[gregoryperkins]

Any time you get a new product whether it be a phone, sonos, router, or pc it comes with newer radios/standards that can have a big effect on speed. The fastest thing on my network is my wife's new 5g phone. It will do over gigabit to the new tp-link ax wifi 6 router. Our internet is 500mbs, there's only 2 of us so that's plenty.

 

[gregoryperkins]

Sonos Radio HD Launches for $7.99/Month

This is a product that I don't quite get. No mobile client? What comes next, the Sonos phone? At least they have the advantage that many people are stranded at home during the pandemic. I already have Amazon music that I rarely use and that's the same price and will work on just about everything. Now that Google music is gone, I really miss my "I'm feeling lucky" mix. It understood my music library better than I do.

 

[AustinJerry]

Any time you get a new product whether it be a phone, sonos, router, or pc it comes with newer radios/standards that can have a big effect on speed. The fastest thing on my network is my wife's new 5g phone. It will do over gigabit to the new tp-link ax wifi 6 router. Our internet is 500mbs, there's only 2 of us so that's plenty.

I seem to be having fewer issues since I switched the Connect to my WiFi network and turning off the Boost. I just don't think the Boost is fast enough any more. I'll try this configuration for a while before I decide to upgrade to the Port. And I still don't know if I can have a mixed S1/S2 setup--Sonos support failed to provide an answer.

And I agree--why is Sonos bothering with entering the already crowded music streaming market? I am highly unlikely to switch from my current services, Tidal and Deezer.

 

[qirex]

You can have a mixed S1/S2 environment (I did for a bit) but it will be limited to S1 features and stuff like Airplay 2 is a little quirky. Given the vagueness of the promised new features and how it takes Sonos years to actually release upgrades you should be good for a while. I'd guess high resolution audio is the banner feature but they haven't given any details about how that will effect music, they have released Atmos and multichannel PCM support for the Arc.

If there's one feature that would get to to stick with Sonos it would be the ability to listen on my computers and mobile devices. I understand why they don't do it, it would break their hardware lock-in but I'd even be OK with it as a paid upgrade. It would be nice to browse my library using my Apple TV, I do it with Tidal and Airplay now.

 

[AustinJerry]

I have grown weary of repeated connection losses when streaming either Tidal or Deezer, so I have decided to replace my Connect with a new Port, hoping the upgraded model will be more reliable. My Connect has the Wyred4sound modification (Sonos Port - Modified), so I have ordered a modified Port from them as well. They are selling the modification for $150 discount as well as a new Port for $300, also a $150 discount. I'll report back whether the Port performs more reliably, as well as whether the modification sounds as good as the Connect it is replacing. Some of you may think that the modification may not be worth it, but since I have been so pleased with the sound of the modified Connect, I am worried that I will subjectively hear an audio degradation if I don't get a similarly modified Port. Expectation bias often causes me more money.

 

[Carbo]

Jerry,
Is that connected to the HTP?

 

[qirex]

The design Wyred4sound describe themselves is by definition unable to improve the audio quality. Upsampling digital audio does basically nothing and cannot add data that wasn't there before. The AK4490EQ that's in the Port is a perfectly good DAC and since Sonos as a system is currently limited to 16/44 I'm not sure what, exactly you're getting out of this.

edit: the Connect was measured with a 98dB noise floor on digital out and jitter measured at -120dB which is miles below human hearing threshold. Later in the review is this:

The owner linked me to some vendor making a mod board to supposedly improve digital output jitter performance. Forget about it! There is nothing wrong with using the Toslink as is. Performance is not jitter limited. It is the 16 bit samples that hold it back.

I'd imagine the Port has at least the same performance if not better.

 

[nathan_h]

I don't think Jerry is using the analog output on these devices. IIRC he is using the digital output AFAIK.

 

[qirex]

I don't think Jerry is using the analog output on these devices. IIRC he is using the digital output AFAIK.

My point is there is no "upgrade" to the digital port. It might measure better but the default hardware is perfectly fine and there absolutely won't be an audible difference. From the linked article:

That's jitter peaking at -120dB which is basically the equivalent of being able to hear a mosquito at a rock concert. The review's conclusion that I quoted is important because -120dB is well below the inherent 96dB noise floor of 16 bit audio. If you play back 16 bit audio on a system that has lower than -96dB noise/distortion [pretty easy nowadays with relatively affordable gear] it can't sound better because the limits of performance are limited by the format of the audio.

That doesn't mean any of this sounds bad, even good records have only around 70dB of dynamic range and they can sound great. Most modern digital gear, even stuff not optimized for high resolution playback, is specced well above both the limits of human hearing and the design of the formats they play back. When companies like Benchmark started trying to make the quietest and most accurate gear they were able to get crazy numbers like 0.0004% THD and -130dB noise floors but that difference is only observable on test gear.

 

[AustinJerry]

Jerry,
Is that connected to the HTP?

I don't think Jerry is using the analog output on these devices. IIRC he is using the digital output AFAIK.

Yes, using coax digital out to the HTP-1, so the HTP-1 DAC is the one used.

