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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.

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.

 

14.12 DID NOT affect everyone ….SONOS even says that

This update is incredible.  The Arc sounds way better.  I can hear dialogue in movies clearly.  Sub (had to change level from 0 to +2) still hits but doesn't require me to turn the volume down.  We don't change the volume up and down every five minutes any more.

 

Music sounds way better.  The rears are delivering great ambience at default values, and the Arc sounds a lot more wide than before.

 

We can now listen to podcasts on the Arc.  Previously the voices in podcasts were drowning under the low levels, but now it's crystal clear.

       I felt the same..Best update in Sonos history...all bass and treble bleeding is controlled and volume is normalized and no need to adjust volume much between commercials and dialogue and actions....there are still issues like trueplay  and sub power etc..even it seems Sonos is working on them for next update..Glad Sonos could able to recognize Arc's major flaw in DSP programming..without this clarity related upgrade 14.12  Sonos can not go forward with Arc's fine tuning further Product should have been released with atleast with this perfection...Sonos released Arc with major flaw i.e metallic sound which caused discomfort to ears.

New update 14.12 s a great first step as further bug fixes will truly can fix real bugs with Arc system.

 

Man, it’s been almost a month since SONOS neutered my system with this update.  Trueplay off is not a long term solution.  Where the hell is the fix?

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.

 

Well I wouldn’t take any of this information until they fix the issues with the sub and bass. People will say that it’s worse if the bass is gone.

 

I have  the arc and surrounds and I’d say it sounds better especially on tv and movies . Which is the main  functionality of a soundbar.

i have to test music more. But how I turned off dialogue improvement and it is still so clear. I had people over and people commented on how well they could hear all details and voices.

 

Very happy with my arc.

 

 

Any updates on what Sonos is fixing and by when? Are they going to fix the arc’s sound as well as the neutered bass? We are disappointed with our new sound night-after-night. 

Any updates on what Sonos is fixing and by when? Are they going to fix the arc’s sound as well as the neutered bass? We are disappointed with our new sound night-after-night. 

Patience grasshopper,,,they are working on it.

Any updates on what Sonos is fixing and by when? Are they going to fix the arc’s sound as well as the neutered bass? We are disappointed with our new sound night-after-night. 

Patience grasshopper,,,they are working on it.

Can you or Sonos confirm this?

 

Any updates on what Sonos is fixing and by when? Are they going to fix the arc’s sound as well as the neutered bass? We are disappointed with our new sound night-after-night. 

Patience grasshopper,,,they are working on it.

Can you or Sonos confirm this?

 

If you read the first post ( post from SONOS ) , it states they have found an issue. 

 

Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.

Any updates on what Sonos is fixing and by when? Are they going to fix the arc’s sound as well as the neutered bass? We are disappointed with our new sound night-after-night. 

Patience grasshopper,,,they are working on it.

Can you or Sonos confirm this?

 

If you read the first post ( post from SONOS ) , it states they have found an issue. If you think they aren’t going to resolve it…. you’re ignorant. 

Calling someone ignorant is needlessly antagonistic.  We're asking for information or a timeline on when they're going to fix something that they have admitted to breaking.  Calls for patience are also unnecessary - it's been nearly a month.

Guarantee a new issue will be found when this one gets resolved in the next update.

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!

You certainly shouldn’t have to convince yourself it sounds good with TruePlay off.  I did get a sub impact, and now my sub is at +10 -- but based on user experiences it seems like my impact isn’t as great, so I’m still using TruePlay and the channel separation is freaking on-point. The sound profile (with exception to sub impact) is absolutely remarkable.

But again, don’t sit there and try to convince yourself. I’m truly sitting on some media I am saving for after the next update (fix) - to see how I truly feel.  It is unfortunate it is taking so so long for them to fix this though :/

I just got my Arc last Saturday (already have Beam Gen 1 and Beam Gen 2).  Since I just got my Arc, I’ve ONLY heard the 14.12 update.  Can someone fill me in, in the most simplistic of terms, what it would have sounded like before?  I am quite pleased with how it sounds now, especially since I can hear subtle texture and nuance in certain sounds.  I’m also quite happy with how music sounds.  Did it make BOTH movies and music sound worse or just one or the other?  

People like you are why Sonos isn’t implementing the most common demand on this thread - just rolling back the latest update. What this latest update sought to do was address the problem of the movie dialogues getting drowned out by the rest of the soundtrack; so that is one thing you should be looking to see if you are ok with. If yes, don’t worry about this thread till Sonos rolls out another update to address other issues that the latest update seems to have caused users, and keep your fingers crossed that your happy state of affairs isn't then disturbed!

PS: most of those having issues seem to be ones that use a Sub along with Arc.

I just got my Arc last Saturday (already have Beam Gen 1 and Beam Gen 2).  Since I just got my Arc, I’ve ONLY heard the 14.12 update.  Can someone fill me in, in the most simplistic of terms, what it would have sounded like before?  I am quite pleased with how it sounds now, especially since I can hear subtle texture and nuance in certain sounds.  I’m also quite happy with how music sounds.  Did it make BOTH movies and music sound worse or just one or the other?  

The big issue is with Arc + Sub setups.  If you don’t rock that combo it’s not something you need to worry about it.

