Sonos ZP100 Zone Player

The Sonos ZP100 Zone Player does more than just distribute and play music throughout your house, it has a built-in high quality toroidal transformer amplifier. For music anywhere in your house you just need to connect it to a pair of passive stereo speakers or in-ceiling speakers.

The Sonos ZP100 Zone Player accesses any stored music files so long as they are attached to a Zone Player somewhere in the house, so that you can access the music regardless of where it is stored. This ability to accept a line-level input from any device that outputs on phono connectors allows you to distribute not only your music on the computer but also audio on other conventional audio sources, such as DVD players, satellite digiboxes or even turntables with pre-amps. And you can play the same song or different songs in as many rooms as you'd like - simultaneously.

How does the system work

The Sonos supported configuration generally requires that you hard-wire your computer or hard disc storage storing the music to the first Sonos Zone Player. Thereafter all transmission between Zone Players can be wired or wireless. This first connection can be direct between the computer and the Zone Player, using a patch lead, or via your home network (LAN). You can also make this link using an Ethernet over mains 'HomePlug' system, or using Ethernet over Co-ax if you have co-ax cable running between the ZP100 and Hard Disc storage.

Providing your computer or LAN has broadband Internet access, you will also be able to listen to your favourite Internet radio stations directly streamed to whichever Zone Player you want.

It is possible to avoid this first hard-wire link by using a Sonos ZoneBridge as shown in the schematic. As shown, using this ZoneBridge connected to a modem router and then the Internet will also allow you to access Internet radio without your computer.

If you already have a LAN over the whole house then you can connect some ZoneBridges to this, especially if you have areas in your home where the WiFi signal is a problem.

Music sources

For music stored on any computer, it needs to be turned on. However, if you have a Networked Attached Storage (NAS) device such as one of the Buffalo Linkstation range your music is always available without your computer being on, and the music does not occupy your computer hard disc space. The NAS can be connected to any Zone Player either directly or over your home network (LAN).

Irrespective of the locations of your digital music they are consolidated and shown on the controller as a single library that can be accessed by album, artist or genre.

You can connect conventional analogue music sources such as DVD or satellite digibox and these are shown as the local source to a particular Zone Player by default, although you can name this on the system. These then become available throughout your house system.

All Zone Players are displayed on the Controller and named according to their location, eg living room, kitchen, and so on. This allows you to decide which room will play which music all from a single controller.

Each ZP100 Zone Player has a line-level output to allow you to connect it to, say, your existing stereo or home cinema amplifier, thereby playing your music over these systems.

Requirements:

• Sonos CR100 Controller
• 1 pair of stereo 8 Ohm speakers per Zone Player
• Music file storage device, eg PC, MAC, NAS

Specification:

• Amplifier: 50W per channel RMS with toroidal transformer (8 Ohms, 20-20,000Hz)
• Speaker connections: binding posts
• Analogue connections:Auto-detecting RCA type line in, line out, sub woofer output
• Ethernet connection: 4 port switch, 10/100Mbps, auto MDI/MDIX
• Music formats supported: MP3, WMA, AAC (MPEG4), Ogg Vorbis, Audible (format 4), Apple Lossless, Flac (lossless) music files, as well as uncompressed WAV and AIFF files. Streaming MP3 for Internet radio. DRM-encrypted files NOT currently supported. Upgradeable firmware
• Operating systems (for stored files): Windows 2000, XP, Mac OS X, NAS devices supporting CIFS
• System setup software (included) PC with Windows 2000, Windows XP
• Weight: 4.5 kg
• Dimensions: 260x210x113mm

Wiring Schematics

To help you make the most of Sonos for your multiroom audio system we have prepared these wiring schematics. Each Figure is a PDF of approx 110KB and includes a key on page 2. If you have any questions regarding these or your planned system please call us.

• Figure 1, basic 3 room wireless system, using a ZoneBridge connection to the Network
• Figure 2, standard multiroom system using Category 5e cable, no wireless
• Figure 3, examples of how to have 2 rooms from a single ZonePlayer. Also shows how to interface with a surround sound system
• Figure 4, examples of how to have 3 rooms from a single ZOnePlayer, including interfacing with a surround sound system
• Figure 5, example of how to have 4 rooms from a single ZonePlayer, including interfacing with a surround sound system
• More Advanced Systems using centrally located Sonos
• Figure 6, example of a 6 zone system using ZP100s and ZoneBridges
• Figure 7, a single source system for 6 zones using a power amplifier
• Figure 8, a development of Figure 7, showing 6 sources playing into 6 zones
• Figure 9, a development of Figure 8, showing 6 sources playing into 6 zones and 6 sub-zones

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