Question

Noticed a change in sound quality in 8.1 upgrade (Connect ZPs)?

  • 21 October 2017
  • 11 replies
  • 496 views

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Hi,

Has anyone noticed a change in sound quality after upgrading to v8.1 - asking specifically about the Connect ZPs. I have a new laptop and was forced to upgrade when I installed the desktop app.

In the past I did not notice any sound quality change but this time I did. I was listening to music when I performed the upgrade; naturally it interrupted the playback and when I restarted I immediately noticed a change. I have two Connect ZPs hooked up in two separates-systems for the last 10 years and so I'm very familiar how both systems performed and sounded. I noticed the gain dropped and tonality diminished.

Anybody experienced the same thing?

Thanks.

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11 replies

What is the source of your music?
Userlevel 7
Badge +20
No changes in my CONNECTs.
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@buzz Source is lossless music files that reside in a NAS, wired network and wired connections including ZPs.
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Should add that Audio Compression settings did not change after update - it's still Uncompressed.
Agreed on the change in tonality. With the last upgrade to the shitty white background, the sound has changed and not for the better. Thought it was my amp again but for sure something has changed and not for the better.
No such change heard at my end after this and after the many upgrades over the last 5 years.
Userlevel 2
Badge +4
Not specifically with the Connects, but it has screwed up the quality of my system. It's now muted, crackly, and the bass no longer has any power at all. It's an awful update! 😠
Userlevel 7
Badge +26
Not specifically with the Connects, but it has screwed up the quality of my system. It's now muted, crackly, and the bass no longer has any power at all. It's an awful update! :@

That sounds like a bad player, so I'd encourage you to give us a call on our support line.

The 8.1 update doesn't have any audio changes to the Sonos players as far as I'm aware of, but the team is always happy to investigate. So if you thing something has come up, I'd encourage you to give us a call.
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I worked with tech support for a couple of days and solved what seemed to be a corrupted firmware based on diagnostics and further testing. Specifically, there was an undefined fixed volume output which probably caused the loss of gain and diminished tonality I described earlier. After a Factory Reset the sound issue was solved. Will keep observing but for now it's working the way I've heard it for many years.

Not suggesting or recommending here that a Factory Reset is a solution for everyone (it could adversely affect your device or settings). Suggest you reach out to a support specialist to resolve your unique issues.

Hope this helps.
Userlevel 7
Badge +26
Thanks for sharing! Glad we were able to sort it out.
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Thank you, Sonos!