Sonos connect users do you use a DAC and if so which?

[Biggarthomas]

Well, I just, this weekend, made the DAC leap. I've hooked up an Audiolab M-DAC with very good results. Before hooking up the M-DAC I was daily comparing the Sonos output with the output from my Music Hall CD player. Without eception, the CD player licked Sonos and that was when playing the same music ripped from the same CD to my serving hard drive. The M-DAC has given a subtle added depth to the music, improved soundstage and brought the quality of the music closer to that from my CD. The M-DAC has a number of filter that can be used to further fine tune sound. I must confess that the changes made by the filters are far too subtle for me to grasp. I still have a couple of operational questions but after a whole sundry listening to a pile of favourites, I can say that I an very pleased with this DAC. This week, I'm upgrading my speakers from the Axiom M80s to the Axiom M100s. I see what hat results in DAC in and DAC out.

 

[Biggarthomas]

Just an update to my previous post. I'm a bit of a heretic when it comes to all of this audio stuff. I had a guy come over from one of the high end audio stores. I asked him to listen to my system and give me tips. He thought that my room presented sound problems. Frankly, I agreed with him. I've got woollen wall hangings on one wall and a door on the other. The speakers sit adjacent to these obstacles. The store rep, of course wanted to sell me a honking big Pioneer receiver complete with room correction. It would have had to replace the Quad system that I have spent $$$ and years putting together. So I went online and earned abut the DSPeaker Anti-Mode. I bought one and added it to my existing system - yes, I daisy chained it to the Audiolab M-DAC using the MDACs digital out to the DSPeaker's digital in. I know that I have violated audiophile rule number one in not keeping the path from source to speakers as short as possible but, I gotta tell you, the sound is simply amazing! The DSPeaker has pulled together my bass in a way that I could not have contemplated and the MDAC is feeding the DSpeaker with jitter free corrected digital signals from the Sonos digital out. Because the DSpeaker is limited in terms of outputs and does not have a headphone amp, I'm well served by the MDACs richness of connectivity. All in all, the sound coming out of my Axiom M100s is lush, accurate, clear and has a real sense of being there. None of this would be possible with just the Sonos output - none of it. Sometimes you gotta break the rules.

Stereo System

Sonos ZP90

Music Hall mmf CD-25

Audiolab MDAC

DSPeaker Anti-Mode

Quad 99 pre

Quad 909 x 2 power amps

Axiom M100 speakers

CJ Walker turntable Linn Basik arm

Magnum Dynalab Analogue tuner

 

[mitch65]

Just an update to my previous post. I'm a bit of a heretic when it comes to all of this audio stuff. I had a guy come over from one of the high end audio stores. I asked him to listen to my system and give me tips. He thought that my room presented sound problems. Frankly, I agreed with him. I've got woollen wall hangings on one wall and a door on the other. The speakers sit adjacent to these obstacles. The store rep, of course wanted to sell me a honking big Pioneer receiver complete with room correction. It would have had to replace the Quad system that I have spent $$$ and years putting together. So I went online and earned abut the DSPeaker Anti-Mode. I bought one and added it to my existing system - yes, I daisy chained it to the Audiolab M-DAC using the MDACs digital out to the DSPeaker's digital in. I know that I have violated audiophile rule number one in not keeping the path from source to speakers as short as possible but, I gotta tell you, the sound is simply amazing! The DSPeaker has pulled together my bass in a way that I could not have contemplated and the MDAC is feeding the DSpeaker with jitter free corrected digital signals from the Sonos digital out. Because the DSpeaker is limited in terms of outputs and does not have a headphone amp, I'm well served by the MDACs richness of connectivity. All in all, the sound coming out of my Axiom M100s is lush, accurate, clear and has a real sense of being there. None of this would be possible with just the Sonos output - none of it. Sometimes you gotta break the rules.

Stereo System

Sonos ZP90

Music Hall mmf CD-25

Audiolab MDAC

DSPeaker Anti-Mode

Quad 99 pre

Quad 909 x 2 power amps

Axiom M100 speakers

CJ Walker turntable Linn Basik arm

Magnum Dynalab Analogue tuner

If it works, it works! :beer:

 

[unity]

I’m using SONOS Connect (former ZP 90) about 5 years and recently I tried various DACs with it - Musical Fidelty M1 DAC, Meridian Director, Arcam rDAC and the new NAD D 1050. The improvement was with all these DACs clearly listenable. Most I liked the NAD and it stayed in my system. It’s sound remains me at most my main signal source - Oracle Paris turntable with Ortofon Kontrapunkt A pick-up and Electrocompaniet ECP-1 phono preamp. The rest of my chain is Electrocompaniet ECI 5 Mk II and Sonus Faber Minima Amator speakers. Wired with XLO Reference signal an speaker cables.
The Sonos is probably not the best sounding digital signal source, but it is extremely practical, versatile (I’m using it for listening of internet radio stations, Rhapsody od Deezer too) and almost invisible gear. The sound with good ripped FLACs and apropriate DAC is for me much more than acceptable.

 

[bradbort]

I have a sonos connect attached to a rega brio r, My speakers are PSB T2's. I also use an oppo 105 as a source. I do not use the Sonos for lossless, just ripped tunes from iTunes and internet radio. If I really care about higher fidelity, I use the oppo for CD's.

I've tried several different DAC configurations, including the sonolink, the built in dac in the oppo 105, and the Rega DAC. Given what I am playing through the Sonos, I'd say the differences I've heard with various DAC's is at best subtle. This maybe because I'm not using it lossless streaming, or that I have not tried an upsampling DAC.

In general, I'd say the quality from the Sonos direct into the Rega is really nice. I'm not sure I'll keep trying other external DAC's unless someone gives me definitive advice that X DAC really works well, and is worth the investment.

 

[bradbort]

I use a Meridian Director. It seems to improve everything I feed to it via the connect, which is mostly lower res 128k-384k files.

I tried a sonlink. There was little to no audio improvement for me with the same types of feeds.

Brad

 

[bradbort]

I use a Meridian Director. It seems to improve everything I feed to it via the connect, which is mostly lower res 128k-384k files.

I tried a sonlink. There was little to no audio improvement for me with the same types of feeds.

Brad

 

[bradbort]

Found the Merdian Director. Now I'm happy

 

[PEAYEL]

Yes and no. But there are reasons. I use the DAC of my Cyrus 8DAC in my lounge, simply because it sounds way better. Although I am not sure if the optical or coax is better, so I switch whenever a tune sounds "wrong" as it were. In my office, where the bridge, server, connect interact, I have just used the analogue out in my Linn Classik as I think the Linn does a great job of making things musically enjoyable. It also a generally more low volume room where I focus on other things so absolute detail etc is not an issue.

 

[Philim]

I use a sonos in a naim 282 system and nait xs. I was up until 3 months ago using a dac v1. At the time i neede to release some money out of the system and played around with removing components to the least effect. I ended up selling the dac v1 as the improvement in sound from having a £1200 dac were negligible at best or non existent if being honest.....