No one does multi-room audio higher than Sonos, however its wi-fi audio system are restricted in relation to stereo. The Sonos Play:5 is a superb speaker, as an illustration, and you’ll hyperlink two models collectively to create a $998 stereo pair. But if you happen to purchase a $599 Sonos Amp, you should utilize any standard loudspeakers that spark your fancy. And maybe greater than two.
Sonos is coming full circle right here, as its very first retail product was a small amplifier dubbed the ZonePlayer 100. That was succeeded by the ZP120, which was later renamed the Connect:Amp (now discontinued). The new Sonos Amp is mild years forward of these merchandise, each when it comes to specs and efficiency. I nonetheless have a ZP120 at house, however I haven’t used it in years as a result of it’s so underpowered, delivering simply 55 watts per channel.
The Sonos Amp isn’t geared toward informal music listeners. That market is healthier served by Sonos’s wi-fi speaker lineup: The Sonos One smart speaker, the less complicated Play:1, and their large sibling, the Play:5. The Sonos Amp is designed for audio fans who wish to mix the music-streaming comfort and multi-room audio capabilities that Sonos is so well-known for with a high-end amplifier and standard high-performance loudspeakers. The Sonos Amp is designed for crucial listening in stereo, and for film soundtrack experiences which might be a minimize above what you’ll get from the standard soundbar.
Driving audio system with the Sonos Amp
The new Sonos Amp not solely delivers extra energy—125 watts per channel into an 8-ohm load—nevertheless it’s additionally outfitted with HDMI (with ARC), in order that it may possibly join on to your TV. In this situation, the Amp can drive wired entrance left and proper channels, another pair of Sonos wi-fi audio system (other than Sonos soundbars) as encompass channels, and a wi-fi Sonos Sub (or any wired powered sub related to the Amp) for low-frequency results. If your TV is supplied solely with an optical output and never HDMI, Sonos sells an adapter you should utilize.
The Sonos Amp’s rear panel options HDMI (with ARC), stereo RCA inputs, an RCA subwoofer output, twin 10/100 ethernet ports, and left/proper speaker outputs. When the binding posts are eliminated, as seen right here, you should utilize standard banana plugs.
If you’ve a big house theater, you should utilize each a Sonos Sub and a powered wired sub on the identical time, and/or a second amp to energy wired surrounds. The one factor you received’t get is a real middle channel, however the Amp creates a convincing phantom middle channel by mixing the audio from the left and proper entrance audio system. I definitely didn’t miss having a devoted middle channel in my film exams.
The Sonos Amp can even deal with wired audio system that current lower than 8 ohms of impedance, producing as much as 187.5 watts per channel whereas driving a 6-ohm load and a whopping 250 watts with 4-ohm audio system. The Amp can settle for customary banana plugs or you should utilize its sturdy binding posts with naked wire (between 10 and 18 AWG). In the latter configuration, you may wire two pairs of audio system to the Amp in parallel to ship the identical music to 2 stereo pairs (with audio system in the identical or in numerous rooms), offered the impedance offered to the amp doesn’t drop under 4 ohms.
The Amp’s binding posts are ingeniously designed so to pull them out of the Amp, thread naked wires by way of the posts, cinch them down, after which plug them again in. That’s a lot simpler than having to achieve round to the again of the amp to do every thing. If you’re utilizing banana plugs, you received’t want the binding posts in any respect since you’ll insert the banana plugs straight into the Amp. When driving Sonos by Sonance speakers (in-wall, in-ceiling, and out of doors fashions can be found), the Amp can deal with as much as three pairs of audio system wired in parallel.
Sonos engineered the Amp’s binding posts so to take away them to string naked wire by way of the holes, cinch the wires down, after which plug them again in. You can even use banana plugs rather than the binding posts.
The Sonos Amp’s bodily design
The Amp has left and proper analog RCA audio inputs and a subwoofer output, however I think most individuals will use the wi-fi Sonos Sub with the Amp. Sonos didn’t construct a phono preamp into the Amp as a result of it assumed vinyl veterans would have already got a phono pre-amp they like, whereas LP neophytes would begin out with a turntable that has a built-in phono pre-amp.
