Sonos turns your house into an ipod

I replaced my five year old router with a new one ($70 Netgear) and hooked up the Buffalo Technologies Terastation to it and was up and running in about 15 mintues. The Sonos setup took less than that. So far I've had no computer reliability issues. I agree though, that if the router and/or cable modem can be troublesome to intially set up (depending on your network complexity), but once that's done, it should be good to go.
I agree that running the digital output of the ZP80 to and external DAC sounds better than the analog outputs. I have used the Sim Audio SuperNova as the DAC and it runs into a BAT 51SE preamp, which when I compare a CD in the SuperNova, sounds the same. Amazing!

I bought the Sonos ZP80 bundle, purchased it directly, and hooked it up without a hitch.

A few months later I bought the exact same setup used from a member here. Adding those stations and the 2nd controller was also a breeze.

A few weeks later the controller died. I called Sonos, and was patched through to a real person almost immediatly. I made no secret that I had purchased it used. They decided to honor the original warranty based on the registration date of the serial #.

I was emailed a Fed Ex prepaid shipping label, and had a brand new unit in my hands a week later.

Their customer service is excellent if you ever need to call them.

John C.

I have had the sonos system for a little over 2 years now. I currently have 3 zones and am looking to add two more. Needless to say, I love my Sonos. For critical listening, I have a ZP-80 outputting to an external DAC.

For true flexibility, users should consider using a wireless bridge connected to the first ZP. This allows the first ZP to be anywhere in the home instead of "Wasted" by having to be near the router. I also use a NAS which allows me to use Sonos without the need for a PC to be on.

By far, Sonos is the best system for distributed music. I have no complaints!

I have a Sonos ZP80 connected to my AVP2 processor connected via Coax. I have all my files stored in FLAC format. In this setup, I am using the AVP2 to do the DAC. It sound nice, but not as nice as playing a CD from my Denon 3930ci player (via coax).

I see other folks use an external DAC, and route that through the Analog Bypass of their Prepro.

What sort of external DAC would beat the sound quality of my ZP80-->AVP2 setup?

I have to disagree with others here about the fidelity of the S/PDIF output from the Sonos. I purchased the Sonos primarily for the convenience--with a toddler running around pulling CDs off the rack it was an elegant solution--but was quite disappointed with the stock unit's sound quality. I spent a good deal of time comparing the S/PDIF output from the Sonos (streaming Apple Lossless) with my that from my transport (a Musical Fidelity A308CR), both feeding a variety of DACs (MF X-DAC v3 and TriVista, PS Audio Link DAC III). The output from the Sonos was clearly inferior; to my ear there was a significant loss of fine detail, timbral accuracy, etc. --overall, there was more 'surface' and less depth to the music. I actually found it difficult to use for long periods of critical listening without fatigue. This was a surprise to me given the potential advantages of a hard drive as a transport. I therefore shopped around for someone willing to upgrade the S/PDIF output path.

I spoke to a number of folks, but only Steve Nugent at Empirical Audio was willing to give it a try. On inspection, a number of design issues were apparent (per Steve):
-a poor-quality switching power supply sitting directly on top of the digital output board
-a low-quality oscillator
-excess filtering and poor impedance matching in the output pathway.
Upgrades to the power supply and digital output path, including a new high-quality oscillator, were relatively inexpensive.

After receiving the unit back, and despite it being absent from my system for several weeks, I immediately noticed improvements--and they weren't subtle. I could go into detail about all the aspects in which the sound improved, but suffice it to say that jitter reduction (which was the end result of these mods) pretty much improves about every parameter of the listening experience. In particular, the harmonic depth and fidelity of recordings is much greater, with a more natural and effortless sound that is conducive to long and happy listening sessions.

In the end, I feel pretty strongly that the stock unit was created primarily to impress with its great interface and not its audiophile qualities. Some relatively inexpensive mods, however, can rectify this situation.

System:

Audio Physic Tempo IV
SimAudio Moon i5
PS Audio Link DAC III with L2 mods from The Parts Connection
Sonos with Empirical Audio Mods
Empirical Audio Bitmeister digital cable
Cardas Golden Reference IC and power cords
Acoustic Zen Satori speaker cables