Summary
Long the go-to brand for audiophile sound, Sonos replaced their best-selling Connect with the next-generation Port, unveiling the latter in September 2019. Both products are tuner-like components that seamlessly integrate streaming music services into whole-home music systems.
However, as detailed below, Sonos Port offers many features that Connect lacks. If you have a Connect, make the upgrade to Port.
Note that Sonos Connect is available as either Gen 1 and Gen 2. Note that Sonos products require the Sonos app/operating system for use.
Be aware that Connect Gen 1 can only use the Sonos S1 controller app (which doesn't support CD-quality sound) while Connect Gen 2 and Port can avail either the S1 or S2 controller app.
Sound Quality
Have you ever noticed that there often tends to be quite the opposite opinions about a speaker?
I can understand this for more "personal taste" kinda products like clothing, for example.
But for engineering products like speakers? Personal tastes and preferences probably still play a role. But shouldn't it be less?
Why is it that we can't set a universal metric for sound quality?
First time I asked this question to myself has been a pivotal day.
Because it turns out that in the mid 90's, Electrical Engineer PhD Floyd Toole came up with a method called Spinorama. This is exactly what he accomplished with this. Turns out that his book Sound Reproduction is like the bible of audiophiles.
Put it simply, Spinorama is a set of measurements that gives a comprehensive overview of a speaker's performance from various angles.
It allows you to compare the performances of different speakers before even laying your ears hands on them.
Isn't that amazing?
This is why Spinorama was apparently groundbreaking news for audio industry. Hence in the mid-late 2010's, most brands and magazines began publishing Spinorama measurements, despite the challenges of making such measurements.
Fortunately, now we have the Spinorama data for a bunch of quite popular speakers. Pierre Aubert put all this untidy data together and put it into https://www.spinorama.org/. This is a stunning source. Pretty valuable stuff from him right there.
All good up to this point.
Now there comes a caveat.
Since the sound speakers propagate are in the form of omnidirectional waves, all measurements are obtained in anechoic or semi-anechoic chambers (a super-quiet room where soundwaves don't bounce back, here's how different that room sounds [a mind blowing time-adjusted video]).
This is a problem because it means that Spinorama alone, unfortunately, won't give us all we need. Placement and reflections play an equally important role there too.
This is why most A-class brands (like SVS, Bang & Olufsen, etc) often come up with room correction features, adjusted either manually or automatically. The EQ adapts itself to the placement (room, corner, center, etc) for a better (deeper and more accurate) sound. Which is great.
Additionally they often emphasize the importance of placement, here is an example: https://www.svsound.com/blogs/subwoofer-setup-and-tuning/75365187-the-art-of-subwoofer-placement
Anyways...
The source code under Pierre Aubert's work is licensed under GPL (General public license). He didn't perform any of the measurements himself, and instead he compiled all of them into one place, so that makes sense.
At this point, I thought that if there was a tool that combined both the Spinorama with the room acoustics data, it'd be extremely useful.
Unfortunately, it turns out that there wasn't any.
This is where I stepped in and partnered with an Acoustics and Audio Engineering PhD in order to achieve this.
We combined Spinorama data with room acoustics and came up with Soundton. A very simple, 2D online tool that allows you to:
- Reveal optimal speaker positions in a room,
- Test with real speakers from real brands,
- Compare different speakers and different positions in the room.
It can be very valuable for the vast majority.
The colormap provides you the locations with the best (green) and worst (red) listening experience.
It works the best with subwoofers since Soundton processes low frequency response waves only.
- Soundton is going to be, say, 80% accurate. Not 100%.
- Because, other parameters such as the age/materials of the building, furniture/windows in place also have an impact on room acoustics.
- If you want absolutely the most detailed room analysis, then what you need is an acoustics consultant. Mind you that's going to require deep pockets and patience though... assuming you find the right person and they get the job done.
Anyways...
If you're streaming music using lossy formats like MP3, AAC or WMA, sound quality isn't a concern with either Sonos Connect or Port. But if you're into hi-res audio (HRA), both Connect and Port will disappoint as neither supports 24-bit music files. Sonos-supported bit depth is but 16-bit but by upgrading to the Sonos S2 app, you can enjoy CD-audio quality.
