Sonos today announced the launch of the Sonos Amp, a new audio hub that's designed to replace the existing Connect:Amp. The Sonos Amp is able to connect to traditional home audio speakers and integrate them into a Sonos home sound system.

According to Sonos, its new Sonos Amp is twice as powerful as the Connect:Amp with the ability to power four speakers with 125 watts per channel, up from two. It supports AirPlay 2 and more than 100 streaming services, in addition to including an HDMI Arc port to connect to TVs and line-in ports to connect devices like turntables, CD changers and other audio components.


Two Amps can be paired together for surround sound, and using the aforementioned HDMI Arc port, it can be used to add stereo sound to a TV or wireless rears to a home-theater setup.

sonosamp1
Sonos is pricing the Amp at $599, $100 more than the previous Connect:Amp product. It will be available to professional installers in the U.S. and Canada starting in December, with global availability coming in February 2019.

sonosamp2
The Amp is part of a new three-prong approach to better integrating Sonos into smart homes, which also includes speakers created in partnership with Sonance and new platform APIs.

Sonos is partnering with Sonance for three new architectural speakers, including in-wall, in-ceiling, and outdoor, which will be able to be paired with the new Sonos Amp. The three new speakers will be marketed and sold by Sonos and will launch in early 2019.

Starting in September, Sonos plans to open up its developer platform to all potential partners, and it will introduce a new set of Control APIs that will make it easier to integrate Sonos products into smart homes run by systems like Control4 or Crestron.

The new Control APIs will include support for line-in switching to allow line-in components to be selected within a third-party control interface, volume pass-through for easier volume control, the ability to add Sonos playlists using a third-party interface, and as a preview option, capabilities to provide notifications and alerts from third-party devices like doorbells through Sonos speakers.

Tag: Sonos

Top Rated Comments

wbrat Avatar
69 months ago
I would be happier if they brought back lock screen controls for iOS...
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
page3 Avatar
69 months ago
Hopefully this means a non-amp version will also be along soon to replace the Connect. :)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nathanjbrown Avatar
69 months ago
I don’t want to be an audio snob but a terrible amp attached to a not very good av device you’ll only end up using airplay for seems pretty pointless. I’m sure there are plenty that will love it but I feel like the future is turning out to be what crap can we peddle to people who don’t know better. An era of kick starter abominations funded by the general public being promised things that are impossible or straight up fraudulent.

Anyone who has a hifi surely has the ability for airplay or Bluetooth by now surely?
Your comment is apropos considering Apple is one of the early pioneers of crap peddling. And that's not a complaint or a dig on Apple. They recognized an opportunity to deliver "good enough" to people who may not know any better...or don't care. What's more, there have been numerous blind tests to suggest that most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference if you upgraded their audio anyhow. So...no harm no foul?

I am an audio snob, but I don't mind the convenience that this crap brings to my day to day. I've got a high-end stereo system with both turntable and "audiophile" DAC connected...and I've got Sonos in every room. Guess which one I use more often? I'd love to see an updated Sonos CONNECT (sans amplifier), preferably with digital out.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
69Mustang Avatar
69 months ago
Hopefully this means a non-amp version will also be along soon to replace the Connect. :)
They only show the Connect, Connect:Amp, and the Amp (coming soon). One would think if they were updating the Connect, they would have made the announcement of update when they announced the Amp. You may be out of luck.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DotCom2 Avatar
69 months ago
Sorry, I am just a NOOB at this stuff. What exactly is this for?
I have two Sonos Play One's paired as Stereo. That is all.
Does this Amp thing mean anything to me?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
riverfreak Avatar
69 months ago
Sorry, I am just a NOOB at this stuff. What exactly is this for?
I have two Sonos Play One's paired as Stereo. That is all.
Does this Amp thing mean anything to me?
No, unless you have a pair of stereo speakers laying around. It lets you use them as another Sonos zone.

I have a closet full of Connect:Amps (13 zones) driving whole home audio in a centrally located, temperature controlled media closet. In five years, I’ve had about a 50% failure rate. Sonos has been pretty decent at replacing them but the failure rate is pretty bad.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iOS 17

28 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in December's iOS 17.2 Update

Friday December 1, 2023 2:57 am PST by
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers in October. Since then we've seen three more betas, and with each iteration Apple continues to add more new features and changes, many of which users have been anticipating for quite a while. Below, we've listed 28 new things that are coming to your iPhone when the finalized version is publicly released this December. 1. Help...
anker new xmas

Anker's Cyber Week Sale Enters Final Days With Up to 60% Off Sitewide

Friday December 1, 2023 12:05 pm PST by
Anker's Black Friday/Cyber Week event is entering its final days this weekend, and it's still offering up to 60 percent off sitewide. There are also a few "mystery boxes" that can include hundreds of dollars in savings, if you're willing to risk not knowing what you're buying ahead of time. All of these sales will end on December 3. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.1.2 With Security Fixes

Thursday November 30, 2023 10:12 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2, small updates to the iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 operating systems that Apple introduced in September. iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2 come a few weeks after the release of iOS 17.1.1, another bug fix update. iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update....
iPhone 16 Mock Header Updated 1

iPhone 16 to Include Action Button Across Entire Lineup

Thursday November 30, 2023 4:08 pm PST by
The release of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max saw the introduction of an entirely new user-configurable button known as the Action button, and now, MacRumors has seen extensive evidence confirming Apple is planning to include the Action button on the entire iPhone 16 range. Designs and plans for the Action button date back to at least 2021, as the button was intended for release alongside hapt...
top stories 2dec2023

Top Stories: iOS 17.1.2 Released, NameDrop Misinformation, and More

Saturday December 2, 2023 6:00 am PST by
Apple employees are back to work following a Thanksgiving break, and that means this week saw a number of new operating system updates for both public release and beta testing. This week also saw some misinformation about Apple's new NameDrop feature making the rounds, while Apple and Goldman Sachs appear to be on the verge of a break-up in their Apple Card and savings account partnership,...
General Apps Messages

Green Bubbles on iPhone to Gain These 7 New Features Next Year

Thursday November 30, 2023 9:00 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple announced that it will finally support RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone starting later next year. This change will result in several improvements to the messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices. RCS will become the new default standard for messaging between iPhones and Android devices, but these conversations will still have green bubbles like...
paramount plus logo

Apple and Paramount Considering Discounted TV+ Streaming Bundle

Friday December 1, 2023 4:40 am PST by
Apple and Paramount have discussed bundling their TV streaming services at a discount, according to a new report by The Wall Street Journal. The companies have talked about offering a combination of Paramount+ and Apple TV+ that would cost less than subscribing to both services separately, according to people familiar with the discussions. The discussions are in their early stages, and it is ...