Just updated to 14.12 only noticed 2 things
Truplay had to be redone for my arc,sub and surrounds not my 5's and sub
Also volume level seems lower on the arc
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.
Page 2 / 9
For those who are experiencing the significantly lower volume levels, I’m curious to know what your setup is. What model TV is the Arc connected to? What media devices are you using? Is the lower volume with both TV and music audio?
Arc, Sub and Surrounds here. Everything is at least 10 volume levels lower than before. Sounds a lot more tinny now and treble biased. Sonos need to remember the Arc won awards for how it sounded originally. It would not even come runner up with how it sounds now. A 3 minute software update has turned the whole lot into an utter shambles and a pain to the ears. If I heard it like this in a store I simply wouldn't have bought it. I was proud to have Sonos in my lounge, heaven forbid I get visitors wanting a demo because it's now shameful and an embarrassment.
Userlevel 6
+11
I have just tested the other speakers in my house
2x 5's +sub gen 3 with truplay on no bass and middle is way higher sounds awful without truplay I can get acceptable sound but not as good as before the update
My 2 moves sound thinner with less bass and truplay switching does little to improve it
So it's not just the arc affected it appears to be across the board the sound signature has changed hopefully it will be fixed as this is not the system I bought and recommended to my friends
Userlevel 5
+14
I turned off auto updates a long time ago for reasons like this. However, when I opened my app yesterday I recieved the pop up notification to retune my Arc because “Trueplay was reset during a recent update. I am still on version 14.8. My question is when I set up true play again will I see the affects of the 14.12 update? Im not sure why I received the message and my true play was reset if im not even on 14.12.
Your phone app is probably 14.12, but not your speakers. Easy to check in the systems area. I didn’t do the upgrade either and had the arc update notification from SONOS. I saw they had updated my app to 14.12 but speakers were still 14.10. I gambled and did the update.. which now regret. Volume has dropped considerably. What was a volume setting at 35 is now at 50 which I never had to raise to that level before. Don’t understand how some Sonos employee nerd comes up with such a ridiculous idea.
My sub is not right - no deep bass, just a peak at mid bass. The soundstage is narrow and vocals sound like they are in a cardboard box.
Totally ruined the sound (Arc, Sub 3, 2x one SL)
Presumably only fixes the Arc etc. + sub trueplay issue then.
I wish they offered a roll back to the previous version, but that doesn't seem their MO. I much preferred the sound profile before 14.12; it now has a more narrow, hollow sound to me - the vocals are too present. It's less rich sounding than before. Shame.
Have you updated yet?
Not yet, might wait for a Peter Pee review first 😄
My setup is Arc + One SL (x2) surrounds. I don’t have a Sub.
Before the 14.12 update this is how my system was setup:
The Arc was tuned with Trueplay alone but the system was not Trueplay tuned after the surrounds were added. After much experimentation this setup seemed to produce the most balanced sound for me. Bass was deep but not overpowering. My EQ was set to bass +8. Height audio was +8. Surrounds music setting +4, ambient mode.
After the 14.12 update I tried tuning with Trueplay multiple times, also with and without the surround speakers connected. There is definitely a big difference in the way the system sounds overall:
- The surround speakers now sound a lot louder in all modes: Atmos movies, stereo music in ambient mode, etc. Even when listing to stereo TV the surrounds are a lot more noticeable. When listening to stereo music (surrounds in ambient mode) they also seem to produce more bass than before. This is even with surround volume for music now set to 0.
- Probably due to the higher surround speakers volume now content in Atmos and 5.1 has a very distinct channel separation. E.g. I can clearly tell when a sound is playing from one of the surrounds. I’m not sure yet if this a good or bad thing. It feels like Atmos sounded more subtle, atmospherical and enveloping before while now it is very clearly directional.
- Bass overall is lower but it also sounds different in general. When listening to stereo music bass sounds very unbalanced and muddy. Occasionally it completely overpowers the sound but overall it really lacks definition and sounds thin. This is not as noticeable and bad with movies but there is definitely less bass. Lower overall volume makes the issue worse with bass nearly completely disappearing.
- Dialogue appears to be somewhat clearer now but this seems to be at the expense of higher treble overall. High frequencies can be almost piercing now especially at higher system volume.
- There seems to be a difference with the Arc’s volume levels but I can’t quite put my finger on it. For example I had to increase the height audio setting to +10 from +8 before the update. I’m also having to put the overall system volume higher than before with some content but I can’t find a clear pattern yet.
My overall impression of the changes in 14.12 is very much negative. My system sounds unbalanced and bass is lacking. Trueplay doesn’t seem to make a significant difference with the issues and if fact I’d say it makes them worse.
