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So out on my deck and have a pair of outdoor speakers hooked up to Amp. Had a Connect Amp before but upgraded to S2. I had read or was told to set all Sonos speakers to max volume of 80%, which I had done for Amp as well. However even Sonos Radio HD it is really soft and have to turn it halfway just to hear anything.  This amp is supposed to be more powerful but feels less so. My question that is somewhat related is the 80% necessary with an Amp or not? Also, let’s use our theoretical “10” scale. Does that mean that my 10 starts out as an 8 and so if I have to turn it half way it’s a 4 or does it work differently?  Feel bad moving the slider so far as I am used to more traditional speaker/radio combos. 

 Feel bad moving the slider so far as I am used to more traditional speaker/radio combos. 

The Sonos amps are different from many amps that cheat by delivering power up front in a way that is not linear, to give the illusion of more power.

Just turn the volume slider to where it needs to go to get the sound levels you need. As long as normal listening does not need you to cross 80-90%, don’t overthink this. As long as the Amp is in a place that offers it decent ventilation there is no issue.

PS: The above assumes that volume limiter is set to off.

I had read or was told to set all Sonos speakers to max volume of 80%

I can’t imagine why, unless perhaps the Amp would otherwise be in danger of being overdriven into too low a speaker impedance. 

 

Hi @Jeffrey_35 

As the Amp is rated at 125 Watts per channel, if your speakers are only rated at 100 Watts then limiting the Amp to 80% would be a good idea. I’m not sure why you’d need to do it otherwise, apart from personal preference.

When set to 80%, half-way on the volume slider (5) will be half of that 80%, so 40% (4) of the maximum volume.

The output power of an amplifier can only be judged at full volume, so I agree with @Kumar - how loud it sounds at low levels is basically irrelevant (unless of course you want it to be quiet and have finer control over that low volume, in which case it’s perfect).

Hi @Jeffrey_35 

As the Amp is rated at 125 Watts per channel, if your speakers are only rated at 100 Watts then limiting the Amp to 80% would be a good idea.

It may not be a simple as that, unless the 100 watts is also expressed apples to apples with the 125. Speaker makers and amp makers don’t always get to this ideal state of affairs where specs are concerned.

Responsible use of the volume control to not let sound levels run higher than typical domestic use is perhaps the better approach, in typical domestic sized listening areas.

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