anybody replaced their Connect with a Port?

Absolutely no doubt about it. The connect sounds significantly better than the Port via Digital out. Instrument separation is nowhere near as defined the soundstage is much narrower & overall sound seems less dynamic as a result. Had both set to fixed volume & difference is obvious. The sound is definitely more compressed somehow coming from the Port. Is it possible it’s being ‘throttled’ somehow? Will they ‘open it up’ with S2 in June? Or is it possibly just cheaper parts? The external build quality seems lacking compared to Connect. 

Confirmation bias?  It's a known and proven effect in audio listening, and observations like your last sentence certainly can trigger it.  You can't be truly sure unless you can do a level matched blind test.

Totally appreciate what you are saying & it could be I guess but the difference is really marked to my ears. Tried the analogue outs & the Port definitely wins that battle. I’ve even tried variable out & setting the volume on the connect slightly lower. It’s space & separation that’s the difference. It’s like I’m listening to a more compressed version of the track. There are times that I forget I’m doing the test & just got lost in the music. Every time that happens without fail I’m listening to the connect, it’s just more ‘open’. Going to use the port for a few more weeks & not listen to the connect. I may just get used to the sound of it? Might just be that I’m so used to the connect sound that the Port sounds ‘alien’. Who knows?! 

Just to close off this thread. Couldn’t get on with the sound from the Port at all in the end. Picked up a 2018 version of the Connect on eBay. Much better sound (to my ears) & considerably cheaper to boot! 
Thanks to all for you input on this. 

Well, bare with me! Think I’m going to have to start a new thread called ‘ Sonos Port an apology!’.

Had to send back the Connect I bought from eBay as it was faulty. Hadn’t sent back the Port yet so dug it out for one last try. It updated when I plugged it in & now it sounds wonderful! Don’t know if, it was confirmation bias all along or whether simply rebooting the device triggered something but I am now 100% happy with the Port! 

What Hifi are talking out of their backsides!!

Cheers for all of your help,

Good to hear. Perhaps you found yourself listening to the music and forgot about the kit. 

Really interesting thread @Finbow and @ratty.

I ordered a couple of Ports to replace my two Connect units and I’ve just spent a couple of days A/B testing Connect vs Port. I was really interested to hear them side by side. 

I use the Connect units to stream my ripped-from-CD FLAC collection off a PC to a couple of hifi system setups: one in my office (Marantz NR1504 feeding B&W 685 S2s on stands) and my main listening system in lounge. (Arcam AVR450 feeding bi-wired Mordaunt Short Mezzo 6 floor standers).

I saw the WhatHifi review after I’d placed the order but wanted to try and keep an open mind so went pretty hardcore on my test process.

• I wired both Connect and Port using the coax digital out into two separate but equivalent inputs on the Arcam.
• Both inputs were configured in amp to precisely the same neutral settings, no processing or dynamic stuff  applied.
• Fixed level output on both Sonos units. No EQ applied anywhere.
• Source files were all CDs ripped to FLAC.
• I grouped the Port vs Connect ‘rooms’ into one and ran the Sonos playlist.
• Listened both live through speakers, but also repeated up using a semi-decent pair of over-the-ear headphones plugged straight into amp.
• I’d identify sections of tracks with interesting stuff going on in them and then switch sources on the amp to change between Port vs Connect, listening in parallel with fast switching and then repeating longer sections in serial.
• I took breaks between listening sessions to avoid ear fatigue.
• Where I had impression of one source being 'better', I also tried taking the volume down 1db or 2db on that source to compensate for possible simple volume mis-perception. 

Test notes

My audition tracks are long standing, really familiar pieces that I’ve used over the years to test systems out. They’re well engineered (in some cases Grammy winning), good tests of articulation, control, presence, bass handling and musicality.

1. Muse - Reapers
   Section 2:38 to 3:38. The solo is noisy with a lot of powerful stuff going on. Port sounded woolier, less articulate and in control.
2. Bomb the Bass - Switching Channels
   This is a busy, bass heavy, rhythmical track with a lot of complex production.
   Section 0:21 to about 0:30, the ratchet sound in left ear. Connect sounds brighter, more presence than Port. 
   Section 3:50 to end, listen to articulation of the guitar lead, much cleaner and resolved on Connect.
3. Tears for Fears - Woman in Chains
   Section 1:47 - 2:20, listen to the pizzicato synth sounds in centre right background. Complex, musical, light needs articulation
4. Tears for Fears - Badman's Song
   Section 5:03 - 6:23. Steel guitar twang at 5:05. Bass guitar melody from 5:20 onwards has body and articulation. Bass licks at 6:23 and 6:35. Separation, articulation, control.
5. Brian Culbertson - Get it On (Live from the Inside)
   Organ break Section 3.07 - 3:45 listen for articulation of brass centre left and the organ not sounding woolly it’s tough as it’s so rounded. Trombone break 3:45 - 4:14. Listen for the articulation of the second guitar in left ear (yes there is one, not the rhythm on right)
6. Open Up - Leftfield
   Section 0:36 - 1:06, bass line articulation, the rhythm train track chugga is tight (there's a little click on the last 16th beat before the 1 and 3 count that’s clearer on Connect). The reversed gong sample just before the vocal should be clear too.
7. Are We Really Through - Ray LaMontagne
   Intro, should feel like the guitar is in the room. Alive. Presence. Steel guitar 2:52 to 3:32 should be resonate richly but cleanly.
8. Shape of my Heart - Sting
   2:19 harmonica solo, listening for the main melody on acoustic guitar underneath, should have enough separation to pick out. Port found this harder and easier to lose it. 

