OPPO Sonica DAC User Guide

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Content

Setting Up .......................................................................................................... 1

Add Sonica Wi-Fi Speaker ......................................................................... 1

 Wireless Connection .................................................................. 1

 Ethernet Connection .................................................................. 5

Add Sonica DAC ......................................................................................... 7

 Wireless Connection .................................................................. 7

 Ethernet Connection ................................................................ 12

Devices ............................................................................................................ 15

Overview ................................................................................................. 15

Adding Additional Speakers .................................................................... 16

Device Grouping ...................................................................................... 17

 Group Sonica Speakers ............................................................. 17

 Group Sonica DAC with Speakers ............................................. 18

Renaming Devices ................................................................................... 19

Creating a Stereo Pair (Same model speakers only) ............................... 20

Separating a Stereo Pair .......................................................................... 22

Checking Stereo Pair Connections .......................................................... 23

II

Remote Control (Sonica DAC only) ......................................................... 25

Music and Favorites ........................................................................................ 26

Overview ................................................................................................. 26

Global Searching ..................................................................................... 27

Using Tidal ............................................................................................... 28

Play Music from Your Mobile Device ...................................................... 29

Network Playback ................................................................................... 31

USB Storage Playback .............................................................................. 32

AUX IN ..................................................................................................... 33

Now Playing Panel ................................................................................... 35

Group Volume Control ............................................................................ 36

Creating Playlists ..................................................................................... 37

DSD File Playback on Sonica DAC ............................................................ 38

Streaming From Other Apps ........................................................................... 39

Spotify Premium Connect ....................................................................... 39

AirPlay ..................................................................................................... 40

DLNA........................................................................................................ 41

Bluetooth ................................................................................................ 42

Settings ............................................................................................................ 43

III

Overview ................................................................................................. 43

Bluetooth ................................................................................................ 44

Aux In (For Speakers Only) ...................................................................... 46

Sound Optimization (For Speakers Only) ................................................ 47

Sleep Timer ............................................................................................. 48

Status LED Indicator Settings (For Speakers Only) .................................. 49

Resetting the Devices .............................................................................. 51

Upgrading the Devices ............................................................................ 52

1

Setting Up

Add Sonica Wi-Fi Speaker

 Wireless Connection

1. Once you’ve completed the steps in our Quick Start Guide, open the

Sonica app on your mobile device and tap “Add Sonica”.

2. Choose “Add Sonica Speaker” from the list of options.

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3. Choose “Wi-Fi Connection” from the list of options.

4. Enter the password for the Wi-Fi network (if applicable), then tap “OK”

on the upper right corner.

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5. If you are connecting to a hidden network, tap the “here” link in orange.

Select the security protocol for the Wi-Fi network then return to the

previous page and tap “OK” to continue.

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6. The app will search the network for speakers and display them in a list.

You can then tap on the circle to the left of the speaker name to add a

single speaker or multiple speakers simultaneously. Then tap “Add” on

the upper right corner to add the speakers to the system.

7. The app will confirm that setup is complete. Congratulations, now you

can enjoy your favorite music with Sonica Wi-Fi Speaker!

 Note: Tapping on to the right of the speaker name will play a tone

through the speaker to help you distinguish different Sonica speakers

from each other.

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 Ethernet Connection

1. If a Wi-Fi connection is not available, a wired Ethernet connection is a

viable alternative. Open the Sonica app and tap “Add Sonica”.

2. Choose “Add Sonica Speaker” from the list of options.

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3. Connect your Sonica speaker to a router with an Ethernet cable, and then

choose “Ethernet Connection” from the list of options.

4. The app will search the network for speakers and display them in a list.

You can then tap on the circle to the left of the speaker name to add a

single speaker or multiple speakers simultaneously. Then tap “Add” on

the upper right corner to add the speakers to the system.

5. The app will confirm that setup is complete. Congratulations, now you

can enjoy your favorite music with Sonica!

 Note: Tapping on to the right of the speaker name will play a tone

through the speaker to help you distinguish different Sonica speakers

from each other.

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Add Sonica DAC

 Wireless Connection

1. Once you’ve completed the 1-4 steps in the Sonica DAC User Manual

Network Connection section, open the Sonica app on your mobile device

and tap “Add Sonica”.

2. Choose “Add Sonica DAC” from the list of options.

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3. Follow the in-app instructions and tap “OK” to continue.

4. Choose “Wi-Fi Connection” from the list of options.

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5. Enter the password for the Wi-Fi network, and then tap “OK” on the

upper right corner.

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6. If you are connecting to a hidden network, tap the “here” link in orange.

Select the security protocol for the Wi-Fi network and then return to the

previous page and tap “OK” to continue.

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7. The app will search the network for Sonica DAC and display it below. You

can then tap on the circle to the left of the device name to add a single

Sonica DAC or multiple Sonica DACs simultaneously. Then tap “Add” on

the upper right corner to add Sonica DAC to the system.

8. The app will confirm that setup is complete. Congratulations, now you

can enjoy your favorite music with Sonica DAC!

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 Ethernet Connection

1. If a Wi-Fi connection is not available, a wired Ethernet connection is a

viable alternative. Open the Sonica app and tap “Add Sonica”.

2. Choose “Add Sonica DAC” from the list of options.

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3. Follow the instructions and tap “OK” to continue.

4. Connect your Sonica DAC to a router with an Ethernet cable, and then

choose “Ethernet Connection” from the list of options.

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5. The app will search the network for Sonica DAC and display it below. You

can then tap on the circle to the left of the device name to add a single

Sonica DAC or multiple Sonica DACs simultaneously. Then tap “Add” on

the upper right corner to add Sonica DACto the system.

6. The app will confirm that setup is complete. Congratulations, now you

can enjoy your favorite music with Sonica DAC!

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Devices

Overview

The “Devices” page will display a list of Sonica devices that have been

successfully configured, and will show whether they are currently operating

as an individual device or as a group of devices.

1. Tap the “+” to add additional

devices to the system, check the

stereo pair settings, or stop all

devices from playing.

2. The name of each Sonica device

and stereo pair will appear as an

individual device in the list,

while device groups will be

listed by group name. To see

what devices make up a

particular group, tap the arrow

icon located below the group

name.

3. Tapping on the name of a device

or group will allow you to enter
the “Device Grouping” menu,
“Rename” the device or group,
or enter the “Create Stereo
Pair” menu.

1 2 3

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Adding Additional Speakers

1. Tap the “+” on the upper left and select “Add Sonica”.

2. Follow the steps in the initial Setting Up section. In this case, you will not

need to re-enter the network password with Wi-Fi connection.

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Device Grouping

 Group Sonica Speakers

1. Tap on the bar that shows the device name and select Device Grouping.

2. Select the devices you want to group together by tapping the circle to

the left of each device, and then tap “OK” to confirm your selection. The

device you initially tapped on to select Device Grouping will be

designated as the default “Group Leader”.

3. To disband the group, enter the “Device Grouping” page and deselect

each box until only one device has a check mark, and then tap “OK”.

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 Group Sonica DAC with Speakers

1. Follow the same steps in the Group Sonica Speakers section to group a

Sonica DAC with Sonica speakers.

2. Adding Sonica DAC to a speaker group will make it the only source for

Bluetooth and AUX IN for the group, and only audio from streaming

(streaming services, USB Type A, DLNA, mobile device local library),

Bluetooth, and Aux-In can be played simultaneously on all devices. For

audio from USB B Type, coaxial, and optical inputs, in order to maintain

the highest possible audio quality, audio is routed directly into the

ES9038PRO Sabre DAC chip. It is therefore not possible to stream audio

from these inputs to other Sonica speakers on the network.

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Renaming Devices

1. Tap on the bar that shows a device name and select “Rename”.

2. Select a name from the list of presets, or enter a unique name for your

device. Tap “OK” to confirm.

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Creating a Stereo Pair (Same model speakers only)

1. Tap on the bar that shows a device name and select “Create Stereo

Pair”.

2. Tap on the left speaker entry field to display a list of speakers that are

available to be configured in a stereo pair, and then choose a speaker

from the list. Complete the same steps for the right speaker to designate

the stereo pair. If necessary, you can quickly swap the left and right

speakers by tapping the “Switch” icon to the right of the speaker

selection.

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3. Tap “OK” to configure. Once the stereo pair has been created, the app

will display the new speaker name for the stereo pair.

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Separating a Stereo Pair

1. Tap on the bar that shows the name of your stereo pair and select

“Separate Stereo Pair”.

2. On the next page, tap “Separate Stereo Pair” and then tap “OK” to

confirm.

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Checking Stereo Pair Connections

You can check the connection status of each speaker in a stereo pair.

