Avid Contributor II

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Connect wired to top end speakers. Care to share your experience?

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
February 15, 2020
31 replies
1004 views

Anyone care to share his/her experience? Sound quality, possible delays, anything worth while mentioning? Replacing my Arcam amplifier with the Connect should preferably not result in material, notable loss of sound quality. Because that will trigger disappointment and frustration.

Got Dynaudio Audience 72 S speakers, following specs:

System type2-wayEnclosure typeBass reflexFrequency response ± 3dB28 - 26000 HzNominal impedance4 OhmAmplifier Requirements10 - 250 WSensitivity (2.83V/1m)86 dBTweeter28mm (1") soft domeWoofer2x17cm (2x6.5") MSP coneDimensions (H x W x D)959x204x256 mm / 37.7x8x10"Weight16.5 kg / 21 lbs

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Best answer by Stanley_4

Only reason I can see for going with a Port and amplifier combo would be to get more power than the Sonos Amp. By more power I’m thinking roughly 4X to make much of an audible difference.

The less efficient dB rating your speakers have the more the X in power needs to change to provide the same sound improvement.

Testing at home is a really random as so many factors are involved a true test is near to impossible and you just end up deciding the stuff you like best sounds best anyway.

buzz

Grand Maestro

Goodness of sound is in the ear of the listener. Only you will know what sounds “best”. Why are you replacing the Arcam?

Note that both CONNECT and CONNECT:AMP are now discontinued. It would be best to purchase the new SONOS AMP or, if you prefer 3rd party amplifiers, replace CONNECT with PORT. There will not be much change in any delays compared to your present configuration.

Stanley_4

Grand Maestro

86 dB isn’t very sensitive, I’d go with the Sonos Amp with them over the connect Amp for the additional power.

At 86 dB you might even consider the Sonos Port and a larger external amp in the 500 watt range if you like to play them loud.

K

Kumar

While agreeing with every reply so far also consider this:

A Echo Dot, wired to the inputs of a amplifier of enough power will also give you the same results. The important thing here is the power delivery of the amplifier, all Dynaudio passive speakers are power hungry, and the source quality often ends up taking unjustified blame for sound quality from power hungry speakers fed by amps of inadequate power.

What source you want to use - Dot or Port or any other then comes down just to what features you want for the price you are willing to pay.

K

Kumar

Further things to consider when using truly high end(i.e expensive) and high quality speakers even beyond said Dynaudios:

Given the state of modern digital tech, it is quite possible to find suitable source+amplification for what look like silly price points that will deliver all the sound quality that the speakers are capable of delivering.

The only thing to be careful here is using cheap amplification that may be susceptible to catastrophic failure in components like power supplies or capacitors, that may then dump current surges into the output terminals, destroying expensive speaker drivers. The more expensive amps usually use better quality components in these critical areas, that reduce the chances of such events.

The pure source components deal out low voltage signals and do not carry these risks - for instance there is no way that a USD 30 Echo Dot or Chromecast puck will ever damage the speakers.

F

Forkys de la SuisseAuthor

Avid Contributor II

Thank you all! If anything it’ll be the Port albeit expensive. Does the Port allow for listening to my Spotify songs jointly on Play 5 speakers and DynAudio’s? As for Echo Dot I cannot see any useful functionality that I’m seeking, other being able to wire it into my Amplifier. I mean compared to Sonos hardware, it’s hardly a serious quality Hifi tool, is it?

K

Kumar

There are people that say exactly the same thing about the Port not being a serious quality HiFi tool and they are just as wrong/prejudiced as you are. Modern tech has equalised the field for audio sound quality to a close to miraculous degree. Plus, when manufacturing scales are large, costs of components drops dramatically. Then another reason is pricing policy - Sonos could easily sell the Port for a lot less, but will not, because where would they be if everyone used cheap Ports with Dynaudios and others - why then buy the 5 units?

The only reason that would justify a Port over a Dot would be for features - in your instance, if you want music play seamless with another Sonos speaker, it has to be a Port.

J

John B

Can I just check that you are clear that if you get a Port you will still need the Arcam, or a replacement amplifier? Or alternatively you will need a Sonos Amp, rather than a Port.

The Port (or Amp) would be a ‘room’ in your Sonos setup, so you could group it with the P:5s ‘room’ to play Spotify in sync. Caveat - there is a theoretical risk that a slight delay may occur in processing the sound through a third-party amp. However, this is normally only an issue with AV receivers, not hi-fi amps.

F

Forkys de la SuisseAuthor

Avid Contributor II

Thanks John. I intend to use the Arcam Amp and wire it to the Port. What’s holding me is the Port’s price tag. But I just need to get used to the idea before I purchase. Right now I have 2 separate systems: 1) Sonos 2x Player 5 (old gen.) + Beamer (new gen) and 2) Arcam Amp + Naim CD player + DynAudio speakers. Bit lazy to play the CD’s (having Spotify) but a pity not to enjoy my old Hifi more.

J

John B

Does the Arcam have a digital input or just analog RCA? Or to put it another way, does the Arcam have a DAC?

F

Forkys de la SuisseAuthor

Avid Contributor II

Does the Arcam have a digital input or just analog RCA? Or to put it another way, does the Arcam have a DAC?

No clue its the FMJ A22- does this help?

https://www.stereophile.com/content/arcam-fmj-a22-integrated-amplifier-specifications