Sonos: Better in black?
No Photoshop involved: This is a custom-painted Sonos ZonePlayer ZP100.
(Credit: CNET Networks)For a while now I've been ribbing the folks over at Sonos, the leader in affordable multiroom audio, that I wished their products came in black rather than light gray/off-white. The fact is, if you have a lot of black components, you ideally want everything to match. That's why you see the XBox 360 in black--I mean, people want the choice, right?
Well, my dreams of black Sonos were realized when an anonymous donor (who wishes to remain that way) let us take some shots of a customized ZonePlayer ZP100. It's a fairly expensive proposition--companies like Colorware charge upwards of a $100 to refinish various products, including game consoles and PCs. But the end result is pretty slick and I think Sonos would do well with a black model, particularly for the larger ZP100's replacement, the ZP120, which usually ends up in a rack. You can tuck the smaller ZP90 or discontinued ZP80 behind a TV or wherever, so most people can live with--and maybe even like--the off-white. And I know it's a pain for companies to manage multiple SKUs, but I still vote for a black option.
Anybody else have an opinion?
Before the new paint job.
(Credit: Sonos)
Hunkered down in New York City, Executive Editor David Carnoy covers the gamut of gadgets and writes his Fully Equipped column, which carries the tag line "The electronics you lust for." He's also the author of "Knife Music," a novel. E-mail David. Follow David on Twitter. 
There is no display on the Sonos units and everything can be controlled from the Sonos remote or the iPhone application. I never use the volume buttons on the boxes themselves. I see no reason for a Sonos to ever be seen, and if it is, white is the best color.