Disclaimer: This piece will mention and/or link to equipment sellers and/or manufacturers outside of Sonos. I am not an agent for those entities, nor do I own stock. Mention of them was necessary to provide a comprehensive piece.
If you are serious about listening to your vinyl collection here are tips on how to achieve the best reproduction possible with Sonos (IMO). You may be surprised to learn that Sonos only plays a minor role in this post with two maybe three components:
- Pro-Ject Carbon Debut Turntable Sonos Edition
- Sonos Amp
- Sonos Sub
Let’s start with the Pro-Ject Carbon Debut Turntable Sonos Edition. This is the 3rd possible component from Sonos which offers a great starting point for a turntable. You may own (or are considering buying) a different turntable brand. BTW…It’s the one used in my setup. Features that make it a great choice are:
- Reasonable price @ $749
- 2M Ortofon Red Cartridge **
- Electronic Speed Control for 33 and 45/78 records (eliminates raising platter to manually adjust the belt)
- Carbon Fiber Tone Arm
- Removable/Replaceable Dust Cover (I replaced mine due to a stupid/avoidable accident)🙃
- Acryl iT Platter_No need for any type of mat including the one provided by Sonos ($150 Value See it here)
- Built-in Pre-Amp **
- Pro-Ject Entry Level Phono Cables **
** Recommended Upgrades/Purchases
- Ortofon 2M Blue Styli @ $159 (Click here to learn why/Play Video)
- Pro-Ject Debut Alu Sub Platter @ $179 (Click here to learn why)
- Cambridge Duo Pre-Amp @ $349 or Pre-Amp of your choice (Click here to learn why use an outboard pre-amp/play video)
- Project Ground iT E Isolation Turntable Isolation Platform @ $199 (Click here to learn why/play video)
- Pro-Ject Clamp It_Holds the record to the surface of the platter @ $99 (Click here to learn why/Play video)
- Phono Cables (More on this later)
Next on the list is the Sonos Amp. You’re probably wondering why a Sonos Amp when you can connect the turntable directly to any Sonos speaker with a line-in (Five, Era 300, Era 100, Move 2). If you recall I started this piece with words “If you are serious about listening to your vinyl collection”. If you are..you’ll want to hear every nuisance and warmth of your vinyl collection that can (IMO) only be achieved via Analog reproduction. Thus enter the Sonos Amp to power a good set of wired speakers.
In my case a chose the Definitive Technology (Def Tech) Demand Series D7 bookshelf speakers. It’s been four (4) years ago that I purchased the D7’s which sold for $500 a pair. Not overly expensive. Today they can be had for $200 as Def Tech has discontinued the series. However, I’ve used Def Tech speakers for years including full home theater setup with center, floor standing L/R speakers and surrounds. Click here for specs on the D7’s.
The Sonos Sub (Full Size) needs no explaining as it’s the best sub to use with the Sonos Amp for compatibility/continuity. Also, the Sonos Sub allowed me to set the exact crossover point (80 Hz) as recommended by Def Tech for the D7’s.
Now that I’ve explained my hardware I want to share the following statement with you….
“Sound reproduction is only as good as the weakest link will allow”.
So, since I think I’ve paired the best hardware combination what’s left but the connection points which are the Cables employed. For quality analog reproduction cables are; if not the most, significant piece of the equation. Using cheap cables can destroy an otherwise great analog turntable setup. Cables (or connectors) you should be concerned with are:
- Phono Cables_The connection between the turntable and the pre-amp
- Interconnects_The connection between the Pre-Amp to the Sonos Amp
- Speaker Cable_The connection between the Sonos Amp and speakers
Disclaimer_Pro-Ject offers its own line of premium cables for the above. Cost-wise they are in-line with the entry level cables for the provider I chose.
Yes, the above represent distinct and different properties for each connection type. I use custom cables by Morrow Audio. I’ve tried the OTC cables by Audio Quest and still found them lacking compared to my cables by Morrow Audio.
Morrow Audio offers different levels for each type of cable depending upon how much you want to spend. They even offer a TradeUp60 program that allows you to upgrade your cables overtime with 60% off the next level cable(s).
All of my cables are Level 4 which Morrow Audio considers to be the sweet spot in their line. I used the TradeUp60 program overtime to get where I want to be in terms of cable connections. You should NOT try to buy the most expensive cables. I will not be upgrading my cables any further. There is a point of diminishing returns as I don’t believe I can get any more sonic improvements out of my system.
If you are interested, you can visit the Morrow Audio site to view the entry level and upgrades for each cable/connection type mentioned.
One last suggestion...If you are buying new or replacing a record in your collection try to get a pressing in 180 gram weight. They make the best reproduction.
In conclusion, if you want the best analog reproduction of your vinyl collection then consider the path I have chosen. Try to stay as close to an analog reproduction as possible. If not…then using Sonos line-in products is still a great option. I recommend against using a Sonos Port to stream to a dedicated Sonos speaker. A direct connection for your turntable is always the best option.
Edit: In case you’re wondering...I’m a Sonos addict with 32 Sonos units 😊
