Sonos Pro Upgrade (ZP80 90 Connect)

Hi Brent

just to let you know how the upgrades sound. The most noticeable benefit is the separation and soundstage. The separation of the instruments is amazing, I can hear every single instrument so clearly on old music as well as new digitally mixed releases. The soundstage is broad and deep which must also help with the separation.

I do have another Sonos ZP80 so I can do comparisons which I think show the Sonos upgrade and power supply to be the biggest improvement but closely followed by the RDac upgrade and power supply. I am really pleased with the results,I’m sure some people would think it not worth the amount of money but if you are serious about listening to music you would have to have the upgrades.

regards David

Have left my system running for the past few days with the new connect plus psu connected, still trying to run in a new headphone amp, so last night was my first chance to sit down and have a proper listen.

WOW – the difference over the stock Connect that I also have is huge. The biggest difference is the arrival and decay of notes, miles more attack and longer decay against a much “blacker” background – listened to a FLAC copy of Dire Straits “Private Investigations” and the air and space around a couple of the guitar solo bits was incredible – genuinely gobsmacked!

Nick

Got my Connect back with upgrade. Been running it in now for a few days. Amazing! I’ve got a NAS hi-res music library that’s nearly 1Tb and I am now revisiting old favourites with a renewed sense of listening to ‘proper music’. And Sonos’s Blue 101 jazz radio stream is like being in the studio with Chet Baker et al!

Everything’s leagues better but the most immediately apparent difference is the clarity and separation of instruments across the spectrum – it all just sounds so right. Nearly as good as my vinyl front-end…

I had a colleague (a Sonos/streaming sceptic) – and a vinyl and analogue nut like me – over for a listening session and all he could keep saying was: ‘this sounds like real quality audiophile hi-fi’. ‘Nuff said. I think you may be getting a new customer soon…

For reference: Digital system is Cyrus DAC X Signature with PSX-R and a CDt, Croft Meganaut valve preamp and Cyrus power amps (4 x X Powers in mono mode, each with PSX-Rs) driving PMC Fact 3s in bi-amp config via Chord Reference Signature cables. There’s a also an analogue front end with AVID/SME/Sumiko?Croft Phono stage and an Audiolab DAB/FM Tuner. All sources (including yours) are fed by a PS Audio Power Plant Premier mains regenerator – the biggest single upgrade in terms of overall system performance I ever made…

Regards Chris