Sonos Amp power dissipation measurements
This article is intended for professional installers who need to estimate how much waste heat is generated by a Sonos Amp. This will help with the proper design of thermal management solutions for Sonos installs.
Industry standard uses pink noise with a 12 dB crest factor as the audio stimulus for testing power and heat dissipation. The data below can be used to calculate the thermal loads that Amp will contribute to an install. Note that 1/8 power is typical of most listening levels. 1/3 power is very loud. Full power is included for cases where extreme use is expected.
Power dissipated as waste heat
115 VAC
240 VAC
Condition
Load
LineCurrent (Amp)
W
BTU
kcal/hr
Line Current (Amp)
W
BTU
kcal/hr
Idle
n/a
0.15
5.9
20.1
5.07
0.23
5.9
20.1
5.07
1/8 Power
pink noise
16 Ohms
0.20
15
52
13
0.27
14
49
12
8 Ohms
0.21
16
56
14
0.28
16
54
14
4 Ohms
0.22
18
62
16
0.30
19
64
16
3 Ohms
0.27
20
67
17
0.31
21
72
18
1/3 Power
pink noise
16 Ohms
0.22
17
59
15
0.29
18
61
15
8 Ohms
0.27
21
70
18
0.31
20
69
17
4 Ohms
0.30
24
82
21
0.38
26
89
22
3 Ohms
0.41
26
90
23
0.41
34
116
29
Full Power
pink noise
16 Ohms
0.30
22
74
19
0.34
21
70
18
8 Ohms
0.46
28
97
24
0.41
28
95
24
4 Ohms
0.80
37
126
32
0.60
43
147
37
3 Ohms
1.01
52
178
45
0.65
56
192
48
Additional information
Idle power measurement is taken with no music playing, Ethernet connected, and HDMI disconnected.
Power test: Pink Noise crest factor 12dB, digital source. WiFi on, Ethernet disconnected, HDMI disconnected, both channels driven
With WiFi off, subtract 1W
With Ethernet Active add 0.5W
With HDMI active, add 0.5W
Sonos Architectural by Sonance
When using the Sonos Architectural by Sonance passive speakers you can use the following assumptions about the load on the amplifier regardless of model type (In-Ceiling, In-Wall, Outdoor):
- One pair = 8 Ohms
- Two pair = 4 Ohms
- Three pair = 3 Ohms