anybody replaced their Connect with a Port?

@brotherharry In terms of the two Arcam inputs I meant that if you felt the case swung in favour of the Connect when it was plugged into input A and the Port into B, you could put the Port into A and the Connect into B and run the test again. See if you felt the same way. 

The only true test is to capture the digital outputs of the Port and the Connect. Compare them -- literally a file diff -- and also compare with the WAV equivalent of the original file. Recording an analog waveform is rather meaningless. 

@Finbow The idea that the Port’s digital output could be collapsing the soundstage strains comprehension. Are you suggesting some kind of analog crosstalk, between two entirely separate sets of digital data? As I type I have a set of Sennheiser HD650s clamped round my noggin, fed by a small Schiit stack hung off a Port’s digital out. Lack of separation? Er, no way. 

Or was your complaint about the analog output? 

Hi @ratty No, mine is plugged in via the coax into an Arcam Rdac. I didn’t say there was a lack separation. I said the separation wasn’t as pronounced or as good as that of the Connect. As I said earlier I’ve gotten used to the sound of the Port now. I did experiment with a new Dac last week. It was a Beresford Caiman Seg. That really opened the sound of the port up. However the Bass was a little too tame for me. So I went back to the Rdac. Do you still have your connect units @ratty?

Don’t you think that points to your DAC(s) as being the source of the ‘problem’, such as it is?

Again, that sounds like the DAC.

I had ZP80s, from 2007-08, and they’ve all gone now. 

I agree that it does sound like the Dac is the problem, however, the Rdac  was perfectly acceptable with the connect.

I thought I would try the new Dac to see what effect (if any) it would have. The Beresford is well known for its amazing soundstage & separation so no surprise that it is exactly what it delivered. 

Not implying that the lack of Bass was anything to do with the Port. I am fully aware that this was down to the Beresford. 

I have no idea what is going on here. I’m having to upgrade perfectly good hardware (my dac) to  account for the drag factor of the port. To get me to a level of sound that I enjoyed with the connect. 
 

I worked out that (including the port) if I kept the Beresford it was going to cost me £530 just to upgrade my hi fi for the privilege of running S2 & the level of SQ would still be below what I had enjoyed. 

The sickener here is that is to all intents & purposes this is  a forced upgrade’ but an ‘upgrade’ it is not!

If you were still in possession of your connects I was going to suggest plugging them back in to have a listen. I think you’d be surprised at the difference. I really do.

luckily I have now passed on my connect also. My ears are now getting more used to the sound of the port as the memory of connect fades.

This however is not how ‘upgrades’ are supposed to be. I should be getting more but unfortunately I’m getting less. I’m also £270 poorer for the privilege as opposed to the aforementioned £530. 

Update: I’m swinging back to neutral/minimal difference between the Port and Connect (at least over digital connection).

Arcam confirmed there’s no practical difference in hardware of software between the two inputs I was using. I tried repeating my test protocol, swapping the input channels I was using to rule out minor differences. That second phase of testing was much less convincing. I swapped back and went a third round and found myself much less able to discern material differences. 

Whilst I think that there must be generational differences between the units that may affect timing, clock or jitter, I’m less convinced after a week’s worth of listening that it’s practically discernible. I also twigged that there’s one more variable, the Connect is plugged into a mains conditioner/anti-surge power strip whereas for test setup, I’d just plugged the Port into a spare wall socket. I’m not opening up that can of worms, but it's another factor.

I think on balance, if there is a difference I can’t hear it and the future proofing of Port offsets that.

I am convinced that the last update made a difference to the sound quality. Wether that was intentional or wether It just rebooted the device it certainly seemed to have an effect. 
As I said in one of my earlier posts. I am happy with the Port myself also. Although I feel that the £280 I paid is a much fairer price than the simply ridiculous £399! 
looking forward to the S2 updated now. 

I would just say that when I got my Port, the sound was not overwhelmingly good, it did not play neutrally, but with one, let's call it “studio monitor” sound.
After many reboots of the Port, it was as if it suddenly loaded a completely different and very good and natural sounding sound signature.
Therefore I am now very happy with the sound in my Port, but I have the feeling that the DSP processor that sits inside the Port can be sound-adjusted.
And I think that, when I received the Port it was playing with the DSP processors default settings.

But the many reboots then suddenly loaded the correct natural audio signature into the Port.
 

I would just point out that what I experienced was via the analog output.

And that it's been months since I experienced this and that my Port has been playing fine ever since.

Yet another review echoing my findings with the port. Using coax output a/b’d with the Connect. Over at Tech Hive....

https://www.techhive.com/article/3546333/sonos-port-review.html

This really is the end of this saga! Updated just in case anyone else finds themselves in the same position. Returned the Port to Sonos today. Picked up a reduced new Gen 2 Connect from Richer Sounds instead. £200 less & a much more spacious & natural sound than the Port. The Port is ok for casual listening but if you want to get lost in the music the Connect is just so much better! I was hoping that the S2 update would somehow ‘open up’ the Port but alas it was not to be! Maybe Sonos will address the issue in an update or maybe not. 

How are they supposed to “update” something that is already bit-perfect to the source?