Soundbar+ Volume very low
Answered
I just got my new Soundbar+, installed it, did the latest firmware installation, and set it all up. Now when playing movie or music, the volume is considerably lower than my previous Soundbar 2i. Even when I max out the volume, I would estimate it is giving a volume of about 1/4th of the Soundbar 2i volume level.
Any idea what the issue is?
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Official comment
My Apologies - I noted originally there were no changes here... after speaking with our QA Team, I stand corrected. There were in fact some changes to the volume control. The SOUNDBAR+ is much more in line with the volume curve of the rest of the PULSE family of products and uses a slightly modified volume curve to compensate for feeling in both the top and bottom part of the slider.
At the end of the day, the maximum volume of the SOUNDBAR+ will be equal to the maximum volume of its predecessor - but the algorithms in the slider response will be different.
At first, in the app, you will have to increase the volume to hear the same response but we hope this gives you more fine-tuning in the upper end of the volume slider. It is the same algorithm we introduced in the PULSE 2i and PULSE MINI 2i.
Sorry for the earlier confusion but what you are seeing is the result of that change which we hope will be a better experience in the long run for all.
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No changes were made here... check yor TV ARC settings and your cable. If problems persist after resetting your connections, please select Help, Send Support Request so we may review the log file.
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Hi Tony, I played with the Volume limits, setting it to -30 to 0, and also unpugged and replugged the ARC cable, and it is making no difference. also the 2 pulse Flex 2i that I have setup as home surround, do not make much noise either.
Something is seriously wrong I think with this soundbar. Could it be the HDMI cable is bad? I submitted a support request from the app.
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Hi Tony,
Here is more information:
- I think something is wrong with the Home Theatre setting. When I use Home Theatre fixed group to group the Soundbar+, Sub+ and 2 Flex 2is, the volume is very low (at 100% it sounds like the previous Soundbar 2i at 20%, and also hardly anything comes out of the Flex 2is).
- when I setup a multi-player fixed group to group the above plus the 2 Pulse 2is then it starts having normal sound.
- Just FYI, when listening to music streaming volume is fine and loud.
- also I remember now, when I initially setup this Soundbar+, the BluOS app did not detect the unit and I had to plug in a wired ethernet cable to get it on the network and manually set the wifi password. all other units connected fine to the blue os app auto detection. So now I am thinking, maybe something is wrong with the Soundbar+ unit that I got? Why is the Home Theatre fixed group killing the sound? And by the way, for hearing full TV surround sound/dolby effect, what is the difference (when working correctly), between Home Theatre fixed group vs Multi-player fixed group? Is the home theatre fixed group supposed to better produce Dolby and that will not happen in a multi-player fixed group, or are the effect the same?
Anyhow, let me know what we can do to solve this. thank you.
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My Apologies - I noted originally there were no changes here... after speaking with our QA Team, I stand corrected. There were in fact some changes to the volume control. The SOUNDBAR+ is much more in line with the volume curve of the rest of the PULSE family of products and uses a slightly modified volume curve to compensate for feeling in both the top and bottom part of the slider.
At the end of the day, the maximum volume of the SOUNDBAR+ will be equal to the maximum volume of its predecessor - but the algorithms in the slider response will be different.
At first, in the app, you will have to increase the volume to hear the same response but we hope this gives you more fine-tuning in the upper end of the volume slider. It is the same algorithm we introduced in the PULSE 2i and PULSE MINI 2i.
Sorry for the earlier confusion but what you are seeing is the result of that change which we hope will be a better experience in the long run for all.
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Hi Tony, thank you for the message.
So this happens only in Home Theatre Fixed group setting, correct?
For watching movies, what is the difference of doing a Fixed Group vs Multiplayer group? Does one provide Dolby sound and the other does not? I noticed we get the Surround Sound option only when doing a Home theatre group. Does this mean Multi-player fixed group is not surround for movies?
For Multiplayer fixed group the volume is good- but not sure why I do not see the surround option and I am not sure if the TV is coming out Dolby or not.
I can get by watching Multiplayer, just not sure what I am missing with this option when watching TV.
For Home theatre fixed group, I have the volume max at 100%, and it is very low volume (the TV speakers sound better). We can do a zoom live and I can show you.
Regards,
Vahe
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Break and recreate your group - if problems persist, Help, Send Support Request in the App so we may take a closer look.
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Interesting thread, I’m having the exact same problem. Volume straight from the TV is better than the Soundbar
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Hi Phil, thank you for confirming. I have a technician working on this problem and will be doing the testing and getting back to me. I'll update the thread when we have a resolution.
I am sure it's a software bug, since in Multiplayer fixed group streaming music it sounds great.
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Playbar + also doesn't fix the too soft bass issue when paired. The sub is much more powerful over cables. Really disappointing for so much money.
