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Can i connect a cd player directly to sonos port without having an amplifier ???

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34 replies

K

I’ve spent hundreds of hours with Sonos representatives and the GeekSquad trying to connect a CD player--any CD player--to my 6-month-old Sonos Port so I can play CDs through my two Play Five speakers, which I also use with the app to stream music. I thought this would be a common thing and there would be simple solutions out there, but it’s not.

This IS a common thing - with reservations I will go into later - and if you have play 5 speakers you do not even need a Port. Any bog standard CD player if it can be found seeing that they are obsolete now, will have an output jack/s that have to be wired to the line in jack on one of the speakers, using the stereo wire with the right jacks at both ends.

The reservation: CD players are obsolete because of how CD content is these days is kept on a hard disc that can be wired to a router and this content can then be wirelessly played via just Sonos speakers. A more common use now for the line in jack on the 5 speaker is for wiring a turntable to it.

106rallye
Userlevel 7
Badge +17

@jsp290 I'm using a Connect, the predecessor to the Port, with a Marantz CD 5400 (http://www.audioreview.com/product/digital-sources/cd-players/marantz/cd5400.html) myself. This is a very common and, despite your experience, simple way to use the Port 9or in my case a Connect). You connect the CD-player's RCA line out (shown in the message above by @Stanley_4 ) to the RCA line in on the Port, and group the Port in the Sonos app with the Sonos speakers you want. You can even set a preferred speaker the Port can play to in the settings for the Port in the Sonos app. I can confirm this works perfectly: I turn on the Marantz, put in a CD, start ist up and the sound comes from my Sonos Beam (my preferred speaker for the Connect)..

My CD-player, like all CD-players from wellknown manufacturers, has a line level output to the Port. Only turntables do not as standard give a line level output so can need a preamp to get a line level output to the Port.

Based on your description you might be confusing “amp” and “preamp” here. The Denon you are referring to is not only a CD-player, but also has an Amp, so it is able to drive passive speakers. It however does not have an RCA output to feed a Sonos Port.

So you just need a CD-player to connect to the Port, not an amp or a preamp. 

Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

The Denon does “contain” a pre-amp but it is not accessible by the user or compatible with external devices like Sonos. 

Who at Crutchfield told you the Denon DM-41  was a pre-amp? I’d like to contact them to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Best Buy is beyond hopeless, verging on criminal in my experience.

 

Any CD / DVD player with RCA Audio Out jacks as I pictured above should work fine if you use the RCA Audio out jacks. If you try to use the Video Out RCA jacks or other connections it may or may not work.

The Port analog input has no clue what you are hooking it to (nor does the Five) it just sees an analog audio signal coming in from your connection cables and plays that.

 

Hook the CD player jacks similar to the first picture to the Port jacks in the second picture.

 

J

Thank you so much for your incredibly quick and clear reply! Unfortunately, these are all too deep. I remain confused, since BestBuy and Crutchfield said the Denon was a preamp.

I do have the right audio cables: that’s what I used to try to connect the portable CD player, which unfortunately stops after 30 seconds. Most DVD / CD players ARE less than 11” deep, so we tried one, with audio-video cables (not sure what they’re called). But the GeekSquad guy said problem was that Port couldn’t handle having to recognize that we were playing CDs. 

If you have any thoughts about what words I could use to search for the correct kind of CD player (i.e. like the ones you found but I could look for shallower ones), or how I could use one of the many basic DVD/CD players, I’d be grateful for your further help! (With appreciation!)

Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

Most home CD players come with pre-amp level outputs, any of them will connect to your Port with a simple stereo RCA cable.

If you want to connect the pre-amp out of a CD player to a Five or Play 5 you need an stereo RCA to 3.5 mm male cable.

 

 I’ve concluded that there are only two kinds of preamp CD players without integrated speakers: $30 portable CD players (which do work for 30 seconds, but stop every 30 seconds); high end CD players such as the Denon DM-41 

 

The Denon you mentioned is an AMPLIFIER player - it will not connect to your Port of Fives.

Any on this list should connect to your Fives. I didn’t look at sizes.

https://www.crutchfield.com/g_53100/CD-Players.html?fa=1&o=p#&nvpair=AG_Outputs|YCAnalog_RCA_Output

 

Onkyo there, this is the connection you need.

 

 

J

I’ve spent hundreds of hours with Sonos representatives and the GeekSquad trying to connect a CD player--any CD player--to my 6-month-old Sonos Port so I can play CDs through my two Play Five speakers, which I also use with the app to stream music. I thought this would be a common thing and there would be simple solutions out there, but it’s not. I’ve read this thread and was surprised to see the following: “If you’re considering buying a Port solely to connect a CD player it’s a bit of a waste. A Five would be better value, as you’d also be getting an excellent speaker for your money.” Everyone has said I need a Port, including the Sonos representative to whom I spoke today. She also said I need a preamp CD player. I’ve concluded that there are only two kinds of preamp CD players without integrated speakers: $30 portable CD players (which do work for 30 seconds, but stop every 30 seconds); high end CD players such as the Denon DM-41 for $500., which is unnecessarily expensive and too deep for my cabinet (I need one less than 11” deep).

     1) Do I in fact need to use my Port to connect to a CD player? (My two speakers are near the ceiling on opposite sides of the room.)

     2) If I need the Port, how can I find a preamp CD player that will work, is less than 11” deep, and is (ideally) $200 or less?

Grateful for any help (not too techy please: I’m not a tech person! :) )

ratty

Also if at a later date i wanted to also have a separate non Sonos speaker set would the port be a more viable solution 

That would swing the argument in favour of a Port. It could stream audio to the third party kit. 

BTW a Line-In facility is independent of whatever else the player is doing. So for example the CD player could be playing through the Port’s Line-In to the Beam, while the Port is playing something completely different to the third party speakers.

T

Thanks for your help much appreciated 

I already have a beam and 2 x play ones in the same room and would like a cd player in the same room 

Would a port then be a better solution 

Also if at a later date i wanted to also have a separate non Sonos speaker set would the port be a more viable solution 

ratty

No amplifier is required. The Port (and the Connect before it) accepts a line-level signal, which is what a CD player puts out. The same is true for any other Sonos device which offers a Line-In, such as Amp and Five.

If you’re considering buying a Port solely to connect a CD player it’s a bit of a waste. A Five would be better value, as you’d also be getting an excellent speaker for your money.

Just to be clear, a Connect is not the same as a Port. And older model (gen 1) Connects are unable to run the current S2 firmware. 

 

On the turntable question, it would go into Sonos the same way as the CD player. You’d need an input selector switch. Also, if the turntable doesn’t have a phono preamp built-in, you’d need a separate preamp.

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