Sonos Digital Music System

Reviews: Multimedia

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Richard Poelling
Kurtis
Sonos
Nov. 13, 2006

Specifications

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Testing

Importing Music

So how do you test a music player? You play lots of and lots of music! To start off with, I have a large collection of MP3's. I have used many different networked music players and they have all failed at this one single point. That point is the inability to handle a large database of music. For most of the music players I have used I can get around this limitation by only cataloging my playlists, which is a useful workaround, but by no means an ideal one. So, for the first task, can the Sonos unit catalog my collection (currently at 23,000+ tracks)?

The music is ordered by artistalbumsong. At most, the directory structure is 4 deep. Using the latest version of the software which I downloaded from Sonos' website, I installed it on my music server and began the cataloging process. The unit failed 3 times to import the directory. One time I clicked on something which I believe caused it to stop, but after the fourth try, I got the database imported. I would have liked more information as to the duration and progress of this process. Sometimes it is hard to tell if a piece of software is actually doing something or has just hung up the machine.

This process took a while and also changed file permissions which always makes me nervous. As a matter of fact, a separate directory of music lists got its file permissions changed and I lost access by way of other computers. This was a simple fix, but I still worry when software starts changing security parameters. Once the database was fully indexed, I had direct access to my files and folders. I could even browse my music by folder which is how it is set up on the server. This is the first music player I've used which is actually usable with my super-sized music database! Once the database is indexed, you can play any music on any device any time. This brings up the use of zones.

The Zones

One of the key selling points of the Sonos Digital Music System is its expandability. You can add up to 32 different players to your system and control them all from one remote. My setup included two ZP80's and one ZP100. Each can be individually named using preset names such as bedroom, living room, and even bathroom, or if you can't find a suitable name, you can input your own. Picking and choosing the letters for the name can take a while if you use the remote. I would definitely suggest using the included software and a keyboard for this process as it takes far less time.

Once all your zones are labeled, you can begin playing music from them. First you choose a zone, followed by selecting the music. Pressing play starts the music stream. What if you want to hear the same track on all of your players or just a few? This is where Sonos' use of zones really shines. With a press of a button, you can link all the zones together in what is referred to as "party mode." All the zones will be linked and under one control. Be careful though, because music which is playing on the highlighted zone will be what all of them will play. After a few goofs I figured this one out and had no problems going into party mode! You can also link individual zones by choosing which zone to link to by highlighting it. Once linked, the volume control will give you global volume and adjust the entire zone simultaneously. It is this one feature which I think sets the entire Sonos line apart from the competition.

The Remote

Normally, I don't like to go into a whole lot of depth over a remote control. Usually they are either good or bad and they have lots and lots of buttons. This remote is different. For one, it has a beautiful LCD screen which is very easy to read in all types of lighting. The remote uses a rechargeable battery which you can recharge by plugging the unit in, or using a cradle which can be purchased separately. In my experienced, the battery would last about 4-5 days with moderate usage before needing to be recharged. This was using the stock battery saving settings which can be changed to suit your individual needs.

Unfortunately, the battery is only factory replaceable which could be a royal pain when it does die for good. To save battery power, the remote will turn off the screen, and then eventually power itself off. When the screen was just off, simply touching any of the buttons would activate it. When the unit had fully powered off, simply picking up the unit caused it to begin its power up. This initial power-up takes 15-20 seconds, so I hope you like to wait. This was one of the few downsides I found in the Sonos units. Besides the slow bootup time on the remote, the menu changing could also get a bit laggy. I had hoped to see a much smoother transition for a device which is of this quality and price.

Music Sources

As I have stated previously, the Sonos system plays MP3s, but that's not all. You will also get a wide selection of internet radio which can be as easily accessed as your locally stored music. Using the software, you can even add your own stations that you like. The Sonos unit is also compatible with the Rhapsody music service. Using a tab in the software, you can enter your username and password to gain access to this service. I did not test this service out specifically, but it is an option for the unit.

The one music source I was surprised to see was the line-in jack. Basically, any device that has standard RCA connections could be hooked into the unit. For testing I hooked the line out of my XM radio to the ZP80 unit that was currently residing near my receiver. I now had a choice of line-in source when I opened my music library. It even had a label of "satellite receiver" for the source. Since the unit was attached to a powered receiver, I used the set volume feature which locked the volume out to avoid distortion and just bad sound when going into the receiver. This feature worked well as my sound was very good out of that unit.

The line-in source was a bit quiet when I listened to it, but I am uncertain if that was the nature of the connection or of my satellite receiver. When setting up the line-in functionality, you also have the ability to compress the stream. I set this to uncompressed and ironically noticed an immediate loss of quality. The music would drop in and out and basically make it uncomfortable to listen to. Turning the compression back on solved this problem right away.

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Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: First Looks
Page 3: Setup
Page 4: Testing
Page 5: Conclusion

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