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Minimum Volume is too loud to enjoy background music


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The minimum volume on a Play 1 for instance (volume level 1) is too loud to let the music play as background.
It's "no music" or "too loud music" on volume level 1 Nothing in between. Ideally I could lower the music volume like an old amplifier. It's as simple as that. We use the Sonos system on the lowest volume side and the minimum volume is just way too high. I'm surprised that nobody else raises this.
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Best answer by Ryan S 9 October 2018, 22:26

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Userlevel 3

The issue is still present almost a year later. Apple at volume level 1/100 is way too loud.

 

EDIT: Had a chat with Raul P at Sonos technical support and they will escalate this issue.

I’ve posted on this thread years ago, just posting again to say how completely ridiculous it is that Sonos has not fixed this issue. All the pages of recommendations on this thread do nothing. Reducing the max volume makes no difference, connecting to the speakers via airplay makes no difference, no matter what you do, the 1 increment volume is too loud for background music, especially in a bedroom. (And yes I know how to properly increase the volume from 0 to 1 by tapping the right side of the volume slider in the Sonos app 1 time).

 

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After 4 years, I can confirm this still not been solved.  Setting the Volume limitation doesn’t solve the issue. Also it’s not based on the streaming service, I played it through Sonos app directly so the audio source should come straight to Sonos speaker,  nothing to do with the 3rd party app. 

The minimum volume actually depends on the streaming service. While it might not be SONOS fault, they have the power to fix the issue through their app. And they should.

Here is a workaround for iOS + Spotify users: Open the Spotify app, go to “playback” settings and set the volume level to “quiet”. If you then stream from Spotify via AirPlay, the minimal volume will be pleasantly quiet.

Hope this helps some of you.

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Have you used the maximum volume, I note you mention it. I find it great at allowing more control over low volumes. Seems to me they have fixed the issue as Ryan above notes. Loud volume if or when you want it - great control over low volume at the flick of a virtual switch.

Well with maximum volume set at 50% it does help with the slider that is more precise but if we set volume at one the sound is muted. If I set max volume at 25% I then have muted volume for step 1,2 and 3. And still at the first step the sound is heard it is still way too much lound.

 

However I found yesterday that it was the Apple Music service sources that is louder that others. If I use the YouTube music service for example I have much better lower volume at 1/100 compared with Apple Music.

 

Might be good for Sonos to add a “Per service” volume ratio or something like this to have consistency between different music source. So it might not be Sonos fault finally (Sorry about that Sonos !) but still I have no control to fix it other than streaming with Airplay out to grouped speaker.

Have you used the maximum volume, I note you mention it. I find it great at allowing more control over low volumes. Seems to me they have fixed the issue as Ryan above notes. Loud volume if or when you want it - great control over low volume at the flick of a virtual switch.

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So my Sonos where flawless since the last 6 years. I have 9 Sonos speakers, mainly using Apple Music service and no voice service of any sort. Since some time I just found that the minimal playback volume (Setting it at 1 without any max volume limit) is pretty loud and just cannot use the system when kids a sleeping and using the S2 Controller.

I have found that using AirPlay to my Play:5 grouped with all other speakers is my only way to play at much lower volume. Official Apple music Airplaying to Play:5 at volume 10/100 is about the same than S2 app with Apple service at volume 1/100.

Please fix this issue, the speaker are definitely capable playing lower volume. Look like to me that Sonos is pushing out too much products recently and crippling the basic feature that made them standout. Keep Sonos good for music and TV...

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SVC is ‘Sonos Voice Control’ - it’s available to install alongside Alexa via the S2 Sonos App - goto ‘Settings/Services & Voice’ to add the assistant to your Sonos One and/or see this LINK.

See this link too the available SVC syntax:

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/list-of-voice-requests-for-sonos-voice-control

Thank you. 
I installed svc on One and it does provide that granular control. Hey Sonos seems to be a bit temperamental though. Not always understanding commands. Useful to be able to group and ungroup speakers via voice too - although more a novelty with new toy! 
 

Something like Roam is probably the way forward. But for now max volume setting and tv remote is a decent workaround. Thanks again. 

@Sounding,
SVC is ‘Sonos Voice Control’ - it’s available to install alongside Alexa via the S2 Sonos App - goto ‘Settings/Services & Voice’ to add the assistant to your Sonos One and/or see this LINK.

