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Microphone sensitivity for the “Alexa” wake word is low

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
October 24, 2017
261 replies
37503 views

I still have to use either, but here is the Stuff magazine take on this, from their review:
"Finally, Alexa seems to be less responsive on the Sonos One, at least compared to the Echo, meaning you have to speak a little bit louder for it to hear you. Considering my Echo will sometimes pick up an unintended ‘Alexa’ reference while I’m chatting in another room, this probably isn’t as significant a shortcoming as it sounds.
Read more at https://www.stuff.tv/sonos/one/review#RDh9IciKOQwAQ2K0.99

But something that is a concern that Sonos ought to look at, if what you say is more applicable.

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Best answer by Ryan S

Sonos version 8.2.3 is now available for the Sonos One (other Sonos devices will stay on 8.2.2). This update improves Alexa responsiveness for Sonos One users in US, UK, Germany, and Austria.

You should find that Alexa is getting better at listening, with a decrease in the times Alexa speaks up when not called. Alexa on Sonos One is now more likely to carry out your desired action when requested; especially when it’s noisy, when the speaker is further away, or when speaking quietly.

Update within your Sonos app by going to More > Settings > Online Updates.

We’re continuing to work with Amazon and the Alexa team to improve Sonos One voice control. You can expect to see more developments as we go. Let us know what you think of the changes. We’d love to hear from you.

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KumarAuthor

Hope that nice looking Sonos One won't be collecting dust for too long.

What will stop it from playing music of high sound quality?

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KumarAuthor

Will the improvement be before the 100 days return window expires?

Now that is what I would call an excellent question.

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crlbslx

Contributor I

Same here, while all my other Echos (even in other rooms) pick up the wake word...my One doesn’t. Pretty frustrating.

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PaulDBohn

Lyricist I

Just set up my Sonos 1 speakers, I was actually looking at how to change the Wake word since it is different on my other units but looking at the answers here I think I will leave the speaker's wake word set to the default Alexis and leave my other units set to a different wake word, then they won't get confused about what system I am speaking to

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Sevi

Lyricist III

I also “upgraded” from a Play:1 with Echo Dot to a Play One and can confirm the mic sensitivity in the Play One is terrible. I have to basically be in front of the speaker and be speaking loudly for it to hear me. I’m hopeful that a software update will fix this.

Ryan S

Retired Sonos Staff

So, are we talking days, months, years? Will the improvement be before the 100 days return window expires? I'm close to sending 3 Sonos Ones back now.

Though the microphones work great in the majority of homes and setups, we're at that point where we're collecting more and more samples and fine-tuning the microphones. Voice control improves in stages, so I'd expect to see improvements as releases come. There isn't just going to be one update, but several that continue to tine the microphones and the Sonos One in general. One top of the microphones, you'll see the Alexa skill get better too, improvements on that may be as quick as every couple weeks, you might not notice what's changed though, depending on what it's targeted at. Those updates would largely be handled on the cloud side of things, so it wouldn't be a software update on your system (those will come too though).

My suggestion would be to keep using the Sonos One. If you do have a lot of trouble with it hearing you, see if there's anything that might be causing a lot of background noise right next to it. That would help in the short term.

Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.

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Ben Z

Lyricist I

Yes - this is a really annoying bug. I switched back to the Echo after two days of yelling "Alexa" into the void with no response. I can live with some of the Alexa software features not being ready for launch, but this kind of bug should have been sorted out before the product shipped. If there's no software fix in the next week or two I'll definitely be returning it.

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kenop

Contributor III

I don't know that this is strictly a sensitivity issue -- after some more testing, I can stand 3 feet away from the ONE, without changing pronounciation, volume, or tone, and say Alexa multiple times. It will pick up, at best, every other "Alexa". I expected the speak to play features to be beta, but just hearing the wake word is the most core of features the ONE is purchased for!

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cvillematt

Lyricist I

Just thought I’d pile on here. Switched from a dot to the One and am getting really frustrated with the incostsant response from the One. Will likely return the One if the issue is not fixed soon.

JBL123

Lyricist I

Also experiencing the need to speak a little louder, but it's not a showstopper.

What's more annoying to me is the "I'm listening" beep. Way too loud for my taste, and it gets even louder when the music volume is turned up. A setting to adjust that beep volume would be appreciated.

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