Anyone using a DAC in between a Sonos Connect or AppleTV and an AVR?

[marksas3]

Sorry if this has been covered, but i came across a used Arcam DAC yesterday that had Toslink and Coax inputs and got me wondering if putting a DAC like that or other one in between a Sonos Connect and an AVR would improve the sound over just using the internal DAC of the AVR, in my case a Marantz SR5010. If a DAC has multiple digital inputs and would improve overall sound then i could for instance simultaneously connect the Sonos Connect via Coax and the ATV via Toslink to the same DAC and switch inputs as needed. I have a feeling this will have no impact but just wanted to check, thanks.

[tboooe]

I used to use the digital out from the Sonos to a variety of DACs. While I cannot say for sure doing will sound better than using the internal DAC of the Marantz, I will say the digital output of the Sonos is not very good at all. I remember there being several companies that offered upgrades for the Sonos to improve its jitter and overall sound. I say if you want to improve your sound, look for another music streamer, either by buying/making a dedicated music pc or device like Auralic Aries. Once you are sure your digital source is good then you can start experimenting with different DACs.

[maelob]

Personally I would just stick with the digital inputs of the marantz. - but the w2sound reclocker will help but it is 300 i might as well get something like the auralic mini for 500 which has a good streamer with internal DaC and one year of tidal included.

[Cebolla]

Sorry if this has been covered, but i came across a used Arcam DAC yesterday that had Toslink and Coax inputs and got me wondering if putting a DAC like that or other one in between a Sonos Connect and an AVR would improve the sound over just using the internal DAC of the AVR, in my case a Marantz SR5010. If a DAC has multiple digital inputs and would improve overall sound then i could for instance simultaneously connect the Sonos Connect via Coax and the ATV via Toslink to the same DAC and switch inputs as needed. I have a feeling this will have no impact but just wanted to check, thanks.

With the Marantz SR5010's own support of both UPnP/DLNA and AirPlay network streaming, I don't think I follow why you need to use an external streamer to plug in to the Marantz, regardless of which of its inputs you are using. Definitely so if the Sonos connect is just being used as a standalone device, ie, without being part of the Sonos multiroom device ecosystem and doubly so, if you are just using the Apple TV for music file playing with AirPlay (such as from iTunes).

 

If this is the case, then at least try the AVR's own firmware UPnP/DLNA & AirPlay supporting network streaming audio file decoder and player, which has the advantage of an internal connection to its own DAC, before even considering an external streamer with or without another DAC attached.

[marksas3]

Guys thanks for the input...the Sonos and the Apple TV are not the main streamers per se, I do in fact stream directly to the Marantz using Bubble UPnP on an Android tablet streaming TIDAL or my own local library, or Roon in the same fashion.

The Sonos system is pretty new to me and was just a means to have simple multi room music (not for critical listening) and for the wife to have an easy to use app on the iPhone to play/control music in the bedroom, kitchen etc. I hooked up a Connect to my main system just to add another room basically, so when it is in use and because i like gear and gadgets, i wondered if i could improve the sound either before or after the Sonos Connect, open up the sound a little more. The ATV doesn't really get used for music anymore but i would still plug it into an external DAC if i bought one for the Sonos. For what it's worth, when we use Sonos we primarily stream TIDAL or our local library and compression is set to off, so i would've hoped it sounded just as good as Bubble UPnP or Roon, but it doesn't, hence wanting to tinker with it.

[JBNY]

I have had a sonos in my system since they launched years ago. While I do have roon and other CA means of playing music, sonos still gets regular and sometime the most use. Their ability to work in multiple zones and plug into almost every music service is their strength, as well as the ease of use of their controllers. I currently have my sonos connect hooked into an Empirical Audio Synchro-Mesh with a CIAudio regulated LPS, from there it goes into a W4S DAC-2 DSDse. The sound is really very good, at least 90% of the very best you can get.

[Audio_ELF]

It partly depends how you are using your Marantz to listen to music.

 

The first question I would ask is do you use pure direct stereo or are you adding any DSP processing (multi-channel stereo or pro-logic or similar)? If you are doing any processing then (to me) any DAC prior to the Marantz is pointless as you are having to convert the analogue input to digital and then process it and back to analogue.

 

If you are using stereo direct, then yes there is potential to improve sound quality with an external DAC, but this would be a minor improvement unless you are planning it as a stepping stone to separating Multi-channel AV and Stereo systems.

[marksas3]

It partly depends how you are using your Marantz to listen to music.

 

The first question I would ask is do you use pure direct stereo or are you adding any DSP processing (multi-channel stereo or pro-logic or similar)? If you are doing any processing then (to me) any DAC prior to the Marantz is pointless as you are having to convert the analogue input to digital and then process it and back to analogue.

 

If you are using stereo direct, then yes there is potential to improve sound quality with an external DAC, but this would be a minor improvement unless you are planning it as a stepping stone to separating Multi-channel AV and Stereo systems.

 

 

That's actually a very good point, as i indeed listen with Audyssey turned on, usually in 2.1 stereo mode.