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View Full Version : In The Zone - The Sonos ZonePlayer S5 System


Matthew Shanks
01-20-2011, 06:00 PM
<p>&nbsp;<img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/wpt/auto/1295094449.usr11811.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></p><p>&nbsp;</p><h6><strong>Product Category:</strong> Wireless Music System</h6><h6><strong>Manufacturer:</strong> Sonos</h6><h6><strong>Where to Buy:</strong> <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/digitalhomethoughts-20/detail/B0049Z2MNA" target="_blank" title="Sonos ZonePlayer S5">Amazon</a> [USA, Affiliate], <a href="http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/sonos-sonos-wireless-music-system-s5-zone-player-s5/10149735.aspx?path=4fe3aae00ab0b27d0a15a3cd32204dafen02" target="_blank" title="Sonos ZonePlayer S5">Future Shop</a> [Canada]</h6><h6><strong>Price:</strong> $448 USD (Amazon), $480 CAD (Future Shop) - ZonePlayer S5 &amp; ZoneBridge Bundle</h6><h6><strong>System Requirements: </strong>Windows PC or Mac with internet and router for home network access&nbsp;</h6><h6><strong>Specifications:</strong> White or black, speakers include 2 tweeters, 2-3" mid-range drivers, 1-3.5" woofer, powered by 5 dedicated Class D digital amplifiers.</h6><p><strong>Pros:</strong></p><ul><li>Extremely simple set-up and operation;</li><li>Impressive audio performance;</li><li>Allows whole house audio distribution with additional ZonePlayers;</li><li>ZonePlayers can be synchronized or play different music in different zones.</li></ul><p><strong>Cons:</strong></p><ul><li>More expensive than many iPod docks;</li><li>Desktop Controller Software isn't as polished as it could be and has some issues with iTunes libraries;</li><li>Cannot play protected music songs, unless upgraded through iTunes.</li></ul><p><strong>Summary:</strong> The <a href="http://sonos.com/products/zoneplayers/s5/default.aspx?rdr=true&amp;LangType=4105" target="_blank" title="Sonos ZonePlayer S5">ZonePlayer S5</a> is a standalone wireless audio system that is very simple and intuitive to set-up and operate. Its audio capability is impressive and it performs its purpose extremely well - quickly and easily accessing and controlling your computer's music collection, Internet radio and music services. Using the ZonePlayer is a very different experience than using an iPod dock, and once you have used it, you will never want to go back. <MORE /></p><h1>Introduction</h1><p>Sonos is well known for simple and easy to use wireless audio distribution systems that require separate speakers and a wireless handheld unit or computer software for control. The ZonePlayer S5 and ZoneBridge combine to create a standalone wireless audio system that can be controlled through a variety of devices, including the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Sonos desktop controller software, or the Sonos Controller 200 wireless handheld. The system targets the mainstream audience that is currently using their computers or iPod docks to access and enjoy their music collections.</p><h2>In The Box</h2><p>The ZonePlayer S5 and ZoneBridge are available in a bundle, but are packaged separately. The packaging is surprisingly minimal, but offers excellent protection for the units. The ZonePlayer S5 and ZoneBridge are each packaged with simple illustrated set-up instructions, detailed product guide, power cord, flat Ethernet cable, and an installation CD. The ZonePlayer is also packaged with a 3.5mm stereo cable for line-in use of another source.</p><h2></h2><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/wpt/auto/1295094537.usr11811.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></p><p><em>Figure 1: Front View of ZoneBridge</em></p><h2></h2><h2></h2><h2></h2><h2></h2><h2>Set-Up</h2><p>The ZonePlayer requires a wired or wireless connection to your home network in order to access your computer's music collection. It can be connected by Ethernet cable directly to the home network's router, but this set-up will likely not be used by the majority of Sonos owners, unless they already have dedicated Ethernet runs to the rooms they intend to place ZonePlayers in.</p><p>Connecting the ZoneBridge directly to the router creates SonosNet, a dedicated and secure peer-to-peer mesh network, independent from any existing wireless network in the house. This network allows wireless access to and control of all connected ZonePlayers, and uses each ZonePlayer as a repeater to extend the range of the wireless network. This maximizes flexibility of the ZoneBridge placement, as each additional ZonePlayer added to the system does not have to communicate directly with the ZoneBridge. The SonosNet also allows for perfect synchronization of connected ZonePlayers throughout the house, or within the same room.</p><p>Set-up of the ZonePlayer and ZoneBridge system was extremely simple, utilizing the illustrated and easy to follow instructions. After connecting the ZoneBridge to my router, placing the ZonePlayer in my living room and powering them both up, I installed the Sonos Desktop Controller software on my computer. The software set-up process was simple, requiring only the connect button on the ZoneBridge be pressed to recognize and add it to the network, and then the Mute and Volume buttons be pressed on the ZonePlayer to add it to the network. The software then walks you through the set-up of the music library by adding the location of your music collection, either on your computer's hard drive or on shared network-attached storage (NAS) devices. Within a few minutes of plugging in the units, they were fully operational and controllable by the Desktop Controller.</p><p>During set-up, the software does request that users modify their computer sleep settings to prevent the computer from going to sleep and losing connection to the ZonePlayer system. I did not change my sleep settings, as I didn't feel it was much of an inconvenience to wake the computer from sleep to use the system, and I would rather have my computer sleeping at night to conserve power. If possible, it would be a nice future option in the Desktop Controller software to allow requests from the iPod Controller App to bring the computer out of sleep. Internet radio stations are still accessible though when the computer is sleeping.