There can be a pair of 10/100 ethernet ports in again, so you may hardwire the Amp to your community for max reliability if in case you have the infrastructure for it. Having two ports means you may daisy-chain a bunch of Amps to your community whereas needing only one ethernet cable out of your router. It’s additionally attainable to make use of the Amp as a community change or a wi-fi bridge if the Amp is working SonosWeb, however Sonos doesn’t suggest this as a result of the Amp’s quality-of-service settings will prioritize Sonos information site visitors over the rest.
There are touch-sensitive controls on the entrance of the Amp for play/pause and quantity up/down, however I don’t think about these will see a lot use for the reason that Sonos app is a lot extra handy. You can even management the Sonos Amp utilizing Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, simply as you are able to do with different Sonos elements, however you’ll want a sensible speaker (or the suitable cellular app) to try this as a result of the Amp doesn’t have a microphone of its personal.
Touch-sensitive play/pause and quantity up/down controls are current on the Sonos Amp’s entrance panel.
The Amp’s enclosure is designed to attract air in from the underside and vent it from its concave high, a passive cooling technique that enables a number of Amps to be stacked on high of one another with out worry of them overheating (although I might err on the aspect of warning and add some energetic air flow if I used to be stacking them in an enclosed leisure middle).
The Sonos Amp is ostensibly a retail product, nevertheless it was designed to additionally handle the wants of customized installers who may mount a bunch of them in a element rack. The Amp measures 1.5 RU excessive (2.52 inches) and is 8.54 inches sq.. This permits them to be mounted two abreast in an ordinary 19-inch rack.
The Amp doesn’t have rack-mount ears, however it’s outfitted with an ordinary M5 thread mount on its backside. At a press occasion at Sonos’ Boston headquarters late final 12 months, Sonos Amp product supervisor Benji Rappoport confirmed me an actively cooled rack cupboard holding 32 Amps.
Despite being passively cooled, you may stack a number of Amps on high of one another (energetic cooling is really useful for dense rack installations).
Sonos Amp listening exams
I first examined the amplifier with 4 very completely different stereo speaker pairs, one pair at a time. I used Q Acoustics’ Concept 20 bookshelf audio system (6 ohms nominal impedance) in my house theater; Bowers & Wilkins’ 603 tower audio system (8 ohms nominal impedance, additionally in my house theater); B&W’s M-1 Mini Theatre satellite tv for pc audio system (8 ohms nominal impedance) mounted excessive on a wall in my nice room; and Focal’s Custom OD 108 out of doors audio system (8 ohms nominal impedance) mounted excessive on a wall in my enclosed patio. For the exams with the M-1 Mini Theatre (the smallest of the three units of audio system by far), I paired the Amp with a Sonos Sub.
The first step of the Sonos Sub tuning course of performs a rapid-fire bass line in an A/B listening check that permits you to consider the Sub’s section.
The Amp carried out like a champ with every set of audio system. Volume didn’t get loud sufficient to drive me out of the room whereas listening to the two-way Q Acoustics bookshelf (1-inch tweeters and 5-inch woofers) or the three-way B&W tower audio system (1-inch tweeters, 6-inch mid-range, and twin 6.5-inch woofers), however each combos simply crammed my house theater with out the necessity to crank the amount to the max.
Listening at extra average—and reasonable—quantity ranges that will allow of us to speak to one another at a celebration, I performed the title monitor to Lyle Lovett’s Step Inside this House (ripped from CD and encoded in FLAC) and the amplifier produced Lovett’s vocals clear and robust in opposition to an interesting backdrop of guitar, pedal metal guitar, and bass.
The B&W M-1 Mini Theatre satellites are smallish two-way audio system (1-inch tweeters and 4-inch mid-range/woofers), they usually got here throughout as very brilliant on their very own whereas I used to be listening to “Send My Love (to Your New Lover),” from Adele’s album 25 (additionally ripped from CD and encoded in FLAC). Note that the Sonos app gives very restricted EQ changes: It has sliders to spice up or minimize bass and treble, and to regulate the left/proper steadiness, however that’s all.
