Changes to volume mapping and impact on Sub output
Thank you for your feedback regarding the recent 14.12 software update with Enhanced Clarity for Arc.
In this update, we made a change to Arc’s audio profile to improve dialogue clarity and the overall sound experience. This change is based on feedback from our listeners in the field and brings Arc in line with our other Home Theater products, resulting in a more accurate representation of the sound as intended by the content creator.
The updated tuning adjusts the spectral balance of Arc+Sub to achieve a more accurate representation of the sound and an improved sound experience. While the Arc+Sub output capability remains the same, the mapping of volume across the 0-100% range has been adjusted with this release which means low and mid volume levels are relatively lower compared to the previous tuning so you may need to adjust the volume slider to achieve your pre-update volume level. The maximum volume and bass output are unchanged. We acknowledge that this change was not made more clear in the release notes and in the future we’ll be sure to make sure we communicate these rare changes more effectively.
Please note, we have identified an issue for some users of Arc, Beam and Ray whose configuration includes a Sub (with or without surrounds), who may find their Sub output is lower than desired after performing a new Trueplay tuning.
Users with Beam or Ray bonded with Sub can increase the Sub level for a more powerful low-end response, however this won’t have the same impact for Arc users. Customers using Arc bonded with a Sub (and/or surrounds) who find their Sub output is lower than desired following performing a new Trueplay tuning, should temporarily disable Trueplay on Arc until this is addressed by an upcoming software update.
Trueplay tunings for Home Theater configurations without a bonded Sub are unaffected, including standalone soundbars and those bonded with surrounds only.
If you would like any assistance adjusting the sound of your Home Theater setup, the community is here to help. You can also contact Sonos support.
Moderation edit:
With the 14.18 software update, the above mentioned issues have been addressed, and the Enhanced Clarity for Arc adjustments are retained. There was a clear preference within our community for the previous volume settings, and these have been restored. This will be apparent immediately after updating to 14.18. The Trueplay issue has been fixed. Customers who experienced a lower Sub level after performing Trueplay after updating to 14.12 will need to update their systems and then perform a new Trueplay tuning in order to address these improvements in their system. Customers will hear a more powerful low end response, meaning any Sub level adjustments made after 14.12 should no longer be required.
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Last night I watched a couple of episodes of S4 Stranger Things (Netflix ATMOS) and had to turn the Sub down, was on +2, now on 0.
Your decision to let the new sound profile settle down to be the new and acceptable normal seems to have worked for you?
It usually does for tweaks, but in this case there seems to be so much sound and fury from so many, that this may not be enough for all, but even so, there is nothing lost in giving this a whirl for such of those that are waiting for a change.
And when that change happens, I suppose you will have do your thing all over again!
Changes to volume mapping and impact on Sub output
Thank you for your feedback regarding the recent 14.12 software update with Enhanced Clarity for Arc.
In this update, we made a change to Arc’s audio profile to improve dialogue clarity and the overall sound experience. This change is based on feedback from our listeners in the field and brings Arc in line with our other Home Theater products, resulting in a more accurate representation of the sound as intended by the content creator.
The updated tuning adjusts the spectral balance of Arc+Sub to achieve a more accurate representation of the sound and an improved sound experience. While the Arc+Sub output capability remains the same, the mapping of volume across the 0-100% range has been adjusted with this release which means low and mid volume levels are relatively lower compared to the previous tuning so you may need to adjust the volume slider to achieve your pre-update volume level. The maximum volume and bass output are unchanged. We acknowledge that this change was not made more clear in the release notes and in the future we’ll be sure to make sure we communicate these rare changes more effectively.
Please note, we have identified an issue for some users of Arc, Beam and Ray whose configuration includes a Sub (with or without surrounds), who may find their Sub output is lower than desired after performing a new Trueplay tuning.
Users with Beam or Ray bonded with Sub can increase the Sub level for a more powerful low-end response, however this won’t have the same impact for Arc users. Customers using Arc bonded with a Sub (and/or surrounds) who find their Sub output is lower than desired following performing a new Trueplay tuning, should temporarily disable Trueplay on Arc until this is addressed by an upcoming software update.