</p><p>While the system can be controlled with the Desktop Controller, adding a handheld controller to the system is the final step to allow full wireless control of the ZonePlayer. Sonos has recognized that many of its customers will be upgrading to the ZonePlayer system from iPod docks, and will likely already have a compatible iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad. As such, they offer the free Sonos Controller App through Apple's App Store, available through iTunes or directly on the device. Downloading the application to the device allows complete control over all ZonePlayers connected to the network. It is important to note that wireless control of the system by iPod requires a wireless router in the house for the iPod to connect to.</p><p>Sonos also offers their legacy wireless Controller 200, but at a higher price than a fourth generation 16GB or 32GB iPod Touch. With the prevalence of Apple's devices in many homes and the free controller application that offers the same functionality, this controller offers no real value over iPod control aside from dedicated Mute, Volume and Zone buttons.</p><h1><PAGE />Features &amp; Performance</h1><h1></h1><h2></h2><h2></h2><h2></h2><h2>ZonePlayer S5</h2><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/wpt/auto/1295094747.usr11811.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></p><p><em>Figure 2: Rear View of ZonePlayer</em></p><p>The ZonePlayer S5 features dedicated Mute and Volume buttons on the top panel, as well as an LED status indicator. The rear panel allows for connection of a secondary music source through its 3.5mm stereo line-in, and connection of headphones through the 3.5mm headphone jack. It also has two Ethernet switch connections to allow direct Ethernet cable connections to a computer, router or network-attached storage (NAS) devices.</p><p>Audio performance from the ZonePlayer was impressive, especially considering its small size, and is a very different sonic experience compared to typical iPod docks. The ZonePlayer has two tweeters, two 3" mid-range drivers and a single 3.5" woofer. Music and vocals were quite clear and bass was well-defined. It can easily compete with small bookshelf speakers for sound quality, but offers the added convenience of a single, portable unit. Better audio performance can be had from a dedicated stereo speaker system and amplifier, but audiophiles are not the intended audience for this system. Users of the ZonePlayer system will be willing to accept the trade-off of convenience for absolute audio performance, and prefer the system to blend into a living room or bedroom: something a larger, dedicated system cannot do. The system offers independent bass, treble, balance and volume adjustments through its equalization option. The ZonePlayer proved that it can play loud enough to satisfy the majority of users, as a volume setting of 50% was more than adequate to fill the main level of my house with music.</p><p>Besides audio performance, one major benefit the system has over using an iPod and dock is that it is not limited in storage size; the only storage limit is that of the computer itself, which can be upgraded easily as required. The system can be controlled by any iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad, regardless of its capacity, and does not require iPods be replaced as music collections grow, or tracks and playlists modified to match the size of the iPod. It offers users the option to build collections of lossless music tracks if audio quality is a high priority.</p><p>The network performance of the ZonePlayer was rock solid. The range of the network was never an issue, and with the ZoneBridge in my basement, the ZonePlayer worked flawlessly anywhere in my two storey house. I experienced only one technical issue during my time with the ZonePlayer, where it would stop playing music shortly after starting a track. Sonos' technical support was excellent in resolving the issue. The Desktop Controller software allows diagnostics to be run, and the results can be made available to a Technical Support Engineer through an online Live Support Chat or by phone. Sonos was able to confirm that the issue was not related to the Sonos ZonePlayer or ZoneBridge, but rather my computer, and it has not occurred again.</p><h2><PAGE /></h2><h2>Sonos Controller App &amp; Desktop Controller</h2><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1294612949.usr108523.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p><em>Figure 3: Desktop Controller - Now Playing View</em></p><p>The Sonos Controller App or Desktop Controller work seamlessly to allow your music collection, line-in device and other music services to be accessed and controlled. The controllers show any ZonePlayers in the system, and can be used to control each zone individually, or synchronize them. Either controller allows you to browse your music collection by artist, album, genre, tracks, folders and imported playlists. Albums or individual tracks can be selected for play in a list, or queue. The queue can be edited, cleared, or replaced by new albums or tracks at any time. It can also be saved as a Sonos Playlist for future access, without having to set-up new playlists in iTunes. I found this to be a useful feature, further reducing my reliance on iTunes for playlist building or browsing.</p><p>The controllers have several options to allow users to choose a song or album to play, but all of them involve the queue system. The options include playing immediately, playing next, replacing the queue, or adding to the queue. If users don't understand that the queue is involved with all options, it can create confusion, especially with the play immediately option. The intuitive outcome of this option would be to immediately play the song or album you selected, as is the case with iPods or other music players. The controller does play the chosen music immediately, but only after adding it to the queue anyways. If the queue is already populated and shuffle is turned on, an album selected to play immediately will play only the first track and then play another random track in the queue. The only way to avoid this issue is to choose the replace queue option when you want to play only the selected song or album. Both controllers offer the same options, but the Desktop Controller offers a better title for the replace queue option - Play Now and Replace Queue. It would be an easy fix for Sonos to re-title the option in the Controller App and prevent confusion, as the app does not have any built-in help feature to explain the options, and the Desktop Controller help file does not explain at all the options for adding music to the queue.