My Conclusion

If you’d never heard a Connect, you’d probably be happy with Port. But, for me, the Connect’s ability was demonstrably superior.

There were consistent, subtle and to me important quality differences. The thing that kept coming up for me was a sense of articulation and control. The Connect consistently managed to lift out instrumentation and present the music with more control and separation, particularly with complex pieces. I could pick out more background instrumentation, identify more in the tracks at varying points of the mix. In lighter, sparser tracks it was articulation, space and presence (musicality?) where the Connect always seemed a step above the Port.

A case of older and wiser, newer is not always better it seems.

Now there is the argument that I should accept a small reduction in quality for as yet unspecified S2 future capabilities of Port. I’m not sure I can though, knowing I’m missing out on the final 10% that counts for everything in HiFi and loving music.

It was a disappointing result really and I’m intending to send the Ports back. 

As everything is software these days, maybe there’ll be a second gen Port with improvements. Think I’ll have to hold back my upgrade until then as if it aint broke... 

Footnote

Great music on great HiFi should be cherished. Giving myself the excuse to just sit and really listen was a fabulous exercise. I reconnected with and fell in love all over again with some wonderful tracks. I’d thoroughly recommend a dedicated listening session to anyone looking to fill a few hours these days. Nile Rodgers is right, it might be a trap, but getting lost in music is a wonderful thing and the whole point of investing in HiFi.

What I don’t see in your comprehensive description is any mention of blind testing, ideally double blind. The brain moves in mysterious ways, and expectation bias is a very powerful force.

Also, have you confirmed that the Arcam’s two inputs are treated identically internally? Or simply tried swapping the Port and Connect over between the inputs? Is there a separate DAC chip on each input, or a single central one? 

I’ve been assured by Sonos that in Fixed Volume the output of the file decoder is simply shipped out, bit for bit, without any modification whatsoever. Clearly with lossless compression this should exactly match the original 16-bit PCM samples.

I’ve confirmed that in Fixed Volume the lowest byte on the 24-bit S/PDIF is unused, which does rather suggest that there’s been no ‘tampering’ on the journey through the pipeline. Any variation in level would cause the lowest byte to be populated.

What I’ve not been able to do is capture the output and make a full bit-wise comparison with the original file (after decode to WAV/PCM obviously). Maybe a user with the appropriate equipment will volunteer.

Hey ratty.

I’m isolating at the moment so no helpers to do blind testing unfortunately. I was trying to get around that by splitting my listening sessions up and being repetitive with sections. Also varying speaker and headphone outputs. 

Good point on the Arcam inputs, I was using the (as labelled) Blu-ray and Personal Video Recorder inputs. Will ask them if there are any hardware/software differences between the two. Physically hot-swapping the patch cables in the same input coax channel would be ‘purer’ approach. I didn’t do it this time round for the ease of source switching via the remote as opposed to crawling around constantly behind the rack.

Agree it doesn’t make sense that a pure bitstream should ‘sound’ different between two devices if all Connect/Port does it pass through to the DAC on the Arcam in either case. I’m convinced I did hear qualitative differences however. 

Maybe the only true test would be as you say capturing the analogue output to speakers and comparing those waveforms? Maybe run a cable from headphone out to computer input and record to something like Audacity to compare waveforms?

Something hinky going on either way. 

Hey Brother Harry,

I think you are absolutely right in your findings. I found the output of the connect to have a much better soundstage & also greater separation between instruments. Another track where I realised the Port was losing its way is ‘B boys making with the freak freak’ from ill communication by the Beastie Boys. The way the Port presents this is absolutely laughable. It’s literally a mess by the time it gets halfway through the first verse. It’s barely recognisable as the same track. The bass line just gets completely eaten up. 
 

To be honest after living with the Port for a few weeks now I’ve gotten used to it. The thought of having to run my set up with two separate apps was the clincher for me. Totally destroys the whole convenience of a Sonos set up.

I also think a lot of people who own these products either have them running in ceiling speakers or just don’t sit down & listen to music that often. So things like soundstage & separation just don’t get picked up. 

The new product should be better but it most certainly isn’t. 
 

I’m hoping that S2 will somehow have an effect & improve the sound somehow.