Trueplay tunings for Home Theater configurations without a bonded Sub are unaffected, including standalone soundbars and those bonded with surrounds only.
If you would like any assistance adjusting the sound of your Home Theater setup, the community is here to help. You can also contact Sonos support.
Any dates on when we can expect this “upcoming software update”? My sub is terrible since this update, to the point I can’t even tell if its on or off
Any dates on when we can expect this “upcoming software update”?
Not 100% sure, but I would say we are one day closer today than we were yesterday.
Changes to volume mapping and impact on Sub output
Thank you for your feedback regarding the recent 14.12 software update with Enhanced Clarity for Arc.
In this update, we made a change to Arc’s audio profile to improve dialogue clarity and the overall sound experience. This change is based on feedback from our listeners in the field and brings Arc in line with our other Home Theater products, resulting in a more accurate representation of the sound as intended by the content creator.
The updated tuning adjusts the spectral balance of Arc+Sub to achieve a more accurate representation of the sound and an improved sound experience. While the Arc+Sub output capability remains the same, the mapping of volume across the 0-100% range has been adjusted with this release which means low and mid volume levels are relatively lower compared to the previous tuning so you may need to adjust the volume slider to achieve your pre-update volume level. The maximum volume and bass output are unchanged. We acknowledge that this change was not made more clear in the release notes and in the future we’ll be sure to make sure we communicate these rare changes more effectively.
Please note, we have identified an issue for some users of Arc, Beam and Ray whose configuration includes a Sub (with or without surrounds), who may find their Sub output is lower than desired after performing a new Trueplay tuning.
Users with Beam or Ray bonded with Sub can increase the Sub level for a more powerful low-end response, however this won’t have the same impact for Arc users. Customers using Arc bonded with a Sub (and/or surrounds) who find their Sub output is lower than desired following performing a new Trueplay tuning, should temporarily disable Trueplay on Arc until this is addressed by an upcoming software update.
Trueplay tunings for Home Theater configurations without a bonded Sub are unaffected, including standalone soundbars and those bonded with surrounds only.
If you would like any assistance adjusting the sound of your Home Theater setup, the community is here to help. You can also contact Sonos support.
Any dates on when we can expect this “upcoming software update”? My sub is terrible since this update, to the point I can’t even tell if its on or off
It’s only been 3 weeks so we’re not miserable enough. Give them another month.
Not sure if anyone with strong views (either positive or negative) on the 4.12 update will find this useful.
Hopefully “we welcome” doesn’t mean excluding a post like this from the community forum, but I haven’t actually dissected the forum rules in detail, so apologies to all forum users if posting this link is not welcome.
Last night I watched a couple of episodes of S4 Stranger Things (Netflix ATMOS) and had to turn the Sub down, was on +2, now on 0.
Your decision to let the new sound profile settle down to be the new and acceptable normal seems to have worked for you?
Yes, and I was curious why. My listening ‘profile’ is the Arc+Sub is connected to TV via eARC, broadcast TV and streaming services sources. I don’t listen to music on the Arc.
I had the Sonos App open, and looked at format. Netflix is DD 5.1 or ATMOS, and when watching Broadcast Freeview HD from TV the format appears as ‘Dolby Multichannel PCM 2.0’, all of these sound fine, volume levels OK, and plenty of bass etc.
In the interest of science, I changed to BB1 SD from the HD service, this changed the sound to ‘Stereo PCM’ and I heard a significant volume drop.
So, I’m surmising that because I don’t listen to (or very rarely) ‘Stereo PCM’ through the Arc, I have not been as affected as others by this DSP change, using a ‘Stereo PCM’ format from their source?
Possible, but unlikely. Why would many want to use the lower grade format?
Hey Sonos, just in case you aren't getting the message and think that it's only a minority of users unhappy with the 14.12 update. Here is a real live survey from a Sonos Users Social Media group. To date (out of 229 votes) 77 (33%) people say 14.12 made the sound worst, 79 (34%) people say it made no difference, and 45 (19%, THE MINORITY) people say it sounds better.
