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cutting in and out - but only on Amazon UNLESS I ask Alexa to play the same thing!

  • 23 September 2021
  • 41 replies
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41 replies

J

@Richard_51 are you a UK Amazon HD user too? I am….

I have changed my streaming preferences on the Amazon App to stream “standard” def bu the issue persists, However I wonder if this is taken into consideration when using the SONOS app?

I am not totally sure but I think not.

Do you experience the skipping problem if you play to Sonos using the Amazon Music app rather than the Sonos app?

J

Compression settings only affect music played through an analog line in. This setting is irrelevant to this problem.

J
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Just tried that but no difference for me, still stutter on the PLay1’s only and only when selecting music from Amazon

S

So I just altered my Sonos compression settings to compressed and the stuttering seems to have gone, at least temporarily.

Can be found under settings, audio compression. After that I switched back to uncompressed and it's still working.… I was originally on automatic.

Very confused.

J
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@Richard_51 are you a UK Amazon HD user too? I am….

I have changed my streaming preferences on the Amazon App to stream “standard” def bu the issue persists, However I wonder if this is taken into consideration when using the SONOS app?

S

Hi,

 

just to add some weight to this I also have exactly the same issue. I have a speaker group that's always worked without issues. The past week or 2 Amazon music stops randomly and stutters most of the time making it unusable. I've tested most of the steps mentioned already and nothing other than removing the Speaker group.

I'm a UK Amazon Music HD customer just incase that is part of the issue.

I get the issue regardless of starting from Alexa or the Sonos app.

Streaming is working on all other devices without issues including phone, laptop and various echo devices.

 

J
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Thanks Richard, my observations are almost identical. I hadn't thought about what model of speaker at any point but you're right, the only ones that skip are the Play1’s. All the others, regardless of distance from my Wi-Fi are fine. They are The 5, the Beam, The Roam etc only the Play1’s are skipping

R

I’m having exactly the same problem, starting in the last couple of days.

If I play any music source, internet or from a local NAS system, playback is flawless, across my entire setup of 4x Play1, 1x Connect, 1x Connect Amp, 1x Play5. As soon as I play anything from Amazon music via the Sonos S1 App, I have this major stuttering and skipping issue. I don’t use Alexa, so can’t test this aspect.

My Connect and Connect Amp are wired. All other units are on wifi, rather than SonosNet.

Picking up from James L. from Sonos, I have tested my set up a number of times each with a different unit as the “group coordinator”. My findings are:

  • Any one unit on its own, plays absolutely fine.
  • My Connect or Connect Amp (both wired) as GC, very occasional skipping issues. Barely noticeable, but still present.
  • My Play5, wireless, as GC occasional skipping, slightly worse than Connects above.
  • My Play1s, wireless, any of them as GC, major skipping issues.
  •  
  • My Play 1s are distributed all around the house, but wifi signal strength is excellent. The most used Play 1, the issue with which prompted this post, is in my kitchen, which is 20 feet across an open plan space from my wired-in Connect Amp. Like the OP, I’m an IT Engineer. I’m sure some improvements could be made to my setup, but overall wifi performance and sonos performance around my property is excellent. It’s not an internet speed issue, I’m on 300Mbit FTTP with 18ms ping.

 

J
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Thanks James, very helpful and interesting about the different formats. So I did as requested and set the Beam (TV) as the lead speaker and played successfully on this alone. I then added the next closest, and the next until the 4th speaker (play:1 Dining room) and it all went pear shaped again. The thing is I get the same issues even when I put all the units in the same room and put the access point in the same room. Nothing has changed network wise. I’m getting 35mbps download on FTTC with single digit latency. My access point is a Wi-Fi 6 high throughput enterprise model (Zyxel WAX650S)   

Hard wiring ins’t a solution for me (even just one unit).

Any other ideas? I’ve updated the diag - 667178478

James L.
Badge +17

Hey @jamescodefour,

 

I’ve taken a look at your diagnostic and I can make the following observations:

 

  • There is indeed a difference between starting playback via Amazon Music via the Sonos app and requesting playback via Alexa. When using the Sonos app the speakers are requesting FLAC files, but not so via Alexa. This will definitely increase the data stream from player to player as FLAC files contain a lot more information than their compressed counterparts.
  • The speaker that leads the group, or “group coordinator” (GC), is important when playing music in more than 1 room. We’d ideally like to see the player with the strongest WiFi signal (or a wired unit if present) to be the GC to ensure a more stable connection. For you, that’s your Beam + Sub. Try ungrouping your players, and instead of hitting the group button next to your Play:1, instead select the Beam and group from there.
  • Your players have good connections between themselves, so I don’t suspect there’s an interference problem or a player-to-player issue here.
  • If possible, please try wiring one of the speakers, and use that as a group coordinator, just to see if that makes any difference at all (provided the previous test yields no results).


I hope this helps! Let me know how you get on.

 

Thanks for flagging @UKMedia :slight_smile:

Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
UKMedia
Userlevel 7
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no joy, same issue. Only with Amazon Music though. If I ask for the same album via Alexa or anything like TuneIn radio or even Sonos Radio its just fine

I've flagged to Sonos to investigate your diagnostic. Probably best to wait for their investigation now.

Remember: Sometimes Red Wine helps :)
J
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no joy, same issue. Only with Amazon Music though. If I ask for the same album via Alexa or anything like TuneIn radio or even Sonos Radio its just fine

J
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let me try that now

UKMedia
Userlevel 7
Badge +20

Are you able to connect one of your Players via an ethernet cable and then remove the wi-fi credentials?  This will create a Sonos mesh network and may be better than an AP.

Remember: Sometimes Red Wine helps :)
J
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Thanks, I’ve just tested this and the first speaker alone works fine, as soon as I start adding more in the issue begins. I’ve got a high end access point that I’ve placed in the same room as all the devices, I’ve also swapped out this access point for a different one, and tried just using the Wi-Fi built into the router. I’ve run some Wi-Fi tests, there are no overlapping channels in the area and my access point support DCS.

UKMedia
Userlevel 7
Badge +20

It may be the lead device in your group.  When you create a group within the Sonos App, the first device co-ordinates the synchronisation across all of the grouped players.  If possible can you test this by ungrouping all players and then selecting either a wired player or one closest to your router.  Make sure that is playing okay and then add the devices to that player.  Let us know if this improves things.

Remember: Sometimes Red Wine helps :)
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