Sonos launches ZP80 in $999 bundle

If you've been waiting for Sonos to break the $1000 barrier before you "unwire" your home music setup, today would be the day. Sonos is launching a new bundle for $999 which includes two of their new ZonePlayer 80 units, along with the standard Sonos controller. We saw the ZP80 at CES, and it's the same box as then: an amp-free version of the ZP100, which also includes optical and coaxial digital outs, along with two fewer Ethernet jacks. Just like its big brother, the ZP80 still doesn't have PlaysForSure or FairPlay support, though you can still use your Rhapsody or Audible.com files. The ZP80 is shipping now and goes for $350 by itself, compared to the $500 ZP100.

[Trumpetman319 @ Apr 10th 2006 3:08PM]

Who even really wants this?

[Alan Graham @ Apr 10th 2006 3:14PM]

Got mine last week and setting it up was painless. I added two of these units to my existing Sonos system in under 10 minutes. BTW...the ZonePlayer 80 sounds and looks great with a Tivoli Model One in white. Like they were made for each other.

I love it!

[Regula Oblique @ Apr 10th 2006 3:31PM]

Does the plant come with it too?

[Brian @ Apr 10th 2006 4:34PM]

Arrggh...you've thrown my sarcasm detector all out of whack.

[B @ Apr 10th 2006 4:35PM]

Hmmm, I have a Pentium I laptop that I bought for $50 and a cheap wireless card that I got for $20 and although it doesn't look as cool and doesn't have optical and coax connections, I can hook my line out port up to my receiver with a 3.5 Y splitter and stream music through it for about $280 less. The price of vanity sure is expensive.

[CroutonBoy @ Apr 10th 2006 4:50PM]

I've got to say that as much as this makes my mouth water, I have a hard time seeing myself shell out that kind of money when Airport Express does a very serviceable job of streaming my music already...

[Josh Warner @ Apr 10th 2006 5:57PM]

In answer to #1:

I would be one of the markets for this setup. I would be very interested in exactly what the ZP80 is offering (essentially preamplification - it is now a source component, not an amplifier). I have plenty of amplifiers, but no good way to get my music from my desktop to them. I have played with the interface and remote control, and it really is top-rate.

That being said, I won't buy these for a grand. However, Sonos is only going to improve their offerings and 3-4 years down the road these ZP80s will probably be available at much more reasonable prices over, say, Ebay or Audiogon.

Because the price is still high, these are a niche product for the time being. Give them some time, and after the R&D costs have been recouped the prices should come down. Once the setup is under $500, you might be surprised at how large the market is for these things.

[Mike Hawthorne @ Apr 10th 2006 7:14PM]

I am also in the market for one of these (or should I say several). I wanted a solution to stream music that I have sitting on a hard drive. Sono's provides a solution that meets all of my needs. This will allow me to use my existing amplifier in the rooms where I already have stereo equipment.

As for using a laptop, yeah you can do that if you want a laptop sitting there. But streaming music to one stereo is not what sonos provides. It is all about zones and being able to control the music from a remote. I will take that over having a laptop streaming music.

[Lee @ Apr 10th 2006 8:31PM]

Gotta say, I honestly don't see how they're charging this much. As someone said, a laptop with wifi and a decent sound card can stream music to sound systems. And buying a laptop dedicated to this will be hella cheaper, plus you could use it to check your email without going to your PC.

Am I missing something that this does that isn't offered by what I've mentioned?

[HouseDigital @ Apr 10th 2006 8:39PM]

To all of the readers who commented on their "FrankenPod" digital music contraptions....Yeah adorable. Sonos is not for you. Everyone knows that there are a zillion geeky ways to send your digital music to your stereo. Sonos does it in a seamless and elegant package. There is a reason some people drive inexpensive cars, and some people spend god awful amounts on amenities they surely don"t "need". As far as the Sonos ZP 80 goes...brilliant. Beautiful product, and surely not for everyone.

[Richard MacCabe @ Apr 10th 2006 9:12PM]

For those that are dubious about Sonos: One feature that is a bit under-appreciated is the fact that the system will also digitize (16/44K Stereo WAV) and stream a different "line-in" source from each and every zone player--for instance like my Sony 400 CD changer and my cable box. In any case, this is one of those products that, in total, simply transcends its description and specs. You really need to experience it "hands on" to appreciate its virtues...