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I will also join this thread.
After connecting my new Soundbar+ I was astonished with the sound quality. I had TV connected using Optical cable. However after connecting TV using the HDMI something wrong started to happen. I'm sure that the volume was significantly higher, and I also noticed that dialogues became less clear, and overall reaction to controls (i.e. changing to Wide/Music, setting dB level for Bass/Treble etc.) is very limited. I have to set to 50% volume to be able to hear any dialogs clearly (previously, 30% was fair enough).
There is definitely something wrong.
I'm going to perform factory reset and retry the connections to start over the setup - hoping that this will help. Anyway, looks like using the bluos controller app causes some issues.
I have also noticed that option for Enhanced Dialog is unavailable - although mentioned in https://support1.bluesound.com/hc/en-us/articles/226934787-Adjusting-PULSE-SOUNDBAR-Lip-Sync-Audio-Settings . Has this feature been disabled?
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Hello Przemyslaw,
I already tried the factory reset, and also the Optical cable. absolutely no difference.
The volume is still very low in Home Theatre setup, and pretty much non-existent in the 2 side Flex 2is.
waiting for a massive fix for this, hopefully soon.
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Hello Vahe,
That's really disappointing. I hope the bluesound team is working on the solution and providing it very soon.
Meanwhile I did another test just proving the issue, and perhaps giving some hints:
- set volume to approx 1/10 (10 on my TV).
- start music using Tidal on my TV. Music was quiet.
- start the same music on my mobile's Tidal and stream to soundbar - music is about twice as loud
- playing around with the option "volume limits" in BluOS app changes general volume to higher, but the difference between output remains.
So it seems like the volume through HDMI/Optical In is cut by half.
Regards
Przemysław
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Przemysław
please see the official comment at the top of this post - what happens when the volume is at maximum - warn the neighbours before doing this - just in case...Then as above, please select Help Send Support Request so we may see the player log file
Thanks
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Przemysław, when I am streaming music, the volume is fine.
The problem is when in Home Theatre fixed group of the following configuration: Soundbar+ with Sub+ and 2 Flex 2is.
The volume of the soundbar, even with TV at max 100 volume, is VERY LOW (pretty much same as my TV speaker volume), and the 2 FLEX 2is, are non-existent in any kind of effect.
When I switch to Multi Unit Fixed group to stream music, the volume is ok. So Right now, surround sound TV enjoyment is not possible with this unit.
Tony no worries- until this is fixed, no neighbor will hear any volume- I can hardly hear it myself.
Question is: how did this Home Theatre bug pass through the testing? If it's working fine in your lap environment, could it be some units are just faulty and need to be replaced? If this is the case, I have already been waiting for more than 30 days- so please make sure the XX day return policy does not apply in our case that have these faulty units.
Otherwise, I'd appreciate a timeline on when a fix will be issued.
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Thank you Tony for the reply.
I have sent support request as advised. Reading this again I can see my issue is slightly different - it's not about general maximum volume - this is ok for playing music. It's about the difference between HDMI input and streaming volume, even when using the same source (Tidal) . Switching between sources can be really shocking experience - and this should be somehow under control.
If I have possibility, I will check max volume on both sources to compare.
Regards
Przemysław
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Przemysław, it is the same problem. When I stream, the volume is fine. When I switch to HDMI or Optical input source, the volume drops drastically.
Also in Home Theatre setup process, the "distance" of each unit, makes absolutely no difference in the volume of sound, even if you set the distance of the 2 flex 2is to 20 feet away.
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I agree with all the above points, hdmi sound would barely keep my kids awake never mind wake the neighbours. Streaming sound is better but sadly nowhere near to the Sonos arc I traded in for the “upgrade” and distance settings make no difference whatsoever which is hugely disappointing as I was relying on this.
When I ordered this system I was excited for the sound quality it claims to deliver and in reality I am underwhelmed.
How does the 30 day guarantee work? I think I’ll go back to Sonos.
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Some further observations:
1. For leveling the volume, I used the slider for "Volume limits (dB)" - this helped when I have set up to 45dB instead of initial 65.
2. In the meanwhile I've been also getting more familiar with the soundbar, and I'm quite disappointed with the treble levels. Even when pushed up to max (+6dB) for treble, it still does not deliver sufficiently, especially at low volumes. In comparison to another soundbar that I have access to, the sound is "dark", bluring some details of the audio track. For music it's not that disturbing, although I would be happy to hear the higher notes in more details. Unfortunately for movies this results in lack of dialogues clarity and distant, barely audible background effects in higher notes. I was expecting much better result with the soundbar in this area. Is there anything I can do about this? Or perhaps this is a hardware limitation or a defect?
