I currently have a Nait XS3, a FlatCap XS, and a Sonos Port for streaming. I also have other Sonos gear throughout the rest of my house, so ideally I’d like to keep the port for convenience.
However, like many of us, I seem to have caught the dreaded upgrade bug and am wondering whether there are any worthwhile upgrades that would help me get the best out of the Port and my current setup.
For example, I’ve been looking at adding a separate DAC, perhaps a DAC-V1 which won’t break the bank, or a nDAC? I’m just not sure whether it would make much of a difference!? I’m also mindful that the Port will always be the weakest link regardless of any upgrades.
I guess you can go with upgrading the DAC and/or streamer depending upon budget.
On the DAC side, I had a Chord Qutest (before recent upgrade) which improved the sound quality of my system. This has/still has the Innuos Zenith mk3 as a streamer/server.
I also have Sonos port linked to the Innuos which allows for connection to various Sonos amps throughout the house.
Best getting to a dealer and listen to potential upgrades to the DAC and/or streamer to decide which is best for you.
I’m a longtime Sonos user - back to the original days of 2008 but I’ve tapered down over time; a Port into a DAC should be fine if you’re getting bit perfect outputs from the digital coax. That’s a key point to research as earlier generations of Sonos gear had some measure of DSP built in that users couldn’t get around. The old Connect was good, but that forces you backwards into the S1 app.
If that’s the case, a Bluesound Node is a much better option.
My Sonos Connect is S2 compatible not sure if it’s bit perfect though, I used to run it into a Rega DAC which was a big uplift in sound. It’s now connected digitally into my study Superuniti.