Turntable > Amp > Sonos

Why do you also have the Kenwood and its speakers in the same room? I ask because you could just wire the TT to a Connect and have the music be conveyed wirelessly to Sonos kit in that room.

The Kenwood amp/reciever is needed to get the Turntable phono-level sound up to Line-level. I don't think a Connect will do this? Most everyone I have talked to says you need either a pre-amp or Amp in between the TT and the CONNECT...Is that not true?

List of Equipment in the room:
Turntable
Kenwood Amp/Reciever
(CONNECT, not yet purchased)
Sonos Sound Bar
Sonos Subwoofer
2 Sonos PLay 1 Speakers

The Kenwood amp/reciever is needed to get the Turntable phono-level sound up to Line-level. I don't think a Connect will do this? Most everyone I have talked to says you need either a pre-amp or Amp in between the TT and the CONNECT...Is that not true?

Yes, the signal from the TT does need to be boosted to line level to suit Connect. It seems that the Kenwood has this, but it doesn't have an output suitable for the Connect, just for speakers and this is NOT suitable for Connect - you will damage the Connect if you wire speaker terminals on the receiver to the Connect.

You will need a dedicated phono preamp sitting between the TT and the Connect. The good news is that these are quite cheap now, and of a very small footprint and you can get rid of the Kenwood if there is no other use for it than as a phone pre amp. The phono amp will take in signals from the TT as input and deliver line level output to the Connect.

See this for general information as well: https://en.community.sonos.com/music-services-and-sources-228994/using-a-turntable-with-sonos-6769426

In particular, the first few posts there about things like compression and line in settings.

Google search shows it has two tape loops. Use one of them to connect to a Connect.

Tape out would allow the receiver to be used as an oversized phono amp for sure. It may even serve more uses if you have other sources to connect to it, like a CD player that some insist on also having.

Thanks both of you! Just to confirm-- connect the Tape: Recording Out to the Sonos Connect. This will not sacrifice quality or damage the Sonos Connect. Thanks again

It seems like trying to use a Sonos with an analog TT would kill the sound of the analog TT. You would be converting the analog signal to a digital sample, thus undermining the sound quality of the TT. No?

I have a high end TT, pre-amp and receiver. The lure of a wireless speaker system is strong but I'm concerned that I'll turn my TT into something that sounds like a crappy, over-compressed digital stream.....

It seems like trying to use a Sonos with an analog TT would kill the sound of the analog TT. You would be converting the analog signal to a digital sample, thus undermining the sound quality of the TT. No?

I have a high end TT, pre-amp and receiver. The lure of a wireless speaker system is strong but I'm concerned that I'll turn my TT into something that sounds like a crappy, over-compressed digital stream.....

Not at all. If you set the Line-In to uncompressed, it will be a lossless A->D conversion, meaning all of the original analog signal will be preserved. The "audiophile" notion that digital is somehow inferior to analog, or that digital gives you a "stairstep" estimate of the original analog, is utter nonsense.

Fact is, digital is capable of capturing any analog signal from 0 Hz to 22 KHz (far beyond the limits of human hearing) and reproducing it exactly as it was originally played, within the limitations of playback equipment. With audio, sampling is not an estimation of the original, it is the original. See this video by Monty Montgomery of Xiph.org (the makers of FLAC) for an explanation why this is so:

You could get a ConnectAMP instead to replace the receiver, only this is you would have to get a pre-amp too so it would essentially look like this: TT (Phono Out) --> (Phono In) PreAmp (Line Out) --> (Line In) ConnectAMP (Speaker Wire Out) --> Speakers

You could get a ConnectAMP instead to replace the receiver, only this is you would have to get a pre-amp too so it would essentially look like this: TT (Phono Out) --> (Phono In) PreAmp (Line Out) --> (Line In) ConnectAMP (Speaker Wire Out) --> Speakers

A Connect:Amp is also going to digitize the signal, it is still a ADC to DAC signal path. But as stated above, that is no deterioration of the audio if you choose uncompressed for the Line-In settings.

no deterioration of the audio if you choose uncompressed for the Line-In settings.
In practice I have not been able to hear any deterioration even using compressed mode for Line In. Just like I am not able to hear any difference between 320k lossy and lossless versions of the same recording. So if the wireless environment does not permit the use of uncompressed mode to deliver stutter free music play, I would not lose sleep over that either. Compressed can cause a sync delay between Sonos and non Sonos speakers, but that is a different issue.

And to the concern expressed about TT sound being degraded to sound like a "crappy over compressed digital stream", much of the latter reputation for digital music arises in the upstream recording/mastering process, not in the digital streaming process per se. At its best, digital recording and subsequent streaming is superior to vinyl at its best. Also, if the LP has been crappily recorded, it will sound crappy no matter how it is played. Use Sonos with an analog TT, and you will also get all the clicks and assorted noises from worn out needles and grooves with utmost fidelity.

Thanks for all of the advice on this thread. I was grappling with how to perfectly config TT + Vintage Hifi Amp + Connect so I can use turntable with vintage Hifi/Speakers as well with Sonos.

Going TT-->Hifi-->connect (via Tape out) was causing a very small delay between hifi and rest of Sonos in the house. It was small, but it was there.

I added a very affordable Pyle Phono Amp, I rewired as TT->phono amp->Connect->Hifi (via Aux input rather than phono) and now Sonos house-wide as well as Hifi speakers are in perfect sync.

I also use the Advanced Audio settings of the Connect to set the right input and output level of the Connect and set the AutoPlay so that it pushes out to the Hifi when the turntable is activated.

Sounds great, easy to use!

Most amps/receivers with a tape loop allow you to "monitor" the tape loop. If you wire both in and out on the Connect to the out and in on the amp, then you should be able to select the turntable but monitor the tape loop. This not only resolves the delay issue to put the amp in sync with the rest of your Sonos but also allows you to adjust the volume through the amp with the Sonos app.

I realise this doesn't work in all cases and is too for late for you in any case, but it might be useful for the next person.