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Sonos Ace - Buzzing / Static Noise and low volume HELP

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laurentxdubois
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I’ve opened 1 case on Thursday followed by another one on Friday to the support regarding this issue, still no news at all from L2, how long am I gonna have to wait for replacement @Corry P? Otherwise I will simply return the product. It is not good at all to keep the clients in the dark with no news, forcing the client to ask and follow up.

B

Honestly I suspect that those saying they don’t have the problem actually do. They just don’t hear it or aren’t susceptible to it.  

T

Adding my name into the ring. The noise is really irritating in the right ear only when Noise Control is switched on (For me its only audible in Aware Mode). Would love to know if this is software/hardware issue. I want to keep my Sonos Ace headphones, but the need for ANC/Aware Mode is essential to me (especially at £449).  Looking forward to seeing how this issue is resolved. 

A
Userlevel 2

Is this a hardware issue? My experience with Sonos has mostly positive. I am giving it a week before I return it. It would be great to post and update on this problem.

I
Userlevel 2

Is this a hardware issue? My experience with Sonos has mostly positive. I am giving it a week before I return it. It would be great to post and update on this problem.

I’m similarly looking for clarity on Sonos on whether this is a hardware or software issue. 
 

Can anyone from Sonos provide clarity here? 

T

My timeline so far:

  • Wednesday afternoon: called Sonos support in Sweden to report the issue. A ticket was opened and I was told to wait for L2.
  • Thursday morning: reply from L2; they will replace my headphones. Wants my address details which I sent directly. 
  • Monday afternoon (just now): received package slip for UPS. 

so things are moving at least. 

I
Userlevel 2

I guess given the replacement, anyone affected by this should assume this is hardware related

R
Userlevel 2

I returned mine last Friday, could not wait for the official Sonos update on this if that is ever gonna happen. And I ordered a new pair this morning, hopefully I have it tomorrow or the day after. If that is faulty aswell I assume it is hardware related, then that is it, then I purchase Sony or Apple 🤞🏻

I
Userlevel 2

I returned mine last Friday, could not wait for the official Sonos update on this if that is ever gonna happen. And I ordered a new pair this morning, hopefully I have it tomorrow or the day after. If that is faulty aswell I assume it is hardware related, then that is it, then I purchase Sony or Apple 🤞🏻

Please post here with your results, I think a lot of people would be keen to know (especially me!)

 

Though I would say if it's also faulty then it's not guaranteed to be a hardware issue - I think if the new one you have does NOT have this problem then we can be pretty confident it's hardware.

BMF
Userlevel 5
Badge +13

Same issue here, just got them set up and noticed the issue, came here to see if it was just me.

 

Tried to contact support, queue is really long and would have taken an hour to get through from the way the queue was going down.

 

will try again tomorrow.

 

E
Userlevel 1

Dear @Sonos in the meanwhile I’m using the apple AirPods MAX!

Hope you will release an update or a mass call back @Corry P !!

 

C
Userlevel 1
Badge +1

I’m a long time Sonos user so I’m going to stick with this until they find solutions - just sold my AirPods Max to buy these so I’m all in.  So my update is - I have three issues I’ve lodged with them - after 1 hour 46 minutes on the phone (!), I managed to get a level 2 ticket in.

The three issues I lodged are;

  1. The Aware mode only radio interference style sound discussed in this thread (low level ticks/clicks)
  2. The zipper on the case failed in the first hour.
  3. A new one; my first bus ride with ANC enabled - getting random significant pops or clipping in to the headphones in both ears.  It appears to happen when the bus hits a certain frequency, the headphones complain and clip.  

I’ll keep you all posted on progress.

B

I’m so disappointed by this - as a long-term SONOS user and big advocate of the brand and tech, it’s a long way from acceptable. I’m returning mine today. 
 

I can’t help but think this is a rushed release, ahead of the summer holiday peak and expected Air Max Pro 2 announcement. The extent of this issue indicates either very limited user testing, or an attitude of dealing with a known issue post-release. Either way, it’s just poor. 

