Question

Share hardware button volume control in group

  • 30 October 2017
  • 8 replies
  • 1120 views

Userlevel 1
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Hello,

I grouped together a Play:5 and a pair of Play:1. As I understand a group can share different features of the hardware, like line in or pause button and a pair of speakers can share the hardware volume control. So the techology definitely exists, but how can I actually share the volume control with hardware buttons in a group, in other words control the groups volume by pressing volume up or down on just one speaker? (Analog girlfriend does not like to use the controller app, but needs to adapt the volume of the group every here and then.)

Thanks.

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8 replies

Userlevel 3
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I personally wouldnt want this. I like being able to adjust the volume of one speaker without adjisting all.
Userlevel 1
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True, that definitely has to be optional since it would be up to different use cases for different users. Like the option to include the group when playing from line in. I personally can't think of a szenario where you wouldn't want to include the group when playing from line in, but I would not take this as sign that imposing a one-size-fits-all approach is a good idea.
Userlevel 1
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On second thought, this is more an issue of not allowing to put the speakers in the same "room", as they are in reality. In this case it would be obvious that the default action has to be adjusting the volume of all speakers. Sonos, if you start with an insufficient and unflexible concept of "room", this is the kind of resultant problem that are inevitable.
Userlevel 7
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On second thought, this is more an issue of not allowing to put the speakers in the same "room", as they are in reality. In this case it would be obvious that the default action has to be adjusting the volume of all speakers. Sonos, if you start with an insufficient and unflexible concept of "room", this is the kind of resultant problem that are inevitable.

What stops you from assigning to a single room the speakers you want permanently grouped & controlled together, even if they are in different physical rooms in the property?

Edit: Scrub that. I'm wrong.
It seems really odd that the play/pause button would work for the group, but not the volume buttons. Almost makes me want to return my third play 1.
I'm new to Sonos, but quite surprised I'm really supposed to walk around to every speaker in a room and adjust the volume for each of them (or use the Controller, I know — not always at hand though).
I'm new to Sonos, but quite surprised I'm really supposed to walk around to every speaker in a room and adjust the volume for each of them (or use the Controller, I know — not always at hand though).In the vast majority of cases Sonos users have only one Sonos 'room' in a physical room (I speak as someone who is an exception to that!). And the vast majority of users use the app or voice control most of the time. So I think the current independence of the physical volume buttons is the best option.

With the play/pause button you do have the option to stop the music on a single speaker by a long press on the button (to ungroup the speaker) and then start it again (by regrouping it) with another long press.

I also use Alexa to control volume on individual speakers or the whole group as I wish.

It works fine for me, and seems to me to have plenty of flexibility.
saksespark,

Yes, like John B says, users can currently use 'Alexa' to control individual/group volume ..or change either/both in the Sonos App too... The speaker hardware buttons just operate on a single room within a group at the moment. I like the way it currently works, from a personal point of view, but I also appreciate that some other users would like the option to toggle things and have the hardware volume buttons control the 'group volume' instead.

This feature has been mentioned by community members a number of times in the past and I’m reasonably sure that Sonos Staff are aware of the request. It maybe a case though, that not enough people have come forward to request this, or it might be a planned development that’s a little further along the Sonos development road-map. Sonos however rarely ever publicly mention the future development that’s in the pipeline.