Airplay 2 worked quite well for me: Flawlessly with content from the Amazon Music app beamed from an iPhone X, and pretty well-hardware recognition/connectivity quirks aside-with other music apps. And unlike the Connect, the Port is compatible with Apple’s Airplay 2 multi-room audio technology, enabling you to mix Sonos components with other AirPlay 2 compatible devices-including Apple’s HomePod smart speaker-on the same network. The Port is outfitted with a beefier microprocessor and more memory than what comes in the Connect, and that additional muscle is required to run the new Sonos S2 operating system. Lastly, there’s a “Join” button for adding a Port to your Sonos system, which you’ll use in conjunction with the company’s exceptionally polished, full-service app. On the upside, Sonos added a 12V trigger that you can use to automatically fire up a connected amplifier or A/V receiver when the Port starts playing music, eliminating the steps-and footsteps-needed to get your next listening session started. Could it have added that much expense to the bill of materials? Many will mourn Toslink’s absence on the Port. This I/O port comparison shows the similarities between the new Port and the old Connect. I know custom installers prefer to use coaxial cables, because their connectors are much less fragile than the ones on Toslink cables and coax cables perform better over long runs, but Toslink is far more common on less-expensive audio components. There’s a coaxial S/PDIF connector should you own a cherished outboard DAC-or simply want to keep the signal in the digital domain until it reaches your DAC-equipped receiver or pre-amp (which is how I chose to set it up).īut I’m disappointed that Sonos decided not to also carry over the Toslink digital audio output from the Connect. The ethernet ports on the backside of the Port are joined by one set of analog stereo inputs for a CD player or turntable preamp (or a turntable itself, if it has a preamp built in), and one set of analog stereo outputs for connecting an amplifier or self-powered speakers. Most especially, something that would appeal to the custom-installer community, who will find the Port easy to use and won’t balk at its price tag (which they’ll mark way up in their quotes to their well-heeled clients). Then the engineers went to work, squeezing in what they could to deliver a slim, trim box that looks good on a retail shelf-and that almost disappears when perched atop an A/V receiver. I get the impression that the Sonos product-management team started with an idealized sketch of a smaller, prettier, market-friendly successor to the clunky-looking Connect. The Sonos DAC delivered the goods in satisfying fashion, although it wasn’t quite as sweet sounding and resistant to shrill microphone peakiness as you’ll find with a primo DAC built into a high-end receiver. I ran comparison tests with the high-res remastered version of Van Morrison’s classic Moondance, which is ripe with his honkin’ jazzed vocals, brassy horns, breathy harmonica, and delicately brushed drums. In that case, variable output works just fine. The other alternative, of course, is to forgo your favorite outboard DAC and use the Port’s analog audio outputs. Sonos says its older hardware doesn’t have enough processor power or memory to run the S2 OS, so any Sonos system that includes a mix of older and new components must be bifurcated and the two groups controlled separately (you’ll find more details in this story). ) The situation grows even more stressful if you have any combination of newer and legacy (pre-2013) Sonos hardware: The latter includes the aged Connect:Amp/ZP120 and the first-gen Play:5 speaker. (Note: Second-gen Connects-i.e., Connects manufactured after 2015-are S2 compatible. ![]() Now that Sonos has launched its S2 operating system, Sonos Connect (Gen 1) owners must make a crucial decision: Replace every first-generation Connect with a Port-at $449 a pop-or forgo upgrading to S2. That product has been succeeded by the topic of this review, the Sonos Port. The ZP90 was later relaunched as the Sonos Connect. ![]() And for customers who want streaming music delivered to their own favorite amp or receiver and higher-end speakers, the company launched an add-on, tuner-like component: the Sonos ZonePlayer 80 in early 2006, which was succeeded by the ZonePlayer 90 in 2008. Sonos covers all the bases: The audio component maker builds a range of powered speakers and soundbars to stream music from every source, local or on the web, but it also offers a stand-alone tuner/amp if you want to use higher-end passive loudspeakers.
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