118 MACWORLD DECEMBER 2019
PLAYLIST REVIEW: SONOS AMPoutdoor models are available), the Amp
can handle up to three pairs of speakers
wired in parallel.
THE SONOS AMP’S
PHYSICAL DESIGN
The Amp has left and right analog RCA
audio inputs and a subwoofer output, but I
suspect most people will use the wireless
Sonos Sub with the Amp. Sonos didn’t build
a phono preamp into the Amp because it
assumed vinyl veterans would already have
a phono pre-amp they like, while LP
neophytes would start out with a turntable
that has a built-in phono pre-amp.
There is also a pair of 10/100 ethernet
ports in back, so you can hardwire the
Amp to your network for
maximum reliability if you
have the infrastructure for it.
Having two ports means you
can daisy-chain a bunch of
Amps to your network while
needing just one ethernet
cable from your router. It’s
also possible to use the
Amp as a network switch or
a wireless bridge if the Amp
is operating SonosNet, but
Sonos doesn’t recommend
this because the Amp’s
quality-of-service settings
will prioritize Sonos data
traffic over anything else.
There are touch-sensitive controls on
the front of the Amp for play/pause and
volume up/down, but I don’t imagine these
will see much use since the Sonos app is
so much more convenient. You can also
control the Sonos Amp using Amazon
Alexa or Google Assistant, just as you can
do with other Sonos components, but
you’ll need a smart speaker (or the
appropriate mobile app) to do that
because the Amp doesn’t have a
microphone of its own.
The Amp’s enclosure is designed to
draw air in from the bottom and vent it
from its concave top, a passive cooling
strategy that allows several Amps to be
stacked on top of each other without fearDespite being passively cooled, you can stack multiple Amps
on top of each other (active cooling is recommended for
dense rack installations).