Audio Cuts Out When Grouping

Hi @nifoxke, thank you for reaching back to the Sonos community. I  appreciate you for describing the issue and for providing the diagnostic. Let me check it for you.

Looking at the diagnostic, there are audio dropouts due to sync errors and interference in the Sono Network. 

First, I'd like to ask questions to isolate the issue so we can create a path towards resolution.

1. Do you experience the same on other music services?
2. On which speaker do you experience the issue? All or specific? 
3. Do you experience the same if you play music directly from the Music service app? AirPlay?

Let me suggest the next troubleshooting and see if it works for you.

• Change the wireless channel on the Sonos app
  • In the Sonos app > Settings > System > Network > SonosNet Channel > Change the wireless > You can toggle between 1, 6 and 11 which are identified as non-overlapping channels
• Identify devices that may be causing the interference
  • Move away from the devices from your Sonos speakers or turn them off. Check Sonos if there's an improvement with the performance.
• Hardwire another Sonos speakers
  • Disconnect the Ethernet connection from the Sub and wire another Sonos speaker to your router.
  • Re-check Sonos performance.
• Relocate the affected speaker(s) to determine if it is a wireless range issue.
• Try playing to just one room/player. If the service bitrate is high enough, it can cause sync errors on some of the members in a group.

After performing the steps above and you're still experiencing the same problem, please contact our Sonos Customer Care support to perform in-depth troubleshooting and understand your full network setup. Our phone support has the tools to check what's going on in your system and to remotely access your device to address the issue. 

Please feel free to reach out in the future if you have any other questions.

You're always welcome here.

Hi Rowena,

Thanks for your reply. 
 

1. This doesn’t happen with music services. Only TV watching.
2. It happens when I try to group any speaker to my living room setup.

I disconnected the Ethernet cable to the Sub and the Ethernet cable to my PlayBase remains. Both were hard wired. 

Hi @nifoxke, thank you for your quick reply.

Thank you for letting us know that you're experiencing the issue when watching TV. 

The diagnostic that you provided shows that your Sonos having audio dropouts due to sync errors and interference in the Sono Network. Performing the recommended steps is necessary to address the issue. Please follow the steps and let us know what happened.

If there's no improvement in the system after performing the troubleshooting steps, please proceed to the next steps below:

1. Unplug the HDMI cable from the Sonos Arc and the TV. 
2. Unplug the power cable from your TV, the Sonos Arc, and any connected audio source (such as a cable box or video game console). Wait 30 seconds before you plug them back in.
2. Reconnect the HDMI cable to your TV and the Sonos Arc. Inspect the HDMI cable to ensure it’s not bent or kinked and check to see that it’s fully inserted into both devices.
3. Update the TV’s software (if available)
4. Adjust the audio format
5. Adjust the group audio delay

Kindly provide us the confirmation number of the diagnostic report when you reply with your complete TV model number and the make and model of each device connected to your TV to check what's going on and to provide the best option for you for us to check what's happening. 

If you need help with any other information, feel free to reach out. We'll wait for your reply.

I don’t have an Arc, I have a PlayBase. 

Hi @nifoxke, thank your reply and for bringing this to our attention. My apologies for the confusion. Let me provide you the troubleshooting steps for your Sonos Playbase.

1. Unplug the optical cable from the Playbase and the TV. 
2. Unplug the power cable from your TV, the Playbase, and any connected audio source (such as a cable box or video game console). Wait 30 seconds before you plug them back in.
2. Reconnect the optical cable to your TV and the Playbase. Inspect the optical cable to ensure it’s not bent or kinked and check to see that it’s fully inserted into both devices.
3. Update the TV’s software (if available)
4. Adjust the audio format
5. Adjust the group audio delay
6. Try another optical cable if you will experience the same.

Were you able to perform the recommended steps provided in this thread? How did it go? Any improvements?

If none of the steps worked for you, it would be best for you to continue working with us over the phone to expedite the process. Thanks for your patience while working through this. We really appreciate the time and effort you've spent doing all the troubleshooting steps.

To further assist you with this, I recommend contacting our Sonos Customer Care support with your full network setup including the make and model to look up the information. Our phone support has the tools to check what's going on in your system and to remotely access your device to address the issue. 

Please feel free to reach out in the future if you have any other questions. You're always welcome here in the community.

I think I discovered the issue and it’s with my Apple TV. The audio issue wasn’t present when watching the tuner on my TV. 
 

The Apple TV audio setting was set to Change Format and the New Format was DD 5.1. I turned off Change Format and the problem seems to have gone away. 

Hi @nifoxke, thank you for the update and for sharing this with us. I'm glad that the audio issue has been resolved after you turn off the audio format.

If you encounter any issues, just submit a diagnostic and let us know the confirmation number for us to check what’s going on.

Please do not hesitate to reach out or create a topic if you still have further questions or concerns. 

The Sonos Community is always here to help.