Skip to main content
Question

Fives and Victrola Stream major issues

  • May 9, 2026
  • 11 replies
  • 55 views
P

Howdy. I have two Fives, not using (and not interested in using) them as a stereo pair - one is in the bar room of my restaurant and the other is in the rear dining room. They never have trouble pairing with each other - they always play the same thing just fine. 

 

I have a Victrola Stream Onyx, because we play our music on vinyl. I was having a lot of trouble keeping this connected via WiFi, so I ran an RCA cable to the bar room speaker, and everything was working just fine. 

 

After a recent Sonos auto-update (now disabled), the signal from the turntable started dropping out, especially whenever I pause long enough to flip a record. 

 

Yesterday, I did a factory reset and set the system back up. I noticed that when I deleted the Victrola app and removed the turntable from my WiFi network, things seemed stable again. Until they didn't: the volume started randomly changing (usually set to 50, I needed it well above 70 to hear it correctly; it would then randomly get extremely loud), and often when the volume was louder the music sounded "wobbly," and believe me I wish I could come up with a better term - but not smooth. It would also drop out, until I pressed "Line-In" again on the main panel of the Sonos app. There are no other sources active - I have used Spotify to cover in emergencies like this, briefly, but nothing active right now. If this matters, I'm running an Asus mesh network, and all other devices (including my Toast POS system, which is notorious when it comes to connectivity) are quite stable. The bar room speaker is connected wirelessly, and the dining room speaker is wired to the router directly just for stability (and it's the speaker that's convenient to cabling). The RCA connection from the turntable runs to the bar Five - and as I mentioned, if that one manages to play, the other Five has no trouble mirroring it.

 

I have researched this for hours and hours, and have played with all the line-in settings, line-in levels, etc., on the Sonos app. I've tried making each speaker, separately, the "main" speaker as well.

 

Today, I'm going to take my Audio Technica turntable to the restaurant and see if that variable changes things. (And if it does, I will have a LOVELY Victrola Stream Onyx for sale!) (And if it doesn't, I will have a LOVELY pair of Fives for sale!)

 

Anyone have any ideas? It's incredibly frustrating that the simplest and basically oldest method of sound reproduction has become needlessly, and hopelessly, complicated. I need this system to just be dumb, and, most importantly for my business, to just keep working once it's working. I feel like this system is an entry-level employee in a skilled job! 

 

Any insight or advice would be greatly and humbly appreciated! Thank you! 

11 replies

MoPac
Forum|alt.badge.img+19
  • MoPac
  • Headliner III
  • May 9, 2026

Have you tried both 5s on WiFi?

P
  • pjulianp
  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • May 9, 2026

Thanks MoPac, yes I have, that's how I ran the system for a year, same issues. I plugged one in thinking it would increase the connectivity. Yesterday, I disconnected the dining room speaker (ethernet-connected) and did the factory reset just on the main one (bar) I'm wired to via RCA cables, and the issues were present before I reconnected the second speaker.

buzz
  • buzz
  • May 9, 2026

Avoid any more Factory Resets because, as you’ve discovered, they don’t resolve this sort of situation and it wastes your time. Plus, the Factory Reset destroys diagnostic data that could have been useful to SONOS support if you contact them. A simple reboot is OK.

When you wire one or more FIVE’s to the network, they will leave the WiFi and build a private (SonosNet) wireless network. The FIVE’s will require a couple minutes to stabilize if you change. Depending on the wireless environment one arrangement may be more stable than the other. ASUS mesh systems can be a pain if not configured correctly. You can avoid this by using SonosNet. Of course this assumes that the FIVE’s are within stable wireless range of each other.

I recommend that you reserve IP addresses for all of your regular network clients, wired or wireless. Check for duplicate IP addresses.

After your Factory Resets and system updates, you may be fighting with Autoplay.

Be sure to check for silly things, such as intermittent RCA connections.

 

    buzz
    • buzz
    • May 9, 2026

    2.4GHz wireless clients should use 20MHz wide channel 1, 6, or 11. It’s usually best if SonosNet uses a different channel than other wireless clients.

      P
      • pjulianp
      • Author
      • Contributor I
      • May 9, 2026

      Thanks guys,

      I appreciate the ideas. I’ll avoid doing frequent Resets, that’s good advice and especially pertinent with diagnostics.

      This issue is not really about networking--the network has always been stable. AND, I tested this issue on a single Five before the other one was even plugged back in.

      This issue is really about the main Five picking up, and sticking with, a stable RCA line-in connection.

      It was doing this perfectly well until an update that happened last weekend.

        Airgetlam

        I’d be tempted to submit a system diagnostic within 10 minutes of experiencing this problem, and call Sonos Support to discuss it. Don’t post the resulting diagnostic number here. Especially if you think this is related to the firmware update. 

        There may be information included in the diagnostic that will help Sonos pinpoint the issue and help you find a solution.

        When you speak directly to the Support staff, they have tools at their disposal that will allow them to give you advice specific to your network and Sonos system.

         

        Bruce
        buzz
        • buzz
        • May 9, 2026

        Of course we can’t rule out a fundamental problem with the update. If this is the case, we’ll likely have more.reports, however, the update can stumble into local network issues or hardware issues with a FIVE. Submit a diagnostic within 10 minutes of an issue, then call support. In my experience the percentage is with a local network issue, but we can’t rule out the other possibilities.

          Stanley_4
          • Stanley_4
          • Grand Maestro
          • May 9, 2026

          Almost always reports of random volume changes come back to a controller making the changes. A forgotten one on a computer, phone or tablet, one of the voice services or home automation things.

          You can look around but the diagnostic, if taken soon after the change will let the Sonos support folks see what did it.

          P
          • pjulianp
          • Author
          • Contributor I
          • May 9, 2026

          Ok, thanks guys! Any further thoughts please feel free to share… meanwhile I will use my next bit of free time at the restaurant (probably 2 weeks lol) to try a diagnostic and support ticket as you suggest!

            Stanley_4
            • Stanley_4
            • Grand Maestro
            • May 9, 2026

            The diagnostic is quick, just a couple clicks. Once sent you can call in when you have the time.

            https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/submit-diagnostics

             

              P
              • pjulianp
              • Author
              • Contributor I
              • May 9, 2026

              Thank you!

                Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement