Sonos Arc and Samsung - eARC compatibility issues


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Hi All

I wanted to make you aware of an experience I am having with both Sonos and Samsung. I am on my second Samsung tv (replacement q95t) and the following letter to CEO’s of both companies should explain. Be interesting to know if any members of this community are aware or have experienced these issues.

Dear Patrick/Sang Ho Jo gwi-ha

 

Apologies for the direct approach, however I must make you aware of a situation with regards to two of your companies top consumer products.   I have been a loyal purchaser of both Samsung and Sonos products for a number of years now, and most recently have purchased your Sonos Arc Soundbar and Samsung Q95T television products.   On receipt of these products, I have noticed a compatibility issue between the two aforementioned products around the eARC connectivity. Simply put, once eARC is enabled on the Samsung device, no sound is transmitted via the Sonos Arc. Once Disabled however, sound is apparent.   From a samsung perspective, I have been issued a second device which has had the same issue, and no further known resolution to fix has been offered with technical advising its not a Samsung issue. From a Sonos Perspective, the response from technical has been to "confirm that the issue you are experiencing has been raised with the right teams who are looking into it, regarding e-ARC needing to be off to get audio from this TV. We don't have a timescale on a resolution at this time".   From a loyal user, this is far from perfect with no eta to fix, or even a guarantee that it will be fixed and no clear view on where the issue resides, with Samsung or Sonos?   On looking at the Samsung forums, this appears to be an issue not just for myself but for many other users now. The following is one example of feedback from Sonos on the Samsung Forums:  

"It does look like there may be some issues arising when the eARC function on the TV is enabled. DD+ is capable of carrying a compressed ATMOS signal, so you should still be able to experience ATMOS from your Arc. In the mean time however there's no fix for this.

 

I'm not able to give you a solid answer right now unfortunately, however the Arc is known to work with other TVs so my inclination would be that this is a Samsung issue. We are certainly aware of this however and we are reaching out to Samsung in order to get this resolved.

 

I would expect this to be fixable via a Firmware update, however I can't guarantee this unfortunately.

 

We are reaching out to Samsung in order to get this issue resolved. Due to the huge number of TV models and manufacturers, issues such as this do sometimes arise - in any case we are looking in to getting it resolved and we are happy to assist any customers which are affected by this issue.

 

So basically SONOS are blaming Samsung because the ARC works with other TV's. No firm promise of a fix, not very impressed with SONOS at this point as Samsung could be classed as a major supplier of global premium TV's, you would have thought that they would have ensured their premium soundbar would work with the new Samsung Flagship range, but apparently not."   So my ask is simple - please can your organisations work together to resolve this issue as opposed to the blame culture that has been our experience - Many users have purchased both devices on the strength of this eARC capability, and this is clearly advertised as a function of your devices.  My retailer in the UK is on standby to take these products back if we can't get to a resolution which would be a major disappointment so I hope you can find a solution to this issue for me.   Kind Regards   Mike


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I have just been on the phone with Sonos and on chat with Samsung at the same time. Sonos believe the issue is the way Samsung has implemented the eARC in the TV is not to HDMI standard. They are still actively working on a solution with Samsung,

Samsung and sonos have advised to turn off eARC for the time being until a fix is issued… (fix might be returning this tv...) D̶o̶l̶b̶y̶ ̶A̶t̶m̶o̶s̶

FYI Just got off the phone with Samsung and she sent me a link to download a new firmware update Version 1460.9. It’s not available through the TV’s automatic updates. You have to download the file.

 

This is from Samsung Tech support: This is the link of the website where you can download the latest software version of your Samsung Smart TV https://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/qled-tv-q6dt-2020. After the download , extract and unzip the files then plug the USB at the back of the TV (usb port).

 

I just installed it and now the TV shows Sonos Arc Receiver as the output whereas before it would just show eARC.  Hopefully this resolves the issue we’ve all been having. Good luck to everyone.  

I have just taken delivery of the Samsung Q95T 75” and connected it to the ARC. I have had no issues so far with Dolby Atmos or any other format! Perhaps it has been fixed?? or am I just lucky. :) 

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I was on with Sonos support last week Wednesday.  Sonos has released an update for the ARC….. coupled with the Samsung update from December..I have full functionality with no issues!!  65” 2020 Frame with ARC.

 

Issue seems to have been solved.

same issue on Sonos Arc  , sound cutoff with my samsung q65t firmware tizenos ver 1460,9 …. please fix it :)

Just got backordered Arc yesterday and have a new (2020) Samsung QN75Q80T. No sound if set to Auto. Very frustrating.

