Sub (Gen 3) - way too quiet

Have you tried different spots for the sub? That can make a huge difference. Also when tuning Trueplay, stay a bit further away from walls and obstacles in the 2nd stage of tuning. That also will help in my opinion, since the sub is less tuned down, avoiding spots where your iOS device can pick up “boomy” bass.

What you also can do for practice: Put the sub on the seat, where you normally sit. Leave Trueplay off. Play some music with a beat. Now walk trough the room and listen for spots, where you can hear the bass very loud. You also will discover spots, where the bass is hardly noticeable. Keep in mind you need to listen close to the floor, since you probably put it on the floor 😉

When you find a spot, where the bass is good, put the sub in that spot. Retune Trueplay, and listen. That should give you a better experience for sure. Try different spots, its a process what is pretty time consuming, but its worth it.
Never place the sub in a close space or cabinet. It needs air to breathe.

I’m trying to understand your post.. one part says  your sub is disappointing , one says it’s amazing. 

To clarify: The only ‘amazing’ part is the ‘Success’ sound when you successfully pair the sub with the Arc. That’s a 3 second audio/fx. (It feels like a small earthquake! Love it!)
For all the rest is disappointing.

Edit - More clarifications: That sound is generated by the Sonos system itself, which leads me to think that the Sub is fine. But I cannot mange to replicate the same experience with any setting when using the system via Apple TV / PS5 / etc.

Hi, 

I am experiencing exactly the same issue. I have a LG OLED C1, Arc, 2 x Sonos One’s as surrounds and I have just added the Sub Gen 3. The sound from the sub is very quiet, the bass is still coming from the Arc so its as though its not being sent to the sub. I have to place my head next to the sub to know its even on. The sub shows on the app so I know its connected. I have reported this to Sonos and they have confirmed that there is a known issue with this set up and they are working on a fix but can give no timescale at this time. 

It may be worth reporting it to Sonos if you haven't already as the more reports they get, maybe they will bump it up the list to get a fix. 

Thanks

Tom

Ehmmm… It has been an issue, yes, after the release of patch 14.12, it seemed like the whole world went crazy (including myself).
This issue was fixed with the release of patch 14.18. Everybody was very happy and a lot of people even claim, it’s the best sound profile ever from Sonos.

I don’t understand why tech support told you it’s a known issue. Did you provide them with a diagnostic code? And what did they say about the code?
How is your configuration setup? You use Sonosnet (1 player over ethernet, rest wireless), everything wireless over existing WiFi or do you have every device plugged in with an ethernet cable?

There might be some interference what’s causing the issue. Best thing to do is run a diagnostic within 15 minutes when you encounter the issue and get in contact with Sonos Support. They can “see” your network configuration and also confirm if there is some interference. 

Sorry to say, but telling you there is a known issue concerning the sub with arc, is just not true. That was resolved about 5 weeks ago. Maybe @Corry P can confirm this? If I’m mistaken, I apologise, but I’m pretty sure…..

Can Sonos technical support raise ones volume settings if desired if they have “tools”?

Hi @JeroenVR & @Corry P,

Thanks for the responses. I was also under the impression that this issue had been fixed but there is definitely still an issue somewhere. Considering some of the reviews I've read for this Sub and the size of it, I shouldn't need to put my head next to it to hear anything at all. I've tried the latest Jurassic World film and I couldn't tell if the Sub was turned on. It was definitely on as it shows as connected in the app. 

The set up is all wirelessly connected. I have reported it to technical support and they have confirmed

“Thank you, we do have a know issue indeed reported for this exact setup (Arc + Surrounds + Sub), my colleagues are currently working to find a fix for this issue, we do have a few workarounds we may try next, just a few moments to check…. “

@Corry P - Thanks for your message. I've tried resetting all aspects of the system and with Trueplay turned on & off but it makes no difference. The latest I heard from Technical support was on Monday 28th when they said:

“There are currently no updates on the ongoing investigation. We are still trying to properly understand where this issue stems from, such that the fix we are to implement does not negatively impact anything else. I must assure you though, once more, that the matter is currently under investigation and will be fixed in a future software release.”

Technical support have not asked for any diagnostic code - I assume they would ask if they felt it was required or should I just send it anyway? 