N

1hr, 50 minutes to get escalated to level 2 who will replace my Ace – 75% of that time has been with me on hold

I've been run through basic troubleshooting (does turning the headphones off/on fix it 🤦‍♂️). I’ve explicitly asked for a replacement, but it has to be escalated for that decision to be made.

Not loving how complicated it is to get a replacement – a return is easy but then I think I’ll lose my 15% upgrade discount if I buy them again. Such a lot of faff for faulty headphones. Here I was thinking that it would be quicker to phone them now instead of the day I received the faulty Ace 😅

Properly disappointed that these headphones don’t even play nicely with the Sonos app or Bluetooth multipoint – I will have to ask the ‘level 2’ team but I’ve no idea if the replacement device is expected to resolve the underlying bluetooth issues or just the buzzing 🙊

R
Userlevel 2

So I just received a new ace today. The original one is now almost delivered in Poland for the return. I just used another 15% upgrade discount I had available. So yes I lost the other one. But I hate dealing with customer support so this way it is much faster. And with everything that is going on I probably will not buy anymore Sonos anytime soon. 
 

but as I said the new ace was delivered and I updated the firmware. I do not notice the high Bluetooth interference noice/buzz I heard with the previous one. Also when having ANC ON together with my laptop. 
 

when I however make a phone call the buzz is coming back, similar to the buzz that you hear from your pc speakers in the oldest when someone is calling you on your Nokia. 
 

also when you have nothing playing and ANC is on I still think I hear like in the right ear a very soft noise when I stop playing music that gets softer after 10seconds but continues to hear. Probably because I have good hearing and others will not hear that one, but this sounds similar to like an pc hdd squicking. Hope that makes sense. Still a huge improvement from previous model. 
 

I will keep testing this today tomorrow and decide if I ongoing for a Sony which will save me some money aswel 

8
Userlevel 2

 

also when you have nothing playing and ANC is on I still think I hear like in the right ear a very soft noise when I stop playing music that gets softer after 10seconds but continues to hear. Probably because I have good hearing and others will not hear that one, but this sounds similar to like an pc hdd squicking. Hope that makes sense. Still a huge improvement from previous model. 

 

I have not noticed any buzzing sounds in my right ear cup that several others have reported, but I do hear this tiny clicking noise. It’s very faint, and your description of it sounding like a HDD clicking is spot on. It’s very faint, but I listen to a lot of movie scores so I hear it “a lot” since I noticed it when scores are quieter. I am running the latest 2.9.3x firmware. 

Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi @jag.sahota @laurentxdubois  @Euge80 

As already stated, if you experience this issue with your Ace headphones, please call in to our technical support team to arrange a replacement - we will cover all shipping costs.

I presume the issue is hardware-related as, if it were software-related we would not be replacing them, and, more people would probably be affected. Clearly, not everyone is affected, so there will be no “mass call back”.

I hope this helps.

 

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
I
Userlevel 2

@Corry P I think it’s worth considering that some people just don’t notice it even if it’s there- I’ve seen a few examples of this. I have reached this conclusion this given:

  • There are people who have reported buying multiple units who hear it on every single one
  • There are people who reported hearing it, but other family members don’t notice it on the same pair (meaning, if the other family member bought the same unit they wouldn’t have reported an issue)
  • There is at least one person above (rosjeremy) reporting hearing buzzing on their replaced unit

This is a very faint sound, that is not THAT easy to notice, but once you hear it, it’s hard to unhear it. I suspect this is why it’s actually been difficult to notice for your own QA teams. 

In the spirit of trying to be helpful:

  • It might be worth taking a unit you know has been sent back with this issue and see which members of your QA team can hear it. 
  • It also might be worth using a quiet room and a high sensitivity mic to pick up the buzzing sound
  • I think it’s worth considering for Sonos that this may affect every single unit, but only some people hear it (v.s. the theory that only some units are affected)

I also just want to say Sonos support has been great and it’s clear this is a very nuanced and hard to notice issue, and I appreciate the support I’ve seen from them on this (including a willingness to replace so quickly)

J
Userlevel 3
Badge +1

So I just received a new ace today. The original one is now almost delivered in Poland for the return. I just used another 15% upgrade discount I had available. So yes I lost the other one. But I hate dealing with customer support so this way it is much faster. And with everything that is going on I probably will not buy anymore Sonos anytime soon. 
 