1. Tap the “+” on the upper left, and then select “Stereo Pair Settings”.

2. In Stereo Pair Settings page, you can either create a new stereo pair by

tapping Create Stereo Pair button or dismiss the current stereo pair by

tapping the name of your stereo pair with (Left + Right) appended to the

title.

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3. The name of your stereo pair will display a “?” if one of the speakers has

lost its connection, but you can still separate them under this

circumstance.

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Remote Control (Sonica DAC only)

1. Tap on the bar that shows the Sonica DAC’s name and select “Remote

Control”.

2. The Remote Control interface provides the following functionality:

1) Tap on the source icon (USB DAC, OPTICAL, COAXIAL or AUX IN) in

the Source Selection section to select which source you want to
listen to.

2) Tap on the option bar (High, Dim, or Off) in the Dimmer section to

control the display intensity of the front panel Vacuum Fluorescent
Display (VFD) information window.

3) In the Volume section, tap on the Mute switch to enable or disable

volume mute, and drag the slider of the volume progress bar to
control the output volume.

4) Tap on the Turn Off Sonica DAC button to turn off the current

Sonica DAC.

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Music and Favorites

Overview

You will see the Music page after configuring your speakers. The app allows

you to browse and play music from included streaming services, music files

saved on your mobile device, media servers on your home network, or USB

drives plugged into any of your Sonica devices.

1. Spotify – Streaming service that

provides millions of songs with

Spotify Premium Connect.

2. TIDAL – Streaming service that

provides Hi-Fi quality music.

3. On This Mobile Device – Any

music files stored directly on

your mobile device.

4. Network Playback – Music

stored in the media servers on

your home network.

5. USB – Music files found on hard

drives plugged into any Sonica

speakers or Sonica DAC in the

configuration.

6. Aux In – Music playback devices connected to Sonica via Aux In cable.

7. Bluetooth – Devices connected to Sonica with Bluetooth.

8. Minibar – Displays the music currently playing.

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Global Searching

You can search across your local library, USB drives, and Tidal.

1. On the Music page, tap the icon on the upper right.

2. On the next page, tap a category tab for “Artists/Albums/Songs/

Playlists/Radio”, and then enter a search keyword to search through

your music.

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Using Tidal

1. Launch the Sonica app and tap “Devices”. Select your desired device or

group by tapping the dot to the left of the device name.

2. Tap “Music” and select “Tidal”. Login with your Tidal account. Tap on a

song to begin playback.

3. Tap on the menu button on the upper left corner and go back to the

Music page by tapping Exit.

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Play Music from Your Mobile Device

1. Launch the Sonica app and tap “Devices”. Select your desired device or

group by tapping the dot to the left of the speaker name.

2. Tap “Music” and select “On This Mobile Device”. All songs are sorted

either by Artist or Album, or you can browse each individual song under

Songs. Tap on a song to begin playback.

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3. An alternate way to play a song from your mobile device is to tap “Music”

and select “On This Mobile Device”. On the right side of each song, there

is a “…” button that will display more options. Tap “Select a Device to

Play” from the menu that appears, and selects a device or group to play

your desired song.

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Network Playback

1. Launch the Sonica app and tap “Devices”. Select your desired device or

group by tapping the dot to the left of the device name.

2. Tap “Music” and select “Network Playback”. The page will list all of the

DLNA servers in the same network. Tap on a song to begin playback.

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USB Storage Playback

1. Launch the Sonica app and tap “Devices”. Select your desired speaker or

group by tapping the dot to the left of the device name.

2. Tap “Music” and select “USB Storage”. Tap on a song to begin playback.

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AUX IN

You don’t need to use the Sonica app for AUX IN Playback. However, you can

check to see if the AUX IN input port is enabled (i.e. the currently playing

source) in the Sonica app when needed.

1. Connect the Aux In cable to both your source and Sonica devices.

2. The Aux In input port if plugged in should be enabled automatically if

there are no other playing sources.

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3. In case the Aux In input port is not enabled automatically, launch the

Sonica app, tap “Music” and select “Aux In”. Tap on the name of a

desired device and then tap “OK” on the upper right corner to enable the

Aux In input port.

4. An alternate way to enable the Aux In input port without the app is to

unplug and re-plug the cable at the Sonica device end.

5. When the Aux In input port is enabled, you can see “Aux” appear under

the device name in the “Devices” page.

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Now Playing Panel

The Now Playing Panel displays song information and provides playback

controls. Enter the Now Playing Panel by tapping the minibar on the bottom.

1. Display Information - Shows

information on the current song

playing, such as the name of the

song, artist, album, and cover art.

The time bar indicates the

duration and elapsed time of the

current playing song.

2. More Options - Change which

speaker or group of speakers will

play the current song by tapping

the speaker name and selecting a

new speaker or group; add the

song to your favorite by tapping

the star; tap “...” to add the song

to a playlist; or share what you’re

playing to social media.

3. Playback Control - Operations like play, pause, skip forward / backward,

switch playing pattern, volume, and view playing queue. Skip backward

brings you to the previous song if tapped within the first 3 seconds of

the song; otherwise, it restarts the currently playing song.

1

2

3

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Group Volume Control

In the Sonica app, you can adjust the volume by pressing the volume buttons

on your mobile device or adjusting the volume bar in the “Now Playing

Panel”. There is an arrow icon on the right side of the volume bar.

1. Tapping the arrow icon will take you to a page that allows you to control

the volume of each speaker in the group individually, or synchronize

them all to the same volume level by tapping the “Volume Sync” switch.

2. Use “+” and “-“ to precisely adjust the volume.

3. The volume of Sonica DAC is individually controlled and will not be

affected by the Volume Sync switch.

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Creating Playlists

Creating a playlist in Favorites will help you save and classify music that you

have already enjoyed. To add songs to playlists, you can simply tap the ”…” in

the Now Playing Panel, tap “Add to Favorites / Playlist” and select an existing

playlist to add the song to that playlist.

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DSD File Playback on Sonica DAC

Please refer to the User Manual Specifications section for supported DSD

formats for all Sonica DAC input ports. Sonica Wi-Fi speakers do not natively

support DSD, so you would need to run a DLNA server on a NAS or computer

that will transcode the DSD file into something like 24-bit/88.2 kHz or 192

kHz PCM. This will allow the Sonica speaker to play back the audio through

the network.

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Streaming From Other Apps

Spotify Premium Connect

Spotify gives you instant access to millions of songs. Just search for the music

you love, or let Spotify suggest something great.

You will need a Spotify Premium subscription to use Spotify Connect.

How to use Spotify Connect

1. Add Sonica to the same Wi-Fi network as your phone, tablet or PC.

2. Open the Spotify app on your phone, tablet or PC, and play any song.

3. If you’re using the app on a phone - tap the song image in the bottom left

of the screen. For tablet and PC move to step 4.

4. Tap the Connect icon

5. Pick your Sonica device from the list. If you can’t see it, check to ensure it’s

connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your phone, tablet or PC.

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AirPlay

1. Ensure that your AirPlay compatible device is on the same network as

your Sonica device.

2. Start playing a song from your local music library or a music streaming

app on your AirPlay compatible device, then tap the “AirPlay” button in

the iOS Control Center or in the iTunes app on personal computers, and

select a Sonica device to stream to.

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DLNA

1. Ensure that your device is on the same network as your Sonica device.

2. Open an app that is DLNA compliant, start playing a song in the app and

select a Sonica device to cast to. DLNA casting support will vary for

different devices and apps.

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Bluetooth

You don’t need to use the Sonica app for Bluetooth playback. However, you
can check to see which Sonica device is currently connected to a particular
mobile device under the “Music” page and “Bluetooth”. Enable Bluetooth on
your mobile device and then pair it with the Sonica device. Play music from
your mobile device either through its local library or other apps.

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Settings

Overview

1. Bluetooth – Toggle Bluetooth.

2. Aux In – Adjust the settings for

Auxiliary playback.

3. Sound Optimization – Select

presets for different rooms and

speaker positions.

4. Sleep Timer – Set up a timer to

stop playback after a certain

amount of time.

5. Advanced Settings – Adjust

speaker lights and reset all

Sonica devices.

6. Night Mode – Change the

background color within the

app to black or white.

7. About – Find version

information about the app and

update the firmware versions

for Sonica devices and the app.

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2 3 5 6 4

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Bluetooth

For Sonica Wi-Fi Speakers

1. To pair the Sonica Wi-Fi speaker to a mobile device via Bluetooth,

activate Sonica’s pairing mode by pressing the and buttons on

the speaker simultaneously or by enabling the “Pairing Mode” in

“Settings” within the Sonica app. When the “Pairing Mode” is enabled,

the Bluetooth status indicator will flash white for two minutes and the

speaker can be paired with a Bluetooth device. When Sonica is in pairing

mode, enable Bluetooth on your device and pair it with Sonica; the

Bluetooth status indicator will become solid white when it has been

paired and connected successfully. Sonica will leave its pairing mode

after two minutes if pairing is unsuccessful.

