CONNECT:AMP and subwoofer vs Sonos SUB

[Kordonme]

Hi,

With the release of the Sonos SUB my plans for my Sonos system might have changed a bit. I planned on getting a CONNECT:AMP and connect a sub-woofer.

But with the release of the SUB I really don't know what to do? What is the pros/cons of buying an Sonos AMP? Obviously, I will be be able to connect some great speakers later.

Right now I have PLAY5 and PLAY3. I'm thinking of buying an extra 3 and put them in stereo along the the SUB.

But that might be as expensive as a CONNECT:AMP with a sub-woofer and two good speakers.

What do you guys think?

[the_lhc]

I think nobody's heard the Sonos SUB yet so there's no way of answering the question.

[neilball]

Current lead time for first demo stock to dealers seems to be around 3 weeks, so why not contact a few local Sonos dealers to see who will be getting the Sub so you can take a listen.

At least then you can see if you think it stacks up against a conventional Connect:Amp/speakers/subwoofer setup.

[Tua09788]

I totally agree...I would want to listen to the sub also before making up my mind. On the Sonos Facebook page, I saw that they are going to have events around the US. I'm going to have a listen...also heres a short review...

http://www.stereophile.com/content/s...-smart-and-fun

[NickA]

I'd been thinking about a Sub to beef up the tiny "Celestion Little 1" speakers that my ZP120 drives in the kitchen.

Then along comes the sonos sub.. perfect. Then they announce the price ... £600! Not so perfect.

On the other hand if one were starting from scratch:

Option 1 = 2x play3's + 1x SUB = £1120.

vs

Option 2 = 1x connect amp + 1x SUB = £1000. Leaving £120 for a pair of rather basic passive speakers.

vs

Option 3 = 1x connect amp = £400. Leaving £720 for some (pretty good) speakers, which probably wouldn't need a sub. Plus the option to upgrade later.

It depends on your space and quality requirements I think ... and whether you'd rather have trailing speaker cable or trailing mains leads!

Personally I'm going to have to hear it before stumping up the cash .. and will probably just upgrade my speakers (Neat Iotas = £650?), getting a bit less bass but a lot more quality I'd think.

[ControlFreak]

Originally Posted by NickA

I'd been thinking about a Sub to beef up the tiny "Celestion Little 1" speakers that my ZP120 drives in the kitchen.

Then along comes the sonos sub.. perfect. Then they announce the price ... £600! Not so perfect.

On the other hand if one were starting from scratch:

Option 1 = 2x play3's + 1x SUB = £1120.

vs

Option 2 = 1x connect amp + 1x SUB = £1000. Leaving £120 for a pair of rather basic passive speakers.

vs

Option 3 = 1x connect amp = £400. Leaving £720 for some (pretty good) speakers, which probably wouldn't need a sub. Plus the option to upgrade later.

It depends on your space and quality requirements I think ... and whether you'd rather have trailing speaker cable or trailing mains leads!

Personally I'm going to have to hear it before stumping up the cash .. and will probably just upgrade my speakers (Neat Iotas = £650?), getting a bit less bass but a lot more quality I'd think.

Well said nick, the Sonos products are priced out so that no one combination is significantly better values than the other. Still the best sounding stereo you are going to land is with a Connect on a sound system of your choice.

[johnhs]

Originally Posted by ControlFreak

Well said nick, the Sonos products are priced out so that no one combination is significantly better values than the other. Still the best sounding stereo you are going to land is with a Connect on a sound system of your choice.

I'd agree with control freak - buy a connect for £279 and with the £841 thats left over buy an amp and some speakers - Its going to sound better.

But, you will have wires everywhere and probably an eyesore installation, a controller for Sonos and probably a remote for the amp. The Sonos installation is just so elegant - three boxes (and the sub out of sight if possible) and an i-device to control.

I've got a connect to a high-ish end amp and speakers in my lounge, but for the kitchen a pair of play-3 mounted on the ceiling. Hi-fi it aint, and adding a sub wont make it so, but for the kitchen its perfect.

[Ren]

I hope this isn't off-topic.

One of my three zones is a ZP120 driving a pair of Mirage Nanosats and a subwoofer (via the line-level "subwoofer out"). My issue is that the "subwoofer out" is deliberately rolled off above 80 Hz, while the Nanosats don't really have any output below ~150Hz. Does anyone know if the new SUB will have adjustable high pass roll-off? If so, anything above 80 Hz?

Thanks,

Steven

[NoBoB]

Originally Posted by Ren

Does anyone know if the new SUB will have adjustable high pass roll-off? If so, anything above 80 Hz?

There's a review linked in the SUB thread that suggests that the SUB, when paired with a Connect:Amp, will have a crossover setting selection of 'micro, bookshelf, or floor-standing'. We probably won't know what those frequencies are until the release (and we may never be told), but it seems to me that the existing 80Hz would be the bookshelf setting, with the micro higher and the floor-standers lower.

Whether the 'micro' setting is a good match for your Nanosats remains to be seen, but it'll likely be better than it is now.

[Ren]

Yes, the "micro" setting will probably be close to correct.

Ren