Lower minumum volume level


Userlevel 3
The lowest volume is too high. I'd like to make use of the sleep-function of the play 3. Works flawlessly, but the lowest volume is still too high. Please set the lowest volume to be less loud, so i can fall asleep peacefully with some music.

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143 replies

Userlevel 4
Badge +3
Another issue is the use of a slider as a volume control...especially when trying to adjust small differences like when in bed,.. seems to be hard to adjust it slightly with a finger...why not have a + and - button so it can be done far more precisely?..on a. scale. of say 1 to 100?
But it is there...tap to the sides of the button. The left side is a big - button, the right is a big + button. The only time this isn't so is at the extreme ends, but that is solved by dragging all the way to the end and tap tap tap on the huge space that opens up to tap on. Easy Peasy.
Userlevel 4
Badge +3
But it is there...tap to the sides of the button. The left side is a big - button, the right is a big + button. The only time this isn't so is at the extreme ends, but that is solved by dragging all the way to the end and tap tap tap on the huge space that opens up to tap on. Easy Peasy.

On the ipad ?...no -or + on that screen....only the black dot on a grey line.....that’s when looking at the radio station which is playing...?.
Userlevel 7
Badge +15
I'm not sure what the - or + refer to either. There are many threads on this now where users feel the lowest volume setting is too loud and am pretty sure nothing's going to change.
I agree, a single press of the bar on the app is too loud (note, I'm not saying it is 'loud' per se) and is clearly heard on my Play 1 next to the bed. The Play 5's minimum volume is much quieter. I'm confident all such users with the same comments don't have faulty speakers and reporting such issues as such would be pointless. Five presses of the volume would be a volume to sit in bed and listen to never mind be just audible.

On the ipad ?...no -or + on that screen....only the black dot on a grey line.....

It isn't marked as such but that is what it is....the grey channel on either side of the volume control button on my Mac controller. There the entire gray channel to the right of the dot is the volume + tap area; tap anywhere to the right and volume changes up by 1 out of 100 steps. On my Android with version 8, it is a thin black line, but is so just the same. I don't use iPads.
Yes a wider lower volume range would be great. Also on the alarm volume setting it shows the percentage of volume the alarm is set at. It would be great if the main volume settings on the app. showed that. Then you could find the ideal setting you like and go back to it.
Yes to all of the above. I bought 4 Ones for the simplicity of integrated voice control. I'm frustrayed that the volume level of "1" isn't low enough to be unobtrusive background music. No, the EQ doesn't adress this issue. I don't sleep with a phone in the room so I don't have the slider option, just voice control, which is useless for creating a nice bedroom ambience. Between that annoyance and the inability for Alexa to start any of my personal Sonos playlists, the whole Sonos One experience has come up a bit short of the amazing one that I had imagined. Any chance of fixing them? Please?!
Userlevel 1
Badge +1
Hey Sonos - I also feel the lowest volume setting is too high (using Sonos as office background playback) - Can we have your feedback, view or intent, please?

The fix is simple as you introduce a basic software DSP (fader) to reduce the overall track volumes before amplification. Some good suggestions here are to give us another slider/button to dampen the overall volume (i.e. 0-90% overall dampening steps in addition to the current volume control) - This will fix the low volume problem as well as the problem with limit of max volume.

Please give us, the community, a little feedback instead of hiding behind the wall of silence

Thomas (London, UK)
6xPlay1,1xPlay5, 1xPlaybar, 3xBridge, 1xBoost ...
+1. I, too, need this.
I agree the lowest volume is too high. Sonos please fix it ASAP. But according to the long list of comments it seems too that Sonos don't change it 😞
My two sonos play 1 are both far too loud for sleeping. I live in an old house in the middle of the country and the speakers don’t ever go above 50% really as they are so loud and carry right through the house. Excellent for a house party. However the Bose Mini I have goes all the way up so it’s very loud and it can be super quiet for sleeping at night, it can’t be that had for finer volume control
HELLO SONOS: Can you please fix this issue!? What's up with ignoring so many people/customers with the same issues?? This has been an issue and a tread for more than 2 years now. It's simple, So get on with it - pls. Also- how very kind it would be to respond thoroughly to the remarks in here. People spend a lot of time and energy addressing these issues, the least you can do is to acknowledge your customers and answer. Thank you.
Unfortunately the arrogance of Sonos is limitless, I wonder what employee culture they have, being so blatantly oblivious of their own users and ignoring all requests.
Userlevel 1
+1. Just adding my voice to the chorus that the lowest volume is too high - noticing it on my Playbase when I like to have a game on as soft as possible but just loud enough to hear a crowd cheer (for example, while I'm multi-tasking on my computer and typing this on the forum). Sonos, please add more granularity.
Userlevel 7
Badge +26
I'll make sure your names are on the request.