I’ve all the time augmented the M-1s with a Sonos Sub paired with a Sonos One sensible speaker in a bed room on the opposite aspect of the wall (the Sub can’t function by itself, it have to be paired with one other Sonos element). The M-1s themselves are normally pushed by an Onkyo M-282 stereo energy amp wired to a Sonos:Connect. Yes, that’s a bizarre situation for Sonos elements, nevertheless it works nice for me—thanks in no small measure to Sonos’ distinctive networking know-how that retains all of the audio streams in excellent sync.
The second step of the Sonos Sub tuning course of offers you a chance to spice up or minimize the Sub’s output.
While testing the Amp with the M-1s, I linked the Sonos Sub to the Amp as an alternative. You can use Sonos’ wonderful Trueplay technology to tune its Sonos by Sonance architectural audio system (offered you’ve an iOS system, that’s), however that choice isn’t obtainable with third-party audio system. Sonos nonetheless offers you a chance to tune the Sub to the room you’re utilizing it in (and by extension, to the loudspeakers you’re utilizing it with).
This is achieved in two steps, beginning with a easy A/B check that permits you to right the Sub’s section. In the second step, you may additional increase or minimize the Sub’s output. If you’re not happy with these tuning outcomes, you may alter the Sub’s stage, its crossover frequency, and its section in a devoted setting you’ll discover elsewhere within the app.
The Focal Custom OD 108 are giant out of doors audio system, outfitted with a bass reflex port, an 8-inch fiberglass woofer, and a 1-inch aluminum inverted doom tweeter. There was completely no want for the Sonos Sub whereas driving these unhealthy boys with the Sonos Amp, however I used to be impressed with how nice the mixture sounded whereas listening to Lucinda Williams sing “I Envy the Wind,” from her album Essence. Even at decrease quantity ranges, Williams’ voice, quavering with longing, got here throughout with authority.
My unconventional use of Sonos elements
I later examined the Sonos Amp driving the Q Acoustics, B&W Mini Theater, and Focal Custom OD 108—plus the Sonos Sub—unexpectedly, having wired the passive audio system to a Niles Audio SS-4 speaker selector field. In this situation, every of the three speaker pairs is wired inline to a Niles Audio impedance-magnifying quantity management that’s constructed into an adjoining wall. In addition to offering unbiased quantity management for every pair of audio system, this system prevents the impedance offered to the amplifier from dropping too low, a situation that might injury the amplifier. The Amp by no means broke a sweat driving the audio system individually (chosen separately on the Niles Audio SS-4) or all three pairs on the identical time (with all of the audio system chosen on the field).
Sonos’ tackle this association, nevertheless, is that it doesn’t ship one of the best listener expertise. The firm recommends as an alternative that customers deploy one Amp for every room, and that they use the Sonos software program because the speaker selector. They have some extent—to a level: My setup can’t play completely different music in every room, and with out the in-wall quantity controls, all of the audio system would play on the identical stage.
The Sonos Amp doesn’t include an onboard phono preamp, so that you’ll must both present one in all your personal or use a turntable that has an onboard preamp.
But aside my house theater, my house’s open flooring plan would make it tough to isolate the good room, the kitchen, and the enclosed patio from one another anyway—music from one will bleed into the others at virtually any quantity stage. In any occasion, the setup I’ve provide you with works for me in the identical approach my unconventional Sonos Connect/Sonos One/Sonos Sub configuration does. More importantly for anybody considering of following my instance, it doesn’t void the guarantee on the Amp.
Is the Sonos Amp worthy?
The Sonos Amp isn’t the fitting resolution for everybody, some extent that Sonos needn’t be embarrassed about. In reality, I think most Sonos Amp gross sales will go to customized installers, simply because so few individuals wish to cope with speaker wire as of late. But if you happen to’re a real audio fanatic who desires all the ability and suppleness of a Sonos multi-room audio system, and also you need higher-end loudspeakers than what Sonos has to supply (when it comes to wi-fi audio system, that’s, as I haven’t listened to something within the Sonos by Sonance lineup), the Sonos Amp is a superb selection that may drive any passive loudspeakers you personal.
Another various can be to go along with a Sonos:Connect and a pair of self-powered audio system (or a Connect, an outboard amplifier, and passive audio system), however the Amp is less complicated and extra elegant—particularly if you happen to’re connecting it to a TV. It’s extremely properly engineered, supremely simple to arrange and use, and it sounds positively divine.