Almost the majority of people in this data set think 14.12 made it sound worst. If you combine those unaffected with the disgruntled, that's 67% of this data set either see no difference or are unhappy with inferior sound. This data set suggests a truly unsuccessful update. The numbers don't lie!
The. People. Have. Spoken.
Also, I'll add for context: Thinking the 14.12 update made the sound worst "is not" the popular opinion to have in this referenced social media group where this poll was taken.
To date (out of 229 votes) 77 (33%) people say 14.12 made the sound worst, 79 (34%) people say it made no difference, and 45 (19%, THE MINORITY) people say it sounds better.
Or you could interpret your results as 33% say its worse, therefore the other 67% (majority) think it sounds better, the same, or don’t care.
To date (out of 229 votes) 77 (33%) people say 14.12 made the sound worst, 79 (34%) people say it made no difference, and 45 (19%, THE MINORITY) people say it sounds better.
Or you could interpret your results as 33% say its worse, therefore the other 67% (majority) think it sounds better, the same, or don’t care.
Not my results. Not my survey. Just an observation.
No matter how you slice it, 33% of users saying it sounds worse isn't a successful roll out.
Hey Sonos, just in case you aren't getting the message and think that it's only a minority of users unhappy with the 14.12 update. Here is a real live survey from a Sonos Users Social Media group. To date (out of 229 votes) 77 (33%) people say 14.12 made the sound worst, 79 (34%) people say it made no difference, and 45 (19%, THE MINORITY) people say it sounds better.
Almost the majority of people in this data set think 14.12 made it sound worst. If you combine those unaffected with the disgruntled, that's 67% of this data set either see no difference or are unhappy with inferior sound. This data set suggests a truly unsuccessful update. The numbers don't lie!
The. People. Have. Spoken.
Also, I'll add for context: Thinking the 14.12 update made the sound worst "is not" the popular opinion to have in this referenced social media group where this poll was taken.
I hate this survey, firstly that’s a damn small sample pop.
but mostly, even myself - who agrees the sound profile is better, also sees the sub took a bad hit. This survey doesn’t leave room to discriminate against the Update SoundProfile w/o Sub, Profile because of Sub, or both.
For me, I just want them to fix the sub. I mean the two biggest complaints I read are the Sub issues and Android users who can’t use their dated iPhone to true play anymore. I don’t hear people complaining about how channel separation is better than it has ever been..
Hey Sonos, just in case you aren't getting the message and think that it's only a minority of users unhappy with the 14.12 update. Here is a real live survey from a Sonos Users Social Media group. To date (out of 229 votes) 77 (33%) people say 14.12 made the sound worst, 79 (34%) people say it made no difference, and 45 (19%, THE MINORITY) people say it sounds better.
Almost the majority of people in this data set think 14.12 made it sound worst. If you combine those unaffected with the disgruntled, that's 67% of this data set either see no difference or are unhappy with inferior sound. This data set suggests a truly unsuccessful update. The numbers don't lie!
The. People. Have. Spoken.
Also, I'll add for context: Thinking the 14.12 update made the sound worst "is not" the popular opinion to have in this referenced social media group where this poll was taken.
I hate this survey, firstly that’s a damn small sample pop.
but mostly, even myself - who agrees the sound profile is better, also sees the sub took a bad hit. This survey doesn’t leave room to discriminate against the Update SoundProfile w/o Sub, Profile because of Sub, or both.
For me, I just want them to fix the sub. I mean the two biggest complaints I read are the Sub issues and Android users who can’t use their dated iPhone to true play anymore. I don’t hear people complaining about how channel separation is better than it has ever been..
Fixing the sub is my only concern also. Regarding this data set size, it’s still very relevant (as over 200 users is a substantial amount of people to do a study group with).
Feel free to provide alternative polling results of your own.
This is a a survey about the sub issue (which is being fixed) not the arcs new sound profile
This is a a survey about the sub issue (which is being fixed) not the arcs new sound profile
More information is perhaps needed too? ..It’s not clear (to me, at least) if the users who commented in that survey were using the Sub with an Arc, or other Sonos product, or if they had Trueplay enabled/disabled?
