Trending Lyricist III

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Sonos Connect. Still worth buying???

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
March 25, 2018
64 replies
15702 views

I’ve just bought a pair of One’s & am enjoying them as my dining room set up in stereo. I find the sound acceptable for casual listening.
I’ve got a classic Nad 3020 amp & monitor audio Rs1’s in the living room. I love the sound of this set up. Is hooking up a connect to these a better option than say buying a Play 5? Sound quality is very important to me but I’m not running audiophile quality equipment. How does the connect sound? Any input appreciated.

Sonos Connect

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Best answer by jjayf

There is no comparison to my Connect/Yamaha Adventage system with digital enhancer. It sounds amazing. I use the optical connection and allow the receiver to convert and enhance which makes a difference I believe. I’m so happy with my system it’s ridiculous.

Yamaha Adventage 9.2.2 and connect in the main room with outside front zone 2. Yamaha RXV 7.2.2 and connect in the garage with outside rear zone 2. Sonos one in the kitchen, Sonos play:1 in bathroom, Sonos play:1 in the hallway.

Both receivers are network enabled and the garage is also Bluetooth. The flexibility of this system is incredible. I have streaming capabilities throughout the entire house and both front and back yards, and I can play media from any source to one or all locations simultaneously.

Even though my receivers are independently network enabled, I use Sonos primarily as the main source because it bundles everything together nicely.

Mark Foubister_1

Contributor I

I have my Connect hooked up to my marantz pm6003 and diamond 10.1s, so not exactly audiophile levels but I adore the sound that comes from it, I have a first gen Play 5 and it doesn't come close to the quality of the hifi and Connect in my opinion. The newer Play 5 is supposed sound a lot better, but I can't see it beating your system plus a Connect.

pwt

Virtuoso

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.

4 x P:5 | Sub | 4 x P:1 | 3 x Connect | 2 x Boost | Connect:Amp | 2 x One | Amp | Move | Port | Era 300

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FinbowAuthor

Trending Lyricist III

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.

pwt

Virtuoso

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.

4 x P:5 | Sub | 4 x P:1 | 3 x Connect | 2 x Boost | Connect:Amp | 2 x One | Amp | Move | Port | Era 300

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FinbowAuthor

Trending Lyricist III

Thanks pwt. The ‘audiophiles’ are the ones putting me off!! Loads of people destroying the connect on forums etc. But also lots of people very happy. I can see from your set up that you probably have a similar ear to myself so your input is especially appreciated.

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FinbowAuthor

Trending Lyricist III

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

pwt

Virtuoso

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

Yes. I'd keep the NAD in service, provided it goes loud enough for you. The only thing you lose with the CONNECT over the CONNECT:AMP is that you'll still have to manually switch the amp on and off.

4 x P:5 | Sub | 4 x P:1 | 3 x Connect | 2 x Boost | Connect:Amp | 2 x One | Amp | Move | Port | Era 300

airforceteacher

Headliner I

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.

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FinbowAuthor

Trending Lyricist III

In in the Uk. So no best buy’s here I’m afraid.

Stanley_4

Grand Maestro

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.

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