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Talvish
Enthusiast II
June 21, 2020

Sonos Arc + Samsung Q90T | Sound Cutting Out | Anyone else?

So I recently picked up the Sonos Arc + Sub and a Samsung Q90T TV (which has HDMI 2.1/eArc) and I am experiencing the sound cutting out periodically. Some details:

  • Only devices I can test with are an Xbox One S, Xbox One X and the built-in Samsung TV Apps

  • Sonos, Xboxes and Saumsung are properly set to have Dolby Atmos

  • I have experienced sound cutting out on both Atmos and 5.1 

  • I have experienced sound cutting out from both the Xboxes as well as the built-in Samsung TV Apps (only tested the Netflix app) . . . so I know the Xboxes aren't the issue

  • At times the sound cuts out very infrequently (minutes apart) and other times about every 10 to 20 seconds and there is no discernible pattern on what changes this.

  • There is a sound setting on the TV showing ‘sound output’ that should should normally say ‘Receiver(HDMI-eARC)’ when you have the ‘HDMI eARC Mode’ set to ‘auto’ but sometimes shows ‘Receiver(HDMI)’ instead (as if it lost the eARC signal).

  • The most stable I have seen the sound (though it did cut out once during a 30 to 40 minute session, so perhaps it is just much less likely) is if I go to the Samsung TV settings and set ‘HDMI eARC Mode’ to ‘off’ (only other option is ‘auto’). When doing this Dolby Atmos still works (at least it says so in the Sonos app).

I don't know if this is a Samsung issue, a Sonos issue, or just the two of them working together. Curious if this is some form of eARC / HDMI signaling issue.

Perhaps related side-note: the Samsung settings do say when playing with the settings it may cause temporary muting, which is kind of what this is, so wondering if when in 'auto eArc' mode, there is a problem. Unfortunately there is no way to force on, just 'off' and 'auto'.

On reddit, someone with a Samsung Q80T also said they had this issue. They also mentioned that toggling ‘Dolