ARC Volume Much Lower Than Other Streaming Sources (Android Auto)

Support
1

Roon Core Machine

QNAP TS-464, QTS 5.1.0, 16 GB, Roon DB on SSD

Networking Gear & Setup Details

Asus RT-AX88U w/ mesh extender. Everything except Vizio soundbar (Chromecast), Sonos ERA 100 and mobile devices hardwired. No VPN.

Connected Audio Devices

PCs (2), hardwired
Vizio soundbar - Chromecast
Sonos ERA 100, Galaxy phones, iPad - Wi-Fi
Hyundai Tucson, Android Auto, Roon ARC – Cellular with port forwarding on the router

Number of Tracks in Library

6,000 tracks

Description of Issue

Running ARC in Android Auto. The volume level from ARC is much lower than other streaming sources. I have to increase the volume level for ARC, but if I forget to turn it back down when I switch to another streaming source I get blasted.

2

Volume leveling is enabled by default in ARC, which tends to lower the volume overall. Or maybe you have MUSE DSP settings enabled with headroom management as well?

(Although IIRC the Tidal app also has had leveling enabled by default for a very long time)

3

I couldn’t find a setting for volume leveling in ARC. Is it baked in? If so, is an accessible setting anywhere on the Wish List?

I haven’t done anything with MUSE yet. Could there be a workaround for this issue using MUSE?

4

It’s in the MUSE settings now, click the wavy MUSE button in the bottom bar to go to MUSE, then you may need to scroll down

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1 Like
5

Thanks!

Besides being defaulted on, the default reduction in volume is -5 dB.

It’s possible that Volume Leveling turned itself back on after I turned it off. Waiting to see if it happens again.

6

The default is not -5db that’s for music where it’s unknown. By default Roon applies levelling based on the EBU R128 measurement of loudness this is 14 LUFS by default. The amount it will reduce or increase volume will vary on content based on this.

7

This depends on the original loudness of the album/track. It is also configurable, with the default target being -14 LUFS.

Edit: As @Simon_Arnold3 wrote above!

It seems to make sense to me that when being mobile or in the car, the albums are leveled to a common peak loudness. (This does not change the loudness within a song or within an album - it’s not compression, i.e., it normalizes loudness not volume as such)

(Note: the documentation does not yet ARC / MUSE into account)

Tidal has indeed done it for years:

8

It’s on default in Spotify to. But each service has its own targets often they are lower than Roons which is conservative in comparison.

1 Like
9

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