Avid Contributor I

How to connect a high end cd player to a fully compatible Sonos S2 system

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
November 30, 2020
7 replies
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I have a Sonos S2 compatible sustem including Play 5 and Connect amps. I am purchasing a high end cd player which includes a built in DAC. Given that I have inputs on both my connect amps (3) and my Play 5’s (3) will I get full functionality from the cd player connecting to one of those devices or do I need to purchase a Sonos port??

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K

Kumar

Sonos was part of making all CD players obsolete, so it is strange to be buying one just now, and even stranger to get a high end - presumably expensive - one. Why do you feel the need for a high end player, even if you must have a player?

F

FZ fanAuthor

Avid Contributor I

I am a HUGE Frank Zappa fan, and I own the entire catalog on CD. I would simply like to be able to play those cd’s through my expansive Sonos system: (boost, 4 connect amps, 3 play 5’s, 2 subs, two arcs, 7 play ones and two Sonos soundbars. There you have my rationale for a cd player. As for high end, I have my eye on a $350 Cambridge Audio player which I understand has a pretty good DAC.

Now, I still need advice on how best to integrate the player to my Sonos S2 compatible system. Better to add to a Play 5, one of my Connect Amps or should I invest in a Port??

ratty

So you’d get a ‘high end’ CDP, where the ‘high’ bit is presumably in the DAC, then connect it into Sonos where the analog would immediately be digitised again (and subsequently rendered by Sonos’ own DACs)…

ratty

I have my eye on a $350 Cambridge Audio player which I understand has a pretty good DAC.

Ah, okay, more ‘mid end’ then IMHO. I thought you were contemplating something ten times that price.

Now, I still need advice on how best to integrate the player to my Sonos S2 compatible system. Better to add to a Play 5, one of my Connect Amps or should I invest in a Port??

It doesn’t matter what you connect it to. It will go through a regular ADC and be digitised at 16/44.1.

jgatie

I am a HUGE Frank Zappa fan, and I own the entire catalog on CD. I would simply like to be able to play those cd’s through my expansive Sonos system: (boost, 4 connect amps, 3 play 5’s, 2 subs, two arcs, 7 play ones and two Sonos soundbars. There you have my rationale for a cd player. As for high end, I have my eye on a $350 Cambridge Audio player which I understand has a pretty good DAC.

Now, I still need advice on how best to integrate the player to my Sonos S2 compatible system. Better to add to a Play 5, one of my Connect Amps or should I invest in a Port??

Just rip the CD’s to FLAC.

ratty

Just rip the CD’s to FLAC.

Of course. But maybe there’s the sensory experience of browsing the CD collection and carefully selecting one, reading the notes, etc. I left that behind 13+ years ago, but it still floats some people’s boats.

K

Kumar

Of course. But maybe there’s the sensory experience of browsing the CD collection and carefully selecting one, reading the notes, etc. I left that behind 13+ years ago, but it still floats some people’s boats.

A few years ago one could get CD players for less than USD 75/GBP 50 that could support this requirement quite adequately - any higher spend was a waste. Or even a cheap DVD player could serve. I don’t see these at the old price points anymore in the market - because both are obsolete now, I suspect, so one has to pay silly money now for these obsolete devices.

To answer the OP question, all CD players have a line out pair - wire those to the line in on either Connect Amp or 5 and set the line in on the Sonos unit to autoplay. Sonos Port is not needed.

Any money collected by the maker of the CDP towards a claimed better DAC is a rip off.

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