Avid Contributor I

Question

Play:5 Volume Levels

9 replies
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Hi guys

Just got a Play:5 today and have a query about the volume levels. Basically it seems to play very quietly (almost inaudible) until 40-50% volume. Then the incremental increase seems to go very high. The Play 3's and 1's that i have don't do this. In fact at the same level, the Play:3 would be a fair bit louder. Seems to do this when playing from my local NAS and when streaming, i have seen an old thread about this but there didn't seem to be an answer. Is this a known issue or is there a fix for it? I have checked all EQ settings and have loudness on, along with Trueplay done.

I did buy ths Play:5 as a certified refurb from Sonos directly and it looks brand new. Maybe there is a fault with it.

The issue i have is a lot of the time i listen in the evening and want to be able to hear it without cranking it up to 50% just to hear it.

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ratty

Does it go loud enough for you at all?

There's been comment that "cheap" stereo systems ramp the volume quickly as the control is increased from zero, in order to give the impression that the rig is more powerful than it really is. Sonos doesn't do this.

I'd also note that a recurring request has been for the Sonos volume control to have more granularity at the bottom end, to allow for fine adjustments when listening at low levels.

B

BumrahAuthor

Avid Contributor I

Does it go loud enough for you at all?

There's been comment that "cheap" stereo systems ramp the volume quickly as the control is increased from zero, in order to give the impression that the rig is more powerful than it really is. Sonos doesn't do this.

I'd also note that a recurring request has been for the Sonos volume control to have more granularity at the bottom end, to allow for fine adjustments when listening at low levels.

Yeah it does go loud enough, i would never need it on full or above 75%. Just seems to be a bit "all or nothing" at the lower end of the volume control. Maybe i will get used to it. I was just a bit concerned given that it is a "certified refurb" that's all and there was another thread about it, although a lot of those cases seemed to be where the speaker wouldn't go loud even on 100% which certainly isn't the case with mine. I will give it a couple of days.

B

BumrahAuthor

Avid Contributor I

I have been listening to it now for a couple of hours and am convinced that with certain songs i can hear a sudden slight drop in volume (unless my ears are deceiving me). Anybody else had this happen to them?

M

markwills

I do find that my play 5 volume does not work in exactly the same way as on my play 1s.

The play 5 is quieter than the play 1 at the lower end of the volume scale, so I usually have the volume slider further to the right on my play 5 compared with the play 1s. However if I do go even louder then the play 5 allows for better quality & louder sound than the play 1s do.

Hope this helps.

J

John B

I have been listening to it now for a couple of hours and am convinced that with certain songs i can hear a sudden slight drop in volume (unless my ears are deceiving me). Anybody else had this happen to them?

Ears are notoriously deceptive. Some people even claim to be able to hear a difference between CD-quality and 'HiRes' audio.

B

BumrahAuthor

Avid Contributor I

I have been listening to it now for a couple of hours and am convinced that with certain songs i can hear a sudden slight drop in volume (unless my ears are deceiving me). Anybody else had this happen to them?Ears are notoriously deceptive. Some people even claim to be able to hear a difference between CD-quality and 'HiRes' audio.

Don't open that can of worms! Ha Ha. We will have to start talking about which digital cable sounds the best!

On a serious note though, i was having audio issues and it seems like it was related to Airplay 2 and Spotify. For the last 3 days i have been streaming directly from the internet and SONOS controller and there have been no issues. Airplay and IOS seem to be less reliable.

J

John B

OK 😄. That I can believe.....

S

smstnitc

Lyricist III

I just got a Play:5 gen2 this weekend, and I found this thread while searching because I noticed it's much quieter at the low volumes compared to the Play:3 pair it's meant to replace in my office (they're moving to another room), which is initially disconcerting.. but on the flip side, the sound quality seems to be better at the higher volumes, which is what I was hoping for (the debate now is if it's worth getting a second one for a stereo pair).

My assumption at this point is that it's in some way related to the higher quality sound the play:5 should be producing, but it would be nice to see an official comment on the difference.

N

n84

Lyricist I

I just got a Play:5 gen2 this week (open box from Best Buy) and noticed the same thing. I put it in the room with my stereo Play:1s and noticed that there’s a difference in volume if the sliders are set the same.

I’m also curious for other Play:5 owners out there - I’m noticing a lack of presence in the mids, like the sound of acoustic guitars and pianos. I’ve tried different songs and toggled with the EQ and Trueplay. I tried moving it to my room with my Play:1 stereo setup and comparing to my other single 1. Based on all the reviews I read, they always mention the great mid-range. I can definitely notice the additional bass and clear highs with the Play:5, and expected it to be at least as good as the 1’s for the mids. Any thoughts on your experiences?

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