Sonos, please create a software update that will regulate, or keep consistent the fluctuations in volume for Loud commercials. This will be a game changer and I feel as though it's gotten worse on streaming applications. The volume of commercials is so loud you need to sit there and lower the volume, then increase when your program returns. The FCC will do nothing, and even if they did you would have to file complaints against each commercial. After purchasing the ARC, sub and Sonos One’s to create a home theatre system, I will only upgrade to a new system or television that will offer this option, as it has become such a nuisance. Advertisers will continue to push the limits until it has gotten out of control.
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When in TV mode, have you tried turning on Night Sound (moon icon) in the Sonos app? You can also check to see if your TV has a dynamic range setting.
Preciate you offering some suggestions.. I believe I have it in the Night Sound, I will double check. I’ll also check on the dynamic range. Just purchased a LG OLED and it seems lacking in some features you would expect for the $$$ of the television. Thank you!
I am experiencing the same problem with unbelievably loud commercials. I’ve complainted to Sonos with no help whatsoever. A volume leveling option is long overdue. WARNING: if you don’t want to be blasted of your chair when a commercial comes on, don’t get a Sonos.
Bobl wrote:
I am experiencing the same problem with unbelievably loud commercials. I’ve complainted to Sonos with no help whatsoever. A volume leveling option is long overdue. WARNING: if you don’t want to be blasted of your chair when a commercial comes on, don’t get a Sonos.
Have you turned on “Night Sound” in the Sonos app? What device are you using when you hear the loud commercials? Is it a cable box? What model is your TV?
I am not familiar with "Night Sound" in my Sonos App. I am listening to my Sonos speaker which is connected to the Internet. Nothing to do with my TV. This mainly happens on Sirius Channels 114 and 125 although it may happen on others that I do not listen to as well.
Good idea. I have already complained to Sirius with no result so I will try going directly to the stations.
+18From other posts I seem to remember what you’re hearing is not that commercials are louder, but that they give the impression of being louder by using audio compression: https://www.thebroadcastbridge.com/content/entry/7278/using-compression-for-recorded-and-live-audio
This would be very hard to solve for a player, since what you here isn’t what is technically there…..
So I guess what you're saying is that I shouldn't believe my ears. My ears are lying by telling me that the commercials are blaring. Do I have that right?
+18If you want to state it like that, yes. Commercials use audio compression to grab your attention, not because they are louder, but because they seem louder. Here’s another explanation:
”A TV program has a mix of audio levels. There are loud parts and soft parts. Nuance is used to build the dramatic effect.
Most advertisers don’t want nuance. They want to grab your attention. To do that, the audio track is electronically processed to make every part of it as loud as possible within legal limits. “Nothing is allowed to be subtle,” says Brian Dooley, Editor-At-Large for CNET.com. “Everything is loud – the voices, the music and the sound effects.”
Spencer Critchley, writing in Digital Audio last month, explained it this way: “The peak levels of commercials are no higher than the peak levels of program content. But the average level is way, way higher, and that’s the level your ears care about. If someone sets off a camera flash every now and then it’s one thing; if they aim a steady spot light into your eyes it’s another, even if the peak brightness is no higher.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna17229281
Commercials are crammed with sound, but are no louder than the loudest part of the shows you’re watching. The shows have segments that are quieter, commercials do not have these quiet moments and so seem louder. In that sense you are fooled by your ears. This makes it hard for speaker manufacturers to solve the problem - that would more effectively be addressed on the side of the networks or the makers of the commercials.
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Thank you for that very good explanation which does make sense. Why is it that this phenomenon of compression only happens with certain stations on my Sonos? Who would I need to communicate to in order to get it changed if that is even possible?
+18I'm not sure, since there does not seem to be any regulation on this (and a strong commercial motive to keep doing it), I'd start with the radio network. Contradict the commercial motive: “I'll stop listening if you do not change this behaviour by your advertisers”.
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Usually, if you google the radio network’s website, there’s a method of contact listed.
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