Improving vinyl listening experience with Sonos set up

  • 4 February 2021
  • 23 replies
  • 536 views
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To all Sonos experts out there! Long post alert and newbie question here --

 

I would like to know any possible tweaks or practical upgrades on how to improve my sonos experience -- 

 

I have the following set up:

 

Room 1:

- LG TV

- Sonos Arc

- Sonos Sub

- 2 Play 1 as rear surrounds

 

Room 2: (Room acoustics is not ideal)

- Turntable

- Sonos Amp (powers the 2 floorstanding Jamo E470 speakers)

- Play 5 (as center)

- 2 Play 1 as rear surrounds

 

My issues are:

1. I would like to improve my vinyl (2 channel) listening experience as the clarity of instruments is not there. I'm only 60% satisfied with the Sonos Amp. It is ok when I play vinyl with the surround sound on both rooms or one.

2. But when I play Hi-Res, 24 bit music on youtube coming from Room 1 - my experience is a bit better in both areas. The quality and the listening experience is not exhaustive, even if you increase the volume a little bit.

3. I just love to enjoy my vinyl just like the way I listened to hi-res music but I don't know how...

 

What I'm planning to do that I'm seek the help of all experts - as I don't know what I'm doing here :-(

 

1. Move the Sonos sub to room 2 as a tweak (2.1 channel) to improve maybe? What do you think?

2. Buy a good pair of bookshelf speakers (Klipsch R41M - 50 Watt) to replace the old Jamo speakers that I just like because of the wood that matches the turntable. Im open to recommendations to possibly match either the amp (i still have 10 days to exchange) or the port...

3. Get a "Work with Sonos" receiver exchange the Amp to Sonos Port (as i still have 10 days to return/exchange) to increase the power as I believe the Amp can be paired with the receiver, I saw it on the app when I first set up... but i need help where to properly connect it - in room 1 or room 2?

4. Or another practical option - get another Play 5 to pair as stereo with the existing center speaker than replacing the floorstanding speakers and keep the amp.

 

Please help. Thank you all!

 

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23 replies

melvimbe

To all Sonos experts out there! Long post alert and newbie question here --

 

I would like to know any possible tweaks or practical upgrades on how to improve my sonos experience -- 

 

I have the following set up:

 

Room 1:

- LG TV

- Sonos Arc

- Sonos Sub

- 2 Play 1 as rear surrounds

 

Room 2: (Room acoustics is not ideal)

- Turntable

- Sonos Amp (powers the 2 floorstanding Jamo E470 speakers)

- Play 5 (as center)

- 2 Play 1 as rear surrounds

 

 

Your room two is not a valid setup in Sonos, as there is no center channel option.  The Play 5 would have to be grouped, rather than bonded with the amp and surrounds.  I would think it would actually interfere with the audio quality, particularly with TV content.  Is Room 2 connected to a TV?

 

 

My issues are:

1. I would like to improve my vinyl (2 channel) listening experience as the clarity of instruments is not there. I'm only 60% satisfied with the Sonos Amp. It is ok when I play vinyl with the surround sound on both rooms or one.

2. But when I play Hi-Res, 24 bit music on youtube coming from Room 1 - my experience is a bit better in both areas. The quality and the listening experience is not exhaustive, even if you increase the volume a little bit.

3. I just love to enjoy my vinyl just like the way I listened to hi-res music but I don't know how...

 

What I'm planning to do that I'm seek the help of all experts - as I don't know what I'm doing here :-(

 

1. Move the Sonos sub to room 2 as a tweak (2.1 channel) to improve maybe? What do you think?

 

That could help.

 

2. Buy a good pair of bookshelf speakers (Klipsch R41M - 50 Watt) to replace the old Jamo speakers that I just like because of the wood that matches the turntable. Im open to recommendations to possibly match either the amp (i still have 10 days to exchange) or the port…

That could help.

3. Get a "Work with Sonos" receiver exchange the Amp to Sonos Port (as i still have 10 days to return/exchange) to increase the power as I believe the Amp can be paired with the receiver, I saw it on the app when I first set up... but i need help where to properly connect it - in room 1 or room 2?

I don’t think this a good idea.  I doubt the amp is the weak spot here.  Either the inclusion of the play:5 with the amp, the 3rd party speakers, or the turntable is the issue.

4. Or another practical option - get another Play 5 to pair as stereo with the existing center speaker than replacing the floorstanding speakers and keep the amp.

 

 

A pair of 5s would be a great solution if you don’t need TV audio. You won’t need the amp at all, since the turntable can connect directly to the 5s.  If you do want TV audio, then keep the amp, use the play:5 in a different room, and upgrade your 3rd party speakers.

 

Danny
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Thanks Danny for the quick reply. Follow up question - so solution #2 is option for me and keep the amp. Is the Klipsch R41M - 50 Watt good enough to improve my listening experience?

