Sonos Amp - The Versatile Amplifier for Powering All Your Entertainment - Black

The SONOS Amp will provide me sound for outdoor music and an outdoor TV under new screened porch. I will be switching to ethernet cable to SONOS Amp since wifi is cutting out occassionally thus losing SONOS Amp remote control interface with SONOS App but surprisingly music continues. Ultimately I will have 6 pairs of wired passive outdoor speakers surrounding pool, firepit, and under the porch. Rather than purchasing separate SONOS Amps for each pair of wired speakers. I will connect the speakers through a Niles SSVC-6 6 pair speaker selector with separete on/off and volume control for each pair. Currently I am testing with 2 speaker pairs and sound quality is great. I don't play loud music. I like the volume at about 3/4 full on Niles speaker selector and SONOS at about 80% for listening to 1 speaker pair under 26'x 16' outdoor screened porch. When I added a second pair of speakers through Niles selector I did not detect sound level dropping off of 1st pair.When I add other speakers I will set the volume control on the selector switch at desirable levels for each separate zone. After that I can turn off any zone from the selector switch without changing volume setting for that zone. Thereafter volume will be controlled by the SONOS Amp for all zones simultaneously with tweaking volume for each zone by the NIles selector switch or turning them on and off by the selector switch convenienlty located and protected from the elements under the screened porch in a cabinet.The SONOS Amp works well with multiple music streaming services like Amazon Music and Spotify. The Iphone SONOS app serves as the remote control. Music is streamed over wifi or ethernet directly from router to the SONOS Amp. Music is not streamed from phone so you can take phone calls with sound through phone while music still plays through SONOS Amp.Another reason I purchased the SONOS Amp is so that TV sound would be immediatly played through external speakers through the SONOS Amp when the TV is turned on. This is possible because the SONOS Amp has an HDMI ARC connection to the TVs HDMI ARC port. I can also choose to play music on the SONOS Amp to the external speakers and let the TV play sound through its own speaker.By using the Niles speaker selector switch, I can listen to the TV sound or music in all the speaker zones or choose which ones with the selector switch on/off buttons. However, I can't play the TV through one zone and music through others with the selector switch. I would have to use the TV speakers for the sound on the porch while listenting to music around the pool throught the SONOS Amp.If I wanted to play TV sound through my external porch speakers while playing music through my pool speakers, I would need to purchase a second SONOS Amp connected to the porch external speakers directly without going through the Niles Speaker Selector box. I don't know however, if when I played music through the two SONOS Amps whether there would be sound delay for the sound going to the pool speakers through the Niles Speaker Selector and sound going to the porch speakers directly from the 2nd SONOS Amp. However, at this time I have no desire to do this so connecting one SONOS Amp to the Niles Selector Switch which will be connected to my 6 pair of external speakers surrounding the pool, fire pit and screen porch meets my needs and easy to control.Also by not spending extra money on multiple SONOS Amps I am putting money into high quality outdoor speakers. I just purchased a pair of Paradigm 470 outdoor speakers with 7 1/2 inch woofers for the TV surround sound under my porch. The SONOS Amp provides a very good simulated center channel when playing these two speakers through my Niles Selector Switch.I also have an existing pair of Klipsch 650 rock speakers with excellent sound that replaced a pair of Bose Freespace 51 speakers that were also excellent but didn't survived the cold and rainy weather over many years and lost their base and clarity of sound. l will continue using an old pair of infiniti outrigger speakers over a section of outdoor decking which sound good but don't match the richness and base of the high end Klipsch 650 rock speakers or Paradigm 470. I have not had a chance yet to reroute the wiring to the SONUS Amp to compare the Klipsch 650 rock speakers to the to the Paradigm 470 speakers. I have yet to decide on the speakers for the other zones.The SONUS amp also has a connection for an external subwoofer. I don't think I need it but I will test it with a subwoofer I use indoors to see whether to also purchase an outdoor subwoofer.Update April 2024. Its been a year since I last posted. All 6 pairs of outdoor speakers are connected through the Niles Selector Switch. Sound is great, I set the desired volume for each pair through the NIle Selector Switch to achieve a good balance as I walk through each zone. I generally do not change those volume setting but either change the overall volume through the SONOS Amp or turn pairs on and off with the Niles Selector Switch depending on what area of the yard or porch I want sound.I am still streaming music over my wifi and did not connect it to ethernet as I thought I might need to, The wifi connection has been very good; infrequently I have to restart my router. I also like that I don't have to open my SONOS app on my iphone to start playing my last musical selection or control the SONOS volume. I can do that from the buttons on the face of the SONOS Amp.

