Hi All,
Don’t know if it’s helpful or not or just more of the same. I too am having this issue. I have an LG C2 48”, a Beam gen 2 and two ERA 100s as surrounds.
The rest of my kit is an Apple TV 4k and a Nintendo Switch. All bought last week. All was good until I learned that the switch had 5.1 surround and started with the cutting out of sound every one or two minutes.
My switch was plugged into HDMI 3 and the ATV was plugged into HDMI 1. When I switched them I had the opposite problem. Switch was fine in HDMI one, but ATV was cutting out when watching DUNE on Netflix.
Sorry I don’t understand the difference between Atmos, DD, PCM, pass through etc., so I haven’t been able to properly troubleshoot. But seems like another data point to add to the list so I thought I’d post anyway.
Incidentally, also embarrassing with my already skeptical spouse, when I can’t even easily set up a movie to watch on the new kit without having to muck around with settings and cables. 
♂️
Thanks all for working on it. I may try the cable fix posted earlier. But what do I lose if I just move the Sonos Beam to HDMI 3 or 4 and lose the eArc. Does that just mean I can’t talk to my TV?
Thnaks!
If you were to download the apple tv app on the TV itself and watch dune that way, you wouldn’t have the audio dropouts. Or if you cast it from your phone.
Thanks, I did think of this but I was hoping to use the ATV for everything rather than the WEB OS on the LG for anything. I do take your point though so thank you.
If you were to download the apple tv app on the TV itself and watch dune that way, you wouldn’t have the audio dropouts. Or if you cast it from your phone.
But what do I lose if I just move the Sonos Beam to HDMI 3 or 4 and lose the eArc. Does that just mean I can’t talk to my TV?!
The audio return is on HDMI 2 only. You can’t connect it to any other port. The optical cable should fix the issues for you though.
Had the same issue with audio occasionally dropping for a second every few minutes in av amplifier 5.1 setting from ps5.
Setup: ps5 + sonos beam 2 with 2 sonos one surrounds+ lg c2.
Sound input from ps5 - bitstream (for surround)
eARC enabled
Sound output - passthrou
Quick fix worked for me: switch hdmi port for your ps5 to an previously unused one (or hard reset current one). Do not set your ps5 hdmi input type to PC. Check if audio don't drop in av amplifier 5.1 and that your sonos system get 5.1 PCM.
I suspect doing PC input type for ps5 hdmi port is the case, cause it's literally the only difference between working and problematic setup.
LG C2 + Beam Gen 2 + PS5 (watching Blu-ray)
Audio dropping 2-3 seconds every few mins whilst watching multichannel PCM 5.1. Sometimes audio comes back funny, like a vocal track missing. Restarting the Blu-ray brings it back.
I tried moving the PS5 from HDMI port 3 to port 1. So far so good, but only 30 mins into a movie.
Will update..
Have you updated the software on your TV? It really shouldn’t make a difference if the blue ray player is connected to HDMI 1 or HDMI 3, they both *should* be acting the same.
Have you updated the software on your TV? It really shouldn’t make a difference if the blue ray player is connected to HDMI 1 or HDMI 3, they both *should* be acting the same.
Nope no update, I swapped the HDMI port 20 mins into a movie after it was dropping every few mins, and the rest of the movie played with no drops. Very strange..
We'll see if it's a long term fix.
But what do I lose if I just move the Sonos Beam to HDMI 3 or 4 and lose the eArc. Does that just mean I can’t talk to my TV?!
The audio return is on HDMI 2 only. You can’t connect it to any other port. The optical cable should fix the issues for you though.
Hey fam. I just signed up to comment. I saw your link to the cable. Sadly it's unavailable. I'm in the USA. Can you help me on a cord that is literally the same or similar so I can get when purchasing the Arc? I don't want to get something wrong. I found this one. Is it good?
RUIPRO 8k Fiber Optic
Any one way 2.1 HDMI optical cable should be fine.
So after seeing the Verge story about the audio popping issue being fixed I wondered whether this ever got resolved. I can’t easily swap my cable out but may try it seeing as there have been a few firmware updates for the LG CX recently, as well as the Beam obviously.
Anybody still monitoring this?
Coming to this late but wanna add my experience here. LG G2, Beam Gen 2 via e-Arc, 4K Firestick in HDMI 1, PS5 in 3 and Nintendo Switch in 4.
Firestick works FLAWLESSLY. No drop outs, 5.1, 7.1, Atmos all work great. PS5 works perfectly when playing games, but trying to watch a Blu Ray is a lottery whether it will play (only after TV hardware reset) drop out intermittently (sometimes not coming back at all) or just no sound from the off. Nintendo Switch audio drops out for a second every couple of minutes.
