PS4 Pro outputting PCM via LG CX shows Multichannel PCM 7.1 for Sonos Arc, but rear surrounds have no audio


Userlevel 2
Badge

I have the Arc, Sub, and Sonos 1 in a surround setup, connected to an LG CX via eArc. Previously I had the PS4 outputting Bitstream (Dolby), and Sonos reported Dolby Digital 5.1.

The fix that added LPCM to Sonos Arc recently went live, so I updated PS4 Pro to output PCM, and the HDMI input on the TV to PCM. (The output remained Passthrough). After doing this, the System Status page for Sonos shows Multichannel PCM 7.1.

However, I now get no rear surround audio in games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. (It’s not faint, there’s really none.) I get the full surround experience if I change it back to getting Dolby Digital 5.1. On the PS4 Home screen, I do get sound from the rears in PCM 7.1, albeit very faintly, compared to Dolby Digital 5.1.

Does Sonos not downmix the extra channels properly? It’s kinda bad that a higher fidelity signal sounds worse.


127 replies

Userlevel 2
Badge +1

Anyone able to tell if this has been resolved in the 12.2.3 update? Can’t find any release notes 

Userlevel 1

Anyone able to tell if this has been resolved in the 12.2.3 update? Can’t find any release notes 

12.2.3 is not a system update. 
Only app (at least for me). 

Userlevel 2
Badge +1

I emailed their CEO earlier today and received a response back from one of their senior software engineers 

 

“Patrick forwarded your Email concerning LPCM down-mix issues and I can give you an update on that. The engineering team is currently working on the issue as we speak. There are two steps here, one is to correct the downmixing in the case where there are no discrete surrounds and the other is when there are discrete surrounds. We have completed the first step and we are testing the fix and now working on the second step.

 

At this time I am unable to give you an exact date for availability of the SW fix but know that we are addressing it and when I know more, I will let you know.”

 

 

Hopefully it’s not that far away

Userlevel 5
Badge +7

At least they say they are testing it this time.

I’m pretty sure they did not test the LPCM update before they launched it, given that it took the community about 5 minutes to find all the problems with the downmixing lol.

I’m not having any issues for my content as I’m lucky the devices I use let me force 5.1 instead of the default 7.1 but I feel for the people that are stuck with 7.1 downmixing issues, hopefully it’s working for you soon so you can experience high fidelity surround sound on all your devices and apps.

Userlevel 5
Badge +11

Is this issue only with the LG CX?

Anything in DD 5.1 on apple4k tv is output as multichannel pcm 7.1

Blurays on my oppo203 in 5.1  output as 7.1

setting series x to uncompressed 5.1 outputs as multichannel pcm 7.1

 

Unsure if this topic relates to the same issue, can someone from Sonos please confirm, I have had this issue since the LPCM update you released, and it would be nice to know if it is indeed an issue with the Sonos?

 

Thank you

Userlevel 5
Badge +7

Is this issue only with the LG CX?

Anything in DD 5.1 on apple4k tv is output as multichannel pcm 7.1

Blurays on my oppo203 in 5.1  output as 7.1

setting series x to uncompressed 5.1 outputs as multichannel pcm 7.1

 

Unsure if this topic relates to the same issue, can someone from Sonos please confirm, I have had this issue since the LPCM update you released, and it would be nice to know if it is indeed an issue with the Sonos?

 

Thank you


It's  not your TV, the Arc needs a software update to handle downmixing properly 

Userlevel 2
Badge +4

Is this issue only with the LG CX?

Anything in DD 5.1 on apple4k tv is output as multichannel pcm 7.1

Blurays on my oppo203 in 5.1  output as 7.1

setting series x to uncompressed 5.1 outputs as multichannel pcm 7.1

 

Unsure if this topic relates to the same issue, can someone from Sonos please confirm, I have had this issue since the LPCM update you released, and it would be nice to know if it is indeed an issue with the Sonos?

 

Thank you

You may have already been asked this, but I am curious if you have switched your TV to Auto rather than Passthrough?  Until there is an update, this may allow the audio to be sent properly to the correct channels.

Userlevel 5
Badge +11

Is this issue only with the LG CX?

