I have a project debut carbon turntable connected to a Bellari VP130 phono stage. This little setup has been able to give me headphone access (the Bellari serves also as a headphone amp, which is why I bought it) and a line signal that I used to feed to my Sonos Play:5 line-in jack. This worked well for years.
Now o decided to buy a new headphone amp/preamp/speaker amp by a company called LTA (LTA Microzotl 2, or “MZ2” for short). The MZ2 is mainly a headphone amplifier, and it’s GORGEOUS. It has significantly improved my listening experience using headphones. However, I can’t seem to find a way to output to my Sonos.
The MZ2 has an RCA output meant for a power amp, and banana plugs meant to drive high sensitivity speakers (1W power only). If I hook my Sonos to the RCAs I get a very low volume and somewhat distorted sound if I try cranking up either the phono stage or the preamp volume. Awful. I have not tried connecting the banana plugs to the Sonos because I’m guessing that output can damage my Sonos built-in preamp. I’m not sure what I’m missing here.
Is it an impedance issue? Do I need a power amp to feed Sonos? Should I split the signal after the phono stage and before the MZ2?
Im pretty lost here. I mostly enjoy my music with headphones, but it’s a dealbreaker to not be able to use speakers, and the Play :5 is what I got.
