Contributor I

Dolby Atmos causing audio on Arc to "pop" then cuts out

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
November 8, 2021
82 replies
8128 views

I purchased a Sony KD85X91J in July equipped with eARC so I could listen to content from my Apple TV 4K in Dolby Atmos. The problem I have is whenever I play Atmos content (and ONLY Atmos content). Every so often the Arc has a quick popping sound followed by the Arc losing audio until I back out of the Atmos content I was watching. When I back out I can start the content again in Atmos and it will work for a while until the pop and audio cut out happens again.

I have a 5.1 setup with the Arc, 2 One SL’s and a Gen 3 sub. The bass and surrounds still play audio after the cut out. Only the Arc is affected.

The HDMI cables i am using are both rated to handle Atmos content. Link to the cables being used is below.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07S1CGQ9Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Is there a fix for this issue? It’s very frustrating investing into a system that cannot deliver what it advertises and I’m hoping theres something I’m missing that will easily solve the issue.

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J

Joakim B

Lyricist III

Go to post “Sonos Arc loud pop then audio loss” and add your story. Sonos need to fix this.

P

ProfessorFrag

Enthusiast II

Wanted to post an update here since it’s been a while. I’ve been “pop free” for over a month now. All I had to do was disable eArc on my Sony television. I have the Arc, with 2 One SLs, and a sub. Television is Sony X900H. I can confirm that once I disabled eArc I was able to run Dolby Vision and Atmos content through the Apple TV with no popping.

I also own an Apple TV, 900H, and Arc. As far as I know, you cannot play Atmos with eARC off from the Apple TV with our television.

Please play Atmos content in the Apple TV and confirm that you are getting the Atmos logo in the Sonos app. And if you do, tell me how to pull that off!

I suspect you “fixed” the problem by disabling Atmos. Which is Sonos’ official recommendation for Apple TV and Xbox.

L

lubliner

Lyricist III

Wanted to post an update here since it’s been a while. I’ve been “pop free” for over a month now. All I had to do was disable eArc on my Sony television. I have the Arc, with 2 One SLs, and a sub. Television is Sony X900H. I can confirm that once I disabled eArc I was able to run Dolby Vision and Atmos content through the Apple TV with no popping.

I also own an Apple TV, 900H, and Arc. As far as I know, you cannot play Atmos with eARC off from the Apple TV with our television.

Please play Atmos content in the Apple TV and confirm that you are getting the Atmos logo in the Sonos app. And if you do, tell me how to pull that off!

I suspect you “fixed” the problem by disabling Atmos. Which is Sonos’ official recommendation for Apple TV and Xbox.

With eARC disabled, playing atmos content on Netflix and Amazon the Sonos app is stating it is currently playing Atmos content. Conversely, when I disable Atmos on Apple TV with eARC enabled the sound displays as Dolby 5.1 on the Sonos app.

P

ProfessorFrag

Enthusiast II

With eARC disabled, playing atmos content on Netflix and Amazon the Sonos app is stating it is currently playing Atmos content. Conversely, when I disable Atmos on Apple TV with eARC enabled the sound displays as Dolby 5.1 on the Sonos app.

Same for me. It used to be that turning off eARC meant DD5.1 from the Apple TV, which doesn’t do Atmos. Now the Apple TV is sending DD5.1+, which does support Atmos. Of course, you lose other features like the automatic A/V sync and lossless audio that eARC adds.

I’m looking forward to testing DD5.1+ Atmos on Arc when I have time. Maybe we can upgrade Arc support for Apple TV from broken to janky!

M

mgproudfit

Lyricist II

So from my research, this does not appear to be a SONOS issue as it’s a Dolby Atmos issue. Ive been scouring the Microsoft forums and a lot of people are having this same pop/cracking issue when running Atmos content through their XSX or HTPC, even through a proper surround system.

P

ProfessorFrag

Enthusiast II

So from my research, this does not appear to be a SONOS issue as it’s a Dolby Atmos issue. Ive been scouring the Microsoft forums and a lot of people are having this same pop/cracking issue when running Atmos content through their XSX or HTPC, even through a proper surround system.

Could you provide links? I’d like to check this out.

M

mgproudfit

Lyricist II

So from my research, this does not appear to be a SONOS issue as it’s a Dolby Atmos issue. Ive been scouring the Microsoft forums and a lot of people are having this same pop/cracking issue when running Atmos content through their XSX or HTPC, even through a proper surround system.

