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Alexa volume issue since 12.1

D
Userlevel 3

Hi folks,

I’m experiencing issues related to the volume of Alexa since the Sonos update to 12.1. I’m using a surround setup with one Sonos Beam and two Sonos Play:1 in my living room. Since a few years, the Alexa response volume was just static and not related to the music volume set by Sonos. This was a good thing because you could listen to music in very low volume while you could talk to Alexa and get a normal, relatively loud response.

Since 12.1, the Alexa volume seems to be related to the overall speaker volume. Now when the volume is set maybe between 1-20%, it is just impossible for me to communicate with Alexa because her responses are extremely quiet. I can only start to understand her again when the volume slider is maybe at 25-30% or higher, but then of course the music is also proportional louder, which is not good.

Is there any way to set the Alexa volume independent of the music volume?

Thank you very much in advance.

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Best answer by nabheet 28 December 2020, 04:57

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120 replies

Ken_Griffiths

So it’s still completely locked to the volume of the audio output - for Apple Music it’s really jarring as the audio tends to be louder so I use a lower volume by default

Maybe use an echo dot by your seated position instead - that’s what I’ve seen others here choose to do … then you can set its volume independently.

Mayhew132
Userlevel 2
Badge +2

So it’s still completely locked to the volume of the audio output - for Apple Music it’s really jarring as the audio tends to be louder so I use a lower volume by default

Ken_Griffiths

Any news on this one?

It seems to be working fine here and is clearly dependent on the TV volume level - all seems okay with my LG C9 TV - volume level is around 35-40% in the Sonos App and Alexa sounds about the correct volume for that TV output level.

Mayhew132
Userlevel 2
Badge +2

Any news on this one?

S
Badge

Two years on and this is still an issue with a new Arc ?!  Are sonos listening to customers ?

A

@Maddyindc I actually experienced Alexa on Sonos to be much much more sensitive than Google. Even a whisper can sometimes be enough. Google more frequently miss executed commands. While I can have Alexa enabled on both Sonos Ones, with Google I can only have it on one of the stereo pair. I have Alexa on Sonos One control soup to nuts at home without any problems (Lights/HUE, AV/Logitech Hub, Nest, etc.). So I am happy with the performance except that I can’t hear Alexa well with the volume being low.

M

That is just one of the many problems I have with Alexa on SONOS. The big one (which may me Amazon and not SONOS) is that it doesn’t have the same capabilities and the microphone is not very sensitive (alexa in the next room will frequently response rather than sonos). I can tell an Alexa device what to play and it will play correctly on my SONOS devices. It will give you usual responses. It will also control lights.  Alexa on SONOS is much more limited. I can start / stop, play a playlist and some basic questions. It will only control lights occasionally. 
 

I gave up with Alexa on sonos and put an Alexa device in the room. I may try Google or the sonos control but have never been happy doing much music control by voice anyway. 

A

Thanks for the suggestion. I still have two DOTs unused. I have also contacted support and asked to log and forward my enhancement request to the appropiate engineering department. I agree it is a missed capability.

T

I have resorted to keeping my Echos and set them for Sonos as speaker output (instead of itself) and then disable Alexa on the Sonos speakers.  The only real fix until they decide to may attention to this serious flaw that renders Alexa integration useless.  I use several Echo 4th gen - glad I didn’t throw them out when I upgraded to Sonos.  

A

I am waiting too for a alexa voice volume control.

And/or support for adaptive alexa voice volume (like on echo devices).

Thanks!

Fez33
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

This problem has now been going on since 12.1 and still not fixed

DO NOT BY SONOS IF YOU WANT ALEXA TO WORK PROPERLY 

H

Just bought beam sub and 2 one's....I too am disappointed with Alexa volume.

Will it be fixed?

D

Ugh maybe one day it’ll get fixed.  I’ve got the issue too.

Airgetlam

This is a community website, not a direct way to communicate with Sonos. If you want to speak with a Sonos employee, your best bet is to call Sonos Support directly.

Bruce
B
Userlevel 1

HEY… I AM NOW YELLING! 

SONOS, THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS AND NO FIX FOR THIS ANNOYING PROBLEM.

THE ALEXA AND GOOGLE ASSISTANT REACT THE SAME. I HAVE TRIED TO CONTACT YOUR USELESS SUPPORT TEAM ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AND EACH TIME I WAS ASKED TO GO THROUGH A SERIES OF STEPS…. AND THEY ADMIT THAT THEY NEVER HEARD ABOUT THE PROBLEM.  A TECH SUPERVISOR INFORMED ME THAT IT IS AN AMAZON PROBLEM BUT LIKE I SAID EARLIER, THIS HAPPENS WITH GOOGLE'S ASSISTANT AS WELL.


SO WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR SONOS TO START LISTENING TO IT'S CCUSTOMER!   SUCH PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR!  GIVE ME A FREAKING BREAK! 

WHY ARE WE BEING IGNORED!? 😠😡🤬👎👎.

E

Still a huge proble on Sonos one in may 2022. Come on SONOS. I know you have jumped on the greed bandwagon and sold your souls but think about your customers or you won’t have any left!

B
Userlevel 1

I’m experiencing same issues related to the volume of Alexa  after the new update at 14.6.

Over two years later for this original post and several updates later and a old problem rears its ugly head at Ver. 14.6.  Premium prices with poor responses and no fix or solution to a long time problem 👎🤬

I joined this post so that Sonos can hear from one more.

 

Please fix the freaking problem!

D

I'm on 14.3 and it's still an issue.  So beyond frustrated with this.  Get your stuff * together sonos. It's going on 2 years now!!!!!

 

*Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.*

W

For what it's worth I fixed this by lowering my surround audio offset from +15 to -15 on both tv and music. 