Yes ! I know…. same issue here. Please sonos…. fix sound on qled tv Samsung with arc !! Dont hesite to create new topic about that on forum… ! 

I have the Samsung Q95T, 75 inch (German version GQ75Q95TGTXZG). It’s brand new and I have the brand new Sonos Arc full 5.1 system with sub and surrounds, plus Sonos 5, move etc. No issues with Sonos products before. I have the latest firmware on the Samsung TV 1460.9 and expensive high end HDMI cable connected to my one connect box in the correct e-ARC port.

There is no doubt that there is a fault here, the products don’t work together. If Dolby Atmos is enabled in the Samsung settings menu there will periodically be situations where the sound cuts out as the TV cycles between an e-ARC audio connection and HDMI connection (you can see it flicking between both if you have the sound menu open). 
 

As discovered by other users, power cycling the Arc fixes the problem temporarily. either until the next time the TV is switched off/on or if you are lucky a bit longer. Users that may report no issue with 2020 boxes and Sonos ARC May be to do with a difference between European and US versions of the Onebox firmware, or that the Dolby Atmos option in the sound menu is toggled off which also seems to help. 
 

Reports of a firmware update either from Samsung or Sonos that fix the issue in this and other threads are incorrect. Looks like this issue has been around for over a year now. I don’t have time to spend 2 hours on the phone with tech support and it beggars belief that these two top notch brands haven’t been able to fix it yet. Will check back periodically as I get more and more frustrated with the daily hassle. 

Hello,

I am planning to upgrade to either a Q80T or a Q95T. Am I right in thinking the Q80T (without the external box) now works with the Sonos Arc? Or are there still compatibility issues with both products?

Thanks in advance,

Mark.

Hello,

I am planning to upgrade to either a Q80T or a Q95T. Am I right in thinking the Q80T (without the external box) now works with the Sonos Arc? Or are there still compatibility issues with both products?

Thanks in advance,

Mark.

Hi Mark,

 

I received my Sonos Arc, Sub gen3, and two Sonos one SL’s yesterday - everything updated via the app. 

My TV is af QE65Q80T and it is updated to newest software 1460.9.

I watched a movie with dolby atmos (“Greenland” to be specific) and in the 1 hour and 50 minuttes the movie played - i experienced four or five 1-2 seconds audio dropouts.

 

The system is amazing - i’m really impressed. So i hope and trust SONOS/Samsung to get this thing fixed as soon as possible.

Hello,

I am planning to upgrade to either a Q80T or a Q95T. Am I right in thinking the Q80T (without the external box) now works with the Sonos Arc? Or are there still compatibility issues with both products?

Thanks in advance,

Mark.

Hi Mark,

 

I received my Sonos Arc, Sub gen3, and two Sonos one SL’s yesterday - everything updated via the app. 

My TV is af QE65Q80T and it is updated to newest software 1460.9.

I watched a movie with dolby atmos (“Greenland” to be specific) and in the 1 hour and 50 minuttes the movie played - i experienced four or five 1-2 seconds audio dropouts.

 

The system is amazing - i’m really impressed. So i hope and trust SONOS/Samsung to get this thing fixed as soon as possible.

Hi Daniel,

Thank you for the swift response, I was planning to get that exact model, the 65” Q80T, so your post is very helpful. I have been a Sonos customer for well over a decade and I have no doubt they will help Samsung address the issue. They had similar audio dropout problems when I bought my 55” JS9000 / Sonos Playbar and they were resolved with subsequent software updates.

I think I will go for the TV now and upgrade to the Arc in 3 to 6 months… :-)

Mark.

 

I am seeing the same - have Samsung Q950TS - and Arc - and we get audio drops out every time we turn on TV

They can be reset either by toggling the cable on the Arc or by toggling the Dolby Atmos in Sound Expert Settings on TV

Hugely frustrating!!!

Been waiting eagerly for a driver update. This is 100% a Samsung issue.

I am seeing the same - have Samsung Q950TS - and Arc - and we get audio drops out every time we turn on TV

They can be reset either by toggling the cable on the Arc or by toggling the Dolby Atmos in Sound Expert Settings on TV

Hugely frustrating!!!

Been waiting eagerly for a driver update. This is 100% a Samsung issue.

Same issue, the sound just drop every few seconds. My jaw dropped when I noticed it, such a disappointment (understatement) to get this result. Its not usable for me, not sure atm if it is Sonos or Samsung fault. 

