Sonos Amp Volume Level

What is your source of music?

This is a very difficult question to answer because we humans have been conditioned to equate “loud” with distorted. We keep increasing the level until we perceive distortion and then declare the system as ‘loud’. SONOS systems are designed to never enter this distortion mode and in this respect will never seem ‘loud’. In my college apartment we could run at a level (without significant distortion) that made verbal communication almost impossible, yet we would receive yelled in the ear “turn it up” requests. The same crew of listeners in another apartment, using an abysmal little compact unit, would have that unit running ‘loud’, verbal communication was easy, and there were no “turn it up” requests.

I have used Pandora, Apple Music and Sonos music library.  My main concern, like others who wrote on this blog, is why does the speaker volume have to be at 50% to hear any music using any of these platforms.  Doesn’t seem right.  I don’t have the speakers mounted outside just yet I just have them set up in basement.  In comparison my portable Bose Revolve+ speaker is just as loud as the two sonance speakers at 85% volume.  Any help would be appreciated.  

There are no standards with respect to percentage of Volume control setting and comfortable listening levels. Low quality units intended for the mass market typically get “loud” with relatively low percentage because the public perceives these units as being “powerful”. I’ll walk through the big box store ‘boom box’ area and listen to comments. One typical comment is “this unit is really powerful because you just need to crack the Volume control before it blows you out.” This sort of unit is very difficult to control in small rooms when you want to listen quietly. It is also characteristic of these units that they don’t get much louder beyond the 30-50% control setting. Higher quality units use a gentler control characteristic and complaints such as yours are not uncommon. Some of the SONOS powered speakers have used a more aggressive control characteristic and there are complaints that they are difficult to play quietly in small rooms.

I think that you may have a lack of loudness complaint after you move the speakers outside because that “room” out there is much larger. More efficient speakers will help somewhat.

Not sure if it will make any difference, but Sonos recommends 16 gauge wire for that distance.

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/4764?language=en_US

Are the speakers Sonos Architectural speakers? If so, did you use the Detect Sonos Architectural feature in the Sonos app?

Thanks.  These are Sonance outdoor speakers.  I tried using the detect sonos architectural feature but they were not detected.  

Thanks for your response!  I suppose I’m not looking for loud (I’m too old for that) I am looking for a full range of volume without distortion.  It’s just odd to me that at 50% volume level the speakers are not delivering much volume.

That is how the Sonos amp is built unlike many modern amps that delivery higher sound levels early on to give the impression of more power. But once they do this, not much more sound levels are delivered with further movement of the knob/slider and many will start distorting as the volume knob approaches maximum, while the Sonos amp will not. 

Bottom line, a Sonos amp will deliver the same sound levels at max volume levels that any other amp of the same power will, it will just not deliver the same sound levels at 50%.

But if you are also seeing lower than expected sound levels at 100% then - lower as compared to what, another amp of the same power rating if wired to the same speakers? That can only be if the Sonos amp is defective.

Also: using thicker than recommended wire as you have done is fine, but if your speaker wiring is wrong with respect to the +/- polarity indicated on the speaker terminals at both ends, you will see lower sound levels, so you should check that and make sure that the wiring is correctly done.

Note: Mention of Sonos Outdoor speakers assumes they are Sonos Outdoor Architectural Speakers by Sonance.

The speakers included in the BestBuy (BB) bundle are not the same as the Sonos Outdoor speakers found on the Sonos website.  In fact the BB website lists the speakers as Sonance powered by Sonos.

The partnership for the BB bundle opens the door for the Sonance speakers to work with the Sonos App in many ways.  However, there are some not so obvious differences:

1. Sonos Outdoor speakers are warranted by Sonos for two years
2. The Outdoor speakers in the BB bundle are warranted by Sonance for 1 year. Which means you must go to Sonance for any warranty claims…not Sonos.
3. The manual for the Sonos Outdoor speakers has a section titled Unlocking Sonos Audio Enhancements not found in the manual for the BB bundle. The notable feature in the Sonos manual being “gain control”. Lack of that feature may have an effect on volume for the BB bundle

Actually, using 14 gauge wire should ensure a better transmission than 16 gauge wire. It can be overkill from a cost perspective such as Cat 6 vs the more expensive Cat 7 in a non-in-wall run just to connect two relatively close components.

FWIW: #14 wire is thicker than #16 wire. Generally thicker wire is better, but at some point the wire will be too fat to fit into the equipment terminals. For home audio #12 is generally the largest practical wire gauge, but #12 will be too fat for some terminals.