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Sub not connected even though it is found (and then not found!)

  • 24 October 2023
  • 10 replies
  • 1151 views

I have just purchased a sub gen 1 off ebay for my S1 system. All looks good.

I have another Sub already connected to my lounge, this new one is for the kitchen/beam.

The S1 app could not see the sub. I had this problem with the beam. So ran S2, factory reset, connected, downgraded to S1. All looking good. I run S1 app on same wifi network as Sonos system. Follow instructions. The S1 app finds Sub. Asks me to press the Sub button, I do this, and S1 thinks while trying to connect. But does not and concludes it cannot find the unit (even though it had it in its sights just moments ago). I’ve been round this loop several times, factory re-setting etc. Always, the S1 can see it and begin the connect sequence, but then loses it. What is the workaround? 

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10 replies

Airgetlam

Not sure there is one. At the least, I would call Sonos Support directly to discuss it.

Bruce
Ken_Griffiths

These are the steps I have for downgrading a Sonos product from S2 to S1…

Downgrading a Sonos Product to S1

  1. Reboot the local router
  2. Cable the speaker to the LAN router
  3. Delete or reset the S2-app and all data.
  4. Reinstall the S2 app (if necessary)
  5. Factory reset the speaker
  6. Open the S2-app and chose to downgrade
  7. Repeat for next speaker.
  8. Note: there has to be a S1-only product on the network too.

Here are links to both the factory-reset and downgrade instructions:

Airgetlam

The OP said that the system can see the Sub, it just won’t complete the process of adding it. If it wasn’t on S1, I don’t think the system would be able to ‘see’ it. 

Bruce
Ken_Griffiths

I haven’t got a Sonos Gen1 Sub that I can test here, but my thinking was it may not have downgraded properly, particularly if it ‘perhaps’ was not wired during the downgrade process.

Nothing ventured…

T
Badge +3

To add to the story - a long evening of trials and tribulations. I tried connecting the sub via Ethernet to the router in a different room. That got me part of the way there. With a bit (a lot) of faffing about, I managed to get the system to properly know about the Sub. This involved using the find missing unit function, rather than the expected procedure of connect a new item, which always failed after initial recognition. For a while I had it connected to the Beam (*) but weirdly, the bass was louder with the sub disconnected than connected (via the S1 soft switch under system settings)! And in any case, I could hear no sound from the sub!! Eventually, I realised (I think) that there is a cross-over frequency circuit for when a Sonos unit is connected to the Sub AND even though the Sub was in the system and showing as connected to the Beam, it was not functioning! So, with Sub switched in I was losing the bass that would otherwise have come from the Beam, but was not being delivered by the Sub. Scratch head. So now I try disconnecting Ethernet and TV and whatever from whatever - an attempt to relieve potential conflicts, but no benefits for several attenmpt at reconnection (and Beam now only connected to a ?, not a Sub). I then try pairing the Sub with other Sonos units. This works like a dream. Argghh! I can pair my Sonos Gen 1 Sub with anything except my Sonos Gen 1 Beam, for which the darn thing was designed and purchased to work with. What the fruit?!

There has to be a solution to this. So close but no cigar...

 

(*) The Beam was also off ebay, initially S2, but successfully dowgraded to S1 and works just fine with the TV and rest of Sonos system. There’s a ridiculous 75ms delay for TV sound (this used to be 0ms using line-in on previous Panasonic soundbar and Sonos:Connect set up) which means I can’t sync with the Play5 also in the kitchen; but not a deal breaker; at least the music from NAS and Spotify sync fine between beam and Play5)

T
Badge +3

Ken - I tried the downgrade procedure twice for the Sub. That all seemed to work very well. But maybe I need to try that again for both the Beam and the Sub using an Ethernet connection. Worth a shot I suppose if nothing else comes to mind - maybe -, but it doesn’t feel right. Sonos has a few glitches and lies/naiveties from the S1 s/w flow charts (better debugging please Sonos Engineers), but when the system claims success, I’ve never found before that it is not. i.e. the ticker tape celebrations of the downgrade to S1 seemed/looked genuine enough. Getting the hardware back to S1 doesn’t feel like the problem...

Ken_Griffiths

If the Sub is working okay with your other speakers, I would concentrate troubleshooting efforts on the Beam - is the Beam cabled? Have you perhaps inadvertently switched off its WiFi adapters?

What happens when you wire both the Beam and Sub to the local network? 

Airgetlam

And have you rebooted the Beam itself? 

Bruce
T
Badge +3

okay - another 90 mins of faff this evening - it was a devil to disconnect the sub from the sound:5 (which was connected wirelessly). I then hooked up the Sub to the Beam with an Ethernet cable. I was able to get that to work. But no matter what route I navigated through the S1 app, I could not get it to stay connected when the Ethernet was unplugged. In sum - the Sub will work with other units wirelessly, but with the Beam only with an Ethernet cable plugged in - which defeats the object. I’ll send this to Sonos Support - something is clearly wrong…

Thanks for the help.

Tim.

Ken_Griffiths

okay - another 90 mins of faff this evening - it was a devil to disconnect the sub from the sound:5 (which was connected wirelessly). I then hooked up the Sub to the Beam with an Ethernet cable. I was able to get that to work. But no matter what route I navigated through the S1 app, I could not get it to stay connected when the Ethernet was unplugged. In sum - the Sub will work with other units wirelessly, but with the Beam only with an Ethernet cable plugged in - which defeats the object. I’ll send this to Sonos Support - something is clearly wrong…

Thanks for the help.

Tim.

Have you checked to see if the Beams WiFi adapter has perhaps been disabled? It needs to be enabled, even when wired. See link:

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/disable-or-enable-wi-fi-on-your-sonos-products

Also, whilst you have the Sub wired, just see if it’s Adapter is enabled too.

If the issues persist, then whilst both devices are wired and showing in the App, submit a Sonos system diagnostic report from within the Sonos App, note it’s reference and then contact/chat with Sonos Support Staff via this LINK  and see what the Staff can perhaps suggest to resolve the matter.

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