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Just to let you know, I've created a new follow up ticket to the issue, with examples of recorded audio with different output from TV (PCM or Dolby). I noticed that for PCM output from TV it's quite ok, but with Dolby, looks like there is some issue with center channel audio (too low volume in comparison to the rest) - seems this can be an issue.
I would be grateful for looking into this in details.
Kind regards
Przemysław
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Przemysław, my soundbar is only ok when playing streaming music in multiplayer fixed group. When I switch to Theatre Fixed grouping and HDMI input from TV, it is not ok, no matter what movie I watch (dolby or non dolby or regular tv).
Alsoin Home Theatre fixed group, the 2 Flex 2is on the side, have ABSOLUTLY no volume, AND the "distance" setting makes NO difference- even if you set the distance to 26 ft away, the sound is the same- nothing hearable is coming out.
The question is- is the soundbar working at the bluesound labs? And all the reviews we read before buying- what model were the reviewers using? Maybe we have a faulty unit? how can we return and exchange it with a working unit?
And since this issue has been raised, there was 2 "updates" neither of which addressed this issue.
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It just seems to be getting worse! On top of everything else I’m now having audio cut-out to the point of around once every couple of minutes the sound drops out for a couple of seconds.
Honestly I was so excited to be getting the Bluesound system and it’s been nothing but disappointment.
On top of everything else the support seems to have gone quiet and I am getting little to no response.
I think they’ve had enough of me complaining although when you spend £2k on a sound system and it’s shit I’m within my rights to complain!
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It is really annoying yes. My main question is, what version was used in creating this promotional video:
(1) Home cinema meets hi-fi with the Bluesound Pulse Soundbar+ (sponsored) - YouTube
Or in this Forbes article:
Bluesound Unveils A New Dolby Atmos Soundbar Packed With Features And Connections (forbes.com)
If these reviewers are not noticing the problem, then it means we have faulty units which must be replaced. Otherwise it means the reviewers did not know what to review, so I am not sure what they are talking about.
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We all understand that sometimes things go wrong be it individual items or a whole batch and on the whole people are quite understanding of that.
What is really disappointing is that currently Bluesound don’t seem to be taking ownership and indeed trying to fob us off or ignore our issues completely.
For a premium products I honestly can’t believe it’s taking so long to get a resolution or even acknowledgment of the issues,
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Seems to be a wider issue - this is from a Bluesound Facebook group where I’ve asked for others experiences of the Soundbar +
“Phil Waddington not as good as I expected.
The sound in my house is not the same as in the full sound absorbed environment where i hear the system playing at the audio store.
I had to maken a lot of adjustments in my living room (thick soundproof curtains, carpets, wall decoration) to get the full sound experience. Still I miss lower level in the sound and so I am going to add a SVS PB3000 subwoofer.When that not helps then I buy a complete new set. And that’s not gona be BlueSound.
Also I experience often that the wifi connection with the rear speakers is poor. Also i have to update them on a regular basis. So I have to plug in a cat.6 utp cable from the router to the speakers to up date them. 🤨🤷🏽♂️
Now my soudbar is for the second time back to the factory because it’s broken again. 😏”This was followed by……
“Phil Waddington yeah I feel ripped off”
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The Puls 2i sounds much better, the Plus is missing the mids, the dialog button is missing, the connections to the Flex are crap too. The Soundbar Plus is actually a step backwards. I regret buying it. Bluesound has been a disappointment to Sonos so far.
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I just found out that there are 2 sites for bluesound support- and I thought that nobody is taking care of the problem - that's not the case. I see now on the BLUOS support site that the issue is acknowledged. Hoping to get a correction soon.
Just in case, make sure to always check both support1.bluesound.com and support.bluos.net - the sites look similar, but have different content.
Regards
Przemysław
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support.bluos.net speaks to the BluOS Firmware which is also available on;
- NAD Electronics
- DALI Loudspeakers
- Monitor Audio
And others coming soon. support1.bluesound.com speaks specifically about Bluesound Brand Players. Both are mirrors of the same site and engine and reference each other. It is designed to be mostly seamless to you.
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Respectfully Tony, that is not an answer or solution to the issue and people are now queueing up challenging the quality of the product which to date I will say is indeed inferior to the Sonos arc and arguably on par if not behind the Sonos beam. When will you or one of your team have an answer/solution as currently I would say there is some damage to the Bluesound brand with seemingly no response
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Thanks for your patience Phil
We are in fact investigating the matter but our Quality Assurance Team is having a hard time replicating it. We are trying to see if it is related to certain CEC commands or if there is something in the audio chain affecting it or if it is only happening on certain TV Models.
There are currently a number of people behind the scenes watching this thread. We will be happy to provide an answer once we have a full grasp of what is happening.
Please bear with us.0
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