This is my second Sonos Amp. The case is designed so that you can stack them. Cool! The sound is phenomenal - easily beats the sound quality of my prior $1,500 Denon receiver using the same speakers. I used my second Amp to power my outdoor deck speakers - perhaps overkill to use an expensive Sonos Amp for such a pedestrian purpose, but the ease of use is also a big factor - I love being able to group the the speakers, so same music is playing as you walk in and out of the house - plus you can also group the Beam sound bar in the bedroom for a whole house music experience. The iPhone app is really easy to use once you get used to it (the learning curve is brief.) All of my Songs equipment was easy to set up using WiFi (using a lot less wiring than traditional audio equipment.) Works with Alexa, although I am too cheap to pay for the ugrade my Amazon music service and therefore Alexa commands to Amazon Music service are limited as a result - for instance, if you ask Alexa to play music by an artist, she'll play one song and stop. But you can also ask Alexa to play from your own music library, which is pretty cool - I have 20k songs on a network attached storage device. Or, you can simply use the Sonos app on your phone or iPad to select anything from your own library to your choice of streaming services. I got this Amp on sale for Christmas 2019 - now I wish I had bought another one at that price. Would have been fun to set up surround sound speakers in my living room. (Yes, the Amp can do that trick too - a very versatile beast.)

I have to start this review by admitting that I am a Sonos fan-boy and have been using versions of Sonos equipment for multi-room music since 2009. When I first got word that Sonos was introducing the Amp I struggled to understand what they were trying to accomplish but now that I have bought one my eyes have been opened.I initially replaced a receiver I had configured for 3.1 operation for our family room entertainment system. I used the same speakers and sub that were in place (sans the center channel) and I could not be happier with the result. It took very little tweaking to balance my satellite speakers with the sub and maximize the phantom center channel effect. It sounds amazing. Do not let the limitation to 2 channels scare you - this thing sounds big and and the phantom center channel effect is spectacular. I am getting a better frontal sound field than ever and am optimally configured for either music, cinema, or TV. Note - we are cord cutters so no video or satellite box. Our only video sources are AppleTV and Smart TV functions. Our only audio input was a Sonos ZP90 but it has been replaced by the Amp's integration with the Sonos system.Positives:1. Amazing sound quality - of this I cannot say enough.2. Ease of set up. If you are a Sonos user this will be as easy as you are accustomed to with other Sonos products. If you are new to Sonos, there is a little learning curve for the concepts but it will make sense quickly.3. Simple operation. This is one of the best characteristics of the unit. I asked myself initially why it did not have HDMI inputs to manage/switch video sources - but Sonos engineers were thinking of a much more unique and simplified user experience. The Amp let's your TV manage video sources (including the SMart TV as a source) while using the ARC Audio Return Channel) channel for both audio and remote applications (when needed). Your TV can actually control the volume on the unit via ARC meaning you can use your TV remote for everything if you desire. If you require a more sophisticated remote system (i.e. IR repeater, etc.) you can configure the Amp to accept IR signals as well. When it comes time to use the unit as a music device, simply pull out your cell phone or tablet and manage your music just as you would any Sonos device or zone. An added bonus is that you can sync your TV audio to play on as many zones as are in your Sonos system - great for hearing Sports TV audio during games when you are walking around the house or in the pool.4. Flexibility. Now you are no longer tied to changing HDMI standards for video causing you to continuously upgrade receivers in support. Amp even has support for legacy analog audio sources if needed. In music mode you can play audio from your phone via the Sonos app as well. Finally, the systems updates itself - you have to keep your eyes out for new functionality, etc.Negatives:1. I would like to see a 4 channel version of this unit - but I get it - this is a building block that makes every system scalable by adding additional components where needed you can easily go 4 channels by just buying and syncing another Amp or other Sonos speakers.My second Amp will be arriving shortly to replace my home theater rig in our upstairs entertainment area. I am looking forward to the reduction in equipment, wires, and unneeded complexity for that system.