Review and Measurements of SONOS Amp

[Tassin]

Or to put it in a different perspective:

60W = +17.8 dB
80W = +19.0 dB

110W = +20.4 dB
125W = +21.0 dB

 

[ksulliva01]

See I was curious as to what alternatives exist with similar capabilities because there is a few things Im reading about wiim that I do not like.

The first one is latency, apparently the amp isnt suitable for tv audio especially games because it always has very high minimum latency and its not adjustable.

Sonos amp over arc apparently has customisable latency and can go extremely low.

Also the power is far off especially 8 ohm speakers iirc review said 50W or so.

Ofc peq and room correction is nice but I guess your average joe wont get into that stuff. I also know many folks that use Sonos home audio and in terms of software and reliability their stuff seems to work extremely well so I do kinda like this thing.

I use the Wiim Amp Ultra with hdmi arc for TV and there is no noticeable latency and basically perfect automatic switching between sources. Haven't tried gaming, so can't comment. Here's a reddit discussion claiming that some lip sync issues were fixed in a recent firmware update. Wiim is constantly rolling out updates and new features, another nice thing about the company vs Sonos.

I personally wouldn't worry about power, I had a Sonos amp, and the difference in power between that and the Amp Ultra is unnoticeable. More than enough muscle for music and movies/tv.

 

[meesbaker]

See now I have a very general beginner question. What exactly is power responsible for? Just max volume?

If you do the maths towards comfortable listening levels at around 10 feet distance or so and speakers as sensitive as 85W+ youd need no more than a handful of Watts to hit that.

But then people say rule of thumb is make sure your amp matches RMS of your speaker - is that just BS?

Like is there any other thing for these weird sentences like "driving speakers properly" that power is responsible for or is that just unscientific hearsay?

Lets say you look at a Q7 meta tower, 86db sensitivity, continuous power handling 200W. Is there any sonic benefit in matching that power for bass or whatever other than just achieving insane volume levels that destroy your ears?

 

[staticV3]

What exactly is power responsible for? Just max volume?

Correct.

Like is there any other thing for these weird sentences like "driving speakers properly" that power is responsible for or is that just unscientific hearsay?

Just hearsay.

Lets say you look at a Q7 meta tower, 86db sensitivity, continuous power handling 200W. Is there any sonic benefit in matching that power for bass or whatever other than just achieving insane volume levels that destroy your ears?

No benefit.

Besides simple confirmation bias, my personal theory for why this "more power=better sound" thing is so common, is equal loudness contours.

Nobody bothers with level-matching when they get a new Amp.

Instead, they usually wanna test out the new Amp by turning up the volume, to "see what this bad boy can do".

Higher volume -> more perceived bass and treble due to equal loudness contours -> higher perceived sound quality, and that impression sticks even when volume levels return to normal after the novelty has worn off.

In reality, all else e.g. output impedance, frequency response being equal, a 50W Amp will sound identical to a 500W Amp, when both are set to 30W Peak.

 

[meesbaker]

Correct.


Just hearsay.


No benefit.

Besides simple confirmation bias, my personal theory for why this "more power=better sound" thing is so common, is equal loudness contours.

Nobody bothers with level-matching when they get a new Amp.

Instead, they usually wanna test out the new Amp by turning up the volume, to "see what this bad boy can do".

Higher volume -> more perceived bass and treble due to equal loudness contours -> higher perceived sound quality, and that impression sticks even when volume levels return to normal after the novelty has worn off.

In reality, all else e.g. output impedance, frequency response being equal, a 50W Amp will sound identical to a 500W Amp, when both are set to 30W Peak.

Love this reply straight to the point answered all my questions, cheers good Sir!!!

P.S.

Seems even Gemini believes the "what the bad boy can do" logic and elaborates how higger power is important to "properly drive the bass drivers"

Overall in my time here so far I feel like I saw AI lie more than in anything else Ive ever been interested in....Could it be that the poor AI believes false because in the world of audio the internet is so full of subjective shit (including some of my own first posts ngl) that it has no chance knowing the truth?

 

[Petrushka]

I use my Sonos Amp to convert passive speakers to Sonos speakers. Don’t use line input.

It’s overpriced, but it was a gift.

 

[staticV3]

Could it be that the poor AI believes false because in the world of audio the internet is so full of subjective shit (including some of my own first posts ngl) that it has no chance knowing the truth?

Bingo!

 

[meesbaker]

I have another question on this amp which is also a more general question at the same time. The sonos amp is officially labeled as a 2.1 amp, is there such a thing really? I see the same on some other amps that have a sub out but technically that is false or not?

Hard to find online but I doubt that this product offers any capabilities to process the LFE channel. The .1 is a seperate track so if I have a stereo amp that can only accept stereo signals that doest make it 2.1 just because I can lowpass the Bass right? The lfe probably gets dropped or mixed in.

 

[visanj]

There is no such thing as 2.1 content. What Sonos amp has is subwoofer management and also I think LFE in case of 5.1, similar to other av receivers.

 

[meesbaker]

EDIT: You are right it supports dolby 5.1 and even allows to tie in a 2nd sonos amp for rear speakers

 

[hat28]

EDIT: You are right it supports dolby 5.1 and even allows to tie in a 2nd sonos amp for rear speakers

I wouldn't be so sure that Sonos stating they support Dolby digital is enough to be assured it is outputting the LFE channel.

On the tech spec page there is an asterisk by 'Dolby Digital' stating "this is not an indication of a licensed decoder":

Amp: The Wireless Streaming Speaker Amplifier | Sonos

With an output of 125 watts per channel, an HDMI input to connect your TV, Apple AirPlay 2 capability and a striking compact form factor that fits standard AV racks, the new Sonos Amp is quite simply our most versatile and most powerful wireless amplifier yet.

www.sonos.com

The lack of explicit reference to .1 LFE decoding means it is by no means certain. That the sub output has an adjustable crossover in the app, with no mention of the LFE channel, suggests it is perhaps just down mixing the LCR channels and routing the bass via the sub output.

For definitive testing, you could open a 5.1 soundtrack in Audacity and see if any audio is heard when you play the .1 channel.

 

[Bobby Bass]

I purchased the amp and wall mounted it in the closet behind my en suite bathroom and connected through 16 gauge cables to a pair of Sonance in-wall speakers. Plenty of power to drive the 2 way speakers. I only turn up the volume to 40% and the bass can rattle the walls. I control through the app. The only miss is I can’t run TruePlay through the system because it doesn’t recognize the speakers. Except for that I’m happy with the sound in a small bathroom. No wires except what comes through the wall into the back of the speakers. The speakers are designed for a moist environment and the grills were painted to match the wall color. Got my wife’s approval for appearance.