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I've recently setup a new Sonos Amp and noticed that loudness was on by default (as someone has already noted here in a review), and also that the sub was turned on in advanced audio/sub settings despite no sub being connected.



I wonder if having loudness on by default is the best option, given that it's possible many users will have relatively high-quality speakers attached to the amp?



I also wonder if having the sub setting activated makes a difference to the sound if no sub is connected? I would have thought this setting would be disabled when no sub is connected. At the moment it is possible to toggle this setting. I haven't got around to a listening test to see if it actually makes a difference.



Cheers, Peter.
To the best of my recollection the loudness switch defaults to 'on' for all Sonos Rooms and applies to all Sonos Speakers, so perhaps that is why it defaults to on for the Amp too. As that is perhaps what customers have come to expect. At least it’s easy to toggle it off.



Not sure about the sub settings, but maybe it defaults to 'on' to assist some novices, who may attach a third party active sub to the amp and then find they get no output. So providing it is not affecting the amp output (I don’t think it will), then I would suggest that defaulting it to 'on', is perhaps the better of the two options. Again it’s easy for users more familiar with things, to switch it off.
My Connect:Amp is mothballed so I can't check its default settings. Certainly all speakers default to Loudness ON. Connect/ZP90/ZP80 on the other hand default to Loudness OFF.
My Connect:Amp is mothballed so I can't check its default settings. Certainly all speakers default to Loudness ON. Connect/ZP90/ZP80 on the other hand default to Loudness OFF.Based on @ratty's comment, If we did establish the Connect:Amp loudness setting is switched 'off' by default, it would then seem sensible for the new Amp to also default to 'off'... I had (obviously wrongly) assumed that all Sonos Rooms loudness settings, defaulted to 'on', but if the Connect and perhaps the Connect:Amp default to 'off', it would make sense for the new Amp to follow suit.


I wonder if having loudness on by default is the best option, given that it's possible many users will have relatively high-quality speakers attached to the amp?



I also wonder if having the sub setting activated makes a difference to the sound if no sub is connected? I would have thought this setting would be disabled when no sub is connected. At the moment it is possible to toggle this setting. I haven't got around to a listening test to see if it actually makes a difference.



Speaking from my Connect Amp experience:

I find that leaving Loudness ON is a good option in all cases; all that does is provide a subtle boost of low frequencies at low sound levels that is useful even for quality speakers, which effect diminishes to zero once the volume slider goes past around 50%. But it is easy to toggle on/off and see what suits.



The Sub thing is strange, I see no such choice in my Connect Amp zones. But I expect the Sonos Amp to direct low frequencies away from the speaker terminals only if the Sub out socket has a jack plugged into it. So if that has not been done, toggling the selection should have absolutely no effect on the sound. Indeed, it is a puzzle why this toggle has been offered in the first place, unless it is to bypass a Sub that is connected to the jack, without pulling the jack out.