Uncle Isaac is building a new house. When he asked me how he might go about getting music to play throughout several different rooms of his home, the first thing that came to mind was Sonos. (Of course, if it was my house, I'd have a different-colored turntable in each room: Colonel Mustard in the library, Professor Plum in the study, Mr. Green in the billiards room, Miss Scarlet in the kitchen (wink wink)….)
Last week, the dudes from Sonos stopped by the office to share their latest news. They were excited.
Sonos' Bundle 150 includes their new ZonePlayers (ZP 120 and ZP 90), updated Sonos 2.6 software, and the company's wireless Controller. With the ZP 120, Sonos has shrunken their original ZP 100 by 35%, while increasing the power to 55Wpc and doubling its wireless range. Now, three antennas in the little feet of the ZonePlayers all send and receive music using something called MIMO (Multiple Input / Multiple Output). Sonos VP Thomas Cullen explained that the signals of the previous ZPs were not strong enough to penetrate through the thick walls of European homes. With three antennas all working simultaneously, rather than two taking turns, the idea is that Sonos should be able to send music to any room of your home, in addition to garages or sheds outside of your home. In Jersey City, I could probably send music from my apartment all the way to the bodega at the end of my block.
The smaller ZPs are not only powerful. They are pretty adorable, too. The ZP 120 measures just about 7" W x 3.5" H x 8" D, and weighs a handy five pounds. You could toss it around from room to room, but you wouldn't need to. Its partner, the ZP 90 DAC/preamp, is even cuter. It measures just 5.5" W x 5.5" H x 3" D and weighs 24 ounces (or two pints). To get the ZP 120 so small, Sonos employs class D amplification. When John Atkinson expressed his concern over the use of switching output stages and their high levels of ultrasonic noise, Tom Cullen remained enthusiastic, saying that his product has solved the problem.
Meanwhile, the Sonos 2.6 software is a one-button update available to all Sonos customers. By registering their new Sonos system, or upgrading their existing system, Sonos users receive three DRM-free albums from Classical.com, 50 DRM-free downloads and one free audiobook from eMusic, and ten complete, DRM-free concerts from LiveDownloads.com.
The Sonos Bundle 150 (including ZP 120, ZP 90, and Controller) costs $999. The ZP 120 costs $499 by itself; additional ZP 90 Zone Players cost $349.
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