Sonos today announced the launch of a new version of the Amp. It’s a versatile and powerful home audio hub that’s capable of powering conventional speakers from almost any source. The app will allow owners to use their conventional audio speakers with a Sonos system. The company says that its new Amp is twice as powerful as its predecessor. Any conventional speakers hooked up to the hub are fully integrated into Sonos’ wireless home sound system.
The new Amp is not only more powerful than its predecessor, it has support for more than 100 streaming services. It also supports Apple’s AirPlay 2 and has an HDMI Arc port for TVs. The Amp can fit perfectly in a standard AV rack and can power up to four speakers with 125 watts per channel.
The onboard HDMI and line-ports will enable TVs, turntables, CD changes, and other audio components to easily connect with the hub to become part of the Sonos system. The Amp can be controlled using voice commands as well when it’s wirelessly connected to an Alexa-enabled speaker such as the Sonos One or Beam.
The company also says that it will continue to add more functionality to the Amp down the line with free software updates. The new Sonos Amp is going to be available across the globe in February next year. It will be available to professional installers in the United States and Canada starting December 1st, 2018 for $599.