Answered

Help with One SL Stereo Pair L-R Balance

  • 31 October 2021
  • 44 replies
  • 1083 views
Show first post
This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

44 replies

J

Have you tried physically relocating the speakers to a room where another pair is working normally?

I can't imagine what environmental factor might cause your problem, but it would be a quick and easy experiment. 

Also, have you tried connecting the speaker pair by Ethernet while in SonosNet mode?

A
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

Have you tried physically relocating the speakers to a room where another pair is working normally?

I can't imagine what environmental factor might cause your problem, but it would be a quick and easy experiment. 

Also, have you tried connecting the speaker pair by Ethernet while in SonosNet mode?

Hi John,

I haven’t done either. Relocating to another room would be simple, I will do that. I only have two Ethernet ports on my router, one of which is connected to my Boost, so I guess I’d need to get a switch to make that work. 

Thanks..

J

I just want you to wire one speaker to the other. I am not optimistic it will make a difference though.

A
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

I just want you to wire one speaker to the other. I am not optimistic it will make a difference though.

OK, got it. Will try it…

A
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

OK, tried the speakers in another room (closer to the router), with and without the Ethernet cable between the two, no change. The stereo image is still drifting to the side when streaming any source other than Airplay. I’m stumped. 

Ken_Griffiths

Do your older Play:1 speakers (stereo paired) not have this audio drifting issue, if they are put in the same spot as the One SL’s, as that too would help to perhaps eliminate the matter being the local router/WiFi/Network environment?

A
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

Hello,

I’m currently testing with Spotify connect, and I don’t have any issue.

So, it looks like the problem is present when the Sonos app is used to stream.

I need to test this again because I recall the issue being present with Spotify connect. I also tested with the Qobuz and Tidal apps, and both services streaming through Roon, with all having the same issue. I’ll report back on Spotify connect. 

A
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

I am out of ideas, I’m afraid.  I have not previously heard of such a problem, and really cannot think what might be causing it.  There is still a diagnostic to be examined.  That apart, the only other line of enquiry that I can think of would be if someone had very detailed knowledge of how a stereo stream from Airplay is handled differently from stereo streams from other sources (if indeed this differs at all).

Sorry I could not be of more help. 

Thanks, John. I really appreciate it. 

A
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

Hi @acbarn,

 

Thanks for your patience.

 

I’ve taken a look at your diagnostic and quite honestly, I see no reason at all why the issues you’ve described would be happening. When analysing the diagnostic I was checking a number of areas:

 

  1. Connection between the stereo paired speakers - the connection between your One SLs is excellent, and I don’t see as much as a single dropped packet in the last 20 minutes before diagnostic submission.
  2. General connection to the network - both speakers have good connections to the Boost, though the left one is slightly weaker than the right.
  3. Background interference levels - both speakers have low interference levels across all measurable areas.
  4. Errant volume commands - nothing to be found.
  5. Audio interruptions from the services - I found 1 dropout, though this affected both speakers and appears to have recovered quickly.
  6. Audio LR balance settings - dead centre and never changed.
  7. Hardware error logging - nothing in the last 17 hours before submission, and nothing concerning logged at all.

 

In short, I have no idea from the information provided in this thread or in the diagnostic why the stereo image is shifting like this.

I’ve found your open case with our customer care team and have left a note on there detailing what I’ve found.

Someone should get back in contact with you shortly via email.

Hi James,

Thanks very much for taking a look. It’s perplexing. I reached a point where I brought in a couple of other people to confirm what I’m hearing, just to rule out some sort of expectation bias. Both people clearly heard it, so at least we’ve established that I’m not losing my mind… lol.

Thanks again, I’m looking forward to hearing from the customer care team. 

Alan

A
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

Hi,

I tested Spotify connect and for me it’s drifting to the side just like the others. I also went back and double checked Tidal, Qobuz, and Roon, same problem with those. Still, for me, Airplay is the only method working properly without the drift. 

A
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

Just another update. I took all of my Sonos products offline, rebooted my router, factory reset both One SL’s, set them up as new, re-paired them, and re-did Trueplay tuning. All of this before bringing the other speakers back online. Same problem as before, no change.

My Boost comes tomorrow. If that doesn’t solve the problem (doubtful now), I’m going to assume one or the other of the speakers is defective.

