Hacker News Reader

Has anyone found a cheaper way to get stereo digital output (than the Port) to replace an old Sonos Connect? I have a nice DAC in my pre-amp, so I’d like to use that with streamed digital audio. My original Connect was very expensive and is now incompatible with newer S2 functionality. I have never understood why Sonos devices costs more without an amplifier or speaker! Presumably because they can?

View on HN

Would this same approach work for you? I haven't looked, but presumably you could pull the signal before it hits the amplifier, and make it work that way...

This IKEA wi-fi/Sonos bookshelf speaker has a stereo DAC (per the article), but I would assume it's designated as a mono Sonos output device in terms of software, so only one channel (left) is probably active.

That's a good point. If it's like the other Sonos mono speakers, you can (in software) designate them as a stereo pair working together in arbitrary configurations - which would suggest that there may be a way to do it.

Sonos uses a software DSP and crossover and its two channels are used for low and high frequency drivers instead of left and right.

Ah, now the instructions in the article make more sense.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com