Thanks for all the help - much appreciated. 

Tom

Hi @Dogdad 

No - we’d ask you to do that in the app. The tools allow us to verify that your devices are properly configured and see logs that the system produces that may indicate where the problem lies.

​Hi @TomUK81 

There is a known issue which applies only when Atmos-encoded music is playing and as your sound is coming from the TV, I don’t think it is relevant. Unfortunately, the agent you spoke to did, or perhaps misunderstood the documentation on the issue - I can only apologise. I’ve put a note on the case, so the same mistake shouldn't be made again.

When you get in touch with our technical support team via chat, a diagnostic is automatically triggered and delivered (in a manner of speaking) to the agent you speak to. By all means, submit a support diagnostic while playing a movie and reply here with the number given, and I’ll take a look for you.

​

Hi @Corry P, 

I've submitted two diagnostic reports: 

Watching Disney+ - 306250606

Watching 4K Blu-ray - 1411931147

Thanks for your help. 

Tom 

Hi @TomUK81 

Thanks!

The good news is that I see no amplifier faults on the Sub, and your Home Theatre system is configured as it should be.

I do see the Arc channel hopping quite a lot on the 5GHz links to the surrounds and Sub, which is a good indication of interference. Obviously, you have a TV near your Arc, but what else is? If you have a router or WiFi Access Point nearby, I recommend moving it to at least 1m away, but ideally further.

I hope this helps.

Hi @Corry P, 

Thanks for looking into it. 

The Arc is on a sideboard with the TV behind it and there is a Blu-ray player below the Arc. 

I've never had any issues with the surrounds, they always sound brilliant. 

The router is in another room about 5m away. 

Thanks for putting a note on the case logged with Technical Support - I guess they will still look into it, even if its not the known issue they previously thought it was. 

Thanks

Tom

Note that the surrounds and Sub do not directly connect to your router. They connect to your Arc via a ‘hidden’ 5Ghz signal. They do get IP address proxies from your router through the connection to your Arc. 

Wow I have literally the exact same issues reported by the original poster. It seems there's no fixes available. I've tried all the things suggested in this post to no avail. I am thinking I may return it because for $650 it makes almost no difference than if before when I had just the beam. 

What did Sonos support tell you when you called them for assistance?

Hi @TomUK81 

To be clear, my putting a comment on your case will not change it’s current status, which is likely to be “waiting on customer” or “closed”. For staff at Sonos to look at your case again, you would need to reinitiate contact via phone, email or chat.

As for the issue, is the Arc on a glass or metal surface? If near a wall, is there anything on the other side of the wall?

Hi @chandler-sf 

Who said that? In the vast majority of cases, the fix is particular to the environment that the Sonos system finds itself in, which is why you sometimes just need to get in touch with our technical support team to get answers.

Thanks a lot @Corry P 

I attempted to reset the Arc to factory settings and that helped, alongside disabling trueplay.

On PS5 now having the sub volume at 1-2 is equivalent to my old (10+).

With AppleTV 4k I have to put it at 4-5, yet still a much improved experience than before.

However all of this is always with trueplay disabled. Whenever I attempt to calibrate it, and I tried multiple things (whole room, just listening area, etc) the result is always a very low sub volume.

Are there any downsides of not using trueplay? Should I keep trying or it is fine to keep it deactivated?

S.

Hi @sberjano 

I’m glad to hear that you’re happier with your Sub now, though I cannot endorse factory resetting without explicit instructions to do so, unless you are selling the unit. If it worked, it worked, though.

There’s no huge disadvantage to not having TruePlay enabled - in fact, if you don’t happen to have an iOS device, you can’t do it anyway. A good part of the effect can be achieved with the balance, treble and bass controls, and the rest is spatial correction for unusual rooms - many people notice little difference. You could try with the Sub in a completely different location (same room, of course), but if it was me and I was happy with how it sounds now, I would leave it.

I hope this helps.

Sorry, not a factory reset. Just unplugging 10sec and plugging back in ;-)

For now I will leave it like this, and experiment a little bit with moving more and trueplay next week!

Thanks!

S.

Hi @sberjano 

Ah ha! A reboot. Yes, that was a good idea - who came up with that? 😁

You are very welcome!