Could you provide links? I’d like to check this out.

Sure. See below:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/xbox/forum/all/xbox-series-x-sound-popping-and-crackling/118d461f-2df3-40b0-80ab-1c8b67a70eaf

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/fixed-dolby-atmos-poppingcrackling-sound/6093c568-fc95-4c84-bd2b-b4c072c01b2a

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/clicking-sound-while-using-dolby-atmos-surround-in/9594e16c-75f1-4b80-99c1-b48393714701

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/xbox/forum/all/netflix-dolby-atmos-popping-and-crackling/75ac3701-9986-4a58-9fda-89bae2a52e04

https://www.reddit.com/r/xboxinsiders/comments/pow2a6/atmos_causing_pop_loss_of_sound/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Soundbars/comments/jmblvo/solved_intermittent_popping_sound_from_samsung/

This link here seems to be the most confident in identifying it as an Atmos issue through Apple TV4k (although, again, Im not convinced it’s ONLY an ATV issue) but has good discussion.

https://www.reddit.com/r/appletv/comments/pe1uks/atmos_content_on_apple_tv_is_crackling/

There’s a ton more links but that’s just an initial smattering for reference. Based on everything Im seeing, I really dont think this is a SONOS specific issue but rather a codec/processing issue brought on by Atmos content. XBOX S and Apple TV4k seem to be largest drivers of consistent complaints but Im not sure it’s limited to just those two as Ive seen a few comments from PS5, HTPC, and PC users as well.

M

mgproudfit

Lyricist II

One guy on reddit (from last link I posted above) touted the below as a fix FWIW. Some users don’t seem to agree but Im trying it now to see if there’s any improvement. His text copied below:

Finally solved!!!
I was having crackling all the time when ATMOS was supposed to play (Disney Plus, Apple Tv shows).
The solution is to go to Settings > Video and Audio > Match content >
There: Match Frame Rate: On
Solved!
Note: It doesn’t hurt to also activate Match Dynamic Range.
If not. Try Changing video from 4K 60 Hz to 50Hz.
All ATMOS content sounds spectacular now 🙂

P

ProfessorFrag

Enthusiast II

Thanks for sharing the links. I’m afraid none of these match what’s going on with Sonos Arc. Our pop is a loud one-time bang (like furniture falling over) followed by sound cutting out on the Arc but continuing to play on the surrounds. It happens with various sources including Apple TV, Xbox, and built-in TV apps. The common feature appears to be Atmos encoded in Dolby MAT.

The users in your links have rythmic popping and/or crackling sound that does not disable the audio itself, or brief cutouts of sound. The cutouts were a problem with old Xbox software a year+ ago but seem to have been resolved. Rythmic pops and crackles appear on various soundbars and can have a whole multitude of reasons, but again, nothing comparable to the Sonos Arc pop.

The only pop like we have is described by your first Reddit link, which uses a Sonos Arc. I have match framerate and march dynamic range on on my Apple TV (of course I do, who wouldn’t?) and it does not solve the problem.

M

mgproudfit

Lyricist II

Thanks for sharing the links. I’m afraid none of these match what’s going on with Sonos Arc. Our pop is a loud one-time bang (like furniture falling over) followed by sound cutting out on the Arc but continuing to play on the surrounds. It happens with various sources including Apple TV, Xbox, and built-in TV apps. The common feature appears to be Atmos encoded in Dolby MAT.

The users in your links have rythmic popping and/or crackling sound that does not disable the audio itself, or brief cutouts of sound. The cutouts were a problem with old Xbox software a year+ ago but seem to have been resolved. Rythmic pops and crackles appear on various soundbars and can have a whole multitude of reasons, but again, nothing comparable to the Sonos Arc pop.

The only pop like we have is described by your first Reddit link, which uses a Sonos Arc. I have match framerate and march dynamic range on on my Apple TV (of course I do, who wouldn’t?) and it does not solve the problem.

Ahh good feedback. And yes, my experience with the “pop” is exactly what you described. Regardless, I did NOT have frame-rate match turned on (unsure why) so Im trying that to see if there’s any difference but, based off your reply, Im not expecting there to be. I did also read about the Atmos MAT codec which very well could be the guilty party.

Im curious, do you also experience issues with other inputs or just AppleTV? I do have a Panasonic UBP420 player so maybe I need to run a few movies through that to see if it also reproduces the issue.

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