Connect gets pretty warm on top

NO! Leave it be, very warm but not so it cannot be touched is normal. Make sure the unit has enough place above it for heat to radiate away from the top surface.
It stays warmish even when not playing music.

[quote='cisco]Has anyone took their Connect apart to drill some vent holes for better ventilation on the top? Any ideas and suggestions would be appreciated. TIA[/quote]


I heartily recommend it. A fine mist of cooling water would also ensure the temperature stayed within safe limits.

(In case of doubt the above post is heavily ironic).Follow the instructions in the user manual and ensure the ambient conditions are within operating parameters. Do NOT open it up and drill holes in it. That would be irresponsible, dangerous and invalidate your warranty.

Make sure its also located in an open space in other words not in a rack, cupboard but an open shelf is ideal. All mine have been warm to touch even when idle but never hot .

Thanks for the replys guys....I thought I would throw that question out there to see if other people have similar issues.
My Connect is located on the top shelve so it has plenty of space around and above it for proper ventilation.

I've had my Connect for over 8 1/2 years so it's out of warranty already.... it's been a "Great" piece of gear that I've owned.

Lol. That won't go down well with the better half! But I understand that the heat is radiated away in any case, so this ought not be necessary.

Mine is out of sight behind a TV set so appearance is not an issue and the junk box refugee is fine. If yours is visible then spousal approval could be sought for a prettier heat sink, maybe a chrome and copper one. You could go all-out and add one with a fan too.

We are in the Phoenix, Arizona metro area and normally keep it about 80 inside, when we are away we set the AC even higher to reduce the cooling bill so I figured a bit of extra heat dissipation couldn't hurt. If you keep your place in the low 70s or lower then I'd not bother.

I agree. Ambient temperature has a very large effect on how hot the surface gets.

when we are away we set the AC even higher to reduce the cooling bill
When you're away -- assuming it's for a few days or more -- why on earth would you leave Sonos powered anyway?

BTW unless that ZP80 is the only wired device, and needs to support wireless peers, you could turn its radio off. You'd have less heat dissipation. Google it.

when we are away we set the AC even higher to reduce the cooling bill
When you're away -- assuming it's for a few days or more -- why on earth would you leave Sonos powered anyway?

BTW unless that ZP80 is the only wired device, and needs to support wireless peers, you could turn its radio off. You'd have less heat dissipation. Google it.

Actually, if we away for only a few hours that is long enough to save some air conditioning money here. Phoenix is one of the markets where you can have your power billed at different rates for different times of the day. Shutting down or reducing the AC for a few hours mid-day at the highest rate period can save a decent amount of money each month. Managing big power users like the AC, a pool pump or the clothes dryer makes sense, fiddling with small power users a couple times a day is usually not worth the effort though.

We do shut down most everything when we are gone for a few days but since that rarely happens it isn't enough of an aggravation to do much to make it easier. For most of my Sonos units I just pull the wall plug, a couple are on power strips that can be switched off.

I do have the radios turned off in both my ZP-80s, didn't make a big difference in temp or power use but did cut down on issues from them being too close to other WiFi devices. I'd not recommend turning the radios off to most folks as the Sonos folks seem to take a dim view of doing that.

The heat sinks are a cheap / free option and haven't generated any comments from Sonos so I'm happy to suggest it to others.