Question

Sonos Connect to Receiver PreAmp

  • 5 June 2017
  • 5 replies
  • 2359 views

I'm connecting my Sonos Connect to a Yamaha RX A-730 Home Theater receiver via either TosLink optical or Coax digital cable. Either one works fairly well, but I have to have the volume on my Yamaha turned almost to MAX. So I'm thinking I need some sort of pre-amp.
Can anyone recommend a digital to digital (either toslink or coax) preamp to install between my Sonos Connect and my receiver ??
Thank you,
JH

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5 replies

What is the volume level on the Connect? A pre amp isn't the answer, it isn't needed because the Connect puts out the same line level signal as do all sources other than turntables.
Set the CONNECT to output at Fixed Volume (or wind the Sonos volume up to100%). The digital output is then unscaled. You couldn't amplify it further without clipping.

If you want to retain the use of the Sonos volume control, for convenience sake, then:
- set Sonos to around 90%
- increase the receiver volume to the point of pain
- reduce the Sonos volume and adjust to suit
@jmhine I share your frustration when using the Sonos connect I too have to crank up the AMP to about 70% vol in order to have some decent level of control in the Sonos App and balanced audio level in the rooms, but there are two problems, 1) automating this level adjustment and 2) forgetting to re-adjustment afterwards when going back to a normal source, having sky pump out at 70% vol can make the wife jump a little.

I understand that the output at 100% is of normal RCA standard and have considered a pre-amp but worried about blowing the stage in the power amp if someone slips with the vol on the app. I've also considered testing the RCA Phono input but again at 100% output the Sonos could blow that too.

Would be nice if you could override the default output of the RCA on the connect to 50% min and then use the slider in the app to control the remaining 50% all the way up to 100% that way you would not have to crank up the vol on the power amp and still have some control via the Sonos app. This can probably be done with a firmware update and could be a nice feature to help with this problem.

If anyone discovers a nicer solution please let us know.
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i have mine hooked up with RCA cables to my amp music is beter in analog than digital format so unless your receiver has a Digital to audo converter i would hook it to your receiver with RCA or interconnects same thing just some people call them one or the other....

i do not have a volume issue right now i need to turn he volume on the connect its self down or i get distortion, seems like the signal its putting out is too strong.. before the firmware update we just had i was able to turn it all the way up without distortion. i think that was a bad update or something.. as far as you issue maybe your digital cable is bad or maybe its not a i dont really deal with digital sources so i dont know much about them.. i like my 2 channel set up using interconnects..
Is there a solution available to make the SONOS Connect control the volume control of the amplifier / receiver itself? For example via the digital connection?