I don’t have a Sub in my setup because I generally dislike very loud, rattling bass especially with TV and movies. Before the 14.12 update I found music to be perfectly bass-y and balanced with just the Arc and surrounds. Movies and TV had just enough bass to send vibrations through my sofa but not so loud as to rattle my windows and annoy the neighbours. I think it is telling that even someone like me who prefers balanced bass finds the system very thin and unbalanced after 14.12.
I appreciate Sonos’ efforts to enhance their products through software updates and usually I’d consider this a good thing. However, it is also extremely annoying that they would release buggy updates and updates that occasionally change the sound profile of their products in such drastic ways. As other commenters have said: if something is not broken (and nobody is complaining about it) perhaps it would be best not to change it.
Here’s to hoping Sonos will address these issues ASAP.
There is hope! 🙏🥳
Just received an email back from Sonos. They admit Trueplay is not working correctly and they are working on a patch to fix it. When the patch comes out, they didn't say, but it’s work in progress 👍
I never had an issue hearing dialogue myself but it seems some people like this update either they have no issues like us or it suits their preferences
I never had an issue with dialogue previously either, in fact I never had an issue with anything regarding the Arc, Sub or my 1SL’s. For me, it worked perfectly in the way it was intended and I was extremely happy.
Anyhow, I just called up and they said there’s been ‘some’ positive reviews but mostly negative ones and that the engineers are underway in making a fix. It was portrayed that it’ll be a ‘middle-ground’ update, lets hope for a return to how it sounded originally - Award winning sound! Fingers crossed. I’ll probably go a bit quiet on here now, replying to posts has got me nowhere and I don’t want to be branded a keyboard warrior. But great chat nonetheless. Eyes and ears peeled..
Since the release notes say:
Made improvements to the clarity of Arc’s audio while playing dialogue.
it’s perhaps not unreasonable that the Trueplay settings needed to be erased and redone.
Can't understand why they won't sell a calibrated microphone for Android.
We have no Apple devices and it's a bit off-putting spending £900 on a soundbar and having 3/4 of the experience..
Userlevel 2
Just updated to 14.12 only noticed 2 things
Truplay had to be redone for my arc,sub and surrounds not my 5's and sub
Also volume level seems lower on the arc
The same for me also, arc + sub sounds quieter
Trueplay will not fix the bass. I mean with true play on or off. The bass is way softer.
will doubt if it fixes all the issues.
I simply don't believe it.
I made the mistake of updating and now I also have sound issues:
- My two Subs which used to sound cinematic, now sound like they are barely on.
- I used to watch Dolby Atmos films at 25-35 and that was loud enough, now I have it around the 60 mark for. the same volume. (And with poorer sound).
After the 14.6 fix, the sound and stability was restored to full glory. 14.12 has reverted and then some. (At least with the 14.6 issue you had good sound before it dropped).
I am so annoyed at myself that I did not ignore the update messages. It's the kids summer holidays here in the UK, which means it's a perfect time for movies. I now just don't want to watch them and not looking forward to weeks and weeks of no updates to restore.
Yours, in complete disbelief and despair,
Brad
I've been reading some of the comments on Peter Pee's recent YouTube video about 14.12, to my amazement he acted positively about it. I think in short, there's nothing posivite about it, certainly in terms of the sound and volume level. Indeed the happy medium fix needs to be a revert back to how 14.10 sounded and keep the connectivity improvements. It was a joy to hear the 14.10 sample again in Peters video. Must be a different team now, people on other forums reckon it's a load of ex-Bose employees now running the show, all I know is whatever it is, it's unacceptable to so-call improve something for the moaning few, but totally ruin something great for the vast majority. If you had a dialogue issue, use the setting. If you've still got a dialogue issue, send it back as the Arc or Sonos infrastructure isn't for you. Don't ruin it for the rest of us. I will keep saying it, let's get that AWARD WINNING sound back, please.
Userlevel 1
I am not happy with this update. They could have fixed the dialog issue with giving us a center volume control. Now we have all been forced to use their dialog enhancement, which first off seems lower volume than it was before the update. I still need to use the dialog enhancement setting, and now it sounds even more tinny than before. I had trueplay calibration done perfectly for my room over much trial and error and now I have ran it 4 times and can't get it to sound as good as it did before. Sonos needs to provide an update to return the Arc to the way it was before,because this update has ruined things. Also I had an error at the end of the update that said the Arc disconnected during the update and to try again. I clicked the try again and it said everything is up to date. The Arc shows the correct firmware. Not sure what to do now.
Exactly the same for me. I got the same error message at the end of the update. I must renew the trueplay and the volume is very lower than before. Also the sub not the same bass like before. What’s up Sonos? Please role back soon!!!!
Not a fan of this update. I just brought my setup arc and sub 3 and was loving it! But these settings have made my sub not sound as good. I can feel the difference and it's not as loud from a far. The settings don't fix it either. I can tell they lowered 30-40hz in the sub and made the arc sound too midrange like. I wish they would rollback the update so I can enjoy the system like I was. I don't have a iPhone to do trueplay. A lot of other people are complaining on the Sonos Facebook page as well.
