Question

need more volume in a couple of zones


can i add more power to the connect system from another source?

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11 replies

If by more power you mean more volume in more areas, yes; play units are the simplest adds.
Play units? Are you speaking of slave amps?
No, Sonos play units; these are active Wifi speakers that play in perfect sync with Connect. More volume in more parts of the space.
I have existing hard wired ceiling and outdoor speakers which the connect amps aren't quite driving well enough, I was hoping I could add some wattage somehow to the system to increase the sound levels
If the objective is to increase sound levels, well placed play 1 units are the simplest way to do the job. Adding wattage isn't efficient; you need to double the wattage for a 20% increase in sound levels. Assuming that the speakers can handle this extra power.
Sonos does not make or endorse outdoor speakers, and that's the area that's falling short on volume, also I'm looking to find a sum to mono work around from poorly designed placement of wired niles outdoor speakers
Getting more volume from a given set of speakers is even more of a challenge out of doors where sound energy is rapidly lost with distance from the speakers. Relocating speakers to get them closer to listening areas is the answer. The mono workaround needs some DIY with resistors and a soldering iron.
I was planning on adding the rotel 8 channel D/A amp to my system which would eliminate most of the sonos connect amps except for kitchen where I have the sonos sub, which can only work with there amp. The rotel has a mono feature for up to 2 zones which is perfect also bumps power to 100 watts
of very clean power. What do you think about that?
That will solve your mono needs, but I can't see that small a power bump doing much for getting higher volumes out of doors. But I doubt you can solve that problem with the installed speakers because with more power than 100 watts you will almost certainly hit their power handling limits and burn them out.

With 100 watts per channel as compared to 55 per channel from the Connect Amps, don't expect more than a little increase in perceived volume levels out of doors. Note that the 55 watts from Connect Amp is just as clean!
Thank you for the info, your very up to date on current tech
Things like wattage, sound levels delivered by watts and perceived to be so delivered, and rapid loss of dB over distance from source when outdoors are things decades old, not current tech!

But what may be current is knowledge of the Connect Amp volume control architecture. Unlike many modern amps that max out on clean power delivery much before the volume knob is turned to Full, the Connect Amp slider is built to keep delivering more power all the way to 100% without distorting. So if your speaker can handle 55wpc into 8 or 110 wpc into 4 ohms without burning out, the volume control slider use to close to 100% may be the simple answer to your problem.