Anything in DD 5.1 on apple4k tv is output as multichannel pcm 7.1

Blurays on my oppo203 in 5.1  output as 7.1

setting series x to uncompressed 5.1 outputs as multichannel pcm 7.1

 

Unsure if this topic relates to the same issue, can someone from Sonos please confirm, I have had this issue since the LPCM update you released, and it would be nice to know if it is indeed an issue with the Sonos?

 

Thank you

You may have already been asked this, but I am curious if you have switched your TV to Auto rather than Passthrough?  Until there is an update, this may allow the audio to be sent properly to the correct channels.

I use bitstream / passthrough for everything. Guess its wait and see if this update Sonos are working on will fix it. I know they were testing it a while back so hopefully it should be released soon.

Userlevel 4
Badge +7

Is this issue only with the LG CX?

Anything in DD 5.1 on apple4k tv is output as multichannel pcm 7.1

Blurays on my oppo203 in 5.1  output as 7.1

setting series x to uncompressed 5.1 outputs as multichannel pcm 7.1

 

Unsure if this topic relates to the same issue, can someone from Sonos please confirm, I have had this issue since the LPCM update you released, and it would be nice to know if it is indeed an issue with the Sonos?

 

Thank you

Yes it is only with the LG BX/CX/GX from what I can tell.

My Sony A8H with eARC passes 5.1 PCM without any issues from the Apple TV, Nintendo Switch etc. My LG CX always had the 7.1 PCM issue.

Add it to the list of issues with the LG CX. Thankfully, generally LG end up patching their issues eventually even though they often break other things in the process.

For me, I’d rather not deal with the level of incompetence LG brings to such expensive products. They’ve always had issues with Sonos equipment in terms of dropouts, lip sync etc.

Userlevel 5
Badge +11

Did the latest system update version 13.0 fix this issue , has anyone tried it yet?

I believe it’s helped with dropouts for some tv owners, I will be pretty disappointed to finally get an update system side and doesn’t fix this as well.

Userlevel 2
Badge +1

Did the latest system update version 13.0 fix this issue , has anyone tried it yet?

I believe it’s helped with dropouts for some tv owners, I will be pretty disappointed to finally get an update system side and doesn’t fix this as well.

Doesn’t fix this issue

Userlevel 5
Badge +11

Did the latest system update version 13.0 fix this issue , has anyone tried it yet?

I believe it’s helped with dropouts for some tv owners, I will be pretty disappointed to finally get an update system side and doesn’t fix this as well.

Doesn’t fix this issue

Shame, perhaps now we have version 13, minor fixes will come along soon.

I got the latest Sonos update yesterday (version 13) and I am still experiencing the same issue where the sound is muffled when I set my Ps5 audio output to lpcm. I have a Ps5, lg cx , and Sonos arc + sub + two SL ones. I am setting my Ps5 to use bitstream Dolby for now. Also I would like to note that I am setting my Ps5 to 5.1 channels instead 7.1 as I am aware the Sonos arc supports 5.1. 

Userlevel 5
Badge +11

Any news on this @ Sonos support team?

 

Thanks

Userlevel 5
Badge +11

2 weeks later and still no response from sonos support, just a simple update on the fix for this will do.

Userlevel 4
Badge +1

Sonos support is lousy as hell.

Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi All.

As mentioned previously, this is an issue we’re aware of.

Currently, Sonos does support multichannel LPCM in 5.1 mode on the Arc, but does not support multichannel LPCM in 7.1 mode - Downmixing LPCM 7.1 to 5.1 is a feature we are currently working on, however; we do not have any further information to share with you at this time. Rest assured, we will address this in a forthcoming update.

Currently, Sonos does support multichannel LPCM in 5.1 mode on the Arc, but does not support multichannel LPCM in 7.1 mode - Downmixing LPCM 7.1 to 5.1 is a feature we are currently working on, however; we do not have any further information to share with you at this time. Rest assured, we will address this in a forthcoming update.

Hi Corry,

thanks for chiming in. Can you confirm that a fix will for sure be coming, and that it’s only a matter of time? Or are you still in the process of figuring out how and if it can be fixed?

I’m asking because with the time it’s taking to fix this, I fear I might be over the 100 days return window with still no fix available.

Thanks.

Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Can you confirm that a fix will for sure be coming, and that it’s only a matter of time? Or are you still in the process of figuring out how and if it can be fixed?

I’m asking because with the time it’s taking to fix this, I fear I might be over the 100 days return window with still no fix available.