Arc, Sub and Surrounds here. Everything is at least 10 volume levels lower than before. Sounds a lot more tinny now and treble biased. Sonos need to remember the Arc won awards for how it sounded originally. It would not even come runner up with how it sounds now. A 3 minute software update has turned the whole lot into an utter shambles and a pain to the ears. If I heard it like this in a store I simply wouldn't have bought it. I was proud to have Sonos in my lounge, heaven forbid I get visitors wanting a demo because it's now shameful and an embarrassment.
I just updated my sonos setup to 14.12 and all I can say is that I’m very dissappointed with Sonos. I have an Arc, sub x 2 (Gen 2 and Gen 3) and 2 play One’s. Since the update, I’ve redone the trueplay and I can feel the subs moving but there is no bass. Has anyone else encountered this? I’ve turned the sub level to max and there was barely any difference. I also reboot the entire system and no change.
Arc, Sub and Surrounds here too. Everything is at least 10 volume levels lower than before. Sounds a lot more tinny now and mid-treble biased. Sonos need to remember the Arc won awards for how it sounded originally. It would not even come runner up with how it sounds now. A 3 minute software update has turned the whole lot into an utter shambles and a pain to the ears. If I heard it like this in a store I simply wouldn't have bought it. I was proud to have Sonos in my lounge, heaven forbid I get visitors wanting a demo because it's now shameful and an embarrassment.
Userlevel 7
I also rang sonos and submitted diagnostics 1479794144
They are looking into it apparently 👍
Thanks for letting us know they're looking into it. It can't stay like this. Sounds terrible. Needs to be rolled back for sure. The Arc would not win any awards sounding like this. Absolutely got it wrong with 14.12
I understand your frustration, but be careful not to assume that every user is experiencing the same problems as you. With my setup, I have noticed no difference with the volume level and can tell that dialog clarity has been improved. I just tested Blade Runner 2049 on Blu-ray (which is known for its impressive bass) and I still experienced the same room-shaking bass that I had before the update.
More than likely, Sonos will not roll back the update but just make some adjustments to address the issues that some users, like you, are experiencing.
IMHO this is an excellent update. I have an Arc, Ones and Sub and have always found this quite poor with music - way too in your face and bass heavy. The tweaking of the arc in this newest update gives a WAY better overall sound. Instead of having bass at -3, treble at +3, loudness off, sub at -5...and still having the music thudding off my concrete walls, I now have well-balanced sound with bass at -1, treble at +1, loudness on and sub at 0. The arc has always been good for classical and jazz, but I found too intrusive for pop and rock. This update gets a big thumbs up from me.
Userlevel 1
This 14.12 update ruined my system! I’ve spent a lot of money because I love sonos products but everything is significantly lowered now during music and movies since this update. It turned my bass down to almost nothing, the bass isn’t what it used to be. Please Sonos fix these issues!
Userlevel 2
+3
Another video by Pete
Same issue here. Have the Arc with sub gen3 and 2 One SL’s for the living room. Had to turn up the sub level from +3 to +10, but still sounds worse. Did Trueplay several times, no improvement whatsoever.
Will contact Sonos tomorrow so they have another costumer with a complaint. Hope they will fix this soon. Unbelievable that there is no option to revert back to 14.10. Next time I will think twice before I install an update from Sonos.
An update should make things better, not worse. I’m very disappointed in Sonos. Would expect better from this company 😞
I would encourage everyone who is experiencing issues since upgrading to 14.12 to also contact Sonos Support and log a case. Try to provide as best you can a detailed description of what you are experiencing. You can contact Sonos via online chat on the Support page of their website (you’ll have to navigate the AI assistant first to get to a human agent but the on-hold wasn’t too long for me) or you can call them on one of the numbers provided on the same page. You may also consider submitting diagnostics from the Sonos app (Settings → Support → Submit Diagnostics).
If the support agent doesn’t suggest it themselves, ask them to keep your case open until a resolution becomes available. This way they’ll have to escalate the case to upper support and engineering teams for follow-up. You will also get notified by email when a fix becomes available and your individual case gets closed.
I agree. I have just re-bought the full ARC system after returning my original one due to the infamous disconnect problem, and its a lot worse. The sound is nothing like my original sound. Its going back, Sonos have well and truly lost their way.
Userlevel 6
+11
I did a live chat for an hour the other night explaining this is my second arc setup and i can return it. After an awful lot of messing around from them, he confirmed there was a bug in the update and the engineers are currently working on it. He didnt say a fix though, more about finding a happy medium.
Happy medium would be back to 14.10 and add a centre volume slider for those unable to hear dialogue
Page 2 / 9
Enter your username or e-mail address. We'll send you an e-mail with instructions to reset your password.