Hi
I don’t know if my issue is related to the 14.6 update but I noticed today that I had no sound from my surround (play 3) and my sub (Gen 2), only the Arc is working They are still present in the app under the my System view but now sound which every sources
When I reboot each of them, the sound comes back temporary, but when I switch to another source or audio format, thé Sound disappears again. Tried several times, same behavior
Thanks for your help
Here’s my latest theory:
Looking for commonalities in this thread, everyone experiencing this issue has an Apple TV 4K or Nvidia Shield and a newer high end TV that should support eARC.
I have a 1st Gen Apple TV 4K and a Sony A1E OLED with the older ARC (not eARC) standard. The problem initially occurred in my system not with Apple TV but through the native Android TV apps. Navigating between various Youtube (on Android TV) videos, all encoded differently, would trigger it, in fact it would kill all sound not just from surrounds and sub but also from Sonos Arc soundbar itself.
I only noticed the subs and surrounds dropping out after I stopped using Youtube on the native Android TV OS completely and switched to watching Youtube on my Apple TV 4K. At that point I started switching more regularly between various sources i.e. I would watch Netflix, Prime, Disney + on native Android TV and I would use the Apple TV for Plex, Apple TV+ and Youtube as well as regular TV through the Cable Box.
After this, I noticed I had set my Audio Output on Apple TV 4K to ‘Dolby 5.1’ and not ‘auto’. Using the the Apple TV solely would not trigger any sub or surround drops and I assumed it was because all audio was being encoded to a single codec output. That is when I had initially surmised that something was going on with codec changes that was triggering the issue. (I initially reported my findings on page 13 of this thread)
I feel like there’s a pattern in all this somewhere. Just too many Apple TV’s represented in this thread. Even if you initially saw the issue on internal TV apps, you still have an Apple TV like most others. Where are the Roku Ultra or PS5 primary users? Apple TV is like 3% of the streaming OS market yet practically everyone experiencing this issue has one. Non eARC TV owners like yourself experiencing the issue seems to debunk multichannel PCM as the cause. Not sure if Dolby Mat could still be in play but seems less likely. Not saying it’s an Apple TV issue rather than Sonos but what does an Apple TV do differently than most other devices.
I have a Shield Pro 2019 and I’m having exactly the same issue, no Apple TVs in my house. I’m pretty sure this one lands squarely with Sonos unfortunately (as we’re at their mercy for a fix).
don’t get me wrong, this bug sucks but on streaming devices using Dolby digital instead of LPCM is not lower quality. The source stream is Dolby digital and lossy anyway the device is just decoding it and outputting as LPCM
If you want Atmos out of the Apple TV you have no choice but to go LPCM unfortunately. At this point I may as well just have a beam.
Here’s my latest theory:
Looking for commonalities in this thread, everyone experiencing this issue has an Apple TV 4K or Nvidia Shield and a newer high end TV that should support eARC.
I have a 1st Gen Apple TV 4K and a Sony A1E OLED with the older ARC (not eARC) standard. The problem initially occurred in my system not with Apple TV but through the native Android TV apps. Navigating between various Youtube (on Android TV) videos, all encoded differently, would trigger it, in fact it would kill all sound not just from surrounds and sub but also from Sonos Arc soundbar itself.
I only noticed the subs and surrounds dropping out after I stopped using Youtube on the native Android TV OS completely and switched to watching Youtube on my Apple TV 4K. At that point I started switching more regularly between various sources i.e. I would watch Netflix, Prime, Disney + on native Android TV and I would use the Apple TV for Plex, Apple TV+ and Youtube as well as regular TV through the Cable Box.
After this, I noticed I had set my Audio Output on Apple TV 4K to ‘Dolby 5.1’ and not ‘auto’. Using the the Apple TV solely would not trigger any sub or surround drops and I assumed it was because all audio was being encoded to a single codec output. That is when I had initially surmised that something was going on with codec changes that was triggering the issue. (I initially reported my findings on page 13 of this thread)
I feel like there’s a pattern in all this somewhere. Just too many Apple TV’s represented in this thread. Even if you initially saw the issue on internal TV apps, you still have an Apple TV like most others. Where are the Roku Ultra or PS5 primary users? Apple TV is like 3% of the streaming OS market yet practically everyone experiencing this issue has one. Non eARC TV owners like yourself experiencing the issue seems to debunk multichannel PCM as the cause. Not sure if Dolby Mat could still be in play but seems less likely. Not saying it’s an Apple TV issue rather than Sonos but what does an Apple TV do differently than most other devices.
I have a Shield Pro 2019 and I’m having exactly the same issue, no Apple TVs in my house. I’m pretty sure this one lands squarely with Sonos unfortunately (as we’re at their mercy for a fix).
Same. I have the issue with a Shield and a PS5. No Apple TV.
+6
don’t get me wrong, this bug sucks but on streaming devices using Dolby digital instead of LPCM is not lower quality. The source stream is Dolby digital and lossy anyway the device is just decoding it and outputting as LPCM
If you want Atmos out of the Apple TV you have no choice but to go LPCM unfortunately. At this point I may as well just have a beam.
For the time being while this bug is happening I’m just manually switching to Atmos when I need it
I feel like there’s a pattern in all this somewhere. Just too many Apple TV’s represented in this thread.
Correlation does not imply causation especially given the sheer amount of variation and hence variables reported in this thread with regard to hardware and the various attempts at alleviating the issue. The only constant is that it seemed to have started occurring after the initial 14.6 firmware update.
I upgraded my Sonos Playbar to the Arc soundbar on release in 2020. I preordered. No change in any other hardware since 2017 when I bought the TV. Everything has been stable and worked perfectly until the 14.6 firmware update.
As for me, I spent hours with tech support on the issue from Level 1 techs all the way to L3. We tried to isolate the issue by removing hardware completely from the system. We removed the Apple TV, switched out HDMI cables. Went from hardwired (WM0) to wireless setup. Even tried to replicate the issue with the built in TV speakers to see if there was a hardware failure with the TV itself. No issues with the TV. Nothing alleviated the issue.
The problem is with the SONOS firmware.
+9
Just happened again listening to 5.1 source no app swapping
Diagnostic number 964967776
Edit
Oddly I fixed it differently this time
I tried power cycling apple tv lg tv and arc tna
Then I removed the hdmi of the apple tv and reinserted it tna
Finally I stopped the application on my phone and restarted it and it worked 🙏
Yes it is a software issue guess they learned from apple never admit that there's a fault
Ok, I’m done with Sonos. I’ve spent most of the day researching alternatives online and have arrived at two:
Each has their own pros and cons:
Sony:
+ Most effective Atmos effects, strong 300W sub, DTS:X codec support
- Not a whole home audio solution
Bluesound:
+ Excellent whole home audio support including Powernode for integrating 3rd-party audio sources and speakers
+ 24-bit/192khz audio support
- Pulse Soundbar+ has virtual Atmos support (a la Arc, Beam) versus the HT-A9
- Seemingly weak 150W wireless sub (I currently have 2x Sonos Gen 3 subs...when they work...)
- The Flex 2i surrounds are basically equivalent to Sonos Ones. I wish the Pulse 2i (Five equivalent) was able to be used as a surround
So some plusses and minuses for both, but honestly both options are better than Sonos across the board, especially given support for high-resolution lossless codecs (FLAC up to 24/192!) and DTS:X. I am considering even going with both -- i.e. replacing my Arc/Subx2/Fivex2 HT setup with the Sony HT-A9 and then replacing the remaining 6 Sonos speakers + Port with Bluesound.
+6
I’ve read that the Sony HT-A9 sound really good but are notorious for audio drop outs
I’ve read that the Sony HT-A9 sound really good but are notorious for audio drop outs
Yeah it’s a good point. Reliability is paramount. I just pulled the trigger on a Bluesound setup:
1 x Bluesound PULSE Soundbar+
1 x Bluesound PULSE Sub+
1 x Bluesound POWERNODE
2 x Bluesound PULSE 2i
The Flex 2i surrounds are out of stock currently, so I’ll have to wait on those. But, if I like the system, I’ll replace Sonos throughout the rest of the house with additional Pulse 2is and Powernodes.
Sonos should take accountability for this issue.
Notify all of your technical support team that it is a known issue, I’ve spoken to over 6 agents over the past few weeks… no one said it was a known issue to me… mentioning it could be my wifi interference, my router settings, my Sonos settings or my tv was faulty…
Arc / Surround / Sub users should be notified that it is a known issue and Sonos is supposedly working on a fix.
This will stop others from wasting hours trouble shooting and spending money replacing items that are not at fault. Like me unfortunately replacing hdmi cables, routers and having technicians come to check the tv.
All because your support team did not address the real issue and are suggesting its everything but Sonos’s fault.
+1
Sonos should take accountability for this issue.
Notify all of your technical support team that it is a known issue, I’ve spoken to over 6 agents over the past few weeks… no one said it was a known issue to me… mentioning it could be my wifi interference, my router settings, my Sonos settings or my tv was faulty…
Arc / Surround / Sub users should be notified that it is a known issue and Sonos is supposedly working on a fix.
This will stop others from wasting hours trouble shooting and spending money replacing items that are not at fault. Like me unfortunately replacing hdmi cables, routers and having technicians come to check the tv.
All because your support team did not address the real issue and are suggesting its everything but Sonos’s fault.
It’s actually shocking that they haven’t properly chimed in here and at the very least tell us that they know it’s an issue and are looking for a fix, even if they told us they have no idea what’s causing it.
Just an acknowledgment would be enough for most of us to chill a bit.
This has to be one of the most active threads on this site too, how have they not so much as noticed it? Almost 500 comments, many different users with various different set ups.
Awful.
+6
I wonder if because this thread has a post marked as “best answer” nobody on the staff looks at it
Don’t know if this has to do something with the issue but lately I noticed that the app shows sometimes that Dolby Digital 5.1 is playing while the source is Atmos. The way to fix it is to force stop the app and open it again.
I spoke to Sonos today, i informed the senior member from the ‘Escalation Team’ of this thread and many others online. I was informed Sonos are dealing with it as a case by case issue and did not accept this as a known issue.
The solution was to replace our Arc under warranty. Even after I informed them I am not the only one experiencing this exact issue.
I’ll keep you guys posted if this solution is the solution… doubtful.
I spoke to Sonos today, i informed the senior member from the ‘Escalation Team’ of this thread and many others online. I was informed Sonos are dealing with it as a case by case issue and did not accept this as a known issue.
This is not the news we wanted to hear. This simply sounds like ‘we are on our own’.
(Thanks for sharing
This is a joke. I deeply regret purchasing Sonos products.
I spoke to Sonos today, i informed the senior member from the ‘Escalation Team’ of this thread and many others online. I was informed Sonos are dealing with it as a case by case issue and did not accept this as a known issue.
The solution was to replace our Arc under warranty. Even after I informed them I am not the only one experiencing this exact issue.
I’ll keep you guys posted if this solution is the solution… doubtful.
I can’t make sense of this issue. Some posters say that “Sonos is aware of the issue and a fix is being worked on”, and then we have other contradicting statements like the one quoted above…
Regardless, I stand by my comment above: Sonos is a joke.
+17
Hi all,
We understand the frustration any customer feels when your experience isn’t what it should be.
We equally understand the frustrations around and apologise for the recent communications that have led to confusion about the 14.6 update.
Please be assured that your listening experience, the sound quality, and the performance of our products is and will remain our absolute priority.
If you experience a dropout or any other issue on your system, please contact support with your diagnostic report from within 10 minutes of the drop-out occurring and we will look into it right away.
There are different reasons why drop outs may occur, and we want to make sure that we can help you.
Seeing as this topic is not resolved for those commenting, I have removed the ‘best answer’ until further notice.
I spoke to Sonos today, i informed the senior member from the ‘Escalation Team’ of this thread and many others online. I was informed Sonos are dealing with it as a case by case issue and did not accept this as a known issue.
The solution was to replace our Arc under warranty. Even after I informed them I am not the only one experiencing this exact issue.
I’ll keep you guys posted if this solution is the solution… doubtful.
This is simply unbelievable. Buying Sonos was the biggest mistake I’ve made in years. I’m gonna sell every product I have as soon as possible.
Hi all,
We understand the frustration any customer feels when your experience isn’t what it should be.
We equally understand the frustrations around and apologise for the recent communications that have led to confusion about the 14.6 update.
Please be assured that your listening experience, the sound quality, and the performance of our products is and will remain our absolute priority.
If you experience a dropout or any other issue on your system, please contact support with your diagnostic report from within 10 minutes of the drop-out occurring and we will look into it right away.
There are different reasons why drop outs may occur, and we want to make sure that we can help you.
Seeing as this topic is not resolved for those commenting, I have removed the ‘best answer’ until further notice.
Whilst I appreciate someone from Sonos finally posting in this thread, there’s still no acknowledgement that there’s an issue with the latest firmware update. That along with the tier 1 supports propensity for simply blaming “interference” leaves me with no confidence that contacting support will offer any resolution.
+9
Just contacted the dealer I bought my sonos products from, as they offered a 6 year guarantee
Better than buying direct IMHO and had a friendly conversation with them outlining the issues discussed on here and problems I have had and fixes I use to temporarily resolve it
I figure dealers have a more direct line of communication with sonos and could carry more weight than our voices seem to be having
I have also switched to using my Firecube from apple tv to see if the issue returns as i seem to have a bigger gap between the fault returning
Last night's reoccurance and restarting the application to fix it was odd to say the least
If it returns I will post the diagnostic here
Please be assured that your listening experience, the sound quality, and the performance of our products is and will remain our absolute priority.
If you experience a dropout or any other issue on your system, please contact support with your diagnostic report from within 10 minutes of the drop-out occurring and we will look into it right away.
I can only reflect over the fact that contacting your support team with diagnostics reports leads to...NOTHING WHATSOEVER.
Weeks later I still have a broken sound setup, no official information regarding the fault, no indication of whether or not a fix is coming, and basically no communication from the support team at all.
I had a mail that someone from the escalation team would contact me, but then….nothing.
So, I have no confidence left at this point. I would be pleasantly surprised if someone contacted me with a fix and compensation. However, I am not holding my breath,
I will actively be recommending friends to stay away from investing further in Sonos products.
I emailed ceo@sonos.com and got a response from a supervisor. If you’re frustrated, let them know.
I should mention there was no ‘acknowledgement’ of the issue, but I did include the link to this thread and some other articles mentioned here along with some reddit posts.
If you experience a dropout or any other issue on your system, please contact support with your diagnostic report from within 10 minutes of the drop-out occurring and we will look into it right away.
This is the first issue I’ve submitted a diagnostic for. I always assumed I should call first and wait until they asked me for a diagnostic. If it’s needed within 10 minutes of initial occurrence I guess I need to submit right away and call secondly.
Also, I find it very provocative of Sonos to state that they want us to file more diagnostics. It has been 4 weeks+. Don’t they have all the diagnostics they need to fix it by now?
It feels more like they are deflecting and trying to blame it on their customers.
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