Airgetlam

Odd question, but does the turntable have a built in preamp, or are you using an external one?

Bruce
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Odd question, but does the turntable have a built in preamp, or are you using an external one?

It is with built in pre-amp. Thanks.

B
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Odd question, but does the turntable have a built in preamp, or are you using an external one?

It is with built in pre-amp. Thanks.

Not using any external amp…

Cheers.

K

As a technology, vinyl is inferior to digital. Throw in varying qualities of vinyl set ups and their propensity to degrade over time, you are not comparing apples to apples. Enjoy vinyl for many reasons but accept the lower quality as a price to be paid for that.

B
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Thanks bro.

L
Userlevel 5
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Might be worth checking the turntable stylus, cartridge, tone arm, suspension set up first if you haven’t already done so to make sure everything is OK. If you are not extracting a quality signal from the vinyl, then no amount of amp or speaker changes will solve the root cause of the poor sound.

K

If you are not extracting a quality signal from the vinyl, then no amount of amp or speaker changes will solve the root cause of the poor sound.

Or if there is groove damage caused even by just repeated playing even with a set up that is perfect. While an imperfect set up will damage the groove faster.

The thing is that vinyl needs a lot of tender loving care to perform to its full potential all the time - which full potential is eclipsed on the tech front by digital. Which is why digital was invented, as the next step. 
Of course, extending that loving care is part of the attraction of vinyl, but this is something to be aware of.

And if there are any problems in the vinyl sound via Sonos compared to digital via the same Sonos set up, there is nothing to be done on the Sonos side to improve things because the problems are all on the vinyl side. Definitely not with the Sonos Amp as claimed by OP.

Belly M
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you need to post full details of your turntable andcartridge as they are unknowns.

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you need to post full details of your turntable andcartridge as they are unknowns.

Hi Belly, Im using the AudioTechica LPW40WN with AT-VMN95E stylus. Thank you all for the support.  Makes me feel hopeful that i can still improve my listening experience - that is why we have these sonos components to try. 

Belly M
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Ok…

 

I would connect the TT directly to the Play 5 and not group the Play 5 with anything and have a listen. You may need to “find” a suitable lead. Alternatively without a lead to hand leave it connected to the Sonos Amp but play back on the 5 only without the Jamo’s or Play 1’s (not grouped)

 

Either way make sure the Sonos 5 or Amp’s line in level is set at 9 or 10 AND the switch in the back of the TT needs to be set to LINE

 

see how it sounds and let us know

B
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Follow up question - I only have a single play 5 though to connect to the TT, will it sound good? not paired as stereo?

 

Please elaborate further: “You may need to “find” a suitable lead. Alternatively without a lead to hand leave it connected to the Sonos Amp but play back on the 5 only without the Jamo’s or Play 1’s (not grouped)”

 

What do you mean: “leave it”? the single play 5? So, I will pair the play 5 with the amp without the Jamo and play 1 speakers?

 

Thanks for your time.

Belly M
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Stereo is better with two 5’s but you only have one to test.

 

just connect the TT to the Play 5, don’t have the music playing from anything else. 

B
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Stereo is better with two 5’s but you only have one to test.

 

just connect the TT to the Play 5, don’t have the music playing from anything else. 

 

But isnt it a downgrade? Thanks!

Belly M
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… test

B
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I’ve done it before not as clear and engaging

Belly M
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I’ve done it before not as clear and engaging

With the setting I posted?

B
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Yup that prompted me to add the 3rd party speakers with the amp.  As i am not happy with just the TT and one single play 5. Now, im planning to get just basic receiver (not the surround as i can hook up my 2 play 1’s in the rear to serve the purpose), then get a port.  This is my only hope now to improve my listening experience. :-(

Belly M
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As touched on by Kumar earlier in this thread...the TT is the weakest part of your system followed by the Jamo speakers. The cartridge is bottom line and whilst the turntable looks impressive on paper a cheaper TT from Rega will beat it.

 

Before spending any money, find a hifi dealer who sells the Play 5 and turntables, taking your records along for a listen. You can’t connect the Play 1’s to a receiver.

 

Records are Stereo, recorded and mixed in Stereo (or mono if old) so don’t try making them into  pseudo surround sound.

 

For free.. The thing you could try is Truplay on the five if not already done so and physically move the sub so you have just the five, sub and TT playing.


Good luck and bye

B
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Thanks again for all your support and time. I think id better add another pair of Play 5 to make it a stereo and move the sub closer.

K

So as to not get confused over correlating cause and effect, make only one change at a time to assess the outcome, thereby allowing you to locate the cause correctly.

B
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So as to not get confused over correlating cause and effect, make only one change at a time to assess the outcome, thereby allowing you to locate the cause correctly.

Noted. Thank you!

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