</p><p>The controllers also allow access to thousands of internet radio stations, as well as music services you may subscribe to, such as Last.fm, iheartradio, Napster, Rhapsody, Sirius, and Wolfgang's Vault. One caveat is that some of the services are not available outside of the United States. I used the radio feature extensively to access all my local radio stations, as well as adding international stations. Radio stations or shows can be searched for or browsed by categories such as music, talk, sports, or location. Once you have found a station you like, you can save the station or show to your Favorites for future access.</p><p><PAGE /></p><h1>Features &amp; Performance continued</h1><p>One of my favorite features of the controllers was the ability to set up Alarms, with a specific start time, volume, frequency and duration. A chime, radio station or playlist can be selected to play, and playlists can be shuffled. A specific zone or linked zones can be chosen. I found it very convenient to have a daily alarm set up on the weekdays to automatically turn on my favorite local radio station in the living room before the family came down for breakfast, and automatically turn off just before the family left the house for the day. An added benefit of radio alarms is that your computer does not have to be turned on to access internet radio.</p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/wpt/auto/1295095513.usr11811.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></p><p><em>Figure 4: Controller App - Music Menu View</em></p><p>The App definitely outshines the Desktop Controller in user interface and polish, and was my preferred method to browse and play music from my collection. The Now Playing screen will likely be the most utilized screen by users. It is well laid out and showcases the current track, next track, artist and album art, as well as providing easy access to the volume, queue, track controls, and zones. My only complaint is that it is not intuitive to access the play modes (shuffle, repeat and crossfade), and the track progress bar is not visible. The track title itself must be pressed to display these options and the current track progress bar, which can directly fast forward and rewind the track. It is not a major inconvenience to access these options, but my preference would be for Sonos to allow users to configure the Now Playing screen to suit their needs. Overall though, I found the app to be easy to navigate and the controls very intuitive, with the exception of adding music to the queue.</p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/wpt/auto/1295098228.usr11811.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></p><p><em>Figure 5: Controller App - Now Playing View</em></p><p>Users that enjoy viewing their album art as part of their music collections, and those that have a portion of their collections as purchased iTunes music may encounter some issues with the Sonos controllers. I routinely had issues displaying album art on the controllers that I verified was visible in iTunes. Even after multiple indexing efforts, album art still wasn't visible in either controller. It may be due to how album art is added to my iTunes library, but in my time with the ZonePlayer, I could not resolve the issue. Sonos Technical support may have some insight for users looking to ensure all their album art is viewable. One downside of the Sonos controllers is their inability to play Apple DRM (protected) music that users have purchased from the iTunes store. Apple's iTunes store offers upgrades for many of its DRM songs that users may have purchased prior to the availability of DRM-free versions. The issue that I had with my library was that many of my purchased music cannot be upgraded to DRM-free versions, and therefore cannot be accessed and played on the ZonePlayer. An inconvenient but effective workaround to this issue is to burn CDs of the DRM songs that you want accessible to the Sonos controllers, and re-import them back into iTunes as unprotected music. Upon re-indexing the music library, the controllers will be able to access the music and you can then uncheck the songs in iTunes to prevent duplicates from syncing with any iPods.</p><p><PAGE /></p><h1></h1><h1>Conclusion</h1><p>The ZonePlayer S5 is a wireless audio player that stands apart from its competition due to its impressive features, performance, upgradability, and its ability to provide whole house audio distribution with additional players. The user-friendly design of the player itself and the features of the controller software will allow anyone to quickly and easily enjoy their music collections, internet radio and music services. While I encountered some minor issues with the system, they were not hardware related. Sonos stands behind their products and will continue to evolve the software controllers to address user issues and improve the ZonePlayer's features and user interface to satisfy their customers. Users of the ZonePlayer will significantly increase the amount of music they listen to, simply due to the simplicity of using the system, especially if the use the Controller App on an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. I highly recommend the ZonePlayer S5 to anyone looking for an iPod dock alternative to enjoying their music collection.</p><p><em>Matthew Shanks is a Professional Engineer and Project Management Professional, based in Calgary, Alberta. His interests include <a href="http://www.shanksphotography.ca/" target="_blank" title="Shanks Photography">photography</a>, home theater, and gaming. He is happily married and recently welcomed his baby daughter to the family.</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p><p><strong>Do you enjoy using new hardware, software and accessories, then sharing your experience with others? Then join us on the <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Thoughts Media Review Team</a>! We're looking for individuals who find it fun to test new gear and give their honest opinions about the experience. It's a volunteer role with some great perks. Interested? <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Then click here for more information.</a></strong></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p>

