I've upgraded a Connect to a Port just to take advantage of the trade in deal and looking ahead to future Sonos support for "high res" audio. Wait, so the sound quality issues with the Port aren't primarily down to the DAC or analogue circuitry but with it's ability to handle ones and zeroes in the digital domain? Doesn't this turn all science and audiophile orthodoxy on its head? I shouldn't surprised I suppose, this from the magazine that can "see" differences in HDMI cables. We wish the Port had been better, but if you’re determined to replace your outgoing Sonos Connect (although it's important to note that you don't absolutely have to do so), you’re going to have to save a bit more or make do with average-at-best audio quality. Otherwise, if it’s a multi-room streamer you’re after, and it doesn’t necessarily need to be Sonos, then components such as the Bluesound Node 2i are streaks ahead of the Port in terms of sound quality. While it isn’t perfect, it is more accomplished, whether or not you ever make use of its added features. If you are set on incorporating your hi-fi system in a Sonos multi-room set-up, we’d recommend spending a little more on the four-star Sonos Amp. As a £1600 streamer, this pairing would still receive only three stars. We try it with the Award-winning Chord Qutest (£1195), which predictably improves the performance but not to a miraculous extent. Using an external DAC is helpful, so if you have a decent one built into your amplifier, we’d suggest using the Port’s digital output – though we’d hesitate to suggest adding to the already significant cost by incorporating an outboard DAC. It’s those latter talents that are most important, and the fact Sonos is asking its customers to spend more on a worse performing product is a real disappointment. The Port is cleaner and more detailed than its predecessor, but the Connect manages to tie music together and deliver it in a much more cohesive and engaging fashion. This is all the more frustrating because it represents a step back. Dynamic expression is poor and punch is so lacking you almost expect its corner to throw in the towel. That would be enough on its own, but perhaps worse is how uninterested the Port appears to be in whether you enjoy your music or not. If your streamer cannot keep in time a constant 4/4 kick, control will rapidly slip from its grasp the more parts get planted on top. Nobody seems to know where their part comes in and how loud it should be, a combination of missed steps conspiring to confuse even the most seemingly straightforward arrangements. Unfortunately, however, the Port’s presentation is about as disorganised as a teenager’s bedroom.
#ULTIMATE DOMAIN PORTING KIT FULL#
There is no effort made to falsify bass levels, or roll off treble to appease rougher partnering speakers or electronics, and the midrange is full enough to provide a smooth and easy listen. The levels of detail are not Vermeer-esque, perhaps, but there is enough insight to divulge when we are listening to CD-quality files as opposed to a Spotify stream.īalance is good, too, which is why you can leave that EQ well alone. There are a few positives to speak of – it is a fairly clean and lean presentation, for example, which you might not necessarily expect from a module such as this, at this price.
Out of the box is actually the best the Sonos Port can be. You can also fiddle with bass and treble here, as well as using Sonos’s Loudness feature but, assuming you have a well-balanced hi-fi system, we’d recommend ignoring those.
As far as streaming apps go, this is pretty ideal, but Tidal and Spotify users also have the option to send music directly from those apps. By drawing from multiple sources, you can create a queue without having to navigate a number of apps. You can link in all of your favourite streaming services and music held on remote devices. That costs about half the price again but, as the name suggests, it’s an amplified, just-add-speakers unit.Īpple users will be able to make use of AirPlay 2, but almost all other streaming is done from inside the Sonos app, which is the best of its kind.
#ULTIMATE DOMAIN PORTING KIT TV#
It’s worth noting that Sonos hasn’t made the Port with television in mind, so if you want to connect your TV without lag between picture and audio then you’re better off with the HDMI-toting Sonos Amp.
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