Streaming Volume - Bluetooth or Aux In
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Has anyone noticed that the volume level for streaming music is relatively low through either bluetooth or the aux in port?
When playing backing music I have to have the Music Volume knob cranked all the way up while the Output knob is only at about the 9 o'clock position (so about 1/4 volume).
I realize there are other variable (Gain, Master, guitar itself, etc.). But I've adjusted many of those settings and still have to keep the Output knob very low.
I have also adjusted the output of the device itself, and I've tried multiple devices including phone, tablet, and laptop.
Anything I might be missing???
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I had this problem when I first set up my Spark amp. I'm running the Spark app on an iPhone. Turned out to be the volume control on the iPhone that was turned down low. Upped that and my backing tracks are a good volume now. Might not be the same issue for you but worth looking at?
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@mailbox That was my thought too, but volume is max on phone (and iPad and computer). Maybe it is just my expectation that it should be louder????
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I wanted to re-open this thread to see if anyone has had a chance to experiment with volume of streaming audio.
I am still very underwhelmed by the volume level of the aux/bluetooth/USB streaming with the Spark. I am finding that I really have to have the guitar volume well lower than I would want for jamming, otherwise my guitar overwhelms the streaming audio.
And that is a really bad thing for about 1,000 reasons. ;-)
I know there are a ton of variables around output volume, but to give some context:
American Pro Strat with volume knob on 8
Streaming a song or the jamming feature through Spark app with iPhone bluetooth volume set to max
Spark music volume knob set to max
Using a stock preset with no settings changes
Output volume knob has to be set to the 9 o'clock position (so at about the equivalent to 2 or 3 out of 10)It's not "quiet", but really not a heck of a lot louder than TV. Easily and clearly can hear the guitar strings being stuck by the pick.
Any thoughts???
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My thought is contact tech support. That doesn’t sound right (no pun intended!).
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@jhk3rd Thanks. I did contact tech support about a week ago and was told that it may be addressed in a firmware release in the future. But I am not convinced it is not a hardware issue. I did resend a message to them yesterday.
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@johndagostino Dont worry firmware will fix it, its just the driver they are using - more than likely they were worried about lawsuits....
In all serious though its things like this that comsumers pick up and the company fixes, they (Positive Grid) certinaly dont wnat to be doing a "Spark 2" hardware release to address all the issues that pop up - as that would be an obvious scam.
Its like when Microsoft turned down the max volume on their phones so as not to cause "hearing loss" - enough people complained and an update fixed that one...
Fingers crossed we will get an awesom amp - as by my calculations they have already ammassed over 2 million dollars in pre-sales. The figures keep going up on orders so they wont be short on a quid by the time we all get ours delivered.... hopfully by July the way things are giong...
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Well, it is certainly is a nice amp. Sounds great, and is really easy to use.
The software is not perfect, but for early release I cannot at all complain (I use an iPhone, I've read differently about Android). I've experienced just a handful of app crashes over a few weeks, and they've all come when I've been going in and out of other apps.
The streaming volume issue is really my main concern about it. I know people are up-in-arms about the delivery, but I would suggest waiting it out as you (likely) will be happy with the Spark.
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UPDATE: Higher volume achieved
I did some experimenting tonight. I was able to get the volume of streaming audio much louder when NOT streaming via the Spark app.
By sending bluetooth audio via my iPhone (same phone I’ve used the Spark app on) using the native Apple Music app there was a significant difference. Further, I was also able to get much higher volumes streaming from my Mac.
So it seems that there is an issue with the app, not the hardware.
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@johndagostino I’m gonna try this tomorrow thanks for the update !
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I too have noticed the lower volume of streaming through the Spark app, and that it's louder if you use Spotify or Apple Music directly, but if you do it that way you don't get the auto-chords during playback, so a trade-off for sure. I suspect they can fix this with a firmware update in the future, and hope they do that soon.
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i have got the same problem too.
Via my android phone or directly vie the sparkt app: The volume of the backing track is extremely low.
It could be such a nice amp, but this is really a negative point.Any more solutions out there. More people with the same problem?
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Come on Spark, with all the sales we've sent your way we are really hoping for some comments in this forum. Why create a forum and ask us to help you out with issues if you give us no feed back.
We all know this is a great amp - but these issues need to be addressed asap
Many thanks
Andy -
@joryandrew I just got my spark a few days ago, and the streaming volume is super low.....
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@primeholy Make sure the volume is turned up on whatever device you are using the Spark app on.
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anyone knows how to use aux in and bluetooth streaming at the same time?
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I’ve just got a new Spark amp but can’t get the backing tracks to play through the amp, so I have to play really quietly to hear the track on my iPad speakers. This also means I can’t use the headphones, as all I get is guitar and no track. What am I doing wrong?
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@fleaafc there are two Bluetooth connections that have to be made, one for the Spark Amp to the App and the other is “Spark 40 Audio” which is the one that does the audio streaming from your ipad. Check for this Bluetooth option to connect and also make sure any other local smart device isn’t already connected somehow already to that which would ‘block’ your connection to your ipad.
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@michelangeloferilli U cant, usb or aux kills Bluetooth streaming