See this link too for the available SVC syntax:

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/list-of-voice-requests-for-sonos-voice-control

We have playbar in lounge and One in kitchen. So, having Voice Control via One is not convenient anyway. That’s why I bought an Amazon Flex to enable voice control on playbar.

I dont really think I can help you. Maybe add a portable Roam to your lounge with SVC installed, or just use the Sonos App and volume limiter (if required), or perhaps see if the TV remote volume control itself will help.

You can temporarily add SVC to the Kitchen ‘One’ at least, just to see if it provides you with the volume granularity required and if so, then get the Roam installed on a Qi charger in the lounge. 

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Not sure if I am missing something - but we have Sonos One with Alexa, and asking for volume to 1 actually sets to 10%. Similarly asking for 1% sets to 0 (muted). 5 (%) = 50%.
Besides that is on Play One. I don’t seem to be able to use One to set Playbar volume. 

Any ideas?

Install SVC alongside Alexa and try it with that assistant. Alexa does not have the granularity level of volume control like SVC. Alexa works with integer values where the scale is 1=10% volume level. It’s unfortunately how the Amazon assistant works on Sonos. SVC can be installed alongside aswell and that allows volume values between 1% upto 100% - so maybe give that a try.

Not sure what you mean by ‘Install SVC alongside Alexa and try it with that assistant’?
Can you clarify, please?

We have Alexa added in S2 Sonos app. Do you mean another app? Or…?

 

Not sure if I am missing something - but we have Sonos One with Alexa, and asking for volume to 1 actually sets to 10%. Similarly asking for 1% sets to 0 (muted). 5 (%) = 50%.
Besides that is on Play One. I don’t seem to be able to use One to set Playbar volume. 

Any ideas?

Install SVC alongside Alexa and try it with that assistant. Alexa does not have the granularity level of volume control like SVC. Alexa works with integer values where the scale is 1=10% volume level. It’s unfortunately how the Amazon assistant works on Sonos. SVC can be installed alongside aswell and that allows volume values between 1% upto 100% - so maybe give that a try.

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We have playbar in lounge and One in kitchen. So, having Voice Control via One is not convenient anyway. That’s why I bought an Amazon Flex to enable voice control on playbar.

 

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If I say to my Sonos speakers “Hey Sonos, set the volume to one percent” I find I struggle to hear the audio clearly from 5 or 6 feet away and that’s using the larger Sonos Arc TV speaker, without altering the volume-limiter from its default 100 setting. Sonos have to cater for everyone I guess and one percent seems fine with my level of hearing things.

I suspect the issue might be more for those people who have Sonos devices which don’t have built-in voice control. For example, we have Playbar connected to Flex to enable Alexa.
When I posted above, I could only use 1 to 10. So, 1 is 10%. So, moving from 3 to 4, is already at 40% which is fairly loud eg at nighttime.

Flex doesn’t seem to be recognising any commands now so can’t recheck!

Volume level 1 though is actually a limitation of Alexa and represents a 10% volume level - this is something Amazon do, but both the Sonos App and their own SVC assistant has more granularity and as mentioned a 1% volume level can be selected. It’s perhaps Amazon that needs to be canvassed for this change, I think. If using an S2 setup, the easy answer maybe to add a ‘Roam’ or ‘One’ to the setup with SVC installed alongside Alexa and then have the best of both (and a nice new shiny speaker too). S1 users though will need to use the App and/or volume limiter.

Not sure if I am missing something - but we have Sonos One with Alexa, and asking for volume to 1 actually sets to 10%. Similarly asking for 1% sets to 0 (muted). 5 (%) = 50%.
Besides that is on Play One. I don’t seem to be able to use One to set Playbar volume. 

Any ideas?

If I say to my Sonos speakers “Hey Sonos, set the volume to one percent” I find I struggle to hear the audio clearly from 5 or 6 feet away and that’s using the larger Sonos Arc TV speaker, without altering the volume-limiter from its default 100 setting. Sonos have to cater for everyone I guess and one percent seems fine with my level of hearing things.

I suspect the issue might be more for those people who have Sonos devices which don’t have built-in voice control. For example, we have Playbar connected to Flex to enable Alexa.
When I posted above, I could only use 1 to 10. So, 1 is 10%. So, moving from 3 to 4, is already at 40% which is fairly loud eg at nighttime.

