Sonos Amp anyone?

[kirkmc]

I was wondering if anyone's bought the Sonos Amp. I'm thinking of getting one to downsize the audio equipment in my home office. I'm wondering if it's worth the cost, which, at £599 in the UK, isn't cheap for a small amplifier. 

[jcn3]

@kirkmc  i've had sonos stuff for many years, but don't consider it something for a discerning listener.  in considering the cost of the amp, i think you have to look at the incremental cost over a connect (which you'll need if you don't already have one).

 

if you don't have sonos already and want better sound, i'd look at bluesound.  it's more of an audiophile component (can handle 24/192) -- a node 2i is the equivalent of a sonos connect; a powernode 2i is the equivalent of a sonos amp.  bluesound costs more, but will sound better.

 

one way or the other, i'd use a separate amp.

[kirkmc]

I'd never heard of BlueSound. It does have the key feature I want, which is AirPlay 2. However, the PowerNode 2i is £799; the Sonos Amp is £599. That's a huge difference. (I don't particularly care about the "audiophile" element, especially not high-res music.) And the Node 2i is not an amplifier; it's just a streaming device. 

[jcn3]

@kirkmc -- yes, the node 2i is like the sonos connect -- does not have an amp.

 

sonos wins on the ui in their software and they stream just about everything.  bluesound wins on sound, but you pay a price.