Multiroom in a box: The Bundle 250 retails for $999.
(Credit: CNET)
Sonos is back for 2009 with a new version of its signature Digital Audio System. Like earlier iterations of the Sonos product, the new Bundle 250 lets you wirelessly access your computer's digital music collection as well as a wide range of Internet radio and streaming-audio services (Pandora, Last.fm, and--with paid subscriptions--Napster and Rhapsody) in two rooms of the house, with the option to expand that up to a whopping 32 rooms. But the latest Sonos system adds a major upgrade: the CR200 touch-screen remote.
If that wasn't good enough--and the remote is excellent--it can also be controlled by any iPhone or iPod Touch running a free application that's available via the iTunes App Store. The result is a whole-house music system that's easier to control than ever before.
What's the catch? The system costs a somewhat pricey $1,000. While that may seem like a lot, custom-installed systems can cost as much as $5,000 per room and they aren't as easy to use nor do they offer the level functionality found in this system. We were always impressed by Sonos' capability to access your home music collection and a variety of online music options, but the addition of the slick new touch-screen remote--and the iPhone/iPod Touch integration--gives the luxury digital audio system a compelling leg up on the competition.
Read the full review of the Sonos Bundle 250.
Disclosure: Last.fm is a part of CBS Interactive, which also publishes CNET Reviews.
A low-resolution shot of the upcoming CR200 remote.
(Credit: Sonos)The folks at Sonos told us they had some new stuff coming out soon, but we weren't expecting to get any details on it until they briefed us in a few weeks. However, word of a new remote started to trickle out recently, and on Tuesday Sonos itself leaked info on the new CR200 controller on its own Web site (the page has now been taken down).
Unlike its predecessor (the CR100), the new controller has a touch screen, and the 3.5-inch VGA LCD is capacitive, which means it's more responsive. The other thing to note is that it's smaller, measuring 2.9 inches by 4.5 inches by 0.7 inches, and weighs only 6 ounces.
If you buy it alone it'll cost you $350, but you save $60 when you buy it as part of the upcoming Bundle 250. According to Automated Home, that new bundle features the same Zone Players you get with the Bundle 150, but with a slight color change to match the new controller.
We really like the Sonos system and it's nice that the company is offering a new, improved controller, because it's high time they upgraded the CR100. But the sad fact is you're probably going to be better off buying an 8GB iPod Touch, which only costs $215 on Amazon and can also serve as a Sonos controller. Of course, when we finally see the CR200 in person, I'm sure the folks at Sonos will tell us why it has a better interface and more functionality than an iPod Touch (or iPhone) equipped with the free Sonos iPhone app.
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(Source: Engadget)
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