Controller or the software Desktop Controller. It measures 10.2 by 8.2 by 4.4 inches (25.9 by 20.8 by 11.2 cm), weighs 10 pounds, and is completely silent. The ZonePlayer has grey plastics and an aluminum housing – the combination reminds one of the Mac mini. I noticed no impact on my 802.11g network, or 2.4 GHz cordless phone.) It automatically selects the least-used channel in your area so as to not interfere with other devices. ![]() (Sonosnet is based on 802.11g, and runs in the same wireless spectrum. All Sonos devices participate in a closed, proprietary wireless mesh network called Sonosnet each device is both a bridge and an access point in this network. Your first ZonePlayer attaches to the network via wired Ethernet a four-port 10/100 Mbps switch is integrated into the unit. If you want to add an analog device to the Sonos distribution system, the ZP100 includes a set of line-level RCA inputs. ![]() If you want to supply digital music to the hi-fi, use the RCA variable-level output jacks (there’s a subwoofer pre-out if you need one). If you want one to be a room’s sole music source, just add a pair of 8 ohm speakers the ZonePlayer has binding posts and a 50 watt Class D amplifier. Put simply, the ZonePlayer is the device that plays music it’s designed to be a standalone music system, and it also integrates with your existing devices. Hardware Extraordinaire - The ZonePlayer ZP100 is an impressive piece of engineering, and it’s amazing in its ambition. I’ve looked at or written about a number of music streaming solutions, but this is the first that made me comment to my wife, "Wow, this is cool." It just works, right away, with no wrangling of MAC addresses or WEP keys or IP addresses. Sonos delivers what is easily the most complete music streaming system on the market, one that tackles the problem as a complete solution instead of making assumptions about what you might already have or what format you store you digital music in. However, if you’ve ever considered installing speakers out on the patio and in the dining room, all wired back to the hi-fi in the living room, maybe with those nifty wall-mounted volume controls, go freshen your coffee and set a spell.Īt $500 for a does-it-really-need-so-many-features ZonePlayer ZP100 and $400 for the if-only-they-were-all-like-this wireless Controller CR100, Sonos probably costs more than you’ll spend on the computer hosting your digital music in the first place. If you just want speakers for your iPod, I won’t hold it against you if you skip this article. Let’s get this out of the way: the Sonos Digital Music System is expensive. #1670: Arc Web browser hits 1.0 release, “Do You Use It?” polls about Apple features.#1671: Apple Q3 2023 earnings, new Beats headphones and earbuds, Stage Manager adoption rate, do you use Spotlight?.1672: The hidden power of Google Sheets, Launchpad usage levels, Emergency SOS via satellite in the Maui fires, do you use proxy icons?.1673: macOS 13.5.1, watchOS 9.6.1, copy data from Web tables, what Spotlight is used for, do you use Apple’s Weather app?. ![]() 1674: Proxy icons boost productivity, Arc 1.5 tab syncing, Backblaze price increase, which iPhone weather apps do you use?. ![]()
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