Contributor I

Answered

One channel missing on only one album

Forum|Forum|4 months ago
May 13, 2026
19 replies
191 views

On one of the albums in my library, one channel disappears when the album is played on a Sonos speaker. I know that a single Sonos speaker is monoaural, but it sounds like there is no right speaker. The guitar is missing; there is only bass and drums. Other albums sound just fine on these speakers.

This does not happen on the original CD played on a CD player or with an iPod, or on the desktop PC where my music library is stored, which uses iTunes. It does not happen on my Mac laptop, which uses the Apple Music app. And it does not happen on my iPhone. It only happens on my Sonos speakers. I have four different Sonos models for different rooms, and they all have this problem, but I have been testing mainly on a Roam.

I spoke to a Sonos AI assistant for more than 25 minutes. She suggested that I try playing the album from the Apple Music app instead of from my library. It is perfectly normal on my iPhone, but it has the same problem when played through the Roam speaker.

The AI assistant also suggested that I rip the CD again, this time in WAV format. That didn’t fix the problem.

Does anyone else have a problem like this? Do you have a solution?

Thank you for any help.

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Best answer by MoPac

Played East West on the KEF LS 50 speakers. I know they are not Sonos, but I definitely hear what sounds like QSound which creates a surround effect with only 2 speakers. I’m guessing this is accomplished using some out of phase sounds that throw sounds to one side or the other. In the case of East West I hear the guitar on the left wall just forward a bit from my listening position. Not as much sound coming from the right side.

The Bill Frisell: East West I used was from Qobuz. Not sure if a rip would play the same way although my Roger Waters: Amused to Death which is advertised as QSound does play like QSound should.

I will try East West on a stereo pair of Sonos Move speakers and report back.

EDIT: East West played on the Sonos Move stereo pair does the same thing as the KEF LS50 speakers. The music is playing from both speakers which I can tell from the bass. The guitar does favor the left side, but not to the same degree because my positioning is not as close to an equilateral triangle as it is in the KEF system and here is no left wall.

Show previous replies

buzz

@thw27: if possible with your equipment, switch to mono playback for the CD or online source. This will result in similar processing as is internal to your mono SONOS speaker.

Note that this can become even stranger if you use a single stereo SONOS speaker, such as a FIVE. In the horizontal position a FIVE is stereo, but in the vertical orientation it is mono.

MoPac

Headliner III

QSound is a phasing trick that throws some sounds to either side of the stage. It sounds like a surround effect. You need stereo speakers to hear it properly. When using a single speaker the sound that is supposed to be thrown to one side or the other will be canceled out. That’s why the OP could not hear the guitar.

T

thw27Author

Contributor I

jgatie:

I don’t have any problem playing “Dear Mr. Fantasy”. The Frisell album was recorded live and the effects he uses were made by using a looping device. The effects aren’t added in production. I have seen him do this live.

kdowling:

You get what I am getting. So much for the Sonos Roam system. You are supposed to be able to carry around one, not two speakers.

MoPac (last)

QSound doesn’t explain why the beginning of the song is missing the guitar track, which should be dominant. The recording was made in two-track.

kdowling

kdowling:

You get what I am getting. So much for the Sonos Roam system. You are supposed to be able to carry around one, not two speakers.

Considering I’ve never heard this effect before testing this particular album, I don’t think I’d go that far. I’d say it’s a very rare phasing dropout that you are not likely to run into with any other album. But then, most of my listening is in stereo, so I really don’t know how common this might be.

T

thw27Author

Contributor I

Other than using a different sound system, which I don’t want to do, does anyone have a solution? Is there some workaround to trick the Roam into playing both channels?

MoPac

Headliner III

Other than using a different sound system, which I don’t want to do, does anyone have a solution? Is there some workaround to trick the Roam into playing both channels?

Well if it’s not QSound then whatever is throwing the guitar onto the left wall of my stereo system is making it not work well on a single Roam. Generally to make that pseudo surround effect there is some out of phase stuff going on. That does not work well on a single speaker. Try listening to Roger Waters: Amused to Death and you’ll see what I mean. In the first track if, with a single Roam, you hear the guy describing is experience in WWII on a TV on the left wall then I’m all wrong

MoPac

Headliner III

Try this with one track.

buzz

Unless this procedure is smart enough to reverse the phase of one channel for this track, the procedure won’t accomplish much. There would need to be a database somewhere indicating which tracks would benefit from phase reversal of one channel.

For success you would need an App capable of reversing the phase of one channel or do this while the track was in the analog domain before digitizing and re-playing as mono.

Overall I doubt that this will be productive because instruments that had not been phase reversed will now be reduced or cancelled.

As mentioned above a FIVE in the horizontal orientation can play the track or, if you need portable and have a larger pocket, the new PLAY is also a stereo speaker.

MoPac

Headliner III

I don’t have any problem playing “Dear Mr. Fantasy”. The Frisell album was recorded live and the effects he uses were made by using a looping device. The effects aren’t added in production. I have seen him do this live.

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