Home > Consumer Reviews > Sonos ZP100 Digital Music System Bundle (BU101)

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.

The demo on the Sonos website tells you everything you need to know. This system is incredible! I initially bought one ZP100 Music bundle to be sure it worked with my iMac G4 (800MHz) as advertised. It worked flawlessly, and so I bought another ZP100 bundle and a single ZP80 to put my home theater in the Sonos network. Now I have music all over my house which I can control from my iMac or each of the two iPod like remote controllers. I organize all my music with iTunes, including album artwork which is wonderfully displayed on the Sonos controller.

Things to keep in mind. Yes, it is pricey, but it is significantly less expensive than high end room wiring solutions. The system cannot play protected (DRM) files from iTunes Music Store or other vendors (there is a work-around for this). Once I learned about this product, I stopped buying iTunes music (which I seldom did anyway) and started buying CDs. Overall the ZP100 is the way to go because you don't need to turn anything on or off. You leave it on and you have music whenever you want. The ZP80 is for your ampilified system which you may not be leaving on all the time.

May I also suggest the Sony SS-MB350H. These are highly rated bookshelf speakers (Consumer reports) and I agree with their rating. I bough 4 pairs for my ZP100s!

I bought directly form Sonos. Great Teach support. I had a dead controller (replaced within a week), and I had a network problem that was easily fixed (power cycled the ethernet hub).

I set up a 3-zone system in about 15 minutes and the Sonos system is just about perfect for playing tracks from a computer hard drive. The power amp in a single Zone Player had no trouble driving two pairs of loudspeakers (i.e., you can do two rooms with one Zone Player if you accept that they cannot be independently controlled for volume). My only caveat is that if you use the analog input to digitize a signal from a traditional stereo it will come out of the other zones with a slight delay. You can correct this by using the tape monitor loop on the traditional stereo so that it too is playing from a Sonos.

If you want whole-house audio and don't want to rip up your walls installing speakerwire and cables....Get this system. If you are tired of transferring your music from your CDs, to your computer, to your iPod and want it all in one place...Get this system. If you then want to be able to play the music from or in any room in your house or in all of your house at once..Get this system.

It is incredibly easy to set up...I was skeptical, but its true. It does not interfere or slow down the wireless network we use to access the internet nor our wireless phone system. The system is very fast.


I took the extra step of buying a hard drive and connecting it to the wireless network in order to store all my music on...(necessary because I have a laptop and you need an "always-on" computer to be able to access your music or internet radio...it was also great to be able to move all those mp3s off my laptop) Sonos customer support helped me set that up as well.

I end up playing alot of internet radio which is great. The controller tells you who is playing and its a great way to get exposed to new music or to just throw some good tunes on in a hurry.

The best set up is to connect one unit via wire to your wireless router or internet connection. After that, you can place any unit anywhere in your home. You plug it in, connect speakers, press 1 button, and you've got music. It's fantastic!!!!

The other reviews say it all, I was amazed just how much thought went into the ease of installation. This market is crowded with over technical solutions and for that, this shines more than anything IMHO. You have to hold two buttons down on each zoneplayer to set them up.. how easy is that !... I managed to run both wirelessly off my Linksys hub and even placed an order for another two units once I had installed them which must show stupidity or the immediate elation of the sound, quality and thought.

The only drawbacks are... Plays all my music except a couple of recent purchases I made over iTunes, I have been going back to add the CD artwork to really show the remote off :)

If you go with Sonos you'll be happy.