Sonos speakers just went through a whirlwind of confusion following a firmware update that launched on Wednesday, August 6.
Reddit users fanned the flames, with user ClearWinter2840 describing in a post a "cranked up bass" affecting all their Sonos speakers after an update. The user tried adjusting their bass settings to no avail, and the comments section was ablaze with similar findings.
Except, Sonos claims no audio changes, be it bass or otherwise, were included in the update. A Sonos spokesperson on Reddit with the username KeithFromSonos explained that "No changes were made to the sound profile in the last firmware update."
So, what exactly is going on here?
Are my ears playing tricks on me, or are my speakers?
A war broke out on the Sonos subreddit with one side of users claiming their speakers sounded better following the new update. Meanwhile, the other side claimed the opposition was just hearing things.
Many attested these claims of improved audio on Sonos speakers to a pseudo-placebo effect. It's commonly associated with healthcare and, more specifically, when taking medical treatment that doesn't have any actual benefits. Except, for some odd reason, the person does feel better even if the substance or treatment is known to be inactive.
In this case, it would appear as though the ears of several Reddit users were simply playing tricks on them...or so it would seem. It wouldn't be until two days later when KeithFromSonos returned with a rather interesting update.
Welp, I was wrong. Turns out there were a few small DSP fixes included that seemed to have an impact on how lower frequencies were being represented. At the end of the day, we're glad to hear some folks seem to appreciate the change!
KeithFromSonos
Keith explained in a now-day-old post that Reddit users weren't, in fact, going crazy. He attributed the strange nuances across the Sonos community to a set of DSP fixes that were introduced in the recent patch, something they had overlooked when interacting with users on the subreddit.
DSP, or Digital Signal Processing, is sort of like the brain that operates inside a speaker. It's used to enhance audio by way of the digital signal, which can include a variety of different methods, many of which occur simultaneously, such as time alignment, frequency response, and equalization.
Keith goes on to explain that the DSP fixes in Sonos' recent update directly affected "how lower frequencies were being represented." In this case, bass, which can typically range anywhere from 20 to 500Hz on the audio spectrum.
It makes a whole lot of sense, considering that many users reported improved sound quality from their Sonos speakers. Although the placebo effect is common in audio, especially for Sonos users (which Keith even jokingly notes in their post), it seems this time Sonos fans actually did get audio improvements to their speakers.
And, you know what? That's certainly better than nothing.
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