Enthusiast I

Answered

Port Line In Levels

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
February 28, 2024
16 replies
1140 views

I have an old Quad 33/303 set up that I love and works very nicely with my turntable and Sonos Port as sources.

It has a line-level output that I connect to the Port’s Line In so that I can listen to the Turntable in other zones. However, I have to turn the volume up on the other zones WAY higher than from other sources. The 33/303 Line Level output is adjustable, and I’ve set it to it’s max (“H” in the table below). The Port’s input settings are set to 1 (low) and it’s still too quiet. Not distorted, but just too low.

What are the actual line-in sensitivity levels of the Port? I can in theory change the component values in the 33/303 to output more than 100mV, but I’d like to know what the Port’s inputs are in order to choose correct values.

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Best answer by Ken_Griffiths

I understand that these are the line-in voltages expected for each source level …

2.2V - Level 1
2.0V - Level 2
1.8V - Level 3
1.6V - Level 4
1.4V - Level 5
1.2V - Level 6
1.1V - Level 7
1.0V - Level 8
0.8V - Level 9
0.6V - Level 10 (500mv)

Show previous replies

C

Captain BigglesAuthor

Enthusiast I

Having got home I can confirm that my line-in level is set to 10 and I have to turn the volume right up when listening to that source compared to all my other sources.

I get that different sources have different levels, and Sonos caters for a range already. I guess the short way of asking for summarising my problem is to say:

“what can be done when Level 10 isn’t enough?” (Also known as the “why can’t I turn it up to 11?” conundrum)

buzz

You can search Amazon for “line level booster”. These are external devices that will amplify the level of your turntable. I don’t have experience with any of these units. Note that some of them include a 240V power supply. You may need to replace an included power supply. Be sure to check the power requirements. Many of the units will accept a wide range of power supply Voltage. You may have an appropriate power supply in your junk box.

C

Captain BigglesAuthor

Enthusiast I

I heard back from the excellent Quad customer service today who confirmed that sadly there aren’t any internal modifications that can be made that will increase the 100mV “line level” toward 500mV.

So I guess now the only options are:

Use a Line Level Booster like Buzz suggests (needs a gain of 15dB or more) like this one here although that has the disadvantage of adding additional circuitry that may distort the signal or
Start a campaign for Sonos to accommodate input signals lower than 100mV. Now officially known as the Turn It Up To 11 campaign.

Anyone at Sonos care to comment?

K

Kumar

What about using voltage attenuators for the other sources? These may not even need a power source. I cannot see Sonos providing more gain capability in the Port.

C

Captain BigglesAuthor

Enthusiast I

Follow-up question to the above (and thanks for all the answers):

What is the fixed line level of the output of the Port? And why is this not listed anywhere in any of the literature or on the App?

C

Captain BigglesAuthor

Enthusiast I

What about using voltage attenuators for the other sources? These may not even need a power source. I cannot see Sonos providing more gain capability in the Port.

Because the other sources ARE the Sonos. I.e. when playing internet radio or streaming or from my digitised library the outputs are normalised and the volume is the same whichever source is being used. So they cannot be attenuated as they’re internally generated.

The issue arises from the low line-levels coming from my external sources being 5 times (c. -14dB) smaller than the Sonos input can amplify currently.

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