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arc ultra spotify volume

  • January 9, 2026
  • 6 replies
  • 70 views

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Hi all
the situation with the volume of Arc Ultra when streaming music is getting a bit ridiculous. At a volume of 20 I can barely hear any music. I also have a Sonos Amp, connected to 2 small speakers (Dali Oberon 1), and at 20 the volume there is quite nice, at 40 they blow up the room I’m in. At 40 the Arc Ultra is just getting started.

Of course this is streaming specific -- when playing from a TV source, a volume of 20 on the Arc Ultra is more than adequate for my needs. The difference of volume when streaming to the Ultra vs. playing spotify through the TV (either with my TV app, or with AppleTV) is remarkable.

I keep hearing that this is partly due to normalization -- but this doesn’t make sense. If Sonos implemented some logic to lower the volume due to normalization, surely such logic would be applied to the Sonos Amp as well.

So, unless the “normalization” logic is specific to Arc Ultra, I think this is not a “feature”, but a bug -- and quite an annoying one at that, given other limitations in the Sonos ecosystem (such as inability to set volume or gain per source, for instance). When can we expect this to be fixed (or even looked at) ?


 

 

Best answer by Airgetlam

The only ‘response’ from Sonos you’ll get in this forum is a commitment by the forum moderators to pass on the data. If they don’t have an immediate ‘it’s fixed by doing this’ like we don’t, that is. You’re much more likely to swing the meter if you submit a system diagnostic within 10 minutes of experiencing this problem, and call Sonos Support to discuss it.

Good luck!

6 replies

Stanley_4
  • Grand Maestro
  • January 9, 2026

The numbers are not directly related to the volume, they are more of a memory aid so you can set them before playing something.

I think normalization is applied at the source, not internally by Sonos.


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  • Author
  • Avid Contributor I
  • January 9, 2026

The numbers are not directly related to the volume, they are more of a memory aid so you can set them before playing something.

This is an interesting take. That said, if I have to set the volume to 70ish to get good levels (when on other Sonos devices 20-30 is fine), that still seems like a bug to me. I really don’t think this is working “as intended”.


Airgetlam
  • January 9, 2026

How are you getting the Spotify sound to the Sonos? Are you using the Sonos app, or Bluetooth, or Spotify Connect? Have you called  Sonos Support to discuss it? What did they say?


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  • Author
  • Avid Contributor I
  • January 9, 2026

I normally use Spotify connect. But same when I play through Sonos App.

I haven’t tried contacting support -- I was hoping someone from Sonos could reply here.

This is the “official” answer:
 

 

But, as far as I can see, there’s no difference between playing on Sonos App and on Spotify Connect. Also I see other users complaining of the same (both here and in Reddit) and the striking similarity is that all of us have an Arc Ultra.


Airgetlam
  • Answer
  • January 9, 2026

The only ‘response’ from Sonos you’ll get in this forum is a commitment by the forum moderators to pass on the data. If they don’t have an immediate ‘it’s fixed by doing this’ like we don’t, that is. You’re much more likely to swing the meter if you submit a system diagnostic within 10 minutes of experiencing this problem, and call Sonos Support to discuss it.

Good luck!


Stanley_4
  • Grand Maestro
  • January 9, 2026

Official answers are rare here, the moderators do what they can but that is quite limited.

If you want an official Sonos answer calling support is by far the best option.