Regarding Sonos Connect's sonic qualities, CNET reported that the network music player is "a little lean in the bass" while 7Review found that "the presentation" of Connect is "fundamentally neutral, but (has a) very slight tonal darkness to the upper registers that ensures that the Connect is extremely hard to provoke into harshness or aggression."
7Review adds, "The Connect displays an impressive sense of control and spaciousness to the music while doing a very good job of maintaining a believable feeling of scale and power... This ability is underpinned by extremely good bass."
As for Sonos Port, TechHive opined that "Port sounds inferior to the Connect" with its "sound field... flattened and compressed." To remedy this, Sonos recommends tweaking Port's sound quality by going to the Sonos controller app and change the line-out setting from the factory-default "Variable" to "Fixed." However, the Sonos app then cannot control volume levels—inconvenient, to be sure.
One can bypass an outboard digital-to-audio converter (DAC)—i.e., the Sonos Amp—in favor of Port's analog audio outputs. By doing so, the Sonos controller app's variable output setting is not an issue. However, both Connect and Port can serve as DACs. If you're listening to lossy file formats, why bother with an outboard DAC?
On the other hand, richersounds.com says Sonos Port's "expansive" sound is "certainly a step up from" Connect, at least when listening to compressed audio files from a streaming Internet radio station. So, it seems, YMMV. Note that the sound quality of both Connect and Port spec out at THD+N (Total Harmonic Distortion plus Noise)<0.009%, 20 hz-20 khz.
0.009%,>We think Sonos Port sounds better than Connect since Port has a 10 dB improvement in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) compared to Connect, giving the Port a richer sound with better clarity in the midrange and upper midrange tones. This is but one of the many improvements of Port over Connect. We discuss Port's other upgrades below.
Here is how you set up your Sonos Connect.
Loudness & Power
Since both Sonos Connect and Port are tuner-like components, they don't power or drive—as an amplifier (like Sonos Amp) does—speakers. Hence, you must use amplified components with these players.
Regarding external power, both require auto-switchable 100 - 240 VAC at 50/60 Hz adapters. Both also need one rechargeable lithium-ion polymer (LiPo) battery for use (built-in/factory installed) and are easily replaceable.
Features
Features of both Sonos Connect and Port include:
- Dual Ethernet ports (10/100 Mbps) for network connectivity (along with WiFi)
- Audio Input—RCA (R/L) In (from a CD player, LP turntable or Internet radio)
- Audio Output—RCA (R/L) Out, Digital coax to amplifier or receiver
Note that Sonos Port lacks the TOSLINK optical audio output connection that Connect has, which is okay by us since we prefer coax anyway. Another difference: Port has a 12V "trigger" output while Connect does not. A trigger in an audio component is an on/off switch. With a trigger, Port integrates more efficiently into whole-home music systems. It lowers power consumption by automatically switching off the amplifier connected to Port.
Both Sonos Connect and Port are compatible with virtually any music streaming service such as Pandora, Spotify, Amazon Prime Music, Apple Music, etc. If you subscribe to Apple AirPlay 2, Port supports it (as does the S2 controller app) while Connect does not.
Another nifty setting Sonos Port has that Connect doesn't is an Alarms feature. Not only can you set a clock alarm to sound through your speakers, but you can also use the Alarms feature to play specific playlists at preset times during the day. You can run your playlists for as long as you want and play songs in random order, too.
Sonos Port also natively interfaces with virtual assistants such as like Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit using voice control; Connect does not. Just add a device like Amazon Dot or Google Home Mini. Port also has a faster and more powerful microprocessor than Connect, "future-proofing" the player for subsequent firmware updates.
Looks
Sonos Connect comes in light grey; Port in matte black. While both have similar width and depth dimensions, Port is half as tall as Connect. Specifically, Connect measures 2.9 in x 5.35 in x 5.5 in (74 mm x 136 mm x 140 mm) and weighs 1.5 lbs (.69 kg). Port tallies 1.6 in x 5.4 in x 5.4 in. (41 mm x 138 mm x 138 mm) and 1 lb (.47 kg).
The Verdict
We think Sonos Port sounds better than Connect; others disagree. While the price between the two isn't much, consider Port's extra cost as insurance for "future-proofing." Both are a handy addition to your home sound system if you like streaming music across the various rooms of your dwelling. Too, we like both to integrate inputs from turntables and CD players into our network.
If you don't need the extra features Sonos Port offers, we recommend listening to both before deciding between the two.
You can watch a video review here: