Multi Room Music Systems

5 Responses to “Sonos BU250 Multiroom Music System”

1. C. Langton, on November 30th, 2009 at 4:55 pm Said:

   I bought the BU290 system that comes with two players. zp120 and zp90, in a bundle. The zp90 unit I attached to the router and since my router is not in a place I want my stereo to be, was a wasted unit. It is sitting under the desk next to the router. Which means I could use only the zp120 unit for music. I then realized that what I needed was a zone bridge, which ought to have come with this package, otherwise you would be have two working music players. Mind you so for one wireless player, I am $1000 inhole at this point. It was also not obvious to me that I needed speakers with all of these players. The speakers that I did attach do not match the unit so the whole thing looks mismatched and slightly schlocky. There is no off switch on the unit which bothers me. I have to pull the plug out to turn off the little light on the front. This oversight in a $1000 unit? All electronic devices should have a on/off switch.

   I then bought a S5 player, this is the thing with the speakers built in. It looks nice but also has no on/off switch. I put it in the dining room where I will use it very infrequently so lack of a switch is annoying.

   My suggestion: Buy the zone bridge and player with speakers. Don’t buy the set. The player S5 is same price as the 120 and it is a far better piece.

   My conclusions: Its a way overpriced bit of machine. About double what it should be, as the company has indeed cut some corners. If money is no object, THEN, this is a very good machine indeed. But as I rate it a 2 for cost and a four and a half for functionality, I think three and a half stars is about what it deserves at this point.

   One problem: I was not able to hook up the player in its final place at first. Router could not find it. So I had to set it up near the router and then take it back and put it in the dining room and it worked fine then.
   Rating: 3 / 5

2. Jorge Cateriano, on November 30th, 2009 at 7:09 pm Said:

   I am extremely happy with the product, the ease of use in incredible. The IPhone App, really rocks, overall very happy with the product. In reality the product is overpriced for what it does, but they can do so because they are the only ones in the market which makes a good product with ease of use and good quality. Other concerns are the on/off button; I have to unplug the unit when not in use. They should also offer a complete solution and offer quality room speakers or partner with good quality speakers/receivers manufactures to create the solution. I have the Sonos BU250 Multiroom Music System and will be buying a couple additions soon.
   Rating: 4 / 5

3. Baqar, on November 30th, 2009 at 7:54 pm Said:

   The only reason for the four star is the music management, not perfect but pretty good, and the method to connect to my NAS. Due to the naming scheme, it can’t drill down to the specific folder and has to index the whole drive.

   Other than that, we love it! Great system to use.
   Rating: 4 / 5

4. D. Treworgy, on November 30th, 2009 at 9:27 pm Said:

   As others have commented, I find the interface and ease of use of the Sonos system to be truly outstanding. I converted over from a system of iTunes and three Apple AirPort Express devices. I am big Apple fan in general but for music distribution I found the Sonos system to be far superior.

   What I would like to comment on specifically in this review is the high quality of customer service Sonos provides. When I installed my system, there were some challenges getting it to work – which ultimately traced back to a balky Verizon FiOS router (the Sonos equipment worked fine). Even though the problem was elsewhere (with the Verizon FiOS router), the Sonos technician patiently spent close to an hour walking me through some work arounds the ultimately got the system working properly, even with the balky router. A few weeks later for reasons unrelated to the Sonos system, which was working fine after the technician’s help, I ditched the Verizon FiOS router in favor of a D-Link model, which worked flawlessly with the Sonos system immediately, no awkward router workarounds required.

   Most companies, if they offer technical help at all, will refuse to offer support if they suspect the problem lies with other equipment they did not manufacture (such as the Verizon FiOS router). Not Sonos. The technician was deeply knowledgeable about how to troubleshoot the issues until they were resolved. In addition, the wait time to speak with someone was short and the technician had excellent communication skills – English was almost certainly a first language. I suspect the Sonos technical help operation is based in the United States. Very refreshing after many frustrating experiences with technical support from other companies with the more typical offshore operation where communication can be a challenge and sometimes the technicians appear to be reading from a script (e.g., they ask if the device is plugged in and other ridiculous questions, rather than helping to solve the actual problem). To be fair, from time to time I have had great assistance from offshore technical help operations, but more often than not it can be challenging.

   So, if you are contemplating the pricing of the Sonos products, which certainly is higher than competing systems, know that the quality of technical support is amazing. Someone who communicates well and doesn’t read from a script will make sure it works. I thought long and hard about the Sonos prices before taking the plunge and would resoundingly say it truly is worth every penny.
   Rating: 5 / 5

5. FrozenGopher, on November 30th, 2009 at 11:56 pm Said:

   I’ve bought many things through Amazon, but have never written a review. This system is worthy of a five-star review. Setup couldn’t have been easier, bought the wireless bridge and it works flawlessly. Set up my music folders, added my Rhapsody account, and I can’t stop listening to all my music. I only have one zone setup currently but will be adding a second and third very soon. Now that I see how great this works, I’m kicking myself I didn’t buy it sooner. If you are even thinking about purchasing Sonos components…..just do it. You won’t be sorry.
   Rating: 5 / 5

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