Line in latency? (Play:5, Connect, Connect:Amp)

Yes, and yes (approximately 70 ms in uncompressed mode). It is required to buffer the stream in order to send it to multiple rooms.

Line in doesn’t sound very good either.

Line in doesn’t sound very good either.Maybe the source you are playing through your line in with your settings, but that is far too big a generalisation.

Line in doesn’t sound very good either.

Not in my experience. It's as good as the source.

Indeed, with compression turned off, the line-in uses a lossless codec to encode the line-in.

Line in doesn’t sound very good either.

Not in my experience. It's as good as the source.

Line in has to convert from digital to analog to digital. I can easily hear the difference.

Indeed, with compression turned off, the line-in uses a lossless codec to encode the line-in.

Using a lossless codec has nothing to do with it having to convert from digital to analog. The laws of physics still apply.

Indeed, with compression turned off, the line-in uses a lossless codec to encode the line-in.

The lossless codec has nothing to do with it having to convert fro analog to digital. The laws of physics still apply.

And the laws of physics also say that the encoding loses no audible information.

Using a lossless codec has nothing to do with it having to convert from digital to analog. The laws of physics still apply.

Ahhhh, I see there is yet another person who believes in things that are just not true. But very funny you should mention the laws of physics. Here, have a read:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyquist%E2%80%93Shannon_sampling_theorem

Particularly the bolded in this (parenthesis added by me):

Strictly speaking, the theorem only applies to a class of mathematical functions having a Fourier transform that is zero outside of a finite region of frequencies. Intuitively we expect that when one reduces a continuous function (i.e analog audio) to a discrete sequence (i.e. digital audio) and interpolates back to a continuous function (again, analog audio), the fidelity of the result depends on the density (or sample rate) of the original samples. The sampling theorem introduces the concept of a sample rate that is sufficient for perfect fidelity for the class of functions that are bandlimited to a given bandwidth, such that no actual information is lost in the sampling process. It expresses the sufficient sample rate in terms of the bandwidth for the class of functions. The theorem also leads to a formula for perfectly reconstructing the original continuous-time function from the samples.

I assure you the sample rate utilized by the Sonos line-in is sufficient for capturing the entire signal (twice the audible frequency range and then some, aka 44 kHz). It is called "lossless" because there truly is no loss when sampling at a sufficient rate. How's that for the "laws of physics" (well, physics and math)?

tl;dr - What pwt just said. 😉

Line in doesn’t sound very good either.

Not in my experience. It's as good as the source.

Line in has to convert from digital to analog to digital. I can easily hear the difference.No, you can hear what you have convinced yourself you must hear, on the basis of completely bogus science.

darwin
"Line in has to convert from digital to analog to digital."
isnt line in analog?

darwin
"Line in has to convert from digital to analog to digital."
isnt line in analog?It is. The input is converted from analog to digital, but of course back to analog to be heard as music using each speaker's DAC.

so analog to digital to analog bouncy air...
just questioning darwins physics...

I don't think this darwin is much of a scientist

You mentioned having a Playbar on another thread I think. That may give you a 'line-in' option. What do you want to play through it?

buggered if i can find what i would call a line in on the playbar. i.e. a LR phono pair or 3.5mm minijack
i'm a minijack party kind of guy....
but i have found the optical in
so i got a 4x2 HDMI matrix for my very stupid but very high quality LCD 48" which has an optical out (to the playbar) and run DVD, computers and goodmans tuner (piece of shit really - big issue is HDMI audio out of that about 12-18db down on everything else - anyone got a recommendation for a good HD freeview)
so im sorted really - and have the wherewithall to run anything into PC
just think sonos have missed the mark by not simply putting a 3.5mm jack in - or bluetooth even

ps the matrix has the optical out - not the LCD. thats only got analog out!

I use a Humax satellite box and take the optical via a switch to my Playbar (I have my TV, Humax pvr and BT box in a switch because my stupid TV won't pass Dolby 5.1 to the optical out except it's own receiver/apps). Humax do a Freeview box and also a pvr version as well and I'm sure that's also pretty good.

Using the optical on Playbar with a switch and perhaps ADC was the 'line-in' possibility I was trying to explore. Just trying to help.

Sonos haven't missed a trick IMO. Sonos is fundamentally a wireless system and line in was only put there for users too attached to CD players to switch to digital file type media. Bluetooth has always been anathema for Sonos.

"Sonos haven't missed a trick IMO."
yep
another irritatingly common example of tech company management dogma over the wishes of their clients - especially the pro market
most notable apple
and the complete inability of PC world to come up with anything as cool as the macbook pro 17" - which of course apple have discontinued to be replaced with 15" and now the GFX card useless also..
thanks stuart w for humix recomendation

"Sonos haven't missed a trick IMO."
yep
another irritatingly common example of tech company management dogma over the wishes of their clients - especially the pro market
most notable apple
and the complete inability of PC world to come up with anything as cool as the macbook pro 17" - which of course apple have discontinued to be replaced with 15" and now the GFX card useless also..
Well it's good to know that there is someone out there who not only understands Sonos' market better than Sonos, but also Apple's market better than Apple.

LOL
i've only been "in the biz" for over 30 years - seen a lot of changes - and more than enough corporate idiocy to leave me with no hope for the future