Sonos CONNECT:AMP

I’ve been a fan of Sonos products for quite a while now.   I started building my system a few years ago with a CONNECT hooked up to my Yamaha RX-V665.  I then picked up a Play:5 and a handful of Play:1s to get music in to the other areas of my house.  Everything was going well until I got the urge to simplify my whole-house audio even more.

This past weekend, I picked up a CONNECT:AMP hoping it would replace the CONNECT and Yamaha receiver combo.  The RX-V665 pumps out 90 watts/channel, while the CONNECT:AMP delivers 55 watts/channel.  The power difference was a concern before ordering, but I figured I’d  give it a shot anyway.

Right off the bat I noticed there was a lack of bass in the front channels when compared to the Yamaha.  The highs were great, but the sound was not as full as I was used to hearing out of my Polk RTiA3 speakers.  When I added in my Outlaw Audio LFM-1 Plus sub, it filled in the missing lows, however, I don’t always run my sub so there’s definitely something missing when running a two-channel set up.

I really wanted to make the CONNECT:AMP work for me, but I can’t recommend it because of the lack of oomph.  I also tested against the sound from a Pioneer VSX-456 receiver and the CONNECT:AMP lost there too.  It’s just too weak to satisfy my audio tastes based on the way I use my system.  If I always had the sub there to provide the low end, it might be a different story.  It’s unfortunate, because it’s a great little device from a great company.  Maybe Sonos will come out with a more powerful unit in the future?  🙂

Pros:

  1. Great design and form factor
  2. Good connectivity – I love the fact you can run 2.1 from this little box
  3. One line-in (RCA)
  4. Sonos software

Cons:

  1. Just one… it’s under-powered.  It can’t replace a larger amplifier.

You may also like...

2 Responses

  1. James says:

    Hi Bryan. I am about to buy Sonos Connect to add to my Yamaha RXV665 as you have it. Do u have any schematics of what I need to do in terms of Sonos to Yamaha? Is it easy to set up? I’m not an audiophile but just wanted to add Sonos (I already have 1 Sonos speaker) to the house system without spending money to replace everything. Thanks.

    • Bryan says:

      Hi James. The Connect would connect to the Yamaha via analog (line level RCA) or digital (optical or coaxial). I’m not sure which has a better DAC, but I’d probably just use RCA between the two and keep it simple. Does that help?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *