Most people know that computers and appliances are often rated Energy Star compliant, but how many of us consider our own home audio systems? You might be surprised to know that according to Energy Star "Americans spend more money to power home audio products when turned off than when actually in use."
Sony, Panasonic, and Pioneer (to name a few), all have models that have earned the Energy Star seal of approval. But what about obsolescence? Hazardous materials? Most amplifiers and CD players have pretty long shelf life. As for the next generation of music technology, gear like the Sonos whole house wireless music system may not have the Energy Star seal, but it does have built in power management, has updatable firmware to combat obsolescence, and is ROHS compliant (the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment).
In the TH forum we're asking you to tell us about your home audio system and if you've made an effort to "green" it up. Pop in for a peek at my system and efforts to green my tunes.
I wanted a solution that allowed me to do surround sound in my living room, take advantage of my huge digital music collection, access online content like Rhapsody and Pandora, and stream music around the entire house without any wiring. I also wanted it to be as green as possible.
So here's a peek at my own audio system:
Living Room
Sony 7.1 Channel 180 Watt amp (Front/Rear/Center Channel), Sony subwoofer, Buffalo NAS Drive, and the Sonos ZP80 Music system (Non Amped), with Sonos controller. The patio speakers are also powered by this amp.
Office
Sonos ZP100 (Amped) unit with 2 Sonos speakers, and a wireless headset system.
Master Bedroom
Sonos ZP80 (Non Amped), Sonos controller, Tivoli Model One Radio
In my living room the Sony Amp and Subwoofer are both Energy Star compliant, and go into standby mode when not in use. The Buffalo NAS (Network Accessible Storage) drive stores all my digital music files and it spins down when not in use. The Sonos ZP80 is a multi-room music streaming device, and this particular model doesn't have an amp. It sends the music to the Sony amp via an optical cable. This unit also functions as an "always on" wireless router to my other Sonos units, but it has a pretty small energy footprint and all Sonos gear is ROHS compliant.
When working in the office I have a choice between using the speakers or the wireless headphones. If my wife is working in the office, you can guess I'm on the headphones. Therefore when the amped Sonos ZP100 is not in use, the power amplifier will shut down and go into a low power mode. My wireless headphones work the same way.
As for the bedroom, once again we have a non amped ZP80 connected to a low power Tivoli Model One radio for maximum sound in a small space/energy footprint. This combination also acts as our alarm clock, so the Tivoli is on 24/7. I hear that Tivoli is or is about to be ROHS compliant.
Added up, when not in use, my system uses much less than 100w bulb.
I've had my http://sonos.com system now going on 3 years and it is simply the best gear I've ever had. 2-3 times a year they update the firmware and I get new features...like getting a new device each time. The killer apps beyond my own library are Rhapsody streaming, Pandora, and internet radio. Literally has made me fall in love with music again.
Here are some photos if you want to see it all
http://web.mac.com/agraham999/My_Audio/Audio.html
Let's also not forget that buying digital music saves on material costs.
What about you?
