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Colm
Avid Contributor III
October 30, 2017
Question

Echo dot volume drop on requests

  • October 30, 2017
  • 3 replies
  • 586 views
Hi I have an echo dot in my kitchen and sonos throughout the house . When I say Alexa to the dot, the volume on all speakers drops until the request is complete. Can I stop this from happening to the speakers located on other rooms (I.e. Those not in the kitchen). Very annoying for listeners in other rooms.
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    3 replies

    controlav
    controlav
    Lead Maestro
    October 30, 2017
    This is known as "ducking", see other threads on it. And no, it cannot be disabled.
    Author of the leading independent Sonos apps for Android, MacOS, iOS, Windows and Xbox.
    Ian_S
    Prodigy III
    October 30, 2017
    There is possibly some hope on the horizon...

    This weekend Amazon released an Alexa App update that allows you to add an Alexa enabled device into a Smart Home room and make that room 'Alexa enabled'. The theory is that in an Alexa enabled group, Alexa knows what devices are in that room, so if you say turn on lights, only the lights in that room come on...

    The downside is it seems the server code is not live yet, and should come on stream very soon...

    Once this works, then between Amazon and Sonos, they ought to be able to only 'duck' any Sonos speaker in the same group as the responding device... which would be a HUGE improvement. It may take a while for Amazon and Sonos to get it working, but ....

    PLEASE MAKE IT SO!!!!! 🆒
      Mike Doyle
      Contributor I
      November 29, 2017
      Just to reinforce Ian_S's point ... this issue has resulted in me having no alternative but to disable the Sonos skill from Alexa.
      Why?
      In our household, we tend to stream the same music through all six of our Sonos devices as one group (Playbar, Connect, 3 x Play Ones, and a One). But when Alexa gets into the mix, whenever somebody in one room engages with Alexa, the volume of the Sonos speakers through the entire house drops for the period during which Alexa is responding to that one person.
      It's a ruined experience at the moment, and disabling the Sonos skill seems to be the only solution.
      "Ducking" should be suspended until room awareness is a reality. By all means, "duck" in the room where the Alexa engagement is happening - but, until that is implemented, don't "duck" the ENTIRE HOUSE just because one person in one room wants to use Alexa.
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