Arc dialogue maxing out even at low volumes

  • 9 January 2021
  • 1 reply
  • 89 views

Hi all — I recently upgraded from the Playbase to the Arc, and my TV from an older Samsung to the Sony X950G. (I have the Sub and Play:1s for surround, too.)

I noticed a strange phenomenon almost immediately, though, which Sonos support wasn't able to help me with: For many movies, even when the volume is low, the dialogue is maxing out—that is to say, the voices sounds as if they've gone into the red on a volume meter, like they're shouting into a microphone at close range: distorted and a bit fuzzy.

Has anyone else encountered this issue, by any chance? I'm playing everything through my Apple TV 4K. I've been considering upgrading my HDMI ARC cable to, say, a Monster, but wanted to check with y'all before putting down the dough. Thanks!


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1 reply

Userlevel 5
Badge +16

Hi @n0nzer0.

Thanks for reaching out and welcome to the community! Let me help you figure this out.

We would like to gather more information in order for us to fully understand what’s going on. Please answer the following:

  • Did you run Trueplay when you set it up? It requires an iOS device but can make a big difference. Trueplay measures how sound reflects off walls, furnishings, and other surfaces in a room, then fine-tunes your Sonos speaker to make sure it sounds great no matter where you've placed it. You may see this article and learn how to Tune your Sonos speakers with Trueplay.
  • Is this happening on specific content, like what type of audio format these movies have?  (Dolby Atmos, DD+, PCM, etc.)
  • What audio source is in use? Examples: Cable box, Blu-Ray player, Apple TV, built-in TV apps for streaming services
  • Where are you adjusting the settings? Is it on the TV or in the Sonos App?
  • Have you tried adjusting the EQ settings from the Sonos App?
  • You may also try to configure Speech Enhancement and Night Sound Mode and see if it helps.

 

Hopefully, that helps but if not, please submit a diagnostic report when the issue happens, I'd start by reviewing your system and see if there’s anything causing this issue.

 

Let us know how that goes.