help me make sonos better

OK Bobf1717, it's time for me to digest the comments from this thread and move on with my Sonos system. I did a bit of extra research on DAC's before coming to a decision. I had a lengthy conversation with Benchmark and feel their DAC1 USB is the way to go for me. They have a reclocking feature called "Jitter-Immune UltraLock™" which they claim eliminates the need to do a reclock mod to the Sonos or any other source for that matter. It also eliminates the need for a fancy cable between the Sonos and the DAC.

So here's where I'm at. I have a standard non-modded Sonos ZP-90, and I have just purchased a Benchmark Dac1 USB. If I need more, I can always get the Sonos modded as a next step. The Benckmark DAC is said to be on the cool side, but I'm going into a tube preamp which should warm it a bit. It gets me a start at a good price point and I feel with a good chance of meeting my expectations.

Will it be as good as my Vinyl, probably not but I wasn't expecting it to be. For me, Vinyl is still my primary music source. Digital, I want convenience at a reasonable quality level. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Paul

The Bryston BDA-1 arrived a few days ago. All I can say is WOW! It took my system to a whole new level. I would put the sonos with the bda-1 up against any cd player I have heard and it would hold it's own. I am incredibly happy with this combo.

Greywolf, I'll bet that sounds great! Looks like an incredible DAC all the way around.

Meanwhile, on the baby-step side of the equation, I added the Monarchy DIP 48/96 upsampler to my system as Edgejazz encouraged, and the results are, essentially, that I need to send him a nice bottle of scotch.

The path is now Lossless files > Cullen-modded ZP90 outputting 96kHz > Speltz IC > Monarchy upsampler (which obviously isn't doing any upsampling) > Speltz IC > Cambridge DacMagic > Jolida 302brc > Rega R5s...and it's immediately, plug-n-play clearer. More resolved, just straight-up better, right out of the box. It's unequivocal.

I'll let everything burn in and then play with some A/B comparisons, feeding it a 48k signal from an unmodified ZP90 in case the Cullen mod is dispensable, but my immediate impression of this combination is very very favorable.

Anyone reading this and considering the DIP can also factor in that I not only have a very modest system, but that I'm blessed with neither the ears, aural memory, or adjectives that most of folks here do. I'm frankly better equipped to NOT hear subtle improvements, and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to say so if this was a hair-splitting refinement that required better gear or ears to discern. But it's a sledgehammer-level improvement. Very happy here!

Soundgasm, happy to hear you're enjoying the elevated sound, thanks for the feedback. Jameson, my any day sipper...LOL...toast to you! Take care.

I've had a chance to listen to many music selections over the past 3 weeks and I have to tell you that the Sonos ZP-90 with the Benchmark Dac1 USB is a very good combination. The jitter reduction in the benchmark really works and I'm very pleased with the sound. Good soundstage with very nice depth. Open and airy highs with good solid bass. I can listen for hours at a time with no fatigue. I just don't see a reason to purchase any additional mods for the ZP-90, the Benchmark cleans it up just like a reclocker mod. If anyone has further info, please let us know.

A side item on the Sonos ZP-90. Out of the box, it is setup in the software with the volume control active. This is OK if you are driving some powered speakers. However, not good at all in driving a DAC. Go into the computer software and select the ZonePlayer Settings. Select the ZP-90 and in its Settings, select the Line-Out tab. Set the Line Out to "Fixed". It's important to eliminate their volume control as it introduces distortion to the sound. Actually above about 75% volume, it over drives the DAC and the sound is miserable. In the "Fixed" position, the Sonos passes through the Digital Stream with no processing, giving the best possible results.

Now if we could get Sonos to upgrade their products to do 24 bit/96kHz Music files!

Paul