Thanks.

It’s really just a software issue, so I see no reason for 7.1 downmixing support not to arrive on the Arc. As for how long it will take, I don’t have that information.

Generally, Sonos will not say anything about a feature until it’s already ready. As we’re already confirming we’re working on this, we’re committed and the Arc will downmix 7.1 LPCM at some point. The official line is “This is a feature we are currently working on, however; we do not have any further information to share with you at this time. Rest assured, we will address this in a forthcoming update.”

So, you should be good to keep your Arc beyond the return period.

It’s really just a software issue, so I see no reason for 7.1 downmixing support not to arrive on the Arc. As for how long it will take, I don’t have that information.

Generally, Sonos will not say anything about a feature until it’s already ready. As we’re already confirming we’re working on this, we’re committed and the Arc will downmix 7.1 LPCM at some point. The official line is “This is a feature we are currently working on, however; we do not have any further information to share with you at this time. Rest assured, we will address this in a forthcoming update.”

So, you should be good to keep your Arc beyond the return period.

Thank you for your reply. Just placed an order for an Arc :sunglasses:

Userlevel 2
Badge +1

I emailed their CEO earlier today and received a response back from one of their senior software engineers 

 

“Patrick forwarded your Email concerning LPCM down-mix issues and I can give you an update on that. The engineering team is currently working on the issue as we speak. There are two steps here, one is to correct the downmixing in the case where there are no discrete surrounds and the other is when there are discrete surrounds. We have completed the first step and we are testing the fix and now working on the second step.

 

At this time I am unable to give you an exact date for availability of the SW fix but know that we are addressing it and when I know more, I will let you know.”

 

 

Hopefully it’s not that far away

UPDATE: (not a good one sadly)

 

My apologies for not replying, things are hectic here and it fell through the cracks.

 

The fix is still undergoing testing. Due to the way we handle SW releases, we are expecting these fixes to turn up in our July SW update.

Badge

Is this issue only with the LG CX?

Anything in DD 5.1 on apple4k tv is output as multichannel pcm 7.1

Blurays on my oppo203 in 5.1  output as 7.1

setting series x to uncompressed 5.1 outputs as multichannel pcm 7.1

 

Unsure if this topic relates to the same issue, can someone from Sonos please confirm, I have had this issue since the LPCM update you released, and it would be nice to know if it is indeed an issue with the Sonos?

 

Thank you

Yes it is only with the LG BX/CX/GX from what I can tell.

My Sony A8H with eARC passes 5.1 PCM without any issues from the Apple TV, Nintendo Switch etc. My LG CX always had the 7.1 PCM issue.

Add it to the list of issues with the LG CX. Thankfully, generally LG end up patching their issues eventually even though they often break other things in the process.

For me, I’d rather not deal with the level of incompetence LG brings to such expensive products. They’ve always had issues with Sonos equipment in terms of dropouts, lip sync etc.

 

I have a LG GX on firmware 03.21.18 and connecting the Sonos Arc directly with the eArc port of the LG GX and using the Apple TV 4k on tvOS 14.5, i have the same problem. However, after connecting the Sonos Arc via the HDfury Arcana, the output is correctly multichannel pcm 5.1 again.

 

So i think it’s an issue in combination with the LG. For me the learning is clear - i’ll never be not using an HDfury product from now on. ;)

Is this still on track for a fix this summer?  I noticed it today with a 2021 Apple TV 4K and lg CX77 also.  Figured the new model might be better but same issue. Have been getting around Ps5 issue by switching to “Dolby” on that one 

Userlevel 4
Badge +7

I really strongly believe that Sonos is unintentionally misleading us with their supposed fix for this issue.

Sonos will add downconversion for LPCM 7.1 to LPCM 5.1, however I think the issue with LG TV’s incorrectly sending all LPCM audio as LPCM 7.1 won’t be fixed as it’s an LG problem. The LG’s wrongly send all LPCM as LPCM 7.1 even if it’s only LPCM 5.1 audio.

I really hope I’m wrong, but I feel Sonos announcement that the issue was on their own end has made everyone not put pressure on LG to fix their own issue with incorrectly sending the wrong audio. As someone else here said, if you use a HDFury device or a Sony TV the issue goes away.

What does the HD fury do to it?  I’m not really wanting to try and fit this behind my setup too

Reply