Sonos ZP90 – Is This the Missing Link in Your Home Audio System?

May 27, 2011 in 90 | Comments (0)

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Sonos ZP 90 Review

by Deanna Mays

Sound Quality
Ease of Use
Reliability

Sonos ZonePlayer 90If you’ve ever wondered how to get your enormous music collection on your home office computer to play on your stereo system in the living room, the Sonos ZonePlayer 90 is your answer. Besides playing the tunes you already own, you’ll also be able to pipe in all your favorite internet radio services like Sirius, Pandora and Slacker. This thing rocks!

Get the best price on the Sonos ZP 90 through this Amazon link.

The Sonos 90 has both analog and digital audio outputs to integrate with all of your existing equipment be it a home theater system, a stereo receiver, or simply a pair of powered speakers. Set up takes less than 15 minutes, and the whole system can be controlled by the included remote, or an iPod or iPhone.

This video offers a quick overview of the Sonos ZP 90:


 

This next video has a great demonstration on how to use the iPhone app to control the ZonePlayer:


 

Purchase your own ZP90 through this Amazon link.

Here’s a list of the Sonos 90′s coolest features :

  • Connects to your existing audio equipment – home theater, stereo or powered speakers
  • Wireless control with free apps for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad
  • Play different songs in different rooms or the same song in every room in perfect synchronicity
  • Requires amplified audio device, high-speed Internet connection and wireless router
  • Put music in every room by adding up to 32 ZonePlayer units
The Good
  • It’s very small and lightweight, so it fits almost anywhere.
  • It has digital outputs so you can connect it to your home theater system.
  • Set up is fast and easy.
The Bad
  • There are no on-board controls – but controlling it with the free computer or phone app is easy.
  • You have to have at least one ZonePlayer or a ZoneBridge physically connected to your router.

If you’re ready to buy, you can get the best price on the Sonos ZonePlayer 90 through this link to Amazon.

Who is the Sonos ZonePlayer 90 for?

  1. People who want to utilze their existing audio or home theater equipment.
  2. People who want a small, stylish player that fits anywhere
  3. Someone who doesn’t mind controlling the device remotelySonos ZonePlayer 90

So, if you’re looking for something to tie together your existing components into one kick-butt, comprehensive music system, the Sonos ZP 90 is for you. It’s stylish, compact, feature rich and delivers outstanding sound quality.

 

Here’s what one current owner has to say about the Sonos 90:

Darcy T.,

This little system is amazing! The Sonos ZonePlayer 90 is barely 5″ square, but the experience it makes possible is huge. The sound through my home theater system is clear, crisp and rich.

The setup was a little tricky for me, but Sonos’s excellent technical support helped me out in a jiffy. Setting up my music services was easy, too – it took a mere 5 minutes to set up Pandora, Sirius and Rhapsody.

The only con I can think of is the price – it’s a bit pricey. But is it worth it? For me, absolutely yes…the ability to ditch the PC speakers and fill my house with my favorite music is priceless. With that said, the Sonos ZP 90 is easily one of the best tech purchases I’ve ever made.

Review paraphrased for length – Read the original review here.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Sonos ZonePlayer 90

90

No. It requires a connection to one of the following devices:

  • Powered (amplified) speakers
  • Stereo System
  • Home Theater receiver

ZonePlayer

In order to set up your Sonos ZonePlayer system you need the following equipment:

  • Windows® XP and higher
  • Macintosh® OS X (10.4 and higher)
  • Broadband Internet
  • Wireless router

It depends:

You must have either your first ZonePlayer or a ZoneBridge physically attached to your wireless router. If your router sits somewhere other than where you want your ZonePlayer, then yes you'll have to buy a ZoneBridge.

Also, there are no on-board controls on any of the ZonePlayers. They must all be controlled remotely. If you use the free application that's available for Mac, PC, iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone or Android, then you don't need a separate controller.  If you want a portable controller and don't own an iPod, iPhone or Android, then you'll have to buy the Sonos Controller.

Sonos ZonePlayers work seamlessly with:

  • Deezer
  • iheartradio
  • Last.fm
  • MOG
  • Napster®
  • Pandora®, Rdio®
  • Rhapsody®
  • SiriusXM™ Internet Radio
  • Spotify®
  • Wolfgang’s Vault®
  • downloads from any service offering DRM-free tracks.

In order to connect your iPod or iPhone to a ZonePlayer you need to have an Apple AirPort Express or a Sonos Wireless Dock.

The Sonos Wireless Dock sends your digital music files wirelessly to ZonePlayers throughout your home—without ever converting to analog like most conventional docks.

Specification Description
Music
Audio formats supported Support for compressed MP3, iTunes Plus, WMA (including purchased Windows Media downloads), AAC (MPEG4), Ogg Vorbis, Audible (format 4), Apple Lossless, Flac (lossless) music files, as well as uncompressed WAV and AIFF files.Native support for 44.1kHz sample rates. Additional support for 48kHz, 32kHz, 24kHz, 22kHz, 16kHz, 11kHz, and 8kHz sample rates.Apple "Fairplay", AAC Enhanced and WMA Lossless formats not currently supported. Previously purchased Apple “Fairplay” DRM-protected songs may be upgraded. See Apple for details.
Operating systems (for stored files) Windows® XP SP2 or higher, Windows Vista™ or Windows 7;Mac OS X v10.4 or higher, including v10.6; NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices supporting CIFS
Internet radio supported Streaming MP3, WMA
Album art supported JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF
Playlists supported iTunes®, Rhapsody, WinAmp®, Windows Media Player®, and MusicMatch™ (.m3u, .pls, .wpl)
Playback modes Crossfade, shuffle, repeat

Friendly Note: Ordering anything through the links on this site will help pay for the countless hours spent writing and promoting it. Thank you for your support!

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Related posts:

  1. M-Audio AV 40 Speakers – The Best Choice for Your Digital Music System
  2. Sonos S5 – The Ultimate Digital Music System – My Review
  3. What’s the Difference Between All Those Audio Formats? – A Beginner’s Guide

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