 

[AustinJerry]

The design Wyred4sound describe themselves is by definition unable to improve the audio quality. Upsampling digital audio does basically nothing and cannot add data that wasn't there before. The AK4490EQ that's in the Port is a perfectly good DAC and since Sonos as a system is currently limited to 16/44 I'm not sure what, exactly you're getting out of this.

edit: the Connect was measured with a 98dB noise floor on digital out and jitter measured at -120dB which is miles below human hearing threshold. Later in the review is this:

I'd imagine the Port has at least the same performance if not better.

While you are certainly entitled to have your opinion, I wasn't really asking you to tell me that I made a bad decision. Many of us make audio decisions based on expectations, not necessarily facts. I could point out a few people who spend large amounts of money on expensive cables, thinking they will improve the sound. Do they? I don't think so.

 

[qirex]

While you are certainly entitled to have your opinion, I wasn't really asking you to tell me that I made a bad decision. Many of us make audio decisions based on expectations, not necessarily facts. I could point out a few people who spend large amounts of money on expensive cables, thinking they will improve the sound. Do they? I don't think so.

Measurements aren't opinion and it's probably not making it sound any worse. You spend your money how you like but it won't change the way digital audio works. You've been hyping this company for years in this very thread so I finally took a close look at what they claim to do.

 

[Carbo]

Measurements aren't opinion and it's probably not making it sound any worse. You spend your money how you like but it won't change the way digital audio works. You've been hyping this company for years in this very thread so I finally took a close look at what they claim to do.

Everytime someone posts something about improved audio, someone else comes out and posts about measurements. As if to try and disprove them. While I believe measurements have their place, they are not the final say. I hear plenty of differences in some of my gear that measures certain ways and while I like to see those measurements, I don't think it paints the whole picture.

To many factors at play to just go on measurements. Everyone's ears are certainly different. Some have better ears than others, some have different damage through years of wear and tear, some ears certainly hear better in one range than someone else's, etc...

 

[Carbo]

Yes, using coax digital out to the HTP-1, so the HTP-1 DAC is the one used.

Did you decide against Roon? and streaming directly through the HTP?

 

[AustinJerry]

Did you decide against Roon? and streaming directly through the HTP?

I completed my Roon evaluation. My impression is that Roon is certainly full-featured, almost too complex. If I implement Roon, I will need to spend some money, and I decided to wait until the HTP-1 is Roon Certified Before making a final decision. I am also evaluating Tidal as an alternative to Deezer, which has become very unreliable on Sonos for me.

I am not sure I would be making any change if I could get Sonos to work properly. I have been working closely with Sonos Support, and the only thing left to try is new hardware, which is why I purchased the Port.

 

[Carbo]

I completed my Roon evaluation. My impression is that Roon is certainly full-featured, almost too complex. If I implement Roon, I will need to spend some money, and I decided to wait until the HTP-1 is Roon Certified Before making a final decision. I am also evaluating Tidal as an alternative to Deezer, which has become very unreliable on Sonos for me.

I am not sure I would be making any change if I could get Sonos to work properly. I have been working closely with Sonos Support, and the only thing left to try is new hardware, which is why I purchased the Port.

Gotcha. I was in the same boat with Sonos and ended up switching to HomePods for around the house and Roon for the rooms that had better speakers in them.

I didn't want to leave them but they forced my hand not being able to fix it at the time.

 

[AustinJerry]

I have received and installed a new Sonos Port, replacing the Connect in my main audio setup. I am using the digital coax output into a Monolith HTP-1 processor, so the HTP-1 DAC's are converting the stream to analog. The purpose of swapping out the Connect with the Port is that I have been plagued with audio lost connections when streaming lossless FLAC from Deezer and Tidal. My experiences have been documented earlier in this thread. I'll report back as to whether the Port performs better WRT the dropped connections.

The purpose of this post is to solicit feedback from any Sonos users who are running a mixed S1/S2 setup (I still have a connect in my bedroom system). I am currently running the mixed setup using the S1 app, but I am concerned with the Sonos warning "While using the S1 controller, your system will not receive new software features".

For anyone with a mixed setup, what are you doing? If I download the S2 controller, can I use it to control the Port, and continue using the S1 controller for the Connect? Any other advice you would have for my new setup?

Edit: Never mind. I found a Sonos FAQ that answers my questions. I am inclined to continue using the S1 controller unless someone has an opinion that this would be a bad idea.

 

[nathan_h]

Should be fine. It appears the only real difference is that some of the sound bars and a few other items can't work at all on S1.

 

[AustinJerry]

Should be fine. It appears the only real difference is that some of the sound bars and a few other items can't work at all on S1.

I spent quite a bit of time listening to the Port last night. Using the S1 controller seems to be fine. And on the positive side, I had no audio signal lost errors during my listening session. It is a bit early to declare that the Port has resolved the issue, but I am optimistic. I believe the Port has more memory, which may play a factor, I.e. a larger buffer.

 

[nathan_h]

It also has improved wireless tech, which should help, too. Glad to hear (pun) it is working for you!