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Contributor I
June 16, 2020
Answered

Arc TV sound cuts in and out.

Just got the Arc and have it paired with 2 Play:1’s and a gen 3 sub. 
Samsung Q80R tv. 
 

The sound from the tv will play for around 5 seconds and then cut out for around 1 second, play for 5, out for 1, on and on. 
 

I’ve swapped out the hdmi cable twice, tried unplugging the tv, switched between PCM and DD+ and switched between different apps on the tv. 

The sonos app shows that I am getting an atmos signal  


Was running a beam with the Play:1’s (but no sub) before just fine.

 

Not sure what I should try next.

 

Thank you,

mike

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Corry P
Corry PAnswer
Sonos Staff
March 9, 2021

Thank you all for all your efforts and testing. A system update has now been released which also include a fix to this issue (it disables the Sonos “screensaver” on an Arc if connected to a Samsung TV). Please update your Sonos systems. If you’re still experiencing problems after updating, please let us know.

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

758 replies

Dogdad
Headliner III
November 16, 2020

Well, I just ordered a new Arc. This will be my third . My original Arc I bought in June is still attached to my system. Sonos sent a replacement that acted up on the second and third day of being hooked up so went back to the original and sent replacement back. My new one( third try) will be here this week. If it acts up, I’m thinking it’s not the Arc. Don’t think three Arcs would be defective. I’ll blame it on the tv manufacturers. We shall see. 

Lyricist I
November 16, 2020

I have got the same problem here. Currently using a Samsung 65Q950TS, updated to software version 1403.1 and the the Arc is updated to version 12.2. 
 

I am still experiencing sound cut outs every few days, not the experience I was hoping for with an €9.000 setup. Bad thing is, Sonos is blaming Samsung and Samsung is blaming Sonos.

Trending Lyricist I
November 16, 2020

Well, I just ordered a new Arc. This will be my third . My original Arc I bought in June is still attached to my system. Sonos sent a replacement that acted up on the second and third day of being hooked up so went back to the original and sent replacement back. My new one( third try) will be here this week. If it acts up, I’m thinking it’s not the Arc. Don’t think three Arcs would be defective. I’ll blame it on the tv manufacturers. We shall see. 

It sure seems to be a design flaw in the Arc.  It’s happening across most of the brands of TVs, and stories like yours just confirm that it’s not a one off broken unit.  All 3 of your arcs may be ‘defective’ like the rest of ours in that bad design is the defect. 

Dogdad
Headliner III
November 16, 2020

Well, I just ordered a new Arc. This will be my third . My original Arc I bought in June is still attached to my system. Sonos sent a replacement that acted up on the second and third day of being hooked up so went back to the original and sent replacement back. My new one( third try) will be here this week. If it acts up, I’m thinking it’s not the Arc. Don’t think three Arcs would be defective. I’ll blame it on the tv manufacturers. We shall see. 

It sure seems to be a design flaw in the Arc.  It’s happening across most of the brands of TVs, and stories like yours just confirm that it’s not a one off broken unit.  All 3 of your arcs may be ‘defective’ like the rest of ours in that bad design is the defect. 

There are far more people not having issues with their Arc. 

Contributor I
November 16, 2020

Well I think there are worrying signs this isn’t fixable and that Sonos will fix it in a subsequent batch of models and leave existing owners in the cold. I get initially they wanted to keep it quiet to rush a fix out so as not to tarnish a new products reputation. 
It has been long enough now for it to be the key issue in reviews and I have started emailing prominent review sites asking them to re review the product highlighting the fact that, in effect it does not work to do the thing it was designed and advertised to do.

I suggest others do the same and it may then get taken more seriously as reviews start reflecting the truth on the ground.

Sonos need to admit the issue and be open now, as treating people like fools when it’s across all TVs and then replacing units when it’s a known issue is a waste of time. One google and people will see the forums.

 

I have lots of Sonos products and have been happy with them all. I want them to fix it, but come on now Sonos you can do better than this!

Contributor I
November 16, 2020

Have a Samsung Q95 TV and also have the same problem with the arc sound cutting in and out.

But have found a way to solve the issue with out turning the power off and on. 

in the expert sound setting there is a Dolby Atmos compatibility toggle button.   By simply clicking this off and on it fixes the ARC problem and can even set the HDMI -eARC mode to auto which following this process.

so clearly the problem is fixable.    Just getting sick of having to do this every day.   

 

Contributor I
November 17, 2020

I have been monitoring this thread with interest for the last few weeks now as I have been experiencing these issues like everyone else. I can’r believe, like a lot of people, that Sonos can’t be bothered to keep us updated on the progress of the issue. I have today emailed the CEO of Sonos to get their view on the matter and if I get a response will post it on this thread.

I hope Sonos fix the issue quickly as it would be a shame for such an issue to tarnish what is otherwise a quality brand. Keeping my fingers crossed for a fix.

Lyricist II
November 17, 2020

Same problem here - sound cutting out when streaming (music is fine). Samsung TV QE55 2019 and Sonos Arc.

 

Lately it is getting worse, having to alter the sound adjustments (toggling PCM, Dolby, Atmos settings) on the TV every day. No other HDMI devices connected

 

Anyone know how can I open a support case, I did not find a way to do it on the app or web?

 

Thanks.

Trending Lyricist I
November 17, 2020

During a call with Sony last week, the engineer admitted there is a problem with the eArc and they are working on it. A lot models are affected and they even introduce this bug with the last release of their 900H firmware. They enabled eArc and HDMI 2.1 for the 900H to support 4K 120Hz for the PS5. By the way, the sound issue doesn’t seem to be the only problem. You can see on reddit that there is a lot of people having problem with soundbars from different manufactures and Sony TVs with eArc capabilities.

I work in software development for a while and here’s what I think. Because many different brands having problem with eArc, I’m pretty sure there is a problem with the eArc protocol/standard itself. I hope this is a software issue and not a hardware issue. That’s my two cents.

More explanations from Sonos will be appreciated.

Lyricist III
November 17, 2020

Well, I just ordered a new Arc. This will be my third . My original Arc I bought in June is still attached to my system. Sonos sent a replacement that acted up on the second and third day of being hooked up so went back to the original and sent replacement back. My new one( third try) will be here this week. If it acts up, I’m thinking it’s not the Arc. Don’t think three Arcs would be defective. I’ll blame it on the tv manufacturers. We shall see. 

It sure seems to be a design flaw in the Arc.  It’s happening across most of the brands of TVs, and stories like yours just confirm that it’s not a one off broken unit.  All 3 of your arcs may be ‘defective’ like the rest of ours in that bad design is the defect. 

There are far more people not having issues with their Arc. 

This problem seems to be pretty wide spread and now TV manufacturers are dealing with people complaining about it as well.  I assume you mention far more people not having issues because you only see a handful of us on the internet + Sonos has not put in a recall.

 As I mentioned earlier, both my friend and I did not have any issue for months only to one day run into it.  We both owned the old Sono Soundbar and Beam (to all same TVs) with no issues.  My problem still comes back frequently enough but my friend goes weeks before he has the issue and plugs out the plug and it works again.  He seems happy enough with the solution and asked me to keep him up.  Given it is already mounted and works well most of the time - he is more patient.  Either way, It definitely seems like the issue is something to do with how the Arc “talks” to the TV.  Also as previously mentioned, it seems like nobody can pinpoint the exact issue, which is making it harder to solve.  But I do firmly believe this isn’t a hardware defect (and is inherent in every Arc you will receive) but a problem that arises when two systems (your arc and your TV) tries to communicate and something all of a sudden, they start speaking different languages.