2. For devices that have already paired with Sonica, enable Bluetooth on

your mobile device and choose Sonica under paired devices to connect

and start streaming.

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For Sonica DAC

1. To pair Sonica DAC to a device via Bluetooth, you can activate Sonica

DAC’s pairing mode by selecting “Enter Pairing Mode” from the

“Bluetooth Connection” screen or by enabling the “Pairing Mode” under

“Settings” within the Sonica app. When the Pairing Mode is enabled on

Sonica DAC, enable Bluetooth on your device and pair it with Sonica DAC

according to your device’s instructions. Sonica DAC’s Front Panel Display

will show the device name when pairing is successful. Sonica DAC will exit

Pairing Mode after two minutes if pairing is unsuccessful.

2. For devices that have already paired with Sonica DAC, enable Bluetooth

on both Sonica DAC and your mobile device, choose Sonica DAC under

paired devices to connect, and start streaming.

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Aux In (For Speakers Only)

Aux In settings include “Auto Playback” and Aux-In Devices with Gain

Settings.

1. When “Auto Playback” is enabled, Sonica will automatically play the

music from the Aux In whenever you connect an Aux In device.

2. Gain Settings help prevent your speakers from being too loud or too

quiet. Select the gain level best suited for your source device.

Suggestions for which gain mode to choose are provided for Low and

High gain modes.

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Sound Optimization (For Speakers Only)

1. Tap “Guide Me” for recommended sound optimization presets by

answering a few questions about your room size and speaker location.

2. Tap “Recommended Optimization” to apply the recommended preset to

your speaker.

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Sleep Timer

1. Set up the sleep timer by selecting your desired Sonica device and

setting a countdown time, then tap “Start” to initiate the timer.

2. The selected Sonica device will stop playing when the countdown ends.

To cancel the timer, go back to the Sleep Timer page and tap “Cancel”.

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Status LED Indicator Settings (For Speakers Only)

1. You can turn the speaker status indicator and mood light on and off by

toggling the “Status LED Indicators” switch.

2. You can also change the display mode of the mood light to Breathe

(which makes the light fade in or out) or Constant (which makes the light

remain lit).

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3. Enter the Color page to change the color of the mood light. There are

nine available colors to choose from.

4. Enter the Brightness page to change the brightness of the mood light.

5. If you want to apply these indicator light settings to other speakers, tap

“Apply These Settings to Other Speakers” at the bottom of the previous

page and select the speakers you’d like to use the new light settings.

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Resetting the Devices

1. Reset Network Connections: This reconfigures a Sonica device’s network

to the pre-setup status. This can also be accomplished by pushing and

simultaneously.

2. Reset All Settings: This will reset all settings to default on a Sonica device

without erasing its data.

3. Reset Factory Defaults: This will erase all the settings and data stored on

all Sonica devices and the app, such as your playlists, speaker name, and

account information.

To reset Sonica devices, select a Sonica device or group of devices in the first

step, tap on one of the three reset functions, and tap OK in the prompt

window.

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Upgrading the Devices

Firmware is the system software that controls the features and functions of

your Sonica devices. When you open the Sonica app, it will automatically

prompt you to upgrade when a new version of the firmware is available. To

ensure the best user experience, we strongly encourage you to upgrade to

the latest firmware version when available.

There are two ways to upgrade the device’s firmware:

1. Via Network – Sonica will automatically download and install firmware

updates from the internet after you confirm the upgrade.

2. Via USB – You can download the firmware files from the OPPO Digital

website to a USB drive to upgrade your Sonica. Please follow the

instructions on the firmware download web page.

Enter “About” – “Check For Speaker Updates”, and the system will

automatically detect new firmware on the network or flash drive and prompt

you to upgrade.

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Upgrading the App

When you open the Sonica app, it will automatically prompt you to upgrade

when a new version of the Sonica app is available. To ensure the best user

experience, we strongly encourage you to upgrade the app whenever a new

version is available.

1. Enter “About This App” and tap “Check for App Updates”.

2. A prompt will alert you if there is an upgrade available or if your

software is up to date.