I recently set up Trueplay on a couple of Play:1s that I own. When testing out the post-Trueplay calibration sound I discovered bass distortion once I dialed up the speaker to about half-way on the volume bar (my EQ had bass and treble right in the middle and Loudness was turned off). At first I thought it was an issue with my speaker, but turning off Trueplay removed the distortion issue. The best way to describe the distortion is that it is a deep popping bass sound like occurs intermittently (maybe once every couple of seconds, but that depends on how bass heavy the song is).
Anyone else having this issue with a Trueplay-tuned Play:1?
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The hardware isn't defective. I've experienced this intermittent behaviour with multiple PLAY:1s when Trueplay was active. (See earlier posts.)
@philljp: Trueplay is not just EQ, it's digital room correction. Oh, and PLAY:1 is a mono speaker, capable of being bonded in stereo pairs.
@philljp: Trueplay is not just EQ, it's digital room correction. Oh, and PLAY:1 is a mono speaker, capable of being bonded in stereo pairs.
The Play:1 delivers far better sound quality than any BT speaker. You have a defective unit, or are not accustomed to accurate speakers.
http://stereos.about.com/od/Wireless/ss/Sonos-Play1-Measurements.htm
http://stereos.about.com/od/Wireless/ss/Sonos-Play1-Measurements.htm
It's difficult to put it into words how it sounds, but I also cant get past the fact for £160 the Play 1 really isn't that great quality, it's not even stereo.
Trueplay basically seems almost to have access to an equaliser (in the background) where it adjusts the sound range to make things sound better. In general increases bass frequencies a little and ups the treble to an overall better sound. When you turn Trueplay off theres a big difference, and the sound quality is even worse.
It should also be noted I've tuned the speakers in different rooms and areas to make sure it's not picking something else up.
I wonder if something has changed in the hardware on the recent manufactured models to cause this. I wish there was a way I could let you guys have a listen as all 3 sound awful.
Trueplay basically seems almost to have access to an equaliser (in the background) where it adjusts the sound range to make things sound better. In general increases bass frequencies a little and ups the treble to an overall better sound. When you turn Trueplay off theres a big difference, and the sound quality is even worse.
It should also be noted I've tuned the speakers in different rooms and areas to make sure it's not picking something else up.
I wonder if something has changed in the hardware on the recent manufactured models to cause this. I wish there was a way I could let you guys have a listen as all 3 sound awful.
Not directly, but lossy encode/decode could exacerbate the problem since peak levels can increase as a result.
Not having regular access to iDevices I've only recently been able to Trueplay a bunch of speakers: one Play:5 (mk1) and five Play:1s (two stereo paired). I've yet to experience this bass distortion issue but will be listening out for it...
Otherwise, I'm impressed with the improvements brought by Trueplay, with the most obvious effect seeming to be the removal of mid-range 'woodenness'. Most of the rooms housing the speakers have no shortage of reflective surfaces as if often the norm nowadays and perhaps are tricky environments for audio kit. Trueplay appears to have helped and the resultant audio reminds me a little of listening to monitors in a studio. I didn't used to be very impressed with my mk1 Play:5's sound quality but in its current setting it seems to have benefited hugely from Trueplay and it now sounds wonderful. Very happy with the result!
Otherwise, I'm impressed with the improvements brought by Trueplay, with the most obvious effect seeming to be the removal of mid-range 'woodenness'. Most of the rooms housing the speakers have no shortage of reflective surfaces as if often the norm nowadays and perhaps are tricky environments for audio kit. Trueplay appears to have helped and the resultant audio reminds me a little of listening to monitors in a studio. I didn't used to be very impressed with my mk1 Play:5's sound quality but in its current setting it seems to have benefited hugely from Trueplay and it now sounds wonderful. Very happy with the result!
Userlevel 1
+1
Could it be a compression issue? I remember something like that part way on Dear Prudence by the Beatles with Spotify, however when I was using the deezer elite version on the same track the issue was not there.
I've got two Play:1s, neither show this issue. I haven't Trueplay's them though, I don't own an apple product.
Hi all,
Just here to report im getting the same thing. I own a Play 5 which is absolutely fine, but I've now replaced the Play 1, 3 times and every one of them has the problem. I also purchased them from 2 separate place to make sure: Currys and Amazon. The sound quality is also pretty poor for a £150 speaker, and I've heard cheaper bluetooth speakers which sound better.
My sources have been Spotify and TuneIn radio and I can hear the problem on different music, but always on the bass beat. Sometimes it sounds a bit like when a speaker is blown, others its a bit like a double beat/reverb, but overall it makes things sound terrible.
The problem is far more obvious with TruePlay turned on. But I honestly don't know why Sonos aren't seeing an influx of returns as all 3 replacements have this problem, while my Play 5 is not affected.
Just here to report im getting the same thing. I own a Play 5 which is absolutely fine, but I've now replaced the Play 1, 3 times and every one of them has the problem. I also purchased them from 2 separate place to make sure: Currys and Amazon. The sound quality is also pretty poor for a £150 speaker, and I've heard cheaper bluetooth speakers which sound better.
My sources have been Spotify and TuneIn radio and I can hear the problem on different music, but always on the bass beat. Sometimes it sounds a bit like when a speaker is blown, others its a bit like a double beat/reverb, but overall it makes things sound terrible.
The problem is far more obvious with TruePlay turned on. But I honestly don't know why Sonos aren't seeing an influx of returns as all 3 replacements have this problem, while my Play 5 is not affected.
Userlevel 7
+22
Ask your neighbour to turn the music down. I think it is really as simple as that.
Worst thing happened, my nabour bougth a new sound system whit som mutch base going over to my appartment. I strongly believed that she has gotten a hugh subwofer system with a really extreme base, and hade parties 24/7. But to my supprice she got a new sound system, two tiny sono1. And she does not even play loud at all, but the base is as strong in my appartment as in here.
Ifthe speakers would behave as here old system, then they would make thevibrations in the air, and not via physical vibrations. This behaviure should also make the music experience quite lousy for here, when the base can not be claire. The distortion is horibel.
Offcourse I would love my naibour to be able to play music, but this is so loud som my baby child cannot sleep... So what can I do? Do anyone have any guide how to configure this system so they would work decent? Is there any specific vibration pads recomended for these speakers? Or am I forced to build a floating wall, because of to sono one's playing in "speaking level"?
All help is really appricated!
Thanks,
Chris
Ifthe speakers would behave as here old system, then they would make thevibrations in the air, and not via physical vibrations. This behaviure should also make the music experience quite lousy for here, when the base can not be claire. The distortion is horibel.
Offcourse I would love my naibour to be able to play music, but this is so loud som my baby child cannot sleep... So what can I do? Do anyone have any guide how to configure this system so they would work decent? Is there any specific vibration pads recomended for these speakers? Or am I forced to build a floating wall, because of to sono one's playing in "speaking level"?
All help is really appricated!
Thanks,
Chris
Ratty,
DSP's and their Analog to Digital conversion processes are a bit above my knowledge. I just find it strange that I can't replicate the sound I heard.. Perhaps the swapping over of the speakers and retuning them both again using Trueplay might have been the solution... I really can't say anything other than the bass issue I heard seems to have sorted itself, well for now at least.
I should add that the sound I heard was that bad though, when I originally heard it I really thought my speaker was damaged in some way. Like a tear in the cone almost ,or like it had partly come away from the frame or something wrong with its spider.
I immediately reduced the sound and set the EQ back to default... So there was definitely something not operating correctly internally.
Ken Griffiths
DSP's and their Analog to Digital conversion processes are a bit above my knowledge. I just find it strange that I can't replicate the sound I heard.. Perhaps the swapping over of the speakers and retuning them both again using Trueplay might have been the solution... I really can't say anything other than the bass issue I heard seems to have sorted itself, well for now at least.
I should add that the sound I heard was that bad though, when I originally heard it I really thought my speaker was damaged in some way. Like a tear in the cone almost ,or like it had partly come away from the frame or something wrong with its spider.
I immediately reduced the sound and set the EQ back to default... So there was definitely something not operating correctly internally.
Ken Griffiths
Don't waste your time with the Network Matrix. I've noted this issue on a wired PLAY:1. The problem has nothing to do with the network; something isn't quite right in the PLAY:1's audio pipeline when Trueplay is engaged. PLAY:1 already relies quite heavily on DSP to account for its audio performance. Trueplay, under some conditions, on some content, appears to push it over the edge and trigger what sounds rather like bass clipping.
I have been playing a large music playlist all morning on both the Play-1's in my Kitchen and Hallway, trying to replicate the bass-noise that I heard the other day... I could not get either of them to create the sound again... (I was even sat in the same place). The only thing I have done is to swap the two speakers over and retune them both with Trueplay.
I have no idea why I can't replicate the noise unless retuning with Trueplay has solved the issue for me?
I have looked at my networks support/review Matrix and the only thing that reveals, is that my Kitchen Play-1 Speaker, where I originally noticed this noise, has a slightly weaker signal than the rest of my system (stepping off one of the dining room speakers) ... But even then, I can't claim that the signal is that low that it would cause me any issues.
Here is my Matrix screenshot for what little that helps in this situation:
I will keep trying to find what caused the flat bass noise, but right now I am stumped.
Ken Griffiths
I have no idea why I can't replicate the noise unless retuning with Trueplay has solved the issue for me?
I have looked at my networks support/review Matrix and the only thing that reveals, is that my Kitchen Play-1 Speaker, where I originally noticed this noise, has a slightly weaker signal than the rest of my system (stepping off one of the dining room speakers) ... But even then, I can't claim that the signal is that low that it would cause me any issues.
Here is my Matrix screenshot for what little that helps in this situation:
I will keep trying to find what caused the flat bass noise, but right now I am stumped.
Ken Griffiths
I used to have a B&W Zeppelin that did exactly the same. Even at low volumes, the bass would sound distorted. Maybe it's as a result of DSP?
I've turned off TruePlay on my Play 1 in the kitchen and it sounds much better. The 2 Play 1's I have paired with a Sub in my living room sound as they should, although I suppose this is probably due to the Sub handling the bass duties.
I've turned off TruePlay on my Play 1 in the kitchen and it sounds much better. The 2 Play 1's I have paired with a Sub in my living room sound as they should, although I suppose this is probably due to the Sub handling the bass duties.
Userlevel 7
+26
Thanks for the update Ken. Let us know how it goes.
Ryan,
Further to my post above about the Apple 'Top Songs' Playlist for All Genres... I said it was likely the bass noise I encountered, was whilst I was playing the first 20 songs from the 100 tracks available... I've just realised that I may have possibly set the playlist to play in a random order. So I best ask you to disregard that earlier comment... Sorry about that ! I will save the playlist and go through the tracks in the coming days and see what I can discover.
Ken
Further to my post above about the Apple 'Top Songs' Playlist for All Genres... I said it was likely the bass noise I encountered, was whilst I was playing the first 20 songs from the 100 tracks available... I've just realised that I may have possibly set the playlist to play in a random order. So I best ask you to disregard that earlier comment... Sorry about that ! I will save the playlist and go through the tracks in the coming days and see what I can discover.
Ken
Ryan,
If I had a perfect listening ear and could find a way to easily replicate this issue, I would happily call Sonos Customer Support (who I have a very high regard for) and try to address the issue, but in fact it is, (as far as I can tell at this moment in time) an intermittent problem... and personally, I have tried to address the problem myself by swapping my Play-1 speakers over, between rooms/zones and by reducing the bass slider bar, which admittedly, I usually have set to its highest level.
I would presently feel a little uneasy to call Sonos Support and not be able to replicate the problem... I even struggle to adequately describe the sound I heard.
However... I will continue to research this problem and if I can replicate the problem I will certainly call the helpline.
My Play-1 Speaker, at the time that I first noticed this, just the other day, was in the kitchen zone, with trueplay enabled and the bass/treble slider bars both set to their max, with loudness also set to 'on' by default.
Today, I have gone to what I believe was the playlist that I was listening to at the time that I first noticed this issue, which was Apple Music's "Top Songs" Playlist, using ALL GENRES, here in the UK. The playlist begins with Work (featuring Drake) by Rihanna and ends with Again by Fetty Wap ... A total of 100 songs in all, but to the best of my recollection, the 'distortion' sound occurred within the first 20 tracks.
My wife and I had guests/visitors at the time at our home, so I'm not sure which track(s) we were listening to. I believe I had also grouped some speakers together across two zones at least, but it was the single Play-1 kitchen speaker where I noticed the issue ... It sounded like the cone was broken/a sort of 'burst' speaker slapping base noise. (I've tried to describe it as best as I can). I thought my speaker was damaged/broken in some way and I went onto immediately reduce the bass slider bar for that zone, hoping no-one would notice.
I have randomly and manually selected a few of the songs from the Apple playlist today, in my efforts to reproduce the noise, but so far I have not had any success. (Typical) and that's why I have described it as an 'intermittent problem'.
I plan to do some more research/playing of the playlist songs in the next few days to see if I can find the song that replicates the sound I heard.
If I can go on to reproduce this easily, then I will happily call Sonos support. I hope that helps. At the moment I would feel like I am wasting the time of the technicians, particularly, as I don't currently have enough detail to reproduce the problem with ease.
Ken Griffiths
Userlevel 7
+26
Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I'd still like to recommend that if you're seeing this behavior it'd be great to give us a call on our support line so a technician can investigate further. We've done a lot of testing on Trueplay and are always looking for more feedback. If there is something here we'd be happy to take a closer look. Any suspected software or hardware issue would be best worked through over the phones so we can get the feedback to the right teams.
http://(IP address):1400/status pages?
I doubt that would identify any kind of physical damage, but IMO this isn't a case of the drive unit hitting the limits of its suspension. The popping can occur at all volume levels.
And in my experience the several PLAY:1s I've noticed this on play fine once Trueplay is disabled.
When it comes to sound I'm not very technical in regards to the hardware, but my thoughts were that the resistance level across the speaker or coil temperature might somehow show something if it was monitored/logged... or perhaps if Sonos monitor the level of 'current' or 'temperature' in the coil. It was just a thought really. There must be some way of telling if the sound is not quite correct and the cone is not moving correctly on occasions.
It is true, that I have only just recently noticed this issue when sat listening to music quietly in my kitchen and it is correct to say that I certainly have trueplay enabled on all my speakers. If I switch trueplay off I appear to notice a lack of 'clarity' in the sound and so I have left it on for now.
I don't know if 'clarity' is the best choice of word again, but the sound becomes slightly 'fuzzy' or 'muffled' with it off ... I only really notice the difference as I toggle the on/off button in the settings.
I'm not claiming to understand the technical side of things here, but i certainly have heard this 'popping' of the base speaker occasionally. Now I have swapped my speakers over, in the kitchen, I am hoping to eventually replicate the sound I hear again on my speaker and once I can pin it down, I will try it both with trueplay on and off. I will also toggle the 'loudness' button in the EQ settings to see if I can narrow it down.
I do have a pair of PLAY-5’s (older Gen 1) in my living room (set as a stereo pair) and I have never noticed the issue at all with those. They too have trueplay enabled and the bass slider set to its highest level. So it just appears to be on my Play 1 speaker at the moment.
I just hope it's not any kind of internal damage to my play 1 speaker (now in the hallway) as I suspect it is just out of warranty. Having said that, it is very intermittent that I notice this occasional drop/slap/pop... I wish I could describe it better!!!
http://(IP address):1400/status pages?
I doubt that would identify any kind of physical damage, but IMO this isn't a case of the drive unit hitting the limits of its suspension. The popping can occur at all volume levels.
And in my experience the several PLAY:1s I've noticed this on play fine once Trueplay is disabled.
Yes, I too have noticed the occasional 'popping' on the Play-1 speaker. It's like the base has gone beyond its limit and almost sounds like the speaker is damaged. It seems to be intermittent.
I have 5 x Play 1’s. (Two as a stereo pair in the dining room, one in the kitchen, one in the bedroom and another in the downstairs hallway).
I fist noticed it in the kitchen, so I have just swapped that speaker with my hallway one, to see if it reoccurs.
I admit though I like to turn the bass and treble up full on all my Sonos speakers ... So it maybe my own fault... I rarely however go beyond 3/4 volume and have never pushed them to their volume-limit.
I now need to recall what music track I was playing and also I need to test things again with the bass and treble reset to their default.
Does anyone know how to find out if a speaker is actually damaged in anyway... Just wondering if there is any diagnostic results/information somewhere on the
http://(IP address):1400/status pages?
I have 5 x Play 1’s. (Two as a stereo pair in the dining room, one in the kitchen, one in the bedroom and another in the downstairs hallway).
I fist noticed it in the kitchen, so I have just swapped that speaker with my hallway one, to see if it reoccurs.
I admit though I like to turn the bass and treble up full on all my Sonos speakers ... So it maybe my own fault... I rarely however go beyond 3/4 volume and have never pushed them to their volume-limit.
I now need to recall what music track I was playing and also I need to test things again with the bass and treble reset to their default.
Does anyone know how to find out if a speaker is actually damaged in anyway... Just wondering if there is any diagnostic results/information somewhere on the
http://(IP address):1400/status pages?
My wife has noticed this distortion on the Play 1 in her Dressing Room and the Play 1 in our Hallway. For her to mention this is to say the least unusual!
Userlevel 7
+26
Thanks for the details ctx. It sounds like you'd be best off giving us a call on our support line so a technician can investigate further. They'll be happy to assist further.
I am experiencing something similar with both of my Play 1s. The bass sounds fine, but speaker regularly "pops" on kick drum beats as if the woofer were hitting maximum excursion. This even happens at relatively low level making me wonder if there is some sub-sonic thing going on that is maxing out the woofer, or some other issue. I'm going to try turning off the true play and experimenting with the EQ to see what effect that has, but there is definitely something going on that is not just a room resonance etc.
Userlevel 7
+26
Out of curiosity - if it's OK in a different room, what could have be the issue?
Sometimes the tuning will have some strange effects on the acoustics of the room and artifacts will become visible on certain frequencies; this can sometimes be confused with other sources of audio distortion. Usually running tuning a second time will resolve this issue, but it could be room based. If that is what's happening, it'd still be great to give us a call as we want to do the best we can to make sure it doesn't happen.
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