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CaliCoast07
Contributor I
June 21, 2018

Thinking about getting into Sonos and have a couple of questions.

Alright a little background. I am a college student living in a apartment with only a small space where I am able to set up an audio system. My goal is to connect my pro-ject essential III phono turntable to some sort of speaker system. I also stream music through Apple Music and one a variety of apple devices so I would like airplay 2.

As of right now my two options are: 1) a pair of Sonos play 5s using a phono to aux to connect to the input of one of the play 5s. 2) The other option is a “traditional” system comprised of an amp and a pair of bookshelf speakers. The pair that I am looking at right now is the Definitive Technology demand 9 bookshelf speaker.

I guess my question is really how good does the play 5 sound compared to traditional audio setups. I understand that some people find it counterintuitive to plug an analog turntable into a digital streaming speaker but I just don’t think I have the room right now for a turntable, amp/receiver and speakers.

TLDR: I want to plug a turntable into a Sonos play 5 (pair). Is this a bad idea/would this compromise the audio quality compared to a “traditional” set up.
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    22 replies

    jgatie
    jgatie
    June 21, 2018
    The Play:5 is excellent sounding. The line-in encoding in uncompressed mode is completely lossless, no different than FLAC or ALAC. You won't be able to tell the difference from straight analog. Also, the Play:5 is the only option if you wish to have direct play for Airplay 2. Airplay 2 is not compatible with the Connect:Amp, instead you must group it with an Airplay 2 compatible speaker (Play:5, Sonos One, Playbase, or Beam) to play same source.
    CaliCoast07Author
    Contributor I
    June 21, 2018
    Thanks for the information. I went to Best Buy and they kept telling me that the play 5 speaker is a meh speaker overall vs some bookshelf speakers but I found that hard to believe.
    jgatie
    jgatie
    June 21, 2018
    Never trust what Best Buy says, they have no clue and only push what they are told to push. The speakers were probably a high margin item.
    CaliCoast07Author
    Contributor I
    June 21, 2018
    Yeah I also made the mistake of going to a Magnolia Best Buy so they were really pushing their in home services and “audiophile” speakers.
    airforceteacher
    airforceteacher
    Headliner I
    June 21, 2018
    I’m gonna be contrarian here. I have a Play:5, and I’m not in the least bit impressed. My Kanto YU5s are significantly better sounding for much less. You should absolutely not judge by what people say, here or at Best Buy. Listen to a pair of Play:5s,and listen to an equivalent cost pair of bookshelves and amplifier. Make sure you buy things with a return period, then decide.
    John B
    June 21, 2018
    I disagree completely with @airforceteacher's view of the gen 2 P:5, especially as a pair. But he is absolutely correct that you must judge for yourself. Only your opinion counts for your listening.
      airforceteacher
      airforceteacher
      Headliner I
      June 21, 2018
      So many people brag on the 5 here and rave about a stereo pair I wonder if mine is broken, or if there’s some magic crossing of the audio Rubicon when you add a second, but I’m not willing to spend $500 to find out. I’d rather pair a Connect with a good amp and bookshelves, which will admittedly be more expensive.
      CaliCoast07Author
      Contributor I
      June 21, 2018
      @airforceteacher Yeah I understand that there are better speakers out there. I guess I should have said that I have a neighbor who is moving overseas and said he would let me buy his pair of almost new (4 months old) play 5 second gens for around 550.

      Would there be any comparable bookshelf speakers in that price range that would compare to a stereo pair of play 5s?
      airforceteacher
      airforceteacher
      Headliner I
      June 21, 2018
      Not with an amp, and none I’m aware of with the streaming options Sonos provides. Grab em!
      airforceteacher
      airforceteacher
      Headliner I
      June 21, 2018
      I hope I’m not coming across as anti Sonos - I have 5 zones in my house, and have converted my gf and my son in law into owners. Just don’t love the Play:5 as much as everyone else does. I love the Sonos ecosystem, and wish I had more rooms so I had an excuse to add more zones.
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