Diagnostic number 945223379

I experience this issue often. Right now using HBOMax on Sony x900h. Sound cuts out and then cuts back in. 
 

If I take the advice above for Sony TVs. If I switch my TV audio settings to DD or PCM, how will it effect the Atmos? 

Hi, this thread was really helpful and I have one practical question.  

Can someone pls explain the difference I would hear with Dolby Atmos while using regular ARC vs eARC?  

I have an LG C9 so can only hear Atmos through ARC and just wondering if the difference to eARC (once the update is released) is actually noticeable?  Realize its personal but can anyone actually tell the difference and would a non-audiophile be able to tell the difference?  Basically how much am I missing? 

Thanks much! 

I got really excited hearing about a software update that would fix this issue. I have a high end samsung TV and got the ARC on release day, The ARC and the TV are a continual bad mix whenever the TV is turned on - the sound cuts in and out. 

I used to unplug the HDMI and replug in with fingers crossed that it would work, sometimes having to do that multiple times. However I have found that going into the Samsung sound menu and changing the settings every time will fix it without the unplugging.

I usually have to toggle atmos compatibility to off, or to on, and that gets sound steady. Occasionally I can set the eARC to Auto, but usually it needs to be Off.

I have pass-through enabled.

Curiously, the SONOS app will tell me I am getting atmos even if the eARC is off...however, most of the time I will just be getting a steady sound of standard type but at least it is not cutting in and out.

The thing is, that is such a pain to do that I have ended up disconnecting the ARC from the tv and using built in speakers with the ARC becoming effectively an expensive brick. Sure, I can use it for music but I already have speakers for that.

I have read, written and enquired about this many times and it seems to be a known issue to the community but almost always greeted with surprise by SONOS staff. It doesn’t need a diagnostic when it is blindingly obvious that it is a known issue...so, back to the beginning of this post...apparently there is a software fix. Please push it out to all. My software is right up to date being 12.2.6 so if there is something new please hurry up. I spent £800 on this on day of release last year. I know Samsung have some hand in this and that their customer support is very difficult to engage but SONOS, if you have something do please give it to your loyal customers without the pretence of surprise...

I am also curious about it I am also using x900h with HDMI 2.1 EARC enabled HDMI Cable with an ethernet connection to the SONOS ARC.
My sound was also getting cut for few seconds and then coming back.

Its annoying but still manageable as it happens to me maybe once every two to three hours of viewing.

I have changed to PCM I would check if its better.
But I heard PCM is STERO thats not good as Arc is a 5 channel bar.

(this post mostly for following - nothing new here )

Recieved the ARC 5.1 system yesterday - updated via the app.

Connected to a QE65Q80T with 1460.9 firmware.

watched a movie with dolby atmos (Greenland) and got four or five 1-2 seconds audio droputs during the movie.

Hopping the patch will be released as soon as possible.

I have this problem as well, i have a Arc with a Samsung Frame 75in TV and its been cutting in and out once every week or so, but its getting worse and is now happening every other day.  The only thing I can do is turn the arc off and on again.

This patch seems to be taking for ever, very frustrating that they have known about this problem for 8-months now and its still not fixed with obviously hundreds/thousands affected.  Spent a lot of money on the setup (for me) and didn’t think I would be having to stick my hand down the back of the TV unit to reboot every other day!!

It’s so embarrassing that I brag on how advanced my setup is that I can reboot my arc to get it to fricking work with a google home voice command to trip the smart plug off and on.  Cmon Sonos, get the fix out sometime before this pandemic is over!!!  Sheesh

I have a Samsung QA85Q80T TV and thinking about buying the ARC / Sub package.  Current firmware version of the TV is 1461.  Does anyone know whether this version has the intermittent audio cut out problem?

I have a 2019 Samsung Frame, 2020 Roku Ultra and a Sonos Arc.  The TV to Sonos Arc connection is HDMI Arc.  I had been having occasional issues with the sound from the Roku not working at all when coming from Art Mode to TV.  Doing a system restart othe Roku would fix this issue. 

Now my problem is that I get audio that cuts out every few seconds when watching something.  Doing a system restart on the Roku does not fix this issue.  Having to do a hard restart on the Arc is not an acceptable fix.

I would advise against it. I have a QN75Q8DTAFXZA with the Arc, Sub, and pair of Ones, and the sound cutting out is very annoying. All I gather from the many forums on this subject is to expect an endless stream of troubleshooting steps and no actual fix from Sonos. I am hugely disappointed in spending so much on this setup and immediately having what appears to be a known issue with no resolution in sight.

My setup is Sony X950G with Sonos Arc (connect by HDMI eARC to TV & Ethernet connection to router)

No other HDMI device connected….