With the Blu Ray issue being fixed by a TV hard reset I initially thought it might be a TV issue, but I used a SONY soundbar via e-Arc before with absolutely no issues. I thought the Sonos would be an upgrade but this issue is making me strongly consider returning it. This is not budget equipment, I shouldn’t have to lose my evenings trying to get it to work properly…
The HDMI 1 workaround is not perfect as I’ve always gotten around one or two dropouts every hour with PCM 5.1. Perhaps you just haven’t noticed or you’re lucky that yours hasn’t bugged out yet.
Don’t know if it’s even an HDMI 1 workaround, tried the PS5 in HDMI 1 and it didn’t solve the issue. The Firestick just seems to deal with issues better than any other device. It’s by far what I’ve used most since I got the Beam so I think I would’ve noticed dropouts, but as you say it just might not have bugged out yet. I’ve also experienced some other weird quirks with it - If I have the Firestick set to “best audio possible” I get no sound when I set the Nintendo Switch to surround, full audio on stereo, but if I set the Firestick to PCM, I get surround on the Switch, but it regularly drops out. There was a brief moment where everything worked perfectly (Switch and PS5) if I disconnected the Firestick completely, but then that seemed to stop working too…
I also used a Sony earc soundbar with no issues before “upgrading” to the Beam. Since you have multiple devices that make use of PCM 5.1, I suggest that you either buy the fiber optic cable or simply return your Beam. Personally, I’d go with the latter as Sonos has already lost my trust. From what we’d seen from the Atmos pop (and this) issue , they’d just sweep things under the rug and deny any wrongdoing unless it has garnered widespread media attention.
I’m gonna try the cable as I get get one for £11 on Amazon in the UK, more out of curiosity than anything, but maintain that it’s unacceptable for a product to come with a cable and for me to still have to purchase one separately to get it to work properly. Was looking into alternatives if I do choose to refund and the closest comparable device seems to be the Bose 600, but the more I look into that the more I see pages and pages of people complaining that it doesn’t work properly with LG TVs! Starting to think my basic SONY soundbar worked so flawlessly because that’s all it was - just a decent soundbar, no bells or whistles. While I don’t think it is a TV issue, it seems that some of the blame has to lie with LG here - there are too many variables for this to simply be “the Beam can’t do 5.1”
Don’t know if it’s even an HDMI 1 workaround
If you backread, a couple of folks did some tests and found HDMI 1 alone to be somewhat resistant to this bug for some reason. My experience coincide with their findings but as I said it hasn’t been flawless.
Was looking into alternatives if I do choose to refund and the closest comparable device seems to be the Bose 600, but the more I look into that the more I see pages and pages of people complaining that it doesn’t work properly with LG TVs!
I looked into the Bose 600 awhile back and found that there was an issue upon launch where it didn’t work with LGs. But Bose acknowledged the issue and released a fix via software update. Not sure though if you’re referring to new issues that came up since then.
Yeah it’s pretty annoying. Sometimes the screen goes black for a bit and then comes back, it restarts the connection to the beam when this happens. This is on the optical cable. Normal cable doesn’t do that but I can’t live with the dropout every minute.
Do you have a broken fiber optic cable or is the cable “fix” bugged as well? Was just considering to finally purchase one as I currently have a good offer from Amazon lol.
so glad i found this thread as i was starting to lose the plot. Same as everyone else, Gen2 <> LgC2 intermittent sounds drops when PCM 5.1 which is very annoying. Just ordered the cable from Amazon Uk that the OP links too and it was 25% off so if a £13.50 spend fixes it that will make me happy. Just annoying having to spend more to get things to work. Will post back once cable has arrived and I have done some tests
Ok let's say mixed results. Got the cable all hooked up and then popped a disk in that I knew I had the issue with. Sonos app shows multi channel 5.1 pcm and seemed to play ok, no sound drops. Then we've watched netflix, 4k Atmos and that played fine which was expected. Now we went back to watching the disk again and there was no sound at all from the main film. The menu had background music but nothing when watching the film. Did a full power off and back on and managed to get some sound but now Sonos is only saying stereo pcm. Confused
Should have said I've never had this problem before, first time tonight since using the new cable
Seeing as there are no new replies I think this still hasn’t been fixed?
we have bought a Samsung wh-q930c for the bedroom (also lg c1) and there’s no issue on that system at all.
using the optical hdmi still fixes the problem luckily. But lately the screen has been flickering black for 4 seconds before coming back on, as if earc is reapplying.
Also have some audio delay issues on live TV lately; only on Dolby digital streams. Channels that use PCM work just fine, but I think thisnactually is an LG issue since the Samsung had the same thing.
Unfortunately I have the black screen issue as well. I’m using a fiber 2.1 HDMI cable between the Beam Gen 2 and my LG C1. I was playing my Series X and all of a sudden after 10 minutes, I had a short black screen for like 5 seconds, after that the picture and sound came back. It wasnt a one time thing, the black screen issue is there and comes random while playing games, regardless the console I’m using.
I’m sick of dealing with this, sending my Beam Gen 2 back, replacing it with the Arc that apparently doesn’t have this issue at all.
