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Broken Playbar optical port

  • 5 January 2019
  • 18 replies
  • 5900 views

Userlevel 1
I like seemingly many others have a broken port. Today I unplugged it to install a new TV and now it won't stay put and falls out. Are these easily replaced? The playbar is perfect apart from this crappy component which appears to have fallen apart. I know it was lose a couple of years ago but now it needs replacing.
Can these be replaced easily or is it part of a board?
I really don't expect such poor component from a high priced product.
Thanks in advance
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Best answer by Jeff S 7 January 2019, 22:15

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18 replies

Userlevel 7
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I like seemingly many others have a broken port. Today I unplugged it to install a new TV and now it won't stay put and falls out. Are these easily replaced? The playbar is perfect apart from this crappy component which appears to have fallen apart. I know it was lose a couple of years ago but now it needs replacing.
Can these be replaced easily or is it part of a board?
I really don't expect such poor component from a high priced product.
Thanks in advance


Hi there,

In this case it would be best to reach out to our phone team. Please give us a call, you can find our phone number and hours here.
Userlevel 1
OK so sonos have just responded. £489 for an out of warranty unit!

This playbar has probably been unplugged 3 times in its life, and yet such a small and clearly poor quality component has failed. Sonos don't have any repair service and want another £489 to replace it.

Sorry for such a high end speaker, this isn't good enough. I've got a multitude of Sonos components. Sadly I wish I now hadn't bothered. This takes the micky.
This seems to be a common flaw. Exactly the same thing has happened to my otherwise perfect unit. I’ve resorted to using a sausage roll shape piece of blu-tac around the optical cable that leads into the playbar and sticking it in place. Takes a while to find the sweet spot but once it’s in place it works fine.
Until my cleaning lady knocks it out... 😠
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I had the same issue , then audio started cutting out thinking it was a loose optical cable..... 3 days later the speakers in the playbar went “POP” 😠. Bought a beam but it’s not as good 🙂

I have the same issue. Alerted their customer service department. Their solution was for me to send my unit back in exchange for a refurbished unit plus $200. Of course I chose not to buy another person’s problematic unit so I balked. Extremely poor customer service. I have 12 Sonos products- will never buy another. Wish I would have known about their dismissive attitude and invested in Heos. 

My playbar was only 5 years old when the audio optical input went bad. Sonos customer service offered 30% off a new one $489 because they can’t repair the port. Playbar worked great with streaming but obviously won’t work with TV and my surround speakers. Terrible solution for a high end product. The port should a least be repairable. 

Userlevel 2

Mine is 7 years old, and same problem. Really poor quality. I think I would try Denon or Sony instead.

Userlevel 1
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I glued mine in with superglue. 

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Sad (and glad I’m not the only one) to experience this. Otherwise perfect Playbar is a giant brick for home theater. 

Userlevel 7
Badge +16

Can't you glue an optical cable extension into the Playbar then if if you ever need to disconnect it you do it at the other end?.

 

I always take my cable out at the TV end having read problems like this.

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Can't you glue an optical cable extension into the Playbar then if if you ever need to disconnect it you do it at the other end?.

 

I always take my cable out at the TV end having read problems like this.

I suppose that’s one solution, but when you spend this kind of money on a piece of electronics, it’s a bit disconcerting to go that route.

i hope I’m not in this bucket but I think that I am….If I can get the red light from one end when the cable is plugged into the tv and no red light when one end is plugged in the playbar, does this mean the port is bad? I’m about to try a new cable but think I’m probably throwing away $10 on top of this POS

After 2 strenuous years on playing audio from my TV, it literally broke sitting on a shelf completely undisturbed

Userlevel 7
Badge +16

Can't you glue an optical cable extension into the Playbar then if if you ever need to disconnect it you do it at the other end?.

 

I always take my cable out at the TV end having read problems like this.

I suppose that’s one solution, but when you spend this kind of money on a piece of electronics, it’s a bit disconcerting to go that route.

I agree entirely, they're not cheap!. Just an idea instead of shelling out $500.

 

Just watched this and reached out to him

 

 

A bit of blu-tack might perhaps hold the adapter in place - that would likely have been the first thing I would have attempted.

I plan on repairing the input first than possibly  epoxy the short adapter in place. I’ve replaced the PlayBar with the Arc and the plan is to give the PlayBar to a family member… so I’d like it fixed.

This has also happened to my PlayBar after a power cut seemed to mess up the Sonos system set up, I did a restart on all my products. The PlayBar then wasn’t being picked up by the TV and it told me to check the optical cable-I pulled it out and then when I went to re-insert it it now just falls out.

 

Will try the blue tack option tonight but am worried I cannot get the TV to pick up the signal by holding the cable in place. Failing that have found a chap in Teeside who seems to offer a repair for £120 (plus the costs of shipping it there and back which are bound to be extortionate given the size and weight of the product.

 

Feeling a little over-invested in Sonos as one of my 6 year old Play Ones gave up the ghost last year and I was offered the 30% discount for a new one (older model). The PlayBar is set up with surrounds so fairly useless to me as a standalone music player.

Userlevel 6
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I now have exactly the same problem.  SUCKS.