Sonos AirPlay 2-compatible Amp brings wireless audio to existing speakers

Posted:
in iPhone edited August 2018
Sonos on Wednesday announced the Amp, a peripheral bringing the company's signature wireless audio to conventional wired speakers.

Sonos Amp


A successor to the company's existing Connect:Amp, the Amp is a "home audio hub" capable of powering up to four speakers at 125 watts per channel. It has multiple line-in ports, subwoofer support, threaded connections for left and right channels, and built-in HDMI ARC for use with televisions.

The gear otherwise operates much like other Sonos devices, supporting over 100 streaming services -- including Apple Music -- and multi-room audio. AirPlay 2 compatibility is expected at launch, allowing people to push audio from compatible apps on Apple devices, and integrate the Amp into HomeKit and Siri.

Sonos Amp


Owners can also connect it to an Alexa-compatible device such as an Amazon Echo or the Sonos One for more elaborate voice control.

While it does compete against Apple's HomePod, the Amp effectively breathes new life into existing home speaker systems, especially those that do not offer network-connected features like in-home streaming.

Professional installers in the U.S. and Canada will get access to the Amp starting Dec. 1, but the general public will have to wait until Feb. 2019 to buy an Amp for $599.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    nunzynunzy Posts: 662member
    HomePod is a better choice.
  • Reply 2 of 14
    robbyxrobbyx Posts: 479member
    I chose Sonos because of the Connect:Amp. I wish it would get upgraded to support AirPlay2, but that’s not looking so good now. One can hope.

    Amp is the best solution for anyone who cares about sound quality. Choose your speakers. I wonder if the Connect (non-amplified version that connects to existing home hifi systems) will be getting an upgrade too. 
  • Reply 3 of 14
    gutengelgutengel Posts: 363member
    Why is this thing so dam expensive? I get that is has more connectors and knobs, but $600 seems out of this world. I'm really considering getting an Airport Express now...
  • Reply 4 of 14
    FatmanFatman Posts: 513member
    Why you would buy this vs. a receiver that can manage multiple input options and multiple output options including surround sound speaker setups, atmos, etc.?
  • Reply 5 of 14
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member
    gutengel said:
    Why is this thing so dam expensive? I get that is has more connectors and knobs, but $600 seems out of this world. I'm really considering getting an Airport Express now...
    And a 500-watt, 4-channel amplifier. Not considered expensive in the hi-fi world.
  • Reply 6 of 14
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Fatman said:
    Why you would buy this vs. a receiver that can manage multiple input options and multiple output options including surround sound speaker setups, atmos, etc.?
    Why would you buy a more expensive HomePod rather than a pair of really good Edifier 1700's? It's those little features that make one or the other a better match for what ya' use'm for, and I'd say same thing applies here. 
    edited August 2018
  • Reply 7 of 14
    cjcoopscjcoops Posts: 108member
    nunzy said:
    HomePod is a better choice.
    I'm not sure you understand who this product is for.

    Many people have vastly superior sound systems than Apple Homepods who would like to be able to stream to them easily and to multi rooms if they desire.
    Sonos has always been the best choice for this...

    I've been using a Sonos Connect for... not sure, well over a decade. It's the non amplifier version, as I use it via optical to connect to my hi-fi system which has its own amplification - I imagine Sonos will also produce an updated Connect as well as the Connect Amp detailed above.
    nunzy
  • Reply 8 of 14
    gutengel said:
    Why is this thing so dam expensive? I get that is has more connectors and knobs, but $600 seems out of this world. I'm really considering getting an Airport Express now...
    I bought the original Sonos Amp to power my patio Speakers, and I have the Sonos connect attached to my Denon receiver, which allows Sonos to play one stream of music over 3 separate zones (rooms) inside my home, or group both devices again. 
  • Reply 9 of 14
    k2kwk2kw Posts: 2,075member
    gutengel said:
    Why is this thing so dam expensive? I get that is has more connectors and knobs, but $600 seems out of this world. I'm really considering getting an Airport Express now...
    Sonos took a line out of Apple's playbook and raised the price $100.
  • Reply 10 of 14
    thrangthrang Posts: 1,007member
    mike1 said:
    gutengel said:
    Why is this thing so dam expensive? I get that is has more connectors and knobs, but $600 seems out of this world. I'm really considering getting an Airport Express now...
    And a 500-watt, 4-channel amplifier. Not considered expensive in the hi-fi world.
    It's not 4-channel, it's a two-channel stereo amp. The amp is likely stable to 4 or 2 ohms, so you can piggyback a second set of speakers on the same terminals, but they'll play the same thing at the same volume
  • Reply 11 of 14
    polymniapolymnia Posts: 1,080member
    Sonos keeps on playing nice with Apple, and custom audio installers. I think they may not be as doomed as people around here say. 

    Kinda like Apple itself in 2001. 
  • Reply 12 of 14
    larryalarrya Posts: 606member
    Airplay 2 doesn’t bring that much to the party if you already have a Connect:Amp. You already could stream directly from your phone to it, or a grouped set of Sonos devices, but you had to use the Sonos app (which also lets you stream from your library or streaming services independently from your iDevice, which makes the added inconvenience worth it to me).
  • Reply 13 of 14
    xbitxbit Posts: 390member
    polymnia said:
    Sonos keeps on playing nice with Apple, and custom audio installers. I think they may not be as doomed as people around here say. 
    Agreed. I was worried that Sonos would drop their amp range completely but it's fantastic news to see a new product in this category.

    I've got three Connect:Amps hidden away powering ceiling speakers around the house. I'm certain that Apple will never release a product that could replace this setup so it's wonderful to see the next-best company still catering to my needs.
  • Reply 14 of 14
    customtbcustomtb Posts: 346member
    Just spent the day looking into how to AirPlay2 my patio/yard speakers. This would work great, but it's way overkill and too expensive for what I need especially trying to keep the patio and yard as two separate channels.  Hoping someone comes out with a value amplifier with AirPlay2 builtin. Until then I'll probably just go with APX-Amp. Now to decide on 1APX to a single 4 channel Amp or 2APX to two 2 channel Amps.



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