leslietroyer
01-21-2011, 06:43 PM
I love my sonos system. I looked at lots of potential solutions for whole house audio. While higher price than other audio players ( squeeze box...) it is much cheeper than the high end like equence (sp??). I don't think the lower cost options would have meet the wife acceptace factor. In fact the acceptance and use by the wife was marginal with the itouch acting as a controller.

I disagree that the only benifit of the controller is the dedicated buttons. For me the big benifit is that it is ALWAYS connected to the SONOS wireless mesh, something the touch took 15-20 seconds to accomplish, and requires everytime the touch wakes up.

After getting the 200 Controller the wife loves the system. And is able to use it with out my help.

I now have 4 ZonePlayers, Master BedRoom, Family Room, Kitchen, Shop. Combining zones, splitting zones is very very easy.

You can also take audio input from one ZP and "pipe" it to the rest of them. Before I ripped my extensive CD collection - I would use CDJ to control two Sony 400 CD jukeboxes, and use the FamilyRoom ZP as the input, and pipe it to the Kitchen... So if you have non-networked music sources they can be part of your whole house solution with little problems.


LEs

Matthew Shanks
01-26-2011, 09:03 PM
Les,

Depending on your generation of ipod touch, the time it takes to connect to the mesh network will differ. I have used both a third and fourth generation iPod touch with the zoneplayer, and found the fourth generation connected instantly to the network (after unlocking the iPod). The third generation touch took several seconds to connect, but definitely not 15-20 seconds. I agree though that the controller being connected but sleeping most of the time would be a benefit over using an iPod, but for those users that already own iPods, I don't believe the convenience of having the always on controller would outweigh that of using a device they already own, with a free app. I certainly am not interested in spending the extra money on the controller when both my wife and I are quite happy using the iPod touch.

Just my thoughts.

Great use of your cd jukeboxes by the way. I had not thought of using the input like that.

Matthew