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Jacob_12
Contributor II
March 23, 2020

Port review at WhatHiFi

  • March 23, 2020
  • 49 replies
  • 7509 views

A surprisingly poor review of the Port was posted on their website a few days ago. They didn’t like the:

  • Poor organisation and timing
  • Little dynamic expression
  • Severe lack of punch

For them it was step backwards compared to the Connect. Interestingly they felt these attributes remained to a significant extent even when using a quality outboard Dac. To me this doesn’t make much sense at all. Sound quality which is “as disorganised as a teenager’s bedroom” and punch which is “so lacking you almost expect its corner to throw in the towel” would surely be a primarily a function of the built-in DAC and analogue stage. By saying things weren’t dramatically improved by using a £1200 Chord DAC, WhatHiFi appear to be pointing the finger elsewhere. Jitter perhaps? Any thoughts on this?

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    49 replies

    jgatie
    jgatie
    March 23, 2020

    Subjective audiophile reviews are notoriously unreliable and are filled with utter nonsense?

      upstatemike
      March 23, 2020

      When it comes to sound it is best to trust your own ears to judge what is or is not good enough for you, I am running a Port in the same system as a Connect and a Connect Amp and I haven’t noticed any downgrade in the sound quality with the Port. You can always utilize the new purchase return window to make your own decision without risking anything.

      Local music library with carefully constructed playlists - no shuffling!, Integration with Homeseer Automation, No touch screen devices, No streaming services, No Apple products ever
        chicks
        chicks
        March 23, 2020
        • Poor organisation and timing
        • Little dynamic expression
        • Severe lack of punch

        Meaningless drivel. Laughable nonsense. 

          Airgetlam
          Airgetlam
          March 23, 2020

          There was another thread about this article in which a poster said that the source organization was suspect anyway, based on previous reviews and comments. 

          Bruce
          Neecke
          Lyricist II
          May 16, 2020

          I am a long time Connect and other Sonos products user and upgraded to the Port and don’t hear any improvement in sound.  I also have low sound output in the variable  setting which I never had with the Connect.  I also use a Bluesound Node 2i which has noticeably better sound quality with better recordings but not the stability of the Sonos mesh WiFi network, at least not for me.  I will speak with Sonos about my issues with the Port but so far I am pretty disappointed.  The Connect was a great product.  With the exception of Airplay 2 which is important to some and perhaps many users, I don’t see the advantages of The Port, at least not yet, especially not in sound quality.
           

           

            PerA
            Collaborator I
            June 2, 2020

            I am a long time Connect and other Sonos products user and upgraded to the Port and don’t hear any improvement in sound.  I also have low sound output in the variable  setting which I never had with the Connect.  I also use a Bluesound Node 2i which has noticeably better sound quality with better recordings but not the stability of the Sonos mesh WiFi network, at least not for me.  I will speak with Sonos about my issues with the Port but so far I am pretty disappointed.  The Connect was a great product.  With the exception of Airplay 2 which is important to some and perhaps many users, I don’t see the advantages of The Port, at least not yet, especially not in sound quality.
             

             

            Owning a Connect that will not be S2 compatible I am debating with myself whether to upgrade to the Port or not. I am not needing or expecting a better sound quality from the Port over the Connect. Personally I don’t think that is possible without also upgrading the speakers (meaning the connect does not have any flaws in transporting the sound signal as it was recorded). But of course, I don’t want worse sound than with my Connect, if for some strange reason the Port does something weird like processing the signal in an unexpected way. I am all for blind tests but haven’t found any such test comparing Port and Connect so I guess I have to rely on other user’s experience (until I can listen at home if I buy a Port). Neecke, you write that you haven’t noticed any improvement in sound quality. Have you noticed any dismprovement? I am happy with no disimprovement. Thanks!

            Neecke
            Lyricist II
            June 2, 2020

            I can’t say that the sound quality of the Port is worse than the Connect.  However, it is not a better product for me.  The issues I have  with variable out are also a problem for me,  if you are concerned about Sonos support going forward go with the Port.  Keep in mind for digital out it only has a coax out and does not also have an optical out like the Connect if that is important for you.  Separately, I wrote to the Sonos CEO regarding my thoughts on the Port.  No response.  I wish they would listen more.  
              

            PerA
            Collaborator I
            June 2, 2020

            I can’t say that the sound quality of the Port is worse than the Connect.  However, it is not a better product for me.  The issues I have  with variable out are also a problem for me,  if you are concerned about Sonos support going forward go with the Port.  Keep in mind for digital out it only has a coax out and does not also have an optical out like the Connect if that is important for you.  Separately, I wrote to the Sonos CEO regarding my thoughts on the Port.  No response.  I wish they would listen more.  
              

            Thank you Neecke. I am well aware of the physical differences of the Port and Connect. In my opinion the Connect is better in terms of connectivity but fortunately for me I am not in need of the Connect’s additional features. I would buy the Port solely to keep up with the S2 requirements. Of course this is not ideal but a reality.

            Invinoveritasty
            Invinoveritasty
            Trending Lyricist I
            June 2, 2020

            Another poor review of the Port here.  

            https://www.techhive.com/article/3546333/sonos-port-review.html

             

            jgatie
            jgatie
            June 2, 2020

            Another poor review of the Port here.  

            https://www.techhive.com/article/3546333/sonos-port-review.html

             

             

            More subjective nonsense.  When set for fixed volume, the digital outputs of both the Connect and Port are bit-perfect to the originals.  Any differences heard would have to be downstream, which would be the fault of the reviewer, not the Port.  Or, much more likely, the reviewer is full of it. 

            Also, the reviewer stated they toyed with the EQ at one point, which means they took the Port off fixed volume, negating any level matching that was done for testing.  This fact increases the likelihood that a subtle decrease in volume is being mistaken for poor audio.  

            Yet more proof why, as stated above, “Subjective audiophile reviews are notoriously unreliable and are filled with utter nonsense.”

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