As a note, you can also turn off the "loudness" boost in the equalizer, this might help to make the lower level a little quieter for you.
I would like to add my name to the list.
In many ways the clarity of the sonos system is what makes this a problem. The fact the sound is so clear at low volumes means the lack of control is very frustrating.
I'm a new user and came to these pages expecting to find a way to at the very least personalise the volume settings.
Much as I love music the volume is way beyond my current needs.
I've found the + - buttons on the device are much more sensitive than the in app or phone controls.
This problem just presented itself to me today when we had guests over. Wanted to keep a very low background volume, but it wasn't possible to have it low enough to be really comfortable to talk to each other. This didn't seem like a problem before, although many people are complaining about it from long ago. Have there been any updates recently that actually changed the volume threshold to be even worse than before?
Userlevel 1
Badge +1
Agree, lowest volume is way too high, we need more detailed control in the lower part of the volume slider. Problem is with Play 1, 3(in surround setup with playbase) and 5. Please finally fix this, this has been a problem for many years.
Userlevel 1
same here, please add me to the list
Userlevel 3
Badge
same here, using 2 Play 1 in stereo on my desk, the minimum volume is way too high for background music during office work. Sadly pairing 2 Play 1 in stereo made the minimum volume louder as expected...
Userlevel 1
Badge +1
Problem still exists, 2 play one in bedroom (replaced the play1's), music too loud at minimum level. Same with playbase/play3/sub in living room, not enough level of control. And is it me or has the volume of the minimum level go up recently? I start lounge music in the living through my home automation, always on the same 4% level, different online stations or from my NAS. I had to bring it back to 1% this week, otherwise I'll wakeup the whole house in the early morning.
I have just experienced a minor improvement in this matter. The problem occurred after I had switched off the ios lock screen controls.

Therefore, I tried this:
1) I toggled on the controls from the iOS lock screen (Sonos > app settings).
2) Turned the volume down to minimum from the ios lock screen (not muted).
3) Tuggeled off the iOS lock screen control again (Sonos > app settings)

I believe it has given me some extra volume levels at the lowest end. Does this help you guys?

/C
Userlevel 1
Badge +1
Hi Camillabandit, great, good work, this does seem to give a little more control at low levels, but only if don't use any other device to control the volume levels right after that besides my iPhone (multiple iPads and iPhones, 2 MacBooks, Homeseer home automation, etc). So only a temporary fix as it seems, at least in my case.
+1 requesting lower minimum volume
Userlevel 7
Badge +26
Hi everyone, starting today with Sonos 9.2 there's the ability to use the mobile controller for Android or iOS to set a maximum volume for each of your Sonos players. The reason I bring it up in here, is that if you have the maximum volume set at 50%, the whole volume bar will still go from 0-100, but 100% will now reflect what your volume limit is set to. This has the added benefit of being able to get more granular control of players at low volume, as the volume steps will scale up or down with the max volume.

So, if you never set your players above a certain volume, this is a great chance to improve the control at lower volumes, and also decrease the minimum volume level. Play around with it and see if this helps with what you're looking for.
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The reason I bring it up in here, is that if you have the maximum volume set at 50%, the whole volume bar will still go from 0-100, but 100% will now reflect what your volume limit is set to. This has the added benefit of being able to get more granular control of players at low volume, as the volume steps will scale up or down with the max volume.

This does not work. Setting max volume to 50%, the first possible notch on the volume slider (IOS) makes the system go completely mute. Setting max volume back to 100% (while not having touched the volume slider) brings back the sound. If I set max volume to 5% I need to set the volume slider to about 25% to hear anything at all.

I often find myself fiddling to try and find the absolutely lowest volume, and it is annoying that the lowest volume is still so loud that I'm actually worried about disturbing my neighbors when listening to music or watching a movie by night (even when disabling the sub and unchecking loudness). This is IMHO the absolutely biggest issue with Sonos, please fix it.