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Sonos Amp with B&W or KEF Speakers and Sub.

  • 15 July 2020
  • 8 replies
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H
Userlevel 2
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  • h3m
  • Avid Contributor I
  • 16 replies

Has anyone used the Sonos amp with b&w/kef speakers and sub? What’s that combination sound like? 

 

I’m looking to buy the amp and use it in combination with an existing b&w pv1 sub and potentially new speakers. Considering 607s as they are the smallest available and have had good reviews. 
 

Alternatively I do have some old kef 3005se speakers that I was looking to sell but could also try with this set up but I’m not sure about the combination.  
 

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. 

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Best answer by Kumar 29 July 2020, 03:38

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8 replies

Paul A
Userlevel 6
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Hi @h3m.

Welcome to the Sonos community and thanks for reaching out to us.

We do not have any experience working with b&w/kef speakers and sub connected to the Sonos amp. However, we can always reach out to other members of the community as there is a possibility that another member of the community may have an experience or set up as the one you have mentioned.

Let’s try reaching out to other members of the community and see what are their feedback about this.

Please do not hesitate to let us know if you still have further questions or concerns. We are always here to help.

Thanks,

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A
Userlevel 1
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I have B&W 704’s connected to the Amp and I love the sound. It really works flawlessly. I do not have it connected to a sub. Please note that how something sounds is completely subjective! You may hear things quite differently than I do. And by the way, I had the B&W’s connected to a Pioneer amp and I can’t tell the difference in sound between that Amp and the Sonos Amp. Plenty of power and clean sound.

K

 I had the B&W’s connected to a Pioneer amp and I can’t tell the difference in sound between that Amp and the Sonos Amp. 

If the Pioneer power delivery spec is in the same ballpark as that of Sonos Amp, there is no technical reason to hear any sound difference other than a defective unit, and the quoted experience is as it always is once all other variables are eliminated from the comparison.

The subjective bit you refer to is down to speakers, where they are placed in the room and room acoustics. Amps of similar power delivery are not a factor.

F
Userlevel 4
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I have B&W 705s2 driven by Sonos Amp in 4.1 with Sonos Sub and Play:1 surrounds in my living room. Actually, I thought Sonos had promoted their new Amp at the time of introduction with B&W 705s2 for their press events, so strange hearing Sonos Staff say they have no experience. 
 

Anyway, I’m more than happy with my set-up. I have used stereo Play:5 pair with sub before, but the current set-up is superior in all aspects. For music, where I use the surrounds at a very low level or disable, the sound stage is brilliant and there is a lot more detail. As home theater,  the phantom center channel works great and overall sound is excellent. Much better than the beams I have in other rooms, but no honest comparison since those don’t have surround or sub. Of course, it is bugging me a bit that I cannot experience Atmos with my living room set-up, but I don’t think an Arc would provide better 5.1 let alone music experience.

H
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

Thanks all. I’m considering the b&w 606 or 607 (which I’ve read positive read positive reviews of ) and pairing it with my old b&w pv1 sub. 
 

I’d definitely like to move to an atmos setup at some point but need to buy a new tv to make use of eARC on the Sonos arc 

K

A good idea if possible would be a listening test at home before buying, particularly to see how well the new speakers integrate with the Sub, something that is always a challenge for any set up.

It does not matter what amp you use for the test, the Sonos Amp will be a drop in replacement at any time you do buy it.

H
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

Thanks Kumar. Do you know of any stores in the UK that would allow me to trial the amp and speakers?

K

No idea, I live in India! However from all accounts any good UK HiFi/B&W dealer should be happy to let you trial the speakers at home before the final decision, this seems to be not unusual there.

Sonos has a returns policy, but I do not think it necessary to trial the amp; if a rare defective unit, warranty protection will cover it.

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