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lornag88
Contributor I
May 21, 2018
Answered

Good mini amps for Connect?

  • May 21, 2018
  • 6 replies
  • 1913 views
HI. I've got a number of sonos speakers and connects, and want to repurpose one connect to hook up to older outdoor (unpowered) speakers. I saw an older post/question from a few years back, but want to know if anyone has any recommendations for reasonably priced amps. Also, I prefer to have an optical cable input but I'm open to being convinced that the rca will also be fine for this application.
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    Best answer by Chris
    Like this one https://www.parts-express.com/lepai-lp7498e-200w-class-d-stereo-amplifier-with-bluetooth-aptx-and-power-supply--310-298

    https://www.parts-express.com/cat/home-audio-amplifiers/106 has lots of options - I have always used this site to look up alternatives.

    6 replies

    Chris
    ChrisAnswer
    Lead Maestro
    May 21, 2018
    Like this one https://www.parts-express.com/lepai-lp7498e-200w-class-d-stereo-amplifier-with-bluetooth-aptx-and-power-supply--310-298

    https://www.parts-express.com/cat/home-audio-amplifiers/106 has lots of options - I have always used this site to look up alternatives.
    Respect the Queue (2)Move (3)Beam (1) Era100 (2)ARC (1)SonosOne (1)Playbar (4)Play5 (4)Play1 (3)Play3 (1)Port (2)Connect (1) Roam (2) Ace (1)Connect:Amp (4)Sonos Amp (1)Sub + (9) Echo + Smartthings; (2)Play)
    Stanley_4
    Stanley_4
    Grand Maestro
    May 21, 2018
    I'd prefer optical too, it eliminates a lot of potential problems. RCA would likely work but it wouldn't be my first choice.

    What are the power ratings on your speakers?

    Monoprice has some interesting amplifiers, some of them are also found on Amazon with reviews but I too like the Parts Express folks.
    lornag88Author
    Contributor I
    May 21, 2018
    Thanks both. I'm not married to the speakers, not even sure they work as my old small amp stopped working so hard to test. Possibly I'll replace. They are teac xs600 from the 90s I think. Anyway, the mini amp needs to be versatile enough to accommodate new outdoor speakers, possibly marine grade. I'll dig through parts express, but not many have optical inputs.
    Chris
    Chris
    Lead Maestro
    May 21, 2018
    I'm not sold on the digital being better.

    The DAC in the Connect is pretty good. I don't think a cheap amplifier is going to have a better DAC then the connect. If you were hooking to a high end amp then sure the digital connection would probably be the way to go. But with the DAC in the connect being tested as a decent DAC, I wouldn't put my fate into some unknown DAC in a cheap amp.

    Go with the analog connection.
    Respect the Queue (2)Move (3)Beam (1) Era100 (2)ARC (1)SonosOne (1)Playbar (4)Play5 (4)Play1 (3)Play3 (1)Port (2)Connect (1) Roam (2) Ace (1)Connect:Amp (4)Sonos Amp (1)Sub + (9) Echo + Smartthings; (2)Play)
    Kumar
    May 22, 2018

    The DAC in the Connect is pretty good.
    It is actually more than pretty good. I have not come across a single controlled blind test of any other, at any price, that was preferred for better heard sound quality. The RCA route is fine.
      melvimbe
      melvimbe
      May 22, 2018
      I kind of like this one...

      https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-apa102-class-d-stereo-60-wpc-amplifier-auto-on--300-591

      It seems like it would pair well with a CONNECT since it has an auto-on feature. That way you don't have to always leave it on, or have to manually turn on and off every time you want to use it. The A-B speaker switch and multiple sources (auto switching) can also come in handy in some scenarios. It is a bigger size though.
      Danny
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