 

Ken_Griffiths

Just another update. I took all of my Sonos products offline, rebooted my router, factory reset both One SL’s, set them up as new, re-paired them, and re-did Trueplay tuning. All of this before bringing the other speakers back online. Same problem as before, no change.

My Boost comes tomorrow. If that doesn’t solve the problem (doubtful now), I’m going to assume one or the other of the speakers is defective.

 

Just curious, but did you try @John B’s suggestion of tethering/wiring the two speakers together to see if that made any difference? 

A
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

Just another update. I took all of my Sonos products offline, rebooted my router, factory reset both One SL’s, set them up as new, re-paired them, and re-did Trueplay tuning. All of this before bringing the other speakers back online. Same problem as before, no change.

My Boost comes tomorrow. If that doesn’t solve the problem (doubtful now), I’m going to assume one or the other of the speakers is defective.

 

Just curious, but did you try @John B’s suggestion of tethering/wiring the two speakers together to see if that made any difference? 

I haven’t. My router is upstairs so I’ll have to move them, then set them up in way that I can clearly hear the stereo image. A bit of a hassle, but worth trying. I’ll try that as a last ditch effort if the Boost doesn’t solve it. 

A
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

I keep having this nagging thought. Does anyone have any theories why this issue crops up using the Sonos app, Tidal Connect, and Spotify Connect, but not when using Airplay?

Airgetlam

There’s always a possibility of a bug, but with only two (now) people reporting it, the chances seem remote to me. I’m certainly not experiencing this on my stereo pair of Sonos Ones, but they’re not SLs, and I’m also not experiencing on my PLAY:1s, which run the same software.

I would, however, recommend contacting Sonos directly as the OP did, and provide them with a diagnostic to look at so that they can confirm if there’s something odd going on, and help you resolve the issue. 

Bruce
A
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

Wiring the two units together without putting the system into SonosNet mode will do nothing. The Ethernet ports are disabled in WiFi mode. 

Loss of sync like this tends to be associated with a rare hardware fault. In that case there will be clear evidence in the diagnostic's logs. 

The tech I spoke with yesterday looked at my diagnostic and didn’t mention anything about a hardware fault. That does seem likely to be the issue though, considering I have three other stereo pairs on the same network that aren’t exhibiting this behavior. 

A
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

[…]

considering I have three other stereo pairs on the same network that aren’t exhibiting this behavior. 

Any of those a pair of ones? You could then swap one of each and see if that solves it, or to identify the defective one

That’s a great idea. Unfortunately, I have a pair of Play: 1’s but not another pair of One SL’s. I could buy a single One SL and do that though, which might be worth it. If I identify one of them as being the problem, I could see about getting it replaced or at worst use it as a filler someplace else in the house. I’ll have to consider that. 

A
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

Hello,

I’m having the EXACT same issue here : bought a pair of Sonos One SL 1 week ago, paired them in stereo : the imagining was fine at the beginning of a song, then slowly moved to a side (usually the left side).

I tried to delete the pair, and group them as two separate speakers (both playing in mono in this case): same issue.

Tried to reset both of the speakers: same issue.

Received a third Sonos One SL today to replace the on who was lower than the other: same issue.

Could there be a bug in the latest One SL firmware?

I’m sorry you’re having the same issue, but glad to know I’m not losing my mind. I went through all the usual steps and more with support but unfortunately never figured out what is happening. The next step would most likely involve replacing my router, which I’m not interested in doing due to other issues that would most likely trigger in my whole home system  

Do you happen to have a device on which you can stream to your speakers using Airplay? I’d be very curious to know how that would go. As I mentioned above, when streaming using Airplay the issue goes away for me.

Do you mind if I ask which ISP and modem/router you’re using? Just wondering if there’s some combination of these various pieces of the puzzle that may be at the root of the problem. 

A
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

There’s always a possibility of a bug, but with only two (now) people reporting it, the chances seem remote to me. I’m certainly not experiencing this on my stereo pair of Sonos Ones, but they’re not SLs, and I’m also not experiencing on my PLAY:1s, which run the same software.

I would, however, recommend contacting Sonos directly as the OP did, and provide them with a diagnostic to look at so that they can confirm if there’s something odd going on, and help you resolve the issue. 

My Play:1s don't exhibit this behavior, even when placed in exactly the same position as the SL’s, in the same system, with identical settings. 

Support never found anything in the multiple diagnostics I sent. 

 

Terms & ConditionsCookie settings