I’m sick of dealing with this, sending my Beam Gen 2 back, replacing it with the Arc that apparently doesn’t have this issue at all.
Sonos: Just as planned. 
I’m sick of dealing with this, sending my Beam Gen 2 back, replacing it with the Arc that apparently doesn’t have this issue at all.
Sonos: Just as planned.
Exactly, I wish I could laugh about it. I already have a sonos eco system, sub mini and surrounds as well. There's no going back. The Arc is the only choice at this point, fortunately it's on sale right now.
Stopping by to say that this issue remains ongoing. I’ve got an LG C2, Beam (Gen 2), sub mini, Apple TV 4K (3rd Generation) on up-to-date system software and intermittent sound drops are still a nuisance. No sound drops on internal apps on the TV, just on the Apple TV. Changing the audio format on the Apple TV (thus turning off Atmos) stops it, but this is obviously not ideal. Just ordered one of the cables mentioned throughout the thread and I’ll report back
Updated Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09YPRB8T8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
Another weird thing and this may be nothing. The Audio output on the Apple TV repeatedly goes from being named “TV Speakers” to “Audio Receiver” and back again. This may just be a display name issue, but it also may be switching from the cable to airplay for some reason. There’s no change in what the Sonos app says is playing (in other words, not switching from 5.1 to stereo) so I think it’s just a display name issue. Still, it’s weird.
Stopping by to say that this issue remains ongoing. I’ve got an LG C2, Beam (Gen 2), sub mini, Apple TV 4K (3rd Generation) on up-to-date system software and intermittent sound drops are still a nuisance. No sound drops on internal apps on the TV, just on the Apple TV. Changing the audio format on the Apple TV (thus turning off Atmos) stops it, but this is obviously not ideal. Just ordered one of the cables mentioned throughout the thread and I’ll report back
Updated Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09YPRB8T8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
Another weird thing and this may be nothing. The Audio output on the Apple TV repeatedly goes from being named “TV Speakers” to “Audio Receiver” and back again. This may just be a display name issue, but it also may be switching from the cable to airplay for some reason. There’s no change in what the Sonos app says is playing (in other words, not switching from 5.1 to stereo) so I think it’s just a display name issue. Still, it’s weird.
Have you tried plugging your Apple TV into the HDMI 1 port of your TV? I only had issues when using HDMI 3 or 4. Also using a fiber HDMI cable didn't completely get rid of the issue. I had occasionally drop outs including a black screen for like 2 seconds when using a fiber hdmi cable. The screen black outs only occurred when using the fiber cable.
Stopping by to say that this issue remains ongoing. I’ve got an LG C2, Beam (Gen 2), sub mini, Apple TV 4K (3rd Generation) on up-to-date system software and intermittent sound drops are still a nuisance. No sound drops on internal apps on the TV, just on the Apple TV. Changing the audio format on the Apple TV (thus turning off Atmos) stops it, but this is obviously not ideal. Just ordered one of the cables mentioned throughout the thread and I’ll report back
Updated Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09YPRB8T8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
Another weird thing and this may be nothing. The Audio output on the Apple TV repeatedly goes from being named “TV Speakers” to “Audio Receiver” and back again. This may just be a display name issue, but it also may be switching from the cable to airplay for some reason. There’s no change in what the Sonos app says is playing (in other words, not switching from 5.1 to stereo) so I think it’s just a display name issue. Still, it’s weird.
I am sorry to say the cable may not work if it is only Atmos that has the dropouts, I know as i bought one, sadly the only thing that will work is an earc audio extractor such as an HDFURY Arcana for info in this thread
Stopping by to say that this issue remains ongoing. I’ve got an LG C2, Beam (Gen 2), sub mini, Apple TV 4K (3rd Generation) on up-to-date system software and intermittent sound drops are still a nuisance. No sound drops on internal apps on the TV, just on the Apple TV. Changing the audio format on the Apple TV (thus turning off Atmos) stops it, but this is obviously not ideal. Just ordered one of the cables mentioned throughout the thread and I’ll report back
Updated Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09YPRB8T8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
Another weird thing and this may be nothing. The Audio output on the Apple TV repeatedly goes from being named “TV Speakers” to “Audio Receiver” and back again. This may just be a display name issue, but it also may be switching from the cable to airplay for some reason. There’s no change in what the Sonos app says is playing (in other words, not switching from 5.1 to stereo) so I think it’s just a display name issue. Still, it’s weird.
Have you tried plugging your Apple TV into the HDMI 1 port of your TV? I only had issues when using HDMI 3 or 4. Also using a fiber HDMI cable didn't completely get rid of the issue. I had occasionally drop outs including a black screen for like 2 seconds when using a fiber hdmi cable. The screen black outs only occurred when using the fiber cable.
Haven’t tried it but will if the problem repeats. So far no problems with the new cable on HDMI 3.
