2. Product Features

The package I received from Sonos was a ZonePlayer 80 Bundle (BU80) with three main parts: two ZP80 players (shown above), and one controller (Figure 1). When I started unpacking the boxes, one thought came to mind: Apple.

Figure 1:TheSonos Controller

The components looked as if the design team at Apple had created them. But according to this review, the design was done in house. However, the components were bright white with rounded corners, while the controller had a scroll-wheel that looked like it came from an iPod.

The front of each ZP80 player was fairly plain with a couple of LEDs, a mute button and a volume up/down switch. The back of the device was more interesting (Figure 2). In addition to a power connector, there were two 10/100 Ethernet ports, digital audio output ports and both analog audio input and output connectors.

Figure 2: The ZP80 Back Panel

The two Ethernet ports allow the device to be used as a mini-switch. The audio input connectors are designed to allow the device to take analog audio input for distribution across the LAN. This ability to accommodate audio was a unique capability among the devices I had tested. Also included in the package were an assortment of cables, a docking station for the remote and software for both Windows and Macintosh systems.