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pciav
Contributor I
September 27, 2005

Would You Buy an Ampless w/Digital Out "Zone Player Pro"

  • September 27, 2005
  • 73 replies
  • 13482 views
This topic has been beat to death on this forum. I am hoping this thread generates enough interest to at least peak the interest of the money makers at Sonos and hopefully this or a version of it is put into production.

A "Zone Player Pro" would be Ampless and have One (1) Coax and One (1) Optical Digital Outputs in a standard 17" Audio/HT component case.

Forget any and all other requests, for now, such as rackmount, color, additional features, or a Price Reduction. Lets assume it will cost the same as the current Zone player $499, anything less would be a bonus.

Simply put, do you want and would you purchase a "Zone Player Pro".

Would You Buy A "Zone Player Pro" Ampless w/Digital Out

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    pciavAuthor
    Contributor I
    October 9, 2005
    Do you know the Hifidelio? All it lacks in comparison to a Sonos is the slick control concept, and synchronous play. It supports Wlan satellites, has digital outs, and is said to have very good audiophile qualities.

    In the US, it is also sold as the "Musica"
    http://www.olive.us/p_bin/?cid=01_06_musica

    Wow, never heard of that one. Hot industry. New products keep popping up. Hope someone gets it right soon. All the musica needs is a graphical interface, expandable storage and it would be quite a nice product.

    I'm still hoping Sonos has been listening and has a trick or two up their sleeve in the near future.

    Phil C.
    jibbajabba
    Lyricist III
    October 10, 2005
    Sonos takes their sweet time with everything, but from what I've seen and played with, they can take all the time they need.

    It took how many months for this cradle to go from announcement to near release? I know there isn't a date yet, but that thing has gotta be near done. So thinking like this, people started asking about a digital out around Jan/Feb. It didn't get a lot of hype til April/May, so by my best guess, they'll have something for us next year. It takes time to plan, design, test a new product. Especially something like a new Sonos player.

    So, by that reasoning, if you can wait til April of next year, we may see something, or at least hear something. Sonos would be on crack to not at least make an announcement by then. These Sonos users are crazy 😉.

    So, can ya wait? I can, and will. Full support Sonos!

    -jibbajabba
    Eric Frere
    Lyricist I
    October 10, 2005
    Sure - One of my ZP does not have speakers attached to it (no need).

    Depends how much though...
    garty
    Contributor III
    October 11, 2005
    Do you know the Hifidelio? All it lacks in comparison to a Sonos is the slick control concept, and synchronous play. It supports Wlan satellites, has digital outs, and is said to have very good audiophile qualities.

    In the US, it is also sold as the "Musica"
    http://www.olive.us/p_bin/?cid=01_06_musica

    I saw this a while back, looks interesting. It does support synchronous playback with the Sonata gadget but I think Sonos has a much better UI. Not much info about the internal amp either.
    Avee
    Avee
    Avid Contributor I
    October 11, 2005
    It has no internal amp, it's a different concept, based on a standard stereo setup. The satellites would also need a stereo or active speakers. You get an infrared remote, without display.

    So the audiophile customer who just wants his music digitized and accessible from multiple rooms in high quality, could be interested in this.

    The audiophile customer who wants a slick whole-house system with central control (like me), needs a sonos with digital out. So I'll keep on waiting.

    Come on Sonos, it can't be that hard . . . Tell me where to solder the thing on to the PCB and I'm your customer. If you're not going to put it to market, maybe "some user";) can post a mod anonymously . . .
    Viking
    Lyricist I
    October 12, 2005
    I would be very interested in an amp less ZP player. The distributed sound systems that I install consist of a mix of wired and wirless ZPs but most of my customers also have a number of AVRs (new and old) around the house that they want to tie into digital music streams for stored music tracks, playlists or Internet radio. I know that I could increase my Sonos business by a third with an amp less ZP and gain more customer loyality by protecting their investments in AVRs that they have around the home.

    The major problems that I have with the existing ZP is the size, cost and heat. I think that the amp less ZP should be a small as possible (5 port network switch or WAP) and as low cost as possible ($100 +). I would prefer to have the digital and analog out, but if I have to I can work with just and analog line out.
    tobiYoo
    Contributor I
    October 13, 2005
    You get an infrared remote, without display.


    @Avee: there will also be a remote control with built-in display, i saw it @IFA in berlin. but it's absolutely not comparable to the great sonos controller thingy 😉
    elephant911
    Lyricist III
    October 14, 2005
    I don't have a sonos, but am now in the market for something to replace the dead roku.

    I'd buy an ampless version with digital out in a second. Roku out, sonos in, awesome remote control! I'd appreciate the lower power draw and less heat emission too. Digital out is icing for me.

    This is my first post and I registered just so I could toss in my two cents. I approve this message. 🆒
    Nelson
    Lyricist I
    October 14, 2005
    Given the elegance of this product I would expect more from Sonos than “just” an amp less model. The more of these things I install, the more I really appreciate the design and the reliability. How often is it anymore that you literally just plug something in and it works? So yes I expect an amp less model and so much more from Sonos. They have set the bar pretty high and I hope they set it again with the next gen.

    ps. For me its more about multi zone in one box. 😃
    mdrbone
    Contributor I
    October 16, 2005
    Sonos has me hooked with their amazing controller, no doubt about it. But with a mid to high end pre/pro feeding my multizone audio system, I just can't see running my music collection through the Sonos D/A converter. So yes, a digital out is a necessity before I'll consider the product. I can take or leave the amp.

    One more thing on the wishlist would be adding IR capabilities for basic functions such as source select and volume to the controller. With IR sensors in different zones, you could then use one remote for everything. Slick!
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