Sonos Controller CR100

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.

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.

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.

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.

The price of the contoller is my only concern. The unit does it's job very well, and allows fine tuning of all SONOS function in all zones. I couldn't ask for more. I can't think of anything that is lacking. Yet, the price, at nearly $400 for the controller alone is more than a bit steep. You pretty much have to have the docking station to keep the unit charged in a convenient way, so why not bundle the controller and docking station together?

If this unit were priced at $150 it would be a good deal. I figure that the SONOS folks know how essential the remote is for the convenience of the overall system, and have priced to gouge, as you have to have at least one controller to get the most from your system. I am very happy with SONOS overall, but feel a bit gouged on the controller.

Bottom line: buy what you need and cry all the way to control of your system.