Contributor I

Answered

Minimum Volume is too loud to enjoy background music

186 replies
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The minimum volume on a Play 1 for instance (volume level 1) is too loud to let the music play as background.
It's "no music" or "too loud music" on volume level 1 Nothing in between. Ideally I could lower the music volume like an old amplifier. It's as simple as that. We use the Sonos system on the lowest volume side and the minimum volume is just way too high. I'm surprised that nobody else raises this.

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Ryan SAnswer

Retired Sonos Staff

Hi everyone, starting today with Sonos 9.2 there's the ability to use the mobile controller for Android or iOS to set a maximum volume for each of your Sonos players. The reason I bring it up in here, is that if you have the maximum volume set at 50%, the whole volume bar will still go from 0-100, but 100% will now reflect what your volume limit is set to. This has the added benefit of being able to get more granular control of players at low volume, as the volume steps will scale up or down with the max volume.

So, if you never set your players above a certain volume, this is a great chance to improve the control at lower volumes. Play around with it and see if this helps.

Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.

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Silverthorn

Prodigy II

I don't have a solution, but I do think I have the cause. It's not Sonos, it's Spotify (and maybe other 3d party streaming services). When I play tracks stored on my home server, the min. volume is perfectly adjustable. The moment I switch to Spotify, the min. volume jumps a few steps to too loud.

No idea why this is, but this is what I've found. I've the tried the maximum volume setting. Even setting it to 5% has no effect. The first half of the slider gives only silence. Then it jumps from silence to way too loud...

Different sources will have different levels unfortunately. I have two cds I play regularly. They have quite different levels.

With the sonos app having the focus on a mobile device I find I can drop the volume a little more on my bedroom speaker using the devices physical volume buttons. Worth a try.

"I saw the Stooges and the MC5"

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GabrielLogan

Enthusiast I

I still have the same issue and still now answer from Sonos...
I think yes the reason is that for some streaming services the volume is louder than the other. I tried Amazon and Apple Music and this is too loud. With my TV (through the Beam) or TuneIn this is better.

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Feuermannen

Lyricist I

The minimum volume level is really annoying when using the speaker in the bedroom. I bought a Symfoniskt at Ikea yesterday and cannot use it as I planned.

Sonos continues to refer to their s/w update allowing to control the maximum volume level. However, this doesn’t help me at all.

When I called to Sonos today they said that the issues identified in this Community are being used as input to future s/w updates. Hence, we should continue to raise the problem here.

Stanley_4

Grand Maestro

It is a very frustrating problem as so many folks have no low volume issues. I use my local library, Napster and Amazon mostly and have never had an issue with not volume. If I turn it all the way down and go up just one click I have to stick my ear next to the speaker to hear anything.

What are you listening to, service and track? Manual volume buttons or which controller?

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Feuermannen

Lyricist I

Usually I listen to Spotify or radio via TuneIn. I always use the volume controller in the Sonos-app. First set it to min volume and then slowly increase step by step as described in many places in this Community.

Are there other services for radio that might work better than TuneIn?

Stanley_4

Grand Maestro

I tried several stations via Tunein, all went to silent with the volume at zero, one click up I had to put my ear near the speaker to hear anything. Quiet background levels for me are in the 6-10 range depending on what is playing.

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XavierCLL

Lyricist I

The same issue with my new Sonos one, the answer selected not fix the problem… impossible that after so long, Sonos has not fixed this yet :frowning2:

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sleinhh

Lyricist I

Any update on this?

This is so frustrating and I think we all should move back to good old analog receivers with cables 😄

WAKE UP SONOS! Your UX is very poor on this 😕

D

dewispew

Lyricist II

Hi everyone, starting today with Sonos 9.2 there's the ability to use the mobile controller for Android or iOS to set a maximum volume for each of your Sonos players. The reason I bring it up in here, is that if you have the maximum volume set at 50%, the whole volume bar will still go from 0-100, but 100% will now reflect what your volume limit is set to. This has the added benefit of being able to get more granular control of players at low volume, as the volume steps will scale up or down with the max volume.

So, if you never set your players above a certain volume, this is a great chance to improve the control at lower volumes. Play around with it and see if this helps.

Thanks for this suggestion, I tried this as it is quoted as best solution.

But with max volume at 50%, the two lowest volume steps are silence and then with the next volume step it jumps to the same volume level as the first step with max at 100%. Thus it does not help for getting a lower background volume level on my Play One's.

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Gianmarco C.

Lyricist I

Same! It’s impossible to study with “background” music. This seems a rave even on the lowest volume. Sonos needs to address this issue.

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