The other difference is that the Amp supports HDMI-ARC, meaning it can replace your AV receiver and turn your passive loudspeakers into TV speakers. So while the Port is designed to be connected to a stereo receiver, which then allows you to play music on your passive loudspeakers, the Amp takes the place of the receiver - cutting out the middleman - and is able to drive the passive loudspeakers on its own. The Amp is essentially a Port with a built-in amplifier. It can also connect to a turntable with a built-in phono preamp (or a turntable with an external phono preamp) so you can listen to vinyl on your Sonos speakers. The big difference between the two is that the Port doesn’t have a built-in amp, so it’s only going to work directly with audio components and active speakers that have built-in amplification (such as powered or active speakers). There's the Port and the significantly more expensive Amp ($649). Sonos currently sells two different wireless streamers that effectively allows you to turn an old audio component into one that works exactly like a Sonos speaker.
However, the Port does have a fancy new digital-to-analog converter (DAC), compared to the Connect, and supports Wi-Fi streaming like Spotify Connect and AirPlay 2 so it’s going to stream higher-resolution and all-around better sounding audio than Bluetooth. It’s true that most newer audio components have built-in Bluetooth, so simply adding “streaming” to your stereo receiver on its own isn’t actually a big feature of the Port. (My three-year-old Yamaha receiver didn’t support it, so I still have to use the receiver’s remote to switch inputs, unfortunately.) There’s a catch, however, and it’s only newer stereos and receivers that have a 12-volt trigger input. It essentially eliminates the need for you to manually turn on the receiver or stereo, or switch to the proper inputs, because everything just turns on when you start streaming via the Sonos app to stream music.
Audio tuner hook up to receiver upgrade#
Maybe the most interesting upgrade is the Port’s 12-volt trigger, which gives it (and you) a little more control of the connected receiver or amp. The Port also has an RCA audio in port for connecting audio sources, like a turntable (with a built-in preamp) or CD player this then allows you to play music from those sources on your existing Sonos speakers. It has RCA and digital coaxial audio outputs for connecting a stereo or an AV receiver, and thus allows you to control and play music on that system via the Sonos app, just as if it were a Sonos speaker. Like the Connect, the Port is a wireless streamer with a built-in DAC.
Audio tuner hook up to receiver portable#
Sonos's Three Portable Speakers, Compared