Also got the 0.5 - 1.5 secs dropped when viewing Youtube from Sony TV (Internal Youtube apps) in every minute….

Hi ElvinSan.  So are you using the HDMI cable supplied by Sonos (which is only HDMI 1.4 compliant and not technically certified for eARC) or are you using a certified HDMI v2.0 cable? 

Well, I’ve been following this thread for months. My Sony tv 65x 950G and Arc had the sound drop issues..till Sony came out with a software update months ago and it resolved the issue. Today I had another Sony software update and still good. I used to think it was a Sonos issue, but know that’s not the case as Sonos never came out with any type of update. It’s the tv manufacturers. New update for Sony is PKG6.5042.0633NAA

That was my experience with my Sony A8H. It also took a factory reset after downloading the firmware update on 12/1 to resolve it for me though. No problems since. Downloaded the new firmware update this morning. Fingers crossed there are no new surprises...

Hi Gary,

I am using the HDMI cable supplied with the ARC… so is it necessary to buy a V2.0 compliant cable?

Hi Doddad,

I m also using the same TV, and using the TV update at months ago (PKG6.5042.xxxx still not available at my country) but i still have the sound drop issues… are u using the bundle HDMI cable or your own one?

Also can u switch to use “Internal TV speaker” ? I raised this issue in another thread…..as my setup keep switch back to external speaker “ARC”, no matter how many times i select “Internal TV speaker”….

Where did you get this info?

I thought Sonos said the cable met the hdmi 2.0 spec (up to 18gbps). In any case I switched out the sonos supplied cable to a Belkin ultra high speed (up to 48gbps) and its cured my occasional dropouts, nearly 4 weeks without issue.

I think the latest LG CX 3.21.16 had a big part to play in fixing audio/eARC issues as well though.

Found the cable info in this thread where a Sonos person refers to it as 1.4+ 

While confirming that the cable is electrically compatible via HEAC support, bandwidth was not stated.

The specification for HDMI v1.4 (including a and b revisions) retained the same bandwidth as v1.3 i.e. 10.2 Gbit/s while v2.0 increased it to 18 Gbit/s.  For me, the Sonos supplied HDMI cable has a big question mark over it.

Oh yeah that was a thread I started, lol. Forgot about that.

Indeed it’s a little sketchy on what spec the supplied cable is.

The Arc only requires a HDMI 1.4 cable (or better). eARC repurposes the ethernet wire (HDMI devices tend not to use this feature) for the increased bandwidth that Atmos requires. The increased bandwidth of HDMI 2.0 is only for video - as in, your source device needs it for 4K/8K. As the Arc only receives sound, it can make do with the standard ARC channel plus the repurposed ethernet channel, so a 1.4 cable is sufficient. 

I agree with this, but thats not to say Sonos need to cheap out on the hdmi cable, by supplying the lowest spec to meet just the needs of the Sonos Arc.

Lots of people change cables around and most would presume the hdmi cable that comes with the ARC   at least can deal with most demands.

The maximum data rate for Dolby Digital Plus is 6.144 Gbit/s, so agree there. 

For Dolby TrueHD, the audio stream including metadata can be up to 18 Mbit/s (instantaneous).  If the cable tops out at 10.2 Gbit/s and the audio stream exceeds 10.2 Gbit/s the cable could introduce signal attenuation, crosstalk, data, clock or phase errors. Which could cause audio drop outs.

My main interest would be streaming Atmos TrueHD from a NAS.

BTW - some eARC fun facts:

eARC supports uncompressed multichannel and immersive audio, including up to eight channels at 192 kHz/24 bits. In addition, lip-sync compensation is mandatory, and eARC can discover connected audio devices and ascertain their capabilities using its own data channel.

eARC uses the twisted pair of wires within an HDMI cable normally used for Ethernet over HDMI.  Here is an example of an eARC connection:

For the sake of clarity, I feel I should point out that you are 3 orders-of-magnitude out - Dolby Digital+ peaks at 6Mbit/s. Uncompressed Atmos True-HD, with variable bitrate, averages at 6Mbit/s, and peaks at 18Mbit/s. With eARC’s maximum bandwidth of 38Mbit/s, there’s plenty of headroom.

The bandwidth needed for 8K video (or 4K at higher frame/refresh rates) is the reason for HDMI 2.0/2.1. The audio data requirements come nowhere close - around 1/1000th of the data.

I just got the last patch from Sonos on my Arc. And the last update from Sony on my tv (x950h). Do you think I should unplug my set up, or do something before trying to watch and see if the sound still skips? Rebooting?

I mean its been so long waiting for these updates i want it to work...