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Sonos Connect vinyl - varying volumes on different devices

  • 14 September 2022
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Hoping someone can help with vinyl set up using Sonos Connect. I’ve had this same system working previously prior to a house move but now seemingly am banging my head against the wall. 
 

I have the system set up as Turntable > Connect > Amp (with wired speakers connected). Initially I set this up, selected the Line-In and was getting no output from the vinyl playing. To check, I switched over to Sonos Radio as the input and had the smooth sounds of Cruise Control playing straight away through both the wired speaker and a separate Sonos 1 I paired the Connect to in my system. So that told me the signal is going from Connect > Amp & speakers.

I looked at the Line-Out Level and started trying Fixed or Pass Through. This resulted in the vinyl coming through the wired speakers just fine, but left the Sonos 1 coming through incredibly quiet even when up to near full volume in the Sonos app. 
 

If anyone has encountered and/or mastered this problem in the past please do pass on any words of wisdom.

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Best answer by Corry P 23 September 2022, 11:15

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Hi @Ollocks 

Welcome to the Sonos Community!

I recommend you get in touch with our technical support team, who have tools at their disposal that will allow them to give you advice specific to your Sonos system and what it reports.

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Hoping someone can help with vinyl set up using Sonos Connect. I’ve had this same system working previously prior to a house move but now seemingly am banging my head against the wall. 
 

I looked at the Line-Out Level and started trying Fixed or Pass Through. This resulted in the vinyl coming through the wired speakers just fine, but left the Sonos 1 coming through incredibly quiet even when up to near full volume in the Sonos app. 
 

If anyone has encountered and/or mastered this problem in the past please do pass on any words of wisdom.

The fact that you had it working before with the same exact gear is a good sign.  This means that you have a turntable with a built in vinyl pre-amp that is outputting line level audio out of the turntable.

 

(To confirm this it would be good if you post the make and model of the turntable.)

 

When you refer to Line Level Out I will assume this is on the Connect?  If so, and assuming you use the Amplifier to control your volume (and not the Connect) then the correct setting on the Connect is “FIXED” for the line level output.

 

If that is working fine, and the problem is that other Sonos devices are not getting a hot enough signal, still (ie, you have a Play 1 somewhere and even at max volume on the Play 1 the sound is barely audible) then you will want to open a ticket with Sonos.

 

However, if one of the assumptions above is wrong, that might be the key, starting with what kind of turntable you have and what kind of output is has (traditional turntable level, which is very low and needs EQ via a dedicated special turntable pre-amp -- versus -- many newer mass market turntables that have a built in turntable pre-amp and output traditional line level audio).  And working forward from there.

Oh, as a secondary thought, I have seen instances of built in pre-amp’s switches being “stuck” and not properly switching between the phone level and line level outputs. If your turntable has such a switch, try moving it back and forth several times to clean any corrosion that might have accumulated that could block proper connection. 

Unless your turntable has a built in pre-amp, which is turned on, you’d need to insert a pre-amp between the turntable and the Sonos CONNECT.

Most amplifiers have a specified “Phono” input, which includes a pre-amp to get the signal from phono level to line level (which is what all the other inputs are, like DVD/CD or tape). 

The Sonos system expects a line level input, it doesn’t have the pre-amp built in.

There are lots and lots of external pre-amps available, should you need one, Amazon is an excellent source, at the least, to look at options and price points. In general, you shouldn’t be spending more than $30 or so….but it’s up to you.