Admittedly, I thought the few people who were seeing this ‘post-update’ Sub issue, when bonded to an Arc (with/without surrounds) only, were being advised to also try things with Trueplay disabled until a fix was released - so some things around this might be skewing the overall survey results too. Especially as not everyone is experiencing the issue aswell.
This is a a survey about the sub issue (which is being fixed) not the arcs new sound profile
More information is perhaps needed too? ..It’s not clear (to me, at least) if the users who commented in that survey were using the Sub with an Arc, or other Sonos product, or if they had Trueplay enabled/disabled?
Admittedly, I thought the few people who were seeing this ‘post-update’ Sub issue, when bonded to an Arc (with/without surrounds) only, were being advised to also try things with Trueplay disabled until a fix was released - so some things around this might be skewing the overall survey results too. Especially as not everyone is experiencing the issue aswell.
Many of those folks (including myself) have taken the recommended action, and the sub output issue remains. Alot of people are presuming that simply because Sonos advised something that it works for everyone. It hasn't. That's my primary concern, Sonos working on restoring Arc-Sub users sub output to what it currently is with trueplay off (having that same output eventually with trueplay on). Well that's not the issue (for everyone) as even with trueplay off, currently the sub's output is still diminished in comparison to pre 14.12 update (for many users). That is probably my 392nd time typing that out lol.
Many of those folks (including myself) have taken the recommended action, and the sub output issue remains. Alot of people are presuming that simply because Sonos advised something that it works for everyone. It hasn't. That's my primary concern, Sonos working on restoring Arc-Sub users sub output to what it currently is with trueplay off (having that same output eventually with trueplay on). Well that's not the issue (for everyone) as even with trueplay off, currently the sub's output is still diminished in comparison to pre 14.12 update (for many users). That is probably my 392nd time typing that out lol.
It is a case that Sonos has acknowledged an issue in this area. So it’s a matter of waiting to see what any update may bring - if your issue isn’t part of what Sonos Staff have mentioned and/or it isn’t fixed by a future update, for whatever reason, then you will always be best to go onto submit a system diagnostic report and get back in touch with Sonos Support Staff directly, to let them see what maybe happening in your own case.
The more data they have, the more likely they will be able to fix things at the earliest opportunity.
That holds true for anyone who gave a negative response in the survey too (if their issues are not subsequently resolved).
Been trying to convince myself for weeks it still sounds decent with Trueplay off and sub at +15. But its still not the same.
This update is big trash. Please fix it!
Turn off auto updates once your issue is addressed. I am happy using 14.10 as I was a victim of audio dropouts which plagued my system for more than 2.5 months. Lessons learned and the moment I got 14.10, I tested for a day or two and then back to normal. Sonos in the past didn’t touch sound profile, volume and playing with other EQ settings. This year well has turned it upside down. 14.10 is by far one of the best updates, my surrounds and subs haven’t been this punchy.
A request from an old Sonos consumer - Please ensure you perform quality checks before releasing a software update. What I am seeing is every new update breaks things which matter more rather than introduction of new features. Hopefully, this update doesn’t take 3 months to fix, the best would be to push 14.10 as 14.13
Many of those folks (including myself) have taken the recommended action, and the sub output issue remains. Alot of people are presuming that simply because Sonos advised something that it works for everyone. It hasn't. That's my primary concern, Sonos working on restoring Arc-Sub users sub output to what it currently is with trueplay off (having that same output eventually with trueplay on). Well that's not the issue (for everyone) as even with trueplay off, currently the sub's output is still diminished in comparison to pre 14.12 update (for many users). That is probably my 392nd time typing that out lol.
It is a case that Sonos has acknowledged an issue in this area. So it’s a matter of waiting to see what any update may bring - if your issue isn’t part of what Sonos Staff have mentioned and/or it isn’t fixed by a future update, for whatever reason, then you will always be best to go onto submit a system diagnostic report and get back in touch with Sonos Support Staff directly, to let them see what maybe happening in your own case.
The more data they have, the more likely they will be able to fix things at the earliest opportunity.
