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Jan 8, 2017 7:10 PM UTC

Do You Turn Up Surround Sound Speakers?

Do you guys turn up the Surround Sound speakers when using with a 5.1 setup? This is for watching movies and TV (not music).

It's currently set to the "middle" option in Advanced Settings but sometimes it seems a bit low...I'd like to raise it a little bit but still want balanced sound.

Let me know if you turn it up and if you do how many "clicks" up from the middle option do you set it?

Thanks!
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    15 replies

    Avid Contributor III
    Jan 24, 2017 11:46 AM UTC
    That's as statistically valid as concluding that 50% of the population must have a birthday in June because one out of two people in the room happens to.

    1/ Trueplay will adjust surround levels (individually) for the correct balance at the seating position
    2/ Anything else is down to personal preference




    Perhaps it would help to read my whole comment. At the end i wrote down "try to review what most users use and make that the standard level"
    But listen mate... i'm not out for a flaming/pissing-contest. It was just idea I threw out there for the Sonos moderators.
    I wonder, are you one?
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    ratty
    Jan 24, 2017 11:50 AM UTC
    I'm not a moderator (any more). Sonos staff moderate, and they're clearly marked as such.
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    jgatie
    Jan 24, 2017 12:17 PM UTC
    There already are standardized levels at the listening position, as established by Dolby (75 dB for standard channels, 85 dB for sub, as measured at ear level by SPL meter from standard tones). I would assume Sonos Trueplay does exactly that. As ratty says, anything after that is personal preference.
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    Trending Lyricist I
    Jan 29, 2017 11:40 AM UTC
    True Play will adjust the balance based on it's own settings. Anything else is personal preference and you may well want to change it depending on whether or not you are listening to a true Dolby 5.1 audio track. I suggest you sit where you watch from and try adjusting the levels until you find something you like. Much will depend on how far away you are from your surrounds etc . True Play will sort that for you though so you get a true reflection of the original mix. If that is too quiet for you then turn up the Surrounds. :)

    Hope that helps.
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    Airgetlam
    Jan 30, 2017 9:01 PM UTC
    Be aware that different sources mix their rear speakers at different levels. I've found that for movies, I have a different preference than I do for sporting events. Now, don't ask me what they are, I have absolutely no recollection, and only make an adjustment about half the time, but I do remember that occasionally I find the the surround on NFL (American Football) is substantially boosted than what I prefer. I suspect there's no "industry standard" used to define how loud a surround channel should be, so I find myself making adjustments in the app when it really gets obnoxious.
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    Bruce