but as I said the new ace was delivered and I updated the firmware. I do not notice the high Bluetooth interference noice/buzz I heard with the previous one. Also when having ANC ON together with my laptop. 
 

when I however make a phone call the buzz is coming back, similar to the buzz that you hear from your pc speakers in the oldest when someone is calling you on your Nokia. 
 

also when you have nothing playing and ANC is on I still think I hear like in the right ear a very soft noise when I stop playing music that gets softer after 10seconds but continues to hear. Probably because I have good hearing and others will not hear that one, but this sounds similar to like an pc hdd squicking. Hope that makes sense. Still a huge improvement from previous model. 
 

I will keep testing this today tomorrow and decide if I ongoing for a Sony which will save me some money aswel 

This to me proves that all pairs have the same problem.
 

I think most people don’t notice it or don’t hear it at all. Or maybe it is slightly worse on some models than others — I don’t know.
 

I’m pretty sure Sonos will look at this in the future and make sure whatever is causing this issue will be addressed. Such a shame honestly. 
 

I’ve decided to return mines and just wait for a future batch which hopefully has this ironed out.

 

Luckly for them most people seem to have bad hearing — so they’ll be contempt and will have no idea there’s an issue in the first place. 

 

 

 

 

M
Userlevel 2

Yep, looks like good plan. I have only a problem when the ANC is on. Then I hear a static noice. My whole life I’m hearing the smallest sounds like for instance a watch that is on a table a view meters away. So I can imagine that most people don’t hear that and in this case not even the static noise I’m hearing.

M
Userlevel 2
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I buyed mine at the day of release. The same day I got back to the store with this issue. They swapped the unit for a new one. This one was also faulty so contacted Sonos in the Netherlands and they affirmed that their where issues with these headphones. The store, hifi Klubben, als affirmed that they have received messages from Sonos regarding this problem. Hifi Klubben swapped the faulty unit for an headphone from another batch after getting conformation from Sonos that this batch was good. This third unit was also faulty. I got my money back after this. 

BMF
Userlevel 5
Badge +13

I buyed mine at the day of release. The same day I got back to the store with this issue. They swapped the unit for a new one. This one was also faulty so contacted Sonos in the Netherlands and they affirmed that their where issues with these headphones. The store, hifi Klubben, als affirmed that they have received messages from Sonos regarding this problem. Hifi Klubben swapped the faulty unit for an headphone from another batch after getting conformation from Sonos that this batch was good. This third unit was also faulty. I got my money back after this. 

All 3 had the same issue of the noise in the right ear?

M
Userlevel 2
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I buyed mine at the day of release. The same day I got back to the store with this issue. They swapped the unit for a new one. This one was also faulty so contacted Sonos in the Netherlands and they affirmed that their where issues with these headphones. The store, hifi Klubben, als affirmed that they have received messages from Sonos regarding this problem. Hifi Klubben swapped the faulty unit for an headphone from another batch after getting conformation from Sonos that this batch was good. This third unit was also faulty. I got my money back after this. 

All 3 had the same issue of the noise in the right ear?

That's correct. Straight out the box. 2 from the same batch and one from another batch, confirmed by Sonos Netherlands (their head office for Europe stands in Amsterdam) that this later batch doesnt have this issue. 

BMF
Userlevel 5
Badge +13

Managed to get through to support in the end, took nearly an hour, but escalated up to second level support, who will be in contact within one business day.

 

I really hope it is resolvable, I really would like to keep the Ace and love Sonos speakers.

 

If replacements are defective too, guess I will wait on next gen AirPods Max. My AirPods Pro are great for in ear commuting and walking the dog etc…. Just wanted to get Ace for better listening and more ANC when travelling.

T

Sonos has a problem at the top of their organization, in my opinion only, Poor Management! Apparently issues have developed with Ace! Todays  11am PDT Live Q&A June 11 never happaned with no acknowledge for those who registered. This is why I never place an early order. I understand problems happen with new products but inexcusable to just leave people in the dark and not have proper phone support. I guess Apple, Sony and others are way ahead of Sonos! 

 

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