Sonos Controller CR100

I bought 4 controllers and ZP100's 3 months ago. They come with great instructions and I plugged them into my wired 1G network. Well, in short order, my entire network came down due to a network storm with my network bogged down in traffic. I unplugged them from my wired network and allowed them to connect wirelessly over WiFi. Works great now. The Sonos site has a list of switches/routers that are not compatible with Sonos.

I have a medium sized library of 1500 CD's/14,000 songs and the interface on the controller makes it easy to skip forward/back to my selection. Playlists work well. My version does not support WMA Lossless which is what I had been using for my music server. Consequently, I used iTunes to re-encode everything to 320kbs and it sounds great.

Other than the issue with the network storm (details at the Sonos site), the Sonos system works great.

I purchased the Sonos system 3 or 4 Months ago and am very please with the results. The installation was simple, I had music streaming from my PC to my Home theater receiver within 30 minutes. Although The controller is a bit klunky and hard to navigate, it provides full functionality to play whatever I want, wherever I want without moving. I have 3 zones installed now and can easily expand to additonal zones. Highly Recommend the system if you have the budget.

I have two CR100 controllers in heavy use for almost 2 years now. From that experience, I can say that they are solid and hold up flawlessly. I don't remember ever having to reboot. Personally I think that the size and weight are a plus for this purpose. The CR100 is well-designed: It does an excellent job controlling the sonos system. I like that it wakes up just by shaking it. On the downside: screen is mediocre quality and does not show full album and track names, searching large music libraries (e.g. Rhapsody) can be a challenge. Battery life is so-so, but good enough. And when compared to an Iphone or an Ipod, the CR-100 feels like a Chevrolet Lumina next to a Porsche: old-fashioned, clumsy, and looks a bit cheap for $399. But it does the job. The CR100 is at least 2x too expensive for what it contains. I'm waiting to an iphone app to control sonos. Technically that is possible and I would be willing to pay for that.

Update October 2008:
One of my CR-100 died spontaneously last week. This is disappointing: a product at
this price point simply should not die within 3 years of purchase. Since it was
out-of-warranty, Sonos replaced it by a new one for $100. Sonos tech support is
excellent and fast, but I have mixed feelings having to pay $100 to replace a faulty product.

Update November 2008:
The Iphone Sonos app is out! This totally obsoletes the CR-100, since the Iphone
with a brilliant touch screen is so much easier to use than the CR-100. Sonos did a great job
in designing this app: it is nearly flawless. Searching for music is much easier
using the keyboard interface than with the click-wheel of the CR-100.
And... its free. I expect Sonos to discontinue
the CR100 soon, since a $220 Ipod touch or a $200 Iphone does a much better job
at it than the $400 CR100. From any angle, the iphone is far superior.

The controller for the Sonos system is slick and intuitive. It was very easy to set up and use. It is quite durable and seems like it will last a long time. The user interface is pleasant and informative. I like having it at my side wherever I am sitting or working to check what's playing, adjust the volume, or change the music. I wish I had got it sooner.

I have been running a Sonos system for almost two years and I am still amazed by it. I looked at lots of alternatives (Pragmatic in-wall amps, slingboxes, etc etc) and while these are not cheap, there is nothing comparable. I run eight zones mostly off the Sonos wireless links (one zone has to be networked directly to the computer running the hard drive with the music) and it works great. I have not tried Rhapsody on it yet, but I bet that's pretty cool.