Flex doesn’t seem to be recognising any commands now so can’t recheck!

Volume level 1 though is actually a limitation of Alexa and represents a 10% volume level - this is something Amazon do, but both the Sonos App and their own SVC assistant has more granularity and as mentioned a 1% volume level can be selected. It’s perhaps Amazon that needs to be canvassed for this change, I think. If using an S2 setup, the easy answer maybe to add a ‘Roam’ or ‘One’ to the setup with SVC installed alongside Alexa and then have the best of both (and a nice new shiny speaker too). S1 users though will need to use the App and/or volume limiter.

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If I say to my Sonos speakers “Hey Sonos, set the volume to one percent” I find I struggle to hear the audio clearly from 5 or 6 feet away and that’s using the larger Sonos Arc TV speaker, without altering the volume-limiter from its default 100 setting. Sonos have to cater for everyone I guess and one percent seems fine with my level of hearing things.

I suspect the issue might be more for those people who have Sonos devices which don’t have built-in voice control. For example, we have Playbar connected to Flex to enable Alexa.
When I posted above, I could only use 1 to 10. So, 1 is 10%. So, moving from 3 to 4, is already at 40% which is fairly loud eg at nighttime.

Flex doesn’t seem to be recognising any commands now so can’t recheck!

 

If I say to my Sonos speakers “Hey Sonos, set the volume to one percent” I find I struggle to hear the audio clearly from 5 or 6 feet away and that’s using the larger Sonos Arc TV speaker, without altering the volume-limiter from its default 100 setting. Sonos have to cater for everyone I guess and one percent seems fine with my level of hearing things.

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Have you tried reducing the max volume in the Sonos app settings?
I’ve done that for Playbar and One.

Might help?

Because minimum volume on Roam is fine, what about other new product such as beam gen2 or Arc? Someone having new products could comment on this?

 

Recently bought a Sonos Amp, wish I read all this before.. lowest volume is way to loud. Would not recommend Sonos to anyone because of this

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I have a similar problem.  But it’s more to do with the increments than the lowest volume.


We have Amazon Flex linked to Sonos Playbar.  This works okay.  But volume increments on Playbar are from 0 to 100 using the Sonos app.  

If I use the up and down volume buttons on my iPhone the volume increases by small amounts.  It starts off in units of 1 or 2, but higher up the scale the increments are larger.  That’s fine with me, and I can use the scroll bar to control in small steps (1 especially at higher volumes is fairly subtle.

However, if I use Alexa to control volume 1 is now seems to be equivalent to 10. So the steps are quite large.  And an increase from 2 to 3, is quite a lot.  We already have the maximum limit set to 75% which is mostly to avoid the kids setting the volume too high.  But helps a little with the volume controls.

However, it would be better if Alexa had more refined steps.  I’m sure a few months ago, I could control Sonos using Flex with for example: Set volume to 23. This was ideal as the 1-100 scale is far more usable. Other posters have also mentioned having that more refined control in the past.

Can this be added (or re-added!) to Alexa.  Or, have a choice in settings to have 1-10 or 1-100, if there is a need. Changing from 1-10 to 1-100 shouldn’t have any particular issues,.  Naturally if it was the other way round, it could blast out music unexpectedly.  In fact, that is exactly what happened to me.  I had previously used Alexa to say volumes as say 10.  But suddenly 10 became full volume.  Not ideal when kids are asleep.

10 steps is not enough.  Give us 0 - 100 please Amazon /Sonos

Ive got 2x Sonos 1, and having the same issue, the minimum volume is too loud!!!

Is that at 1%, or are you using an Assistant to set their minimum volume, which is in whole integer increments and that therefore may mean a setting of 10%?

I personally find a setting of 1% (via the Sonos App) for a Sonos One is fine and I actually choose to set the volume slightly higher than that in my bedroom at night. I have the pair on the bedside tables too (bonded to a Beam) and I would even say 1% is possibly too low for my own needs.

Ive got 2x Sonos 1, and having the same issue, the minimum volume is too loud!!!

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Because minimum volume on Roam is fine, what about other new product such as beam gen2 or Arc? Someone having new products could comment on this?

Just out of curiosity, how far are the speakers from your ears?

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