Transporter Replacement?

Sonos has never indicated they would do anything like the Transporter, and have specifically stated they see Hi-Res audio having no benefit due to the math and physics just not adding up. Couple that with the fact the Transporter was discontinued by Logitech due to low sales, I don't see that small audiophile market being Sonos' target.

The Transporter wasn't discontinued due to low sales per se, the entire Squeezebox product line was discontinued. I would hardly consider the Transporter as an Audiophile bit of kit but certain far superior to bog box consumer grade products. Regardless, I'm looking for something that fits a void in the Sonos product line. While I have enjoyed the various players for whole-home audio and internet streaming, I don't want to have two separate mechanisms for my home audio system (2-channel) to stream my digital FLAC files. There is a large market for this.

The Transporter was discontinued (Aug. 2010) long before the Squeezebox line was ended (Aug. 2012) and it was most certainly due to poor sales.

As to the rest, Sonos streams FLAC files just fine. It just doesn't do 24/96 and 24/192 files, because Hi-Res audio is based on pseudoscience snake oil:

https://people.xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/neil-young.html

And no, there is not a "very large market" for this. Neil Young thought there was, and he lost his shirt on Pono, even with the built-in digital effect that degraded the CD resolution version in order to make the Hi-res version sound better.

Thanks for your opinion. We all have them. I still would like something that will integrate with my 2ch system. I'm aware of plenty of folks who are interested in the same even though you are not.

"Plenty of folk" is not a good enough metric for any company as large as Sonos to rely on for development bets. With public stated development priorities being voice control, streaming services and fitting into home automation integration, this suggests you are better off looking elsewhere.

If you want to hear a Sonos response to say anything more than the templated one of "we are passing on your suggestion", don't hold your breath.

sean33 wrote:

Thanks for your opinion. We all have them. I still would like something that will integrate with my 2ch system. I'm aware of plenty of folks who are interested in the same even though you are not.

I'm afraid the physics of audio waves, the biological limits of human hearing, and the mathematics of the Nyquist-Shannon Sampling Theorem are not merely opinion, they are irrefutable facts.

Get over yourself. I guess compressed streaming audio is no different to hi-rez reference files.. There seems to be a very large industry built around high quality audio that just don't get it. I'm not in that world per se, but I do hear the difference from a MP3 to CD and 24/192k recordings. I can also hear the difference listen on my Sonos Play 5 vs. my Transporter played through a high quality amp/speakers. They all have their place. I like the transport convenience of the Sonos but I'm will to pay a bit more for a component that complements my main system. The Transporter was $1200 so not outside the realm of where Sonos plays. Anyway, there is little value debating this topic with one person who isn't interested beyond repeating their disagreement. Thanks for playing.

If you actually hear a difference between CD and a 24/96 recording from the same master in a carefully constructed double blind test, you are a singularly unique individual, for it has never been done before. Congratulations on your golden ears. :8

I will hear/feal the difference between the records especially when played through a Play 5 vs. my main system. This really shouldn't be hard to understand. Can I hear the difference between the Red Book and 24/192 on my main system (all other things being equal) - depends on the track. But my OP was regarding using the Sonos system within my main system and to do that I'm looking for a component that more seamless integrates similar to the Transport. Again, the price point of the Transport is not outside the realm of where Sonos charges for their products, if it was $5k I would understand that it would be a niche product. Sonos has addressed much of what Squeezebox didn't in terms of usability which I'm of the opinion that usability and complexity of the Squeezebox host software ultimately killed that product line - not the price point nor your opinion that there isn't a market for such a component. There are dozens of vendors selling into that market today but they lack the finesse of the Sonos usability.

We can stop discussing the merits of 24/192 over redbook since that was never part of my original post. That said, using more capable D/As (etc) wouldn't be bad nor price prohibitive.

So back to my original ask - create a "Connect" like component to fit it with my system providing analog and digital out with a display (i.e. Track Playing, ability to scroll a local library of tracks). The Squeezebox had various displays you could choose while playing including an old-school V/U meter which was cool to see.

On the ability to hear the difference of recording resolutions, I'm not a scientist but here is one scientific research paper that indicates that High Rez records have a measured impact on perception and enjoyment.

https://www.analogplanet.com/images/0115HIREZ.pdf

Debunked 10 times over.

Any again your comments have nothing to do with my original post. I'm glad you enjoy your music how every you listen to it.