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SONOS Amp going into fault mode

L
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I have had the Amp since mid January. Been mostly playing through outdoor 6 ohm speakers so, to respect neighbours, have not put the volume up too high. Yesterday I acquired some Dali Oberon 5 speakers for indoors. These are 6 ohm speakers also. I have connected all for speakers to the Amp though a simple 2 way switch and have NOT played both pair together. Twice with big sound tracks when the volume gets to about 60% the Amp goes into fault mode. As I have read that Sonos amp can happily drive a pair of 6 ohm speakers I am assuming it has nothing to do with mismatching impedance. How do I rectify this issue. 

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Best answer by Kumar 8 April 2022, 04:09

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Long time music lover
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17 replies

buzz

The Volume control setting is not very relevant in situations such as this. It’s similar to an automobile going down a steep hill. The car may be out of control with the accelerator barely engaged.

Some sort of wiring fault is a possibility, especially since this is a new installation. Don’t overlook the silly stuff, such as frayed wire ends. Faults/damage along the wire are a bit more difficult to diagnose. Use an Ohmmeter to check for unexpected connections between the two speaker wires and from each wire to the building electrical ground.

Also possible is that you are simply pushing the output too far. We humans have been conditioned to equate distorted with “loud”. We keep increasing the level until we perceive distortion, then declare “loud”. In my college apartment we could operate the system at the point where verbal communication was very difficult, yet we would still receive (yelled in the ear) requests to “turn it up” because there was no distortion yet. The same crew in another apartment, while using an abysmal little compact unit that was operating beyond the reasonable distortion level, seemed satisfied with “loud” and conversation was easy. In this context the SONOS AMP can be a problem because it is designed not to enter this distortion mode and may never seem “loud” to some users.

If you are using any speaker Volume controls, make sure that they are wired correctly.

K

 

Also possible is that you are simply pushing the output too far.

Seeing as the OP says volume has never been pushed beyond 60%, I can't see the quoted being the case.

Two possibilities: A wiring defect caused issue for which the troubleshooting suggested in the preceding post is all relevant.

The other less probable reason can be a defective amp.

The switch may be defective too. Wire just the Dali to the amp directly removing the switch and the outdoor speakers from the frame for testing the switch by elimination. Dali are amp friendly speakers, and if the problem goes away, the switch is the culprit. I would do this as the first trouble shooting step to be taken. While connecting the Dali, you can easily ensure that all wire connections are good and not possible cause for shorting.

L
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So it appears the issue was the switch. Any suggestions on a reliable 2 way switch compatible with running 2 sets of 6 ohm speakers separately or the best option together or separately from the Sonos amp. Or would the best option be another Sonos amp?

Long time music lover
K

Almost all such switches are made in China these days and quality can vary widely across makes; even changing out the switch for a like replacement of the same make may work.

Or, something like this, but with the same caveat:

https://www.amazon.com/SSVC2-Source-Speaker-Selector-Control/dp/B002C99DW8/ref=sr_1_21_sspa?crid=2P12HJ7DS9QW6&keywords=impedance%2Bmatching%2Bvolume%2Bcontrol&qid=1649421916&sprefix=impedance%2Bmat%2Caps%2C331&sr=8-21-spons&smid=A2QGVVI9PYOV9V&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExNk9aN0NKRzFTWTImZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAwOTcwNDFTS0hQVFdMU0tMRksmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDA4MTM0MDM0NjdWVzkxMzQ1WjYmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9idGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&th=1

I would not run all speakers together, there is also the inconvenience there of both pairs having to run from one volume control.

The most reliable solution -and the most expensive -would be adding another Sonos amp. But the switch route usually works and you just may have been unlucky.

L
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Thank you very much for your assistance Kumar. Whilst I believe that a second Amp is the best answer finances have dictated at this time that I pursue the switch path and have ordered the one that you recommended. My biggest concern is that the volume controls on the switch may impede sound quality. Do you have an opinion regarding this?  Would running the switch at full volume assist in maintaining the sound quality?  

Long time music lover
K

 finances have dictated at this time that I pursue the switch path and have ordered the one that you recommended. My biggest concern is that the volume controls on the switch may impede sound quality. Do you have an opinion regarding this?  Would running the switch at full volume assist in maintaining the sound quality?  

If you do not need to run the same music through both speaker pairs at the same time - and at high volume levels at that - a second amp while nice, is an overkill. The second amp is justified if you want to play different music through each speaker pair at the same time.

With a new switch that works fine, I do not think that there will be any audible impact on sound quality from the volume control mechanisms, regardless of what level they are set for. But after some years the inevitable collection of dust there may result in audible crackles, usually when the knobs are rotated. This can be removed by cleaning if you know how, or, just get a replacement switch.

PS: The OSD switch is supposed to allow both speakers to be safely used at the same time, by throttling back sound levels when both pairs are running to restrict the load to one the amp can support. And since the amp has protection built in, I see no harm in using the switch to run both speaker pairs at the same time. Just make sure, and this is good practice always, to have the amp in a well ventilated space that allows the generated heat to be carried away.

L
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Also as the switch appears to have “ Impedance-matching frequency protection circuitry“ is running all 4 speakers together an issue (volume control on the switch is seperate for each pair of speakers and yes I expressed concern re audio quality but that would only be an issue when running the Dali speakers on there own). In other words the 4 speakers only need to be run together when I have a largish number of visitors who are not as fussy as I am. Sorry if that is rambling. 

Long time music lover
K

Read the PS added on to my post as an edit!

L
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Thank you very much for all your assistance. I’ll look forward to the switch arriving. 

Long time music lover
K

For what is just a switch, there is surprisingly detailed set up instruction to be followed. If the switch does not come with it in the box, see:

https://pdf.crutchfieldonline.com/ImageBank/v20211215122200/Manuals/452/452SSVC2.PDF

L
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And the recommendation to not use other than 8 ohm speakers ?  Should this be a issue ?  Running all 4 speakers together is nota deal breaker and wouldn’t occur more than a few times a year. 

Long time music lover
K

I would not worry about that as far as the Dali are concerned. And as long as the rated impedance of the other pair is not less that 8 ohms, that is also not an issue. If it is less than 8, and you don’t have the Sonos Amp at more than 70%ish volume levels when using them, it should still not be an issue.

L
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Thank you again for all your assistance. Having either of the speaker pairs at 70% is highly unlikely but I will follow your adivice and ensure that they are not pushed beyond that level. 

Long time music lover
Ken_Griffiths

Thank you again for all your assistance. Having either of the speaker pairs at 70% is highly unlikely but I will follow your adivice and ensure that they are not pushed beyond that level. 

Just to quickly mention (in case you were not aware) you can set the Amp to not ever go beyond a set volume using its volume limiter. See this link:

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3118

It will ensure no-one else in the home can set its volume above your chosen maximum level.

L
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Thanks Ken.  Not a high risk, just me and my good lady.  But i will set it when my son visits.

 

Thanks you.

Long time music lover
K

The volume limiter is one of the neat features in Sonos. Easy to set. Remember that the slider still has the full range of motion but 100% will then actually mean 70% if that is the volume limit set for the unit. Easy to test running just one pair of speakers, to see if the 70% provides adequate sound levels using the full range of motion for the slider.

L
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Thanks Kumar

Long time music lover
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