Sonos Multi Amp takes up to eight traditional speakers online
Designed for professional installers outfitting large homes and business
📣 Sonos announces a new Multi Amp
🔊This streaming amplifier is designed to take up to eight traditional passive speakers online
🎛️ Allows professional installers to group and tune the speakers into four separate groups
〰️ Class-D post-filter feedback monitors output against input to fix precision, clairity, and reduce distortion
📻 ProTune includes a 10-band parametric equalizer to optimize individual speakers for sound, placement, and room acoustics
🧵 Sonos used GaN transistors to develop a smaller Multi Amp with fanless cooling
Sonos has introduced its first of the year, and it’s an amplifier designed to support advanced multi-zoned speaker systems and connect traditional speakers to the Sonos wireless audio platform.
Sonos Multi Amp is set to be available soon but pricing hasn’t been announced because this new hi-fi component is really meant for professional installers rather than regular consumers. The Multi Amp is a serious streaming amplifier that can support up to eight 125W channels and organize them into four separate zones.
The Multi Amp can also apply some of Sonos TruePlay’s autotuning to traditional speakers too using its Class-D post-filter feedback. This essentially allows the Multi Amp to monitor the speaker output against the input and make micro adjustments to correct precision, clairity, and reduce distortion.
From there, the Multi Amp allows users to manually “ProTune” the speakers with a 10-band parametric equalizer for precise control over frequency response. ProTune essentially allows users to optimize the sound of traditional speakers based on their placement and room acoustics.
Sonos claims it’s also pushed the engineering envelope, developing its Multi Amp with GaN transistors to shrink the unit into a 1.5U chassis, compared to other equipment that fills a traditional 2U slot. The chassis is also perforated, so the unit cools through just passive convection. Sonos is confident that its Multi Amp can run so coolly that multiple units can be stacked together in a rack and still operate silently without the need of any cooling fan.
Kevin Lee is The Shortcut’s Creative Director. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam.