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Hello

As the title suggests I want to discuss the so-called “Known Issue” answer many say they receive when contacting Sonos Tech Support. Before we can discuss it let’s get a better understanding of the phrase. The quotes are not referenced by a link as you can search the web for “Known Issue” an obtain an abundance of hits. A few I found that I believe relevant to this post are:

  • A "Known Issue" is an identified problem or issue with system functionality.

I personally dislike the above as it takes the term problem and issue and literally meshes them into one. I much more prefer the following…

  • An issue is much softer than a problem and has a readily recognizable solution. Mostly an issue bears only a slight impact, and causes personal annoyance.
  • A problem is life altering, temporarily or permanently. They can cause others to be affected. A "problem" is something bad that you have to deal with.

OK…granted the above primarily deals with the human side of things versus tech. However, I believe both definitions can be applied to technology…if you are willing to “think outside of the box” and broaden your interpretation.

Often in this community people post a complaint about a Sonos product and state… 

  • I called/spoke with Sonos Tech support and they told me it was known issue”.

Using the aforementioned analysis was it an “issue” or a “problem”? I’ll use the Sonos Arc as an example.

Upon the Arc’s release there were many complaints regarding dialogue (i.e. spoken word). It was seemingly overpowered by other non-verbal content making it difficult to enjoy a movie or local broadcast. IMO indiscernible dialogue was more than an issue it was a problem. I too was dissatisfied in how the Arc initially handled dialogue. More over it was pervasive in that it was not TV brand specific. 

Sonos realized it was a problem that had to be dealt with. Their solution was the introduction of “Enhanced Dialogue” feature. Whether it boosts the dialogue range, lowers other frequencies or some combination of both I can’t say. I can say that I use the feature and have had a much more enjoyable listening experience since its introduction.  Adding a sub also helps...but in reality one should not have to purchase a sub.

Getting back to the subject of “Known Issue” some are just that…an issue. That mostly has only a slight impact and may causes some personal annoyance.

Most of the so-called “know issues” deal with sound. That’s quite obvious as we’re discussing Sonos speakers. The majority of the posts (I read) regarding Sonos soundbars deal with a specific brand of TV; or more aptly a model within the brand. I’ll not state my opinion on that.

Sonos designs its soundbars as generic speakers to work with the majority of TV models within a brand. Most TV’s connect for sound over HDMI and some over optical. The transmission of sound over either is governed by the TV design specifications 

To the aforementioned there are models which Sonos has difficulties processing the audio. When a call is placed to Sonos Tech support the answer may be presented as a “known issue”. Meaning that Sonos is aware that a particular brand/model has difficulty with the sound transmission to its soundbar. However since the transmission is governed by the TV/model there’s nothing Sonos can do to correct it….therefore it’s a “known Issue.”

Sonos is not going to tell the caller they should buy a different brand of TV; as that would be insulting and not a solution. Furthermore, from a marketing standpoint every TV manufacturer is a Sonos partner (albeit not via a signed agreement). Furthermore, it would be very detrimental to the Sonos brand if they were to promote or denigrate a particular TV brand/model one versus another. Especially, because of a low percentage of a perceived issue.

To be honest Sonos is not vague on all issues; as it does acknowledge poor performance with certain networking products. Rightfully so as they can affect the entire Sonos system causing a “problem”. 

To conclude, I hope I’ve been able to shed some light and offer a plausible explanation as to what is sometimes meant by ..It’s a known issue”.  Incidentally, not just as it relates to Sonos; but to tech in general.

Enjoy your Sonos!

Hi @AjTrek1 

Thanks for your post!

It’s an interesting take on things, though I am not convinced that the public at large will ever see a difference between an issue and a problem - I for one have often used the terms interchangeably, and will often switch just so I don’t use the same word 10 times in a single paragraph!

“Known issue”, as you rightly say, is another thing entirely, however - thanks for expressing this so clearly!

I don’t think there is a ton of difference between ‘problem’ and ‘issue’, although I would say that typically, ‘issues’ don’t necessarily have ownership, while a problem typically has a owner. By that I mean that if Sonos staff says that something is a known issue, they are acknowledging that something isn’t working as intended, but it’s not necessarily something that Sonos is responsible for or can do anything to fix.  For example, if a music streaming service isn’t working correctly, Sonos can acknowledge that it’s a known issue, but they would not be the ones to fix the issue.    Other known issues could be on Sonos to resolve.

Problems though almost always come with some sort of owner.  If Sonos were to say, “we’ve identified the source of the problem” and owner of the problem is identified.  Likewise, if Sonos support has identified that a consumers network isn’t working properly, or using an unsupported type of network, it’s a problem for the consumer.  Sonos support can provide advice to the consumer, but it’s ultimately on the consumer to address the problem.  Then again, looking at home networks in general more broadly, you could say that Sonos has a problem with home networks since they require more than a typical home/smart network product would.

But again, all this is pretty vague, and not definitive.  It’s perfectly as acceptable to say “melvimbe has issues” as it is to say “melvimbe has problems”.

 

@melvimbe

Yes, you have both and you own them very well 😂😂😂

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