 

Gonna read up the issue, seems a lot info about,  if only I googled it before buying this combination :(

I have been having the same issue with Q95T and ARC connected to hdmi 3 e-arc. I just spoke with Samsung support and they asked me to under General> external device manage > input signal plus> enable the blue dot on all hdmi sources. 
 

this resolved the issue now the sound works fine with e-arc enabled and atmos compatibility enabled.

 

I hope this works for you all, I have had it with this setup for a few hours and no issues at the moment.

Having this same issue right now with my Sonos Arc and Samsung QN75Q9FN. It is driving me mad that neither of them are owning up to it. I also think this is Samsung since I don’t have an issue with my LG OLED 

I just bought a 2021 QN95A and can confirm this issue persists between the Samsung TV and Sonos Arc. 
 

very frustrating that it hasn’t been resolved yet. 
 

I tried the input signal plus setting but had no luck there. 

Does anyone have an alternative to the Sonos that works well with Samsung TV’s? I just bought the Q90T and was looking into the Sonos Arc but after reading these issues I’m thinking it’s not a good idea. Is there another soundbar with Atmos that works better and doesn’t have these issues?   

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These problems should have been resolved: 

 

I ordered a Samsung 55 Inch QE55QN90A Smart 4K Neo QLED UHD HDR TV yesterday for delivery today. Before it arrived I decided to check just to make sure that it would be compatible with my SONOS setup… 1 x ARC… 2 x SONOS 1. I found this thread and was dismayed to read that the Samsung tv that I had ordered would probably be incompatible with my existing SONOS setup.

The tv arrived this morning. I set it all up with my SONOS gear and switched it on. OMG… it all works perfectly and the sound is even better than it used to be with my LG OLED tv which I bought the Samsung to replace.

I haven’t a clue what settings the tv is using as I didn’t even have to enter the settings. The whole setup was done automatically… my SKY Q box… SONOS gear and PS 5. I was dreading the usual settings adjustments when getting a new tv, but the Samsung QN90A looks just fine out of the box..

There was a large update when I first turned on the Samsung, maybe they finally fixed the problem of the Samsung/SONOS compatibility issue.

I am in UK by the way so the QN90A is using the UK software version.

I just bought a 2021 QN95A and can confirm this issue persists between the Samsung TV and Sonos Arc. 
 

very frustrating that it hasn’t been resolved yet. 
 

I tried the input signal plus setting but had no luck there. 

Bought this exact TV 2 days ago from Costco (2021 QN95A) - hooked up to the Arc. Everything enabled. Sonos app can’t complete installation as it says eARC not connected. I get sound but through DD+. I can’t believe this issue still exists. I’m coming from an LG OLED so very disappointing. 
 

 

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Just to let you all know that Sonos Arc is also having eARC issues with the LG CX TV.  It’s not just a Sonos / Samsung issue.  I think the eARC specification is still new and all these manufacturers are still learning how to make it work.  Not sure how much incentive the TV manufacturers have to make their stuff work with Sonos as I am sure they would prefer you buy a Samsung or LG sound bar.

Hi all, I am about to buy a Samsung QN85 Series TV and was hoping to also pair it with a Sonos Arc (I have never owned a Sonos product).  Is the compatibility issue between the 2 resolved or should I look elsewhere for a sound bar?

 

TIA

Same problem with a Samsung QA75QN700ASXNZ.  Software version T-OSCPUABC-1903.0, BT-S.  

Some issues also…
Have Samsung QE65Q80B (2022) with eArc + [Sonos Arc+2OneSL] + Sony UBP-X700.

I can get Dolby ATMOS with stream….but not with 4KUltraHD or BlueRay (playing in UBP-X700).
Sonos ARC connect directly on eARC from TV.
What can i do?

Thanks for your support

Stumbled across this thread. I don’t have a Sonos sound bar but a Samsung hw950a soundbar. My tv was the 55inch 700a and that tv packed up within 7 months. I never had any issues with the e-arc connection between the tv and soundbar. Received a new 700b tv ( 8 weeks for the replacement) and from day one the new tv would not connect to the soundbar via e-arc and resorted back to tv speaker only!!! Sometimes it will connect via e-arc but only on WiFi. Spent a month and a half onto Samsung  endless hours, having the phone put down on me time and time again. Sent an email the the ceo for Samsung and they promised to sort the problem out. That was two weeks ago and still getting nowhere. Horrific service from Samsung and a total no care attitude. Stuck now with what to do 

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