Sonos AMP - $699.00: This piece has become our go-to when powering areas of audio, especially when these areas are separated from where all of the audio/video equipment is housed. In the past, you would need to walk to where all of the equipment was located, pick your music, push a few more buttons to make speakers in other areas play and then walk back to the area you wanted to listen in. Now, you can be in any room with speakers, touch a few buttons on your phone and you’re rocking! This is great for outdoor audio and outdoor speakers or large homes where the equipment is located in a room/closet that is far away.
The included 125 watt X 2 channel amplifier is powerful enough to drive most speakers on the market. In fact, this will make most existing audio systems sound MUCH better than they currently do. This is because many existing whole-house audio set-ups are using amplifiers that deliver 5-30 watts/channel to the speakers. This increase in power from using the Sonos AMP will in most cases, give you better bass, clearer highs and more-defined sound. NOTE: If you already have amplifiers or a surround sound receiver, you can use the Sonos PORT streaming device to provide these streaming services without the power that the AMP provides. The Sonos AMP also includes the Sonos “brain” which gives you access to almost every app known to Man such as Spotify, Pandora, iHeart, Apple Music, etc. You can use Sonos AMPs to power different areas of the house or landscape. If you opt to do this, each area can either have its own source (ex: one room could have “The Smiths” on Spotify while another room has “The Beatles” station on Pandora) OR you can touch a button and all of the areas are playing the same thing! This is great for gatherings or parties.
Here's how you would put these into action.
Situation: Client has a 17 year-old audio/video receiver that was feeding sound into a surround sound room along with a hodge-podge of speaker selectors and amplifiers. There are 3 volume controls in the Master Bedroom, Kitchen and Outside that are tied to pairs of speakers in these areas. Client wants to be able to hear sound from today's Internet sources in these three rooms.
Solution: We would remove the hodge-podge and add 3 Sonos AMP units...one for each desired room (Master Bedroom, Kitchen, Outside). We would bypass the on-wall volume controls so the client never needs to get up and walk to the on-wall control to change volume levels. The client now can access music in any of these three areas with the use of their phone or iPad.
This solution allows you to play three separate things at the same time (ex: Iron Maiden from Spotify in the Master Bedroom, Beethoven from Amazon Music in the Kitchen and The Buggles from Pandora Internet Radio on the Outdoor speakers). If you want to same sound everywhere, you just touch a button on your phone and these areas are now playing the same thing...it's genius!
Here's a video about Sonos and why we love it.
NOTE: You will need to ensure that you have a robust WiFi system in place to accommodate today's streaming audio systems. Fortunately, we can help you with these as well! See below:
https://www.airetheaterdesigns.com/blog/item/277-what-is-the-best-wifi-network
https://www.airetheaterdesigns.com/blog/item/225-eero-wifi-san-diego
Need help with Sonos in San Diego or the So Cal area? We have been selling Sonos for 20 years so we know a thing or two. P.S. Wondering if we have the Sonos Amp in stock? As of this second...we DO (most companies including Sonos do not). Let us help you enhance your life with music.