Sonos ZonePlayer S5 Multi-Room Music System Review

The Hardware

Both the S5 and the ZoneBridge are simple in their external interface design, with a minimal number of buttons and ports. As shown in Figure 7, the S5 has a headphone port on the left that lets you listen via wired or wireless headphones. Next to that port are the analog audio ports that allow you to connect an iPod, CD player, TV, and/or other devices. This lets you play that music or audio from addi
tional sources and also lets you play that audio on all other ZonePlayers in the house. On the right is a two-port Ethernet switch. One can be used for a connection to the router and the other can be used to add Network Attached Storage, a PC, or game console.

Under these ports is the power cable connection. Above the ports is a recessed area which can be used as a handle for easy transport.

Figure 7: The back of the S5

As you have already seen, the front of the S5 is entirely covered by a grill. It, however, contains a lot of speaker power. There are two tweeters for high frequencies, two mid-range drivers, and a dedicated subwoofer for the bass.

The top of the S5 has only two buttons, as shown in Figure 8: one to mute the sound and one to lower or raise the volume.

Figure 8: The top of the S5

The top of the ZoneBridge 100 has only one button, which is pressed for connectivity. This is shown in Figure 9.

Figure 9: The top of the ZoneBridge 100

The back of the ZoneBridge 100, shown in Figure 10, has only a 2-port Ethernet switch, which has the same functionalities as the switch on the S5 and a power supply port.

Figure 10: The back of the ZoneBridge 100