People seem to be getting so het up with the Arc and Sub combo, yes it sounds bad as a pair and this is what Sonos has said they will try and fix but when my Arc is unbonded from my Sub Gen3 it still sounds rubbish. When everything is bonded together in a HT setup my 1SL's are too loud so I need to turn them down. It's as if they're still on the 14.10 volume and sound curve (even though all my products are at 14.12). I run everything as default, no EQ enhancements, no level adjustments. Therefore it's evident this 14.12 wasn't very well thought through in my opinion. The main focus of the fix being Arc and Sub bonding is just a drop in the ocean compared to what needs to be done overall.

People seem to be getting so het up with the Arc and Sub combo, yes it sounds bad as a pair and this is what Sonos has said they will try and fix but when my Arc is unbonded from my Sub Gen3 it still sounds rubbish. When everything is bonded together in a HT setup my 1SL's are too loud so I need to turn them down. It's as if they're still on the 14.10 volume and sound curve (even though all my products are at 14.12). I run everything as default, no EQ enhancements, no level adjustments. Therefore it's evident this 14.12 wasn't very well thought through in my opinion. The main focus of the fix being Arc and Sub bonding is just a drop in the ocean compared to what needs to be done overall.

Maybe switch-off Trueplay and change the distance-setting for your surrounds in the Sonos App - you can also customise the ‘TV Level’ and ‘Music Level’ slider-controls in your Arc Room Settings (Surround Audio) to adjust the volume level output of Front/Rear-channel audio.

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.

 

 

You know you need to add “no difference” and “made the sound better” and then compare it against “made it worse” right? 

I would also request SONOS to change the return window for all the users who have ordered after July 19th to 45 days after the day the patch is released. So lets say the patch is out on Sept 1st then I should be able to return my product till Oct 15th

I just got my Arc last Saturday (already have Beam Gen 1 and Beam Gen 2).  Since I just got my Arc, I’ve ONLY heard the 14.12 update.  Can someone fill me in, in the most simplistic of terms, what it would have sounded like before?  I am quite pleased with how it sounds now, especially since I can hear subtle texture and nuance in certain sounds.  I’m also quite happy with how music sounds.  Did it make BOTH movies and music sound worse or just one or the other?  

The big issue is with Arc + Sub setups.  If you don’t rock that combo it’s not something you need to worry about it.

I DO have the Arc plus Sub (Gen 1 Sub).

I just got my Arc last Saturday (already have Beam Gen 1 and Beam Gen 2).  Since I just got my Arc, I’ve ONLY heard the 14.12 update.  Can someone fill me in, in the most simplistic of terms, what it would have sounded like before?  I am quite pleased with how it sounds now, especially since I can hear subtle texture and nuance in certain sounds.  I’m also quite happy with how music sounds.  Did it make BOTH movies and music sound worse or just one or the other?  

The big issue is with Arc + Sub setups.  If you don’t rock that combo it’s not something you need to worry about it.

I DO have the Arc plus Sub (Gen 1 Sub).

OH.  Well then yeah, you’re missing out.  Pre 14.12 the sub had a lot more kick and rumble.  Turning off TruePlay helps a little but it’s still lacking compared to the pre 14.12 levels.

Please fix this 14.12 update!! System sounds like a Vizio $200 system!!!

Here's to another day listening to a 2000 set up that sounds like a 200 euros one because someone thought 14.12 was a good idea and instead of rolling back to 14.10 freeing every user from the torture that is 14.12 they are failing to even fix it. Just open source 14.10.

 

Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.

nobody figured out a bruteforce to 14.10 yet, cant even sell my sonos arc sub and double sl anymore, it is listed for 500.. the news has spread nobody wants this garbage anymore.

 

Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.

I just got my Arc last Saturday (already have Beam Gen 1 and Beam Gen 2).  Since I just got my Arc, I’ve ONLY heard the 14.12 update.  Can someone fill me in, in the most simplistic of terms, what it would have sounded like before?  I am quite pleased with how it sounds now, especially since I can hear subtle texture and nuance in certain sounds.  I’m also quite happy with how music sounds.  Did it make BOTH movies and music sound worse or just one or the other?  

The big issue is with Arc + Sub setups.  If you don’t rock that combo it’s not something you need to worry about it.

 

Not quite true - I have Beam (Gen 2) bonded with Sub (Gen3) and a pair S1 rears. The bass is very weak on the sub now compared to pre-update.

Sonos …. Do you even read your own forum? When is this getting fixed? 
For all those saying be patient they will fix it, well… they shouldn’t have broken it to start with. Obviously not fully tested seeing all the bugs and problems. How can a multi million dollar company make such mistakes? Trying to boost marketing, sales and share prices? I didn’t pay for a system just for the manufacturer to modify it as they like. I’ve now got my Sonos arc, sub and ones up for sale. Not a drop of interest. Stuck with a system that doesn’t sound the same as the one i bought and liked. No option to go back !!
As for not enabling auto updates. If we don’t update to their forced software then the system stops to function with music apps etc. Sonos, roll back to 14.10 awaiting your problem solving and listen to professionals such as peter pee on you tube. Perhaps you should put him on your payroll. He seems to understand sound better than you guys. 
You are creating many angry customers that are loosing confidence in your company and products.

I had never had a problem with my system until this 14.12 update !!!

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