Settings>System>Product Name>Surround Audio

I also set the volume limit to something that made sense for me. This fixed the issue realted to volume being set by Alexa. 

I hope this helps someone!

Walt

Mayhew132
Userlevel 2
Badge +2

It’s such a shame that a frequently requested and long awaited feature like this is constantly being overlooked :(

D

Same problem as well… I think originally (like over a year ago) Alexa’s voice was louder, and not directly relatively to the streaming volume, as it seems to be nowadays. Especially having some silent background music in the morning Alexa’s responses are inaudible over the normal noises of the family.

Could we, please please, have a setting for ”Voice assistant volume”, which would be independent from music/streaming/tv volume?

S

Same problem here. We have a One in every downstairs room of the house, but Alexa is barely usable because you cannot make out the response. You literally have to stop doing whatever you are doing, and stand right next to the One in silence and concentrate to make out any responses.

M

Same problem here.  Beam is going back to the store.

B

One more, Alexa volume is too low in relation to the TV volume

F

 I would have to agree  with Chris, here I would like to also know weather or not  you all are having this problem with or with out your sonos products connected to a tv, also; if you could tell us what if anything you might have done to the settings that  might shine a light on to what is happening, with the arc you deffinitly need to have an HDMI 2.1 cable, also the HDMI arc port needs to be an E arc port.

 

Ron

 

OK, so a few things here.

 

First of all, let me begin by saying I’m not Sonos staff… Let me get that extremely clear right from the bat get go, so please don’t put the blaim of this problem directly on me.

 

I simply would like everyone however though extremely unacceptable and terrible as this is, to just calm down for a minute, and hear me out on this. Just humor me here. I’m not gonna say you all are wrong, Sonos is right, I promise, so please just listen to what I’ve gotta say.

 

I read literally through all the responses on this thread, as I’m having just the oppisit issue. My problem with both a Beam, and also with a Roam is that Alexa’s volume is way way way too loud in perportion to the other audio volume such as Apple music etc.

 

First off, am I understanding all of you correctly that this is only happening when connected to a TV audio source either via HDMI arc or via optycal?

 

Here are some things which would be helpful rather than just saying damn it Sonos, fix it! First, what version of HDMI are you using? Like, version 2? version 3? etc. Also, are you using a cable that supports that version of HDMI? I know you’d not think the cable would matter. Neither did I at first, so fair assumption, but actually, yeah, it does, believe it or not.

 

Also, is this happening for anyone of you with things aside from TV audio output regardless the method of connectivity?

 

Also, I assume you all have power cycled the speakers. I know, that’s not going to probably solve it, as clearly, this is not isolated to just a few people. I get it, but seriously, you’d be amazed at how many times just something that simple will fix things. Sounds crazy, I know, but trust me, you’d be surprised… really you would!

 

Now as for the two voice assistants, keep in mind, if I can be so blunt to say this, with all due respect to all of you, actually, no. It’s not as easy to fix as you all make it sound. Here’s the thing, and I think one of you said you were a coder, so you should know this if that truly authenbticly is the case…

 

Amazon through their S3 AAS cloud services offers all these companies who integrate Alexa into their devices what is known as an SDK. In other words, a “software developer’s kit.” Essentially, within that kit, you have various different API’s. For the less tech savvy, all an API is is a go between, if you will, that allows a product to call back to and communicate/talk to the Amazon servers to send and receive things from Alexa. So, let’s say you was to say, What is the weather for Chicago IL? Using the API specific to weather queries, Sonos, in this case, goes out through means of that API, contacts Amazon’s servers, says, hey, Joe Blow wants to get the weather for X location. Where X is whatever, fill in the blank as you see fit.

 

So, there are other API’s as well, like for instance volume. So, when you say, set the volume to 4, we’ll just say, an API call request is made, the Server is contacted, then an API string, or key, rather, is then incrypted and sent back to be decoded/descrambled by Sonos. Sonos then says, ok, command received, command initiated. Then an API response is made. This could be in the form of Alexa verbally responding, or maybe just her/him reacting to your command. I say him, as you may have it set to Ziggy instead of Alexa. The point is, a response in one form or another is made.

 

Now, take Amazon, and let’s take Sonos completely out of the picture entirely. They also have their own API’s that they internally use, which aren’t released to the public. They’re most likely if I had to guess things that allow the A.I part of the assistant to work.

 

So here’s the problem with this whole volume issue that Sonos probably is up against. It’s a bit difficult to totally trouble shoot this, as we don’t really totally know where the problem is breaking exactly. I mean we know the end result, true. But what we don’t know is is it breaking before it hits the Amazon server, is it happening between receiving the command, then sending back the response to Amazon, or to Sonos, is it coding in the action itself response result that’s botched up, or is it indeed within the Sonos firmware.

 

I truly agree with all of you all. It’s probably in the Sonos firmware, but, let’s be really fair. Even for Sonos engineers, this would be like tracking down a needle in a haystack. I didn’t by any means say it’s impossible… let me be very clear… and further, almost a year out still having no sollution is, I agree, totally unacceptable in most cases.

 

Realize though the tree you’re barking up against. If we could pinpoint down exactly where down the chain of things the problem starts to break, then you’re right… it would be super super easy then to fix.

 

The issue isn’t that it’s not easy to fix. The issue is more finding exactly where things start to break, and then once we know that, then figuring out exactly why. I mean, it coudl be a number of things. It might even be something as easy as a setting which you’d never in your rightest mind think would effect this nor be even remotely rellavent, but it wind up being the nail dead on the head that fixes it.

 

It’s really just tricky to say.

 

I hope this is taken the way it’s meant. Again, I’m no staff member, though I’d love to be, LOL! But I just want you all to maybe look at this a bit from another angle. K?

 

Chris.

 

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