Sonos Connect. Still worth buying???

I have two Connect's, They're great for adding to an existing setup. I would not say they are the last word in absolute quality, but then Sonos have never claimed they were. As noted, they have a digital output option which allows you to connect them to equipment that does a better job of A/D conversion, however, if used in a multi-room system, only the analogue outputs from the connect are guaranteed to be in sync with other Sonos components such as Play speakers. You'll notice a slight delay from the Connect in party mode through the digital outs. Nothing to stop you connecting both, as the last word in quality probably doesn't matter for grouped room music.

Arcam used to make a dedicated DAC for the connect called Sonlink that sat under the connect and improved the sound quality, it might be worth searching one out on the bay. I had one and it definitely improved the quality.

When paired with a streaming service like Qobuz which does CD quality, and then fed to a high quality DAC the Connect gives the convienience of the Sonos system in a high quality environment for much much less than many high end sources, so I think it still has a place and mine still gets used, albeit through a much better DAC unit.

It's only drawback is the lack of support in the Sonos ecosystem for higher resolution audio, but as said, paired with a streamer that can do that, you get the best of both worlds, Sonos ease of use with streaming and search, and great SQ from all sources.

The ‘audiophiles’ are the ones putting me off!! Loads of people destroying the connect on forums
It is their loss; the Connect is as audibly transparent as any other digital source. The only reason to not invest in one in your case would be if the 3020 was on its last legs - always hard to know, but if you have access to repair shops when needed, that too is not an issue.

I have a Connect hooked to a very nice 5.1 setup in my main room and a Play 5. The sound from the Play 5 is nowhere close to the many thousand dollar 5.1 setup but I listen to the Play 5 multiple times per day and the 5.1 box hasn't been powered on in over a month.

I do use the RCA line-out on my Connect fairly often though, I hook an RCA to 3.5 converter to it and drive my wired headphones. Someday I'll replace the adapter with a Bluetooth transmitter when I find BT phones I like.

So I'd say a connect isn't a bad option for you but if you get a Play the convenience is going to spoil you.

Thanks Mark. There’s quite a few available on eBay atm. They seem to hold their resale value pretty well if bought second hand. Maybe I’ll dive in & give one a go. If I don’t get on with it I can always re-sell.

Best Buy usually has Open-Box on their website for $289 as well. I'll be using up all my BB rewards to grab one soon.

I see you also have the connect amp. Better to go with a connect & the Nad do you think?

Thanks Mark. There’s quite a few available on eBay atm. They seem to hold their resale value pretty well if bought second hand. Maybe I’ll dive in & give one a go. If I don’t get on with it I can always re-sell.
I bought all three of mine on eBay at about 60% of their new cost. All were boxed, like new, and work perfectly. YMMV, of course, but I'd say it's worth a try.

The CONNECT sounds very good -- at least as good as any other audio source playing the same content (*). I have one of mine connected into an old Arcam Alpha 8 amplifier and a pair of Tannoy M20s, and it sounds great. I'd have no hesitation in buying a CONNECT over a single PLAY:5 in your situation. A stereo pair of PLAY:5s would sound better, but at a higher cost and without the reuse of your existing equipment.

(*) You will see comments on this forum about the CONNECT not being 'audiophile grade', etc. These comments are audiophool nonsense.