[Ben Hobbs @ Apr 11th 2006 7:13AM]

In my experience the only people who knock the Sonos are people who haven't used it.

Someone was talking about cobbling an old PC together to do teh same, first you would need 2 of those to do teh same as this package, then you would need a wireless PDA, some controlling software, 30-40 hours of set-up and the quality would still be rubbish.

I can take a Sonos system out of teh box, and within 10 minutes have my entire music collection catalogued and ready to play - Not only that I can acces any Internet Radio station I like, within 5 seconds of picking up the controller.

Sure, lots of DIY projects can do the same as the Sonos, but I can tell you from experience that it isn't particularly cheaper and your looking at weeks or months of work to get it integrated correctly. Why bother when you can just plug a Sonos into a NAS box and stream all of your music to any location in the house.

[Stephen Lease @ Apr 11th 2006 8:11AM]

To those who are knocking the sonos, you obviously don't know what a sonos can do besides basic music streaming. This is not one of those creative media stick things, this is the real deal. Go to the sonos website and read up a bit, you'll be envious of those that can afford it.

[Dave @ Apr 11th 2006 9:46AM]

I own 4 of the sonos boxes and a wireless control and it works amazingly well. The only drawback is it won't play music downloaded from itunes. However, it is an amazing system and highly recommend it.

[Larry Rowland @ Apr 11th 2006 10:16AM]

I have been waiting for them to release a bundle for under $1000. I have Squeezebox now and I have played with Sonos - I find the real selling point of the Sonos is the software not the hardware. Cobbling together a laptop solution will not give you the benefit of the Sonos software or remote control - this is what makes it worth $1000.

[Jerad @ Apr 11th 2006 10:57AM]

I've been waiting for the Sonos to get a bit cheaper and lose the amplifiers, so the ZP80 is exacly what I need. I know that I could probably do the same thing with an old laptop I have sitting around, but the Sonos is a more elegant solution and one I wouldn't mind have sitting in my audio rack. Most importantly, though, everything I've read about this just says it WORKS. I'm willing to pay more for something I don't have to spend hours setting up or reconfigure every few weeks, which I've had to do with previous boxes like this.

[Wayne @ Apr 11th 2006 12:47PM]

The Sonos sounds great, but I just can't fathom justifying the price.

The Squeezebox will have to do for me when I can afford it.

[Craig @ Apr 11th 2006 3:44PM]

Even though I sent Sonos an email a few months ago askine when they would be releasing an ampless ZonePlayer (they never responded), I, too, have balked at the price.

But then I realized how much I've already spent on my music (1,100 CDs + other odds and ends), stereo equipment, and MP3 storage solutions, and another grand doesn't seem like such a hard leap to enable true whole-house, synchronized streaming with a killer portable controller.

Sure, I could cobble up a quasi-solution with PC parts and what not, but it would suck, take a lot of time to do, and still not be as good. Hmm...maybe it's time to go visit a Sonos retailer...

[sdsdv10 @ Apr 11th 2006 4:36PM]

#14(Dave) Do what everyone else does. Burn the iTunes songs to CD and rerip with EAC (or other rippng program), and there you have it iTunes songs that will play on your Sonos.

Like many other here, the only thing I have against the Sonos system is price. Once the ZP80 unit is down to

[Shoeman @ Apr 14th 2006 12:30PM]

Looks interesting, but criminally overpriced.

I'm not trying to knock what it does, just saying my Series 2 TiVo with Optical Digital Out to my Home Theater system, is way more than adequate for *me*!

[Keith Milner @ Apr 18th 2006 7:04AM]

Yes, compared to a hacked-up music system based on a second-hand laptop, the Sonos does look expensive, but compared to real-world Hifi systems it represents great value for money.

Check out the prices of multi-room systems from the likes of Xantech, Linn, Opus and others and the Sonos starts to look inexpensive, even though it offers superior capabilities and better expandability.

I used to run a homebrew music system based on a PC. It was hacky, messy to use, and broke occasionally. It rarely got used. The Sonos stuff just works. It's a dream to use, the controllers are fantastic, the audio quality is very good, and the support from Sonos is the best I have experienced.

My Sonos system now gets used every day and I've started to enjoy music again.