Is my Sonos 1 Connect the weak link?

My first digital player was a Sonos Connect. They are very poor streamers in terms of sound quality,I think primarily due to jitter that smears the sound. Almost anything will sound better. Do some research on standalone streamers, there are lots of options.

The new Bluesound Nano is a great streamer that is affordable.   

I sold a pair of speakers a while back.  Usually I will meet in a neutral safe  area but he seemed like a decent guy so I brought them to his house.   

He had a WiiM Ultra and after listening for a half hour or so I thought it sounded pretty good.  That was through it's RCA out.  

Depending on your budget the Bluesound Icon definitely seems like it's worth a look.  When my Vault 2i dies that's what will replace it.  

The biggest problem with Sonos is that it will not support high rez.  I believe that the max is 16-bit/44.1 kHz (cd quality).  This will preclude you from high bit rate streams from sources like Tidal, Qobuz etc.  If you could share your budget for an upgrade I'm sure you will get some thoughtful recommendations.  Are there any other functions that you would like the streamer to perform besides just stream?  Store files onboard etc?  The digital space is developing quickly and there are lots of options at all price points.    

Thanks Rick. I do want better sound. I do like the ability to use Roon and access both high quality streaming and my music files. I was not aware that the Connect was making me waste my high res quobus streams. And I assumed that passing the Connect to my DAC would improve the clocking etc. but not if it doesn't hand off a decent bit rate.

I have a full Sonos Arc, Base and Amp speakers in my tv set up. The Amp is wired to Sonance bedroom speakers and also out to the porch. That is fine as a separate system for general back ground music. But my real listening system is my Cronos Magnum and I want it better. Where would a budget of $2000 get me in terms of better streaming, and access to Roon and my own music library n my higher end system? Thanks in advance.

First, what I’d say is that I have Sonos for surround sound in two rooms that we watch TV.   The reason is it’s *very* wife friendly and I never have to explain how things work.  The ARC connects to the TV  and the rear speakers get their info via WiFi. And the subwoofer can make the floor shake. It’s like a Mac, it just works.

Second, as a surround sound system it’s pretty good to sometimes amazing for it’s simplicity.

BUT (and this is a big but)

If I’m listening to music only (using something like Spotify or pulling from my server) it’s not exactly high fidelity. It’s perfectly okay for parties with the music playing softly in the background.   But not something I would want to sit down and crank up the volume.   

It’s a casual listening thing, and I appreciate and use it for that.   And I get that they’re wireless so you can set it up anywhere, but the reality is they’re not hi-fi (there’s a phrase from the past) speakers.

I think what you got is what you got.