How to turn Sonos ducking off completely?

The device you actually speak to will always duck it’s audio. That’s the same too for any of the Amazon devices. So you perhaps want to either switch off the mic and then add an Amazon Echo Dot nearby, or you can leave the Sonos mic enabled and use a different wake word (computer/echo) on the Amazon Echo Dot.

Note also that if you 'enable'/'control' an Amazon Group with an Alexa device, then any Sonos speakers added to the second middle section of that group will also duck their audio when speaking to the enabling device, so ensure your Sonos Speaker(s) are not held within such an Amazon Group.

I'm bound to ask: You're sitting at a computer. Why not simply move the mouse a fraction and use the Sonos Desktop Controller?

I don't really need the controller, the speaker is Aux lined in to my computer and also wirelessly connected to my Alexa

Hi Nick, what Sonos speaker are you working with and what Alexa devices? In the Alexa app, only the devices in the same "Alexa Group" will duck when you call for Alexa. So if you have a Dot (for instance) and a Beam, and the Beam doesn't have Alexa enabled on it, just put the two in different "Alexa Groups" within the Alexa app and you won't have any ducking on the Beam (or an other Sonos player you might have linked with your computer). The only down side of having them in different "Alexa Groups" is that you'll need to use the room name when targeting it with Alexa.

Ryan S wrote:

Hi Nick, what Sonos speaker are you working with and what Alexa devices? In the Alexa app, only the devices in the same "Alexa Group" will duck when you call for Alexa. So if you have a Dot (for instance) and a Beam, and the Beam doesn't have Alexa enabled on it, just put the two in different "Alexa Groups" within the Alexa app and you won't have any ducking on the Beam (or an other Sonos player you might have linked with your computer). The only down side of having them in different "Alexa Groups" is that you'll need to use the room name when targeting it with Alexa.

Its an old Sonos play5 I think and an Echo dot 3, the issue isn't the multi-room volume lowering that I know was resolved a while a go. i only have 1 sonos and 1 echo in my house, the issue is Alexa lowering the volume while I'm watching Youtube on my computer every time I give Alexa a command. There should be an option to turn off volume lowering/ducking all together

Ok, yeah. You can fix this in the Alexa App. Just go to the Devices page and make a group with your Echo in it. Then, make another group with just your Play:5 in it. The Dot will no longer drop the volume on the Play:5.

Hmmm but will my Sonos still be the default speaker for that echo? i.e saying 'Alexa play music' isn't going to play on Sonos if they aren't in the same group? Thanks anyway ill try ungrouping them and try keep Sonos as the default speaker when I get home.

No, it wouldn't be the default speaker for the Alexa anymore, so you'd have to say "Alexa, play music on _____". The ducking is built into the specific room integration, so you'll have to decide between default speaker and the volume ducking, and pick between the two.

Ducking in the room that you're talking two is designed for the microphones to hear you better, and for you to hear responses. There isn't currently another way to turn it off, aside from putting the devices into "different rooms".

I'll pass along the request for you though.

nick.ward2712 wrote:

So it actually does work Ryan, keeping the Sonos as defualt speaker but removing it from the room group means Alexa won't duck that speaker anymore and even at high music volumes Alexa still picks up my commands, so ducking is kinda redundant imo

The four Sonos speakers and “connect” in my lounge don’t seem to agree with that comment. I would have to keep shouting rather loudly for my Alexa device to hear my utterances, if the audio in the controlled/enabled group didn’t duck their output.

Ken_Griffiths wrote:

nick.ward2712 wrote:

So it actually does work Ryan, keeping the Sonos as defualt speaker but removing it from the room group means Alexa won't duck that speaker anymore and even at high music volumes Alexa still picks up my commands, so ducking is kinda redundant imo

The four Sonos speakers and “connect” in my lounge don’t seem to agree with that comment. I would have to keep shouting rather loudly for my Alexa device to hear my utterances, if the audio in the controlled/enabled group didn’t duck their output.

Well each to their own would rather shout than have my sonos mute YouTube for 15secs when I give commands