Contributor I

Answered

AirPlay 2 initial volume too high

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
January 18, 2021
19 replies
1769 views

I am in UK. I use the BBC Sounds app to play radio shows via air play 2 on my SONOS system. I have a Play:3 grouped with a One SL. I only use the One SL to access air play - it will always be muted, so I am only really using the Play:3 for the sound. I know it sounds nuts but I couldn’t afford to upgrade my whole SONOS system just listen to the radio in my kitchen when the BBC decided to remove their shows from services like TuneIn in order to “improve my experience” and the One SL is very tinny on its own.

Here’s the problem: when I start a radio program and connect it to SONOS via AirPlay the volume on the One SL and Play:3 always reset to a high level and I have to race to mute the One SL and lower the Play:3. This happens every time I make the AirPlay connection, it always resets. I have searched iOS, BBC Sounds and SONOS settings but can’t find a starting volume setting anywhere. Is there a way of avoiding this annoying habit of high initial volume over AirPlay?

This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

Best answer by John B

@Iggit . As an experiment, please take the mute off of the Airplay compatible speaker and see how the volume behaves when you switch between iPad audio and Sonos. Airplay doesn’t know your Play:3 speaker exists, and i suspect you are confusing it by asking it to play to a muted speaker.

Still a bit speculative, but seems to fit the experiments i have done.

Edit: a possible workaround may be to slide the One’s volume slider to zero then tap once on the bar to leave the speaker virtually inaudible rather than muted. Or maybe you can set a very low volume limit on that speaker. Depends on how you subsequently control volume.

Or sell the Play:3 and get a Five, or a One SL to make a stereo pair.

J

John B

This must surely be a function of the Airplay volume setting on the device that you playing from? Just make sure that is low when you start. I don’t think Sonos speaker volumes reset themselves.

I

IggitAuthor

Contributor I

It’s a puzzler. It doesn’t matter what the volume is set to on iPad or Sonos speakers before I connect to sonos with AirPlay. As soon as it connects the volume of both speakers leaps up to loud.

I

IggitAuthor

Contributor I

In an effort to be more precise, the Play:3 volume leaps to about 75% and the One SL volume leaps up to about 25%. This suspiciously adds up to 100%. Very odd. I just tested it again. All was playing happily. I switched to play BBC Sounds from Sonos via AirPlay back to playing on my ipad, then switched back to Sonos via AirPlay. The One SL unmuted and jumped to 25% and the play:3 jumped up to 75%.

it makes the dog jump.

have just submitted diagnostics to Sonos, not sure what that achieves, 293342727.

I

IggitAuthor

Contributor I

Just tried a further test.

played the music quietly on iPad then switched to Sonos via AirPlay. The volume on Sonos jumped up.

played the music loud on iPad then switched to AirPlay. The volume on Sonos lowered.

this is doing my head in.

bockersjv

Local Superstar

I suspect it’s an issue with the BBC sounds app and/on on whatever device you are using that from rather than the Sonos device. But i could be wrong.

bockersjv

Local Superstar

When playing via Airplay the volume on the iPad/Phone changes to a different volume setting denoted by an Airplay symbol on the volume graphic. So when you next play via Airplay be sure to set the volume using the iphone or ipad volume buttons, and once you disconnect and reconnect this will be the volume Airplay will play at. This is different to the volume set when playing on the iPhone speakers or the Sonos app.

J

John B

OK. I don’t usually use Airplay, or indeed anything Apple, but I borrowed my wife’ iPad to have a play with this. I think this is how it works.

If you start playing on the iPad, then the Airplay volume slider will control the volume on the iPad. Or you can use the physical buttons on the iPad but it will still move the slider (of course).

In a ‘normal’ scenario of then switching playing to an Airplay-compatible Sonos speaker, the existing Sonos volume for that speaker will be ‘adopted’ by the iPad airplay volume slider. (If you think about it for a moment, this is the only sane protocol to have.) So if the volume is jumping up or down, this is because it is using whatever volume the speaker is currently set to for launch. Thereafter any change to the iPad volume slider will be mirrored for the Sonos slider and vice versa.

In your situation, it seems to me that you have to play to the Airplay speaker and then group, so the initial volume will be determined by the setting on the One. Once you group, the existing Sonos volume on the Play;3 will determine what it starts at. The iPad volume slider appears to follow the Sonos group volume slider.

That’s how it looks to me, anyhow. I think the takeaway for you is: set the volumes in the Sonos app before you start and continue to control volume from there. Just use the Apple device to start the Airplay stream.

So i think my initial, earlier guess was incorrect.

J

John B

When playing via Airplay the volume on the iPad/Phone changes to a different volume setting denoted by an Airplay symbol on the volume graphic. So when you next play via Airplay be sure to set the volume using the iphone or ipad volume buttons, and once you disconnect and reconnect this will be the volume Airplay will play at. This is different to the volume set when playing on the iPhone speakers or the Sonos app.

I don’t think this is correct. When you switch from playing on the device to Airplaying to a speaker, the speaker volume setting determines the initial play volume. The Airplay volume control jumps into line.

The two volume sliders then move in sync. Device physical buttons move both sliders, as it has to be.

The volume at which you are playing on the iPad / iPhone before you engage Airplay is totally irrelevant to the volume you get when Airplay starts.

At least, that is how it looks to me.

I

IggitAuthor

Contributor I

Thank you both very much for your input. I remain baffled really.

BBC Sounds app does not have a volume control in it and the One SL and Play;3 are permanently grouped.

just tried it this morning starting off with the volume low on my iPad and noticed that when I connected to Sonos via AirPlay the Sonos volume started low (probably at the last volume it was set to) and then within a few seconds leapt up way high. I could see the group volume sliders start low and then leap up.

It’s barmy and I think I’m gonna blame AirPlay since the Sonos volume seems to change after it has started playing.

The inverse relationship between iPad volume and where Sonos ends up is even more weird.

I’m a software developer and am used to testing software interactions but this has me beaten - it is so hard to figure out which of the three bits of software is going wrong.

J

John B

Mine works absolutely consistently, and in the way I would expect, and I cannot reproduce the behaviour you describe. Also, I tried to reproduce your scenario by Airplaying to an Airplay-compatible speaker grouped with a non-Airplay compatible speaker. As soon as the Airplay started, the group broke apart and the music played only on the Airplay-compatible. I had to group the non-Airplay compatible speaker to the Airplay compatible one after play started. So I am puzzled by your saying that these speakers are ‘permanently grouped’.

I seem to observe this behaviour irrespective of what I am playing -- YouTube, BBC Sounds, whatever. I don’t think BBC Sounds has anything to do with this. Again, this is what I would expect.

Edit: Just realised there is an option for keeping non-Airplay products grouped. I don’t normally use Airplay!

Show more replies

Sign up

Login to the community