The new Sonos Amp not only delivers more power-125 watts per channel into an 8-ohm load-but it’s also outfitted with HDMI (with ARC), so that it can connect directly to your TV. The Sonos Amp is designed for critical listening in stereo, and for movie soundtrack experiences that are a cut above what you’ll get from the typical soundbar. The Sonos Amp is designed for audio enthusiasts who want to blend the music-streaming convenience and multi-room audio capabilities that Sonos is so well known for with a high-end amplifier and conventional high-performance loudspeakers.

That market is better served by Sonos’s wireless speaker lineup: The Sonos One smart speaker, the simpler Play:1, and their big sibling, the Play:5. The Sonos Amp isn’t aimed at casual music listeners.

I still have a ZP120 at home, but I haven’t used it in years because it’s so underpowered, delivering just 55 watts per channel. The new Sonos Amp is light years ahead of those products, both in terms of specs and performance. That was succeeded by the ZP120, which was later renamed the Connect:Amp (now discontinued). Sonos is coming full circle here, as its very first retail product was a small amplifier dubbed the ZonePlayer 100. But if you buy a $599 Sonos Amp, you can use any conventional loudspeakers that spark your fancy.

The Sonos Play:5 is a great speaker, for instance, and you can link two units together to create a $998 stereo pair. No one does multi-room audio better than Sonos, but its wireless speakers are limited when it comes to stereo.

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