Modded sonos connect?
Posted by: kassos on 08 March 2014
Could someone advise me please? Would a modded sonos connect show any improvement in sound quality when streaming spotify over a standard connect? I only ask because on the basis of "source first" I would have thought that the limitations of the 320kbs stream would suggest that there might not be much improvement.
I currently feed a standard connect into a superuniti but only use it for spotify.
The need for some improvement to the Sonos Connect is made evident by comparing it to other, better digital sources. IME, you do not have to be very picky to easily hear how much better e.g. a Mac Mini, or Squeezebox Touch, or NDX sounds into the same DAC. The Mini costs about the same as the Connect + mod. Testimony on this forum suggests the improvement to the Connect from the two most popular mods closes the gap. I have retired my Connect until the time when such an upgrade makes sense in my system.
Good luck.
Nick
Yes, a modified Sonos would make a noticeable difference...even with 320K bit stream. I've used and compared the standard and Wyred4Sound modified units and found the latter to be much better and worth the money. Granted the best DACS, including the Naim Dac, are better equipped to deal with jitter and can minimize the differences somewhat. That said, I used a Rega Dac and the twice as expensive TeddyDac and still found the W4S Sonos better than the unmodified version. You can find a recent review of the W4S Sonos unit on "HIFI-Advice" website.
A bigger upgrade would be switching from Spotify to Qobuz should it suit your needs - sound loads better with a FLAC stream!
Thanks for the replies. I accept the advice that a modded connect would improve the sound quality of a 320kbs stream and accept that a much easier upgrade would come from switching to qobuz. I just resent being ripped off £19.99 a month when everyone else pays in Euros for a service that offers less choice of music than Spotify and doesn't consistently offer its discounted download facility to uk customers. Maybe qobuz will improve in the future.
I'm confused. I live in the states and pay 10 dollars a month for 320 streaming of spotify. Are you saying in UK it's a little under 30 US dollars?
. . . I only ask because on the basis of "source first" I would have thought that the limitations of the 320kbs stream would suggest that there might not be much improvement.
I currently feed a standard connect into a superuniti but only use it for spotify.
I did not answer your precise question. My impression that the Connect was inferior to the alternatives was based on FLAC, AIFF, and WAV files served locally on my network. You are talking about 320 Kb streams from Spotify. What I can say accurately is that local files sound better over the other three than they do over a stock Connect. Spotify sounds better than it should over the Mini and the SBT. By the time I tested Spotify on the Connect I had already disqualified it and lost interest, despite the interface, which is best-in-class.
If I didn't already have a Mini dedicated to music, I would reconsider modding the Connect I have in mothballs.
I really wanted the stock Connect to succeed. Sadly, it did not.
And, by the way, the multi-room features of Sonos did not work for me either: echo was rampant; and Sonos Support said that such issues are "unusual". LOL!
Best,
Nick
I'm confused. I live in the states and pay 10 dollars a month for 320 streaming of spotify. Are you saying in UK it's a little under 30 US dollars?
In the UK Spotify and Qobuz Premium streaming services (320kbps mp3) are £9.99/mth. Qobuz Hi-Fi streaming service (FLAC) is £19.99.