That holds true for anyone who gave a negative response in the survey too (if their issues are not subsequently resolved).
Instead of waiting to see what happens, I prefer to be pro active. The issues I’m experiencing are not unique to my setup. They are issues shared by many users according to feedback I have read online. So, I’m doing my best to bring awareness to this issue. As Sonos’ recommendation to simply “turn off trueplay” isn’t cutting the mustard for many affected Arc-Sub users.
I understand very well the process of submitting diagnostic reports and working with customer support, as I have done so with this issue, and still have an open case. A case that has yielded no results, and honestly, you can hear crickets at the moment. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sonos has closed my case (unbeknownst to me) as they haven’t responded to my most recent case status inquiry. Sonos needs to understand that: FOR MANY AFFECTED ARC-SUB USERS, SIMPLY TURNING TRUEPLAY OFF STILL RESULTS IN DIMINISHED SUB OUTPUT POST THE 14.12 UPDATE.
That will be the 393rd time typing that out haha.
No wonder Sonos is steering towards bankruptcy. Sell your Sonos equipment while you can people, I guarantee you their engineers are too f daft to open source the software when they go under. Not if, truly when. Find someone to buy your Sonos **** and sonos sub-par before it is common knowledge these sound like a 75 dollars set up from frigging 95.
Whoever contributed to the update, how about making yourself usefull and rolling out a revert 14.10 to 14.12, resigning and letting someone who isn't an unqualified **** like yourself do your job instead? Seriously if you think 14.12 was a good idea, u should go clean toilets or fold carton boxes perhaps.
I was really happy with my Arc, One's and sub. Never asked for a different sound character and I must say the experience is quite underwhelming at the moment. Please fix this as soon as possible!
I think the new update is great, please do not change it. How something sounds can be subjective even more so to the majority of users on here who don't have the equipment to test. The quantitative data shows that this is a better sound profile, so now it comes down to ones preference. If this better sound profile isn't your preference work on changing your settings of simply buy a product that is geared towards your preference.
I think the new update is great, please do not change it. How something sounds can be subjective even more so to the majority of users on here who don't have the equipment to test. The quantitative data shows that this is a better sound profile, so now it comes down to ones preference. If this better sound profile isn't your preference work on changing your settings of simply buy a product that is geared towards your preference.
Yes, a non responsive 850€ sub refusing to cover low bass and overadjusting mid bass is better. ****
According to the data presented by Peter Pee in his YT video here, very little changed in relation to the Sonos Sub (bonded to the Arc) in the 14.12 update…
I would perhaps have thought with Trueplay left disabled temporarily (for those few who are affected) it would be a good solution, for now at least. That’s as long as anyone doesn’t also mind sliding up their volume control to compensate for the volume level change that was seen.
I thought Peter Pee’s video (and his previous one on the same update with a standalone-Arc) was very constructive and informative.
They both completely reflect my own experience with the 14.12 update, which was a mostly a change to the volume curve, a definite improved-clarity to the center-channel dialogue and no loss of Bass.
The data Peter presents really speaks for itself, but I do of course accept that a few people have encountered a different experience, but I guess you’re never going to please all the people, all the time.
In any event, Sonos have acknowledged an issue with the ‘bonded’ Sub, post-update, and the indications are it’s related to Trueplay and that Sonos engineers are working on a fix for those experiencing that identified issue.
Enjoy the video… as you will see Peter does have a bit of a rant at Sonos too and makes his own suggestions in both of his videos on the 14.12 update, but I think it’s the unbiased independent data that he presents that is the important thing to perhaps note.
I think the new update is great, please do not change it. How something sounds can be subjective even more so to the majority of users on here who don't have the equipment to test. The quantitative data shows that this is a better sound profile, so now it comes down to ones preference. If this better sound profile isn't your preference work on changing your settings of simply buy a product that is geared towards your preference.
So you like bad sound? Even Sonos says there is something wrong with 14.12 and are hopefully working on it… cant understand why it’s taking such a long time though.
- so some things around this might be skewing the overall survey results too. Especially as not everyone is experiencing the issue aswell.