Product Description: Now you can have instant access to your entire digital music collection, including all your playlists, from anywhere in your home - inside or out. That's because the Sonos Controller uses Sonosnet, a secure wireless mesh network that extends the range of your Controller throughout your entire home. Which means you don't have to run to your PC every time you want to turn on, change or turn off your music. And, you can control everything from volume to music selection in any room from anywhere. When it comes to scrolling through your music library, browsing titles, viewing album art, queuing up tracks, choosing zones and more, the large, full-color LCD screen and scroll wheel make it a real cinch. No other digital music system lets you do all that.
Amazon.com Product Description: If you're a serious music lover, and you're looking for a quick, intuitive way to access your entire digital music collection, then look no further than the powerful, handheld Sonos Controller CR100. Tap into songs, albums, and even playlists from anywhere in your home, inside or out. That's because the Sonos Controller uses SonosNet, a secure wireless mesh network that extends the range of your controller throughout your entire home. Forget about running to your PC every time you want to pick a new tune, skip a track, or crank up the volume, just grab your CR100 and your music is at your fingertips.
Watch a demo of the Sonos Digital Music System.
The ergonomic and stylish Sonos Controller charges via an included AC adapter, or you can snap it into the Charging Cradle (not included).
The Controller is designed to be a part of a complete Sonos Digital Music System. Setup is easy, too. See how it works.
Your entire music library in the palm of your hand.
Control a variety of digital music types.
Quickly set listening characteristics for every ZonePlayer.
The CR100 works in tandem with both of the Sonos ZonePlayers -- the ZonePlayer ZP100 or ZonePlayer ZP80 -- to control digital music throughout your home. In fact, you can use up to 32 controllers for each ZonePlayer. With multiple controller functionality, Sonos brings digital music control to every room and floor in your house.
Browsing and Queuing Browse your digital music collection by artist, album, genre, track, name, composer, or even playlist. The CR100 also empowers you to queue the right tunes for the right moment -- with this controller you can build, edit, and save playlists right from the palm of your hand. Of course, what you may want to hear might differ from your spouse working upstairs. Sonos has covered all the angles so you can have multiple music queues. Use any Controller to build a separate queue of music to play in each zone or a group of zones throughout your house. If you desire, you can pipe classical music into the kitchen while there's a rock opera blasting on the back porch -- Sonos gives you the tools to make music happen where you want to hear it.
The Screen and Controls The high-resolution, 3.5-inch LCD color screen makes everything on the screen bright and easy-to-see, including full-color album artwork, if available. You can view full-screen or thumbnail views of album art, plus detailed track information from this palm-sized device. Sonos designed the CR100 with a backlit screen and buttons, which makes it easy to operate in low-light conditions. You can even adjust the brightness of the LCD and buttons to suit your style or extend the battery life. The scroll wheel makes it easy to flip through large music collections and make selections, or you can power scroll by letters to jump ahead to find an artist, album, or track.
The Controller's button layout is intuitive and provides complete music management and control. Two buttons are dedicated to providing direct access to the Controller's main menus -- Music and Zones -- for quick, snappy control. The CR100 is also designed to conserve battery life with a movement sensor that automatically turns the Controller on when you pick it up, and a light sensor that only turns on backlighting when it is needed.
Also, be sure to check out the Sonos CC100 Charging Cradle, which serves as a handy charger and holder for the Controller.
Sonos In Depth The CR100 is just one part of a complete Sonos Digital Music System. To make your system complete, you'll also need a Sonos ZonePlayer. With the ZonePlayers in the rooms of your choice, you can play the same song in different rooms, or different songs in different rooms. You can have up to 32 Sonos ZonePlayers throughout your house -- from the bedroom to the backyard. Connect your first ZonePlayer to your router and all the others work wirelessly. Choose between the ZP80, which connects directly to your home theater or stereo, or the ZP100, which features its own built-in amplifier. Or better yet, choose both for the ultimate in multi-room music.
With the CR100 in hand, you'll have instant access to all your digital music, plus Internet radio, subscriptions to online audio services, and even music from your favorite CD or MP3 player. Turn off the upstairs music while you're downstairs. Change the song in the kitchen from the den. To start listening, just pick a room, pick a song, and hit play.
If you're just getting started with your Sonos system, you'll want to check out Sonos' ZP80 and ZP100 Digital Music System Bundles, which combine two ZP80 or ZP100 units respectively with a Sonos Controller. The bundles offer an easy, economical way to get in on the Sonos action. Then, when you're ready to expand you can purchase a ZP80 or ZP100 for more rooms in your home.
If you choose to extend your system with a ZP100 you can use your own speakers with it, or connect a pair of Sonos SP100 Loudspeakers, which are aesthetically and acoustically designed to look great with your Sonos Digital Music System.
What's in the Box Sonos Controller CR100, AC adapter, power cord, and controller documentation.
Works as advertised 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.
CR100 holds up well over time. 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 $350. 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.
Great remote control for all audio content 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.
an amazing system 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.
Works well, could be better
This remote works well and does a lot. I have 3 boxes and 2 remotes, and they all work together quite well - a pretty amazing feat, I think. You can play songs off your hard drive, off rhapsody, can make and retrieve play lists, etc. The remote is a bit large, but when you figure its basically a small computer and which establishes a wireless connection to the other Sonos boxes, you can understand that it must hard to cram all that hardware in a smaller package - this also explains the price.
On the negative side, the remote does take 10 - 20 secs to boot up, which can be annoying. Also, about once a week you have to reboot the controller, which is easy enough (hold down two buttons on the controller), but also annoying. Finally, I wish there were an easier way to search for artists on rhapsody, which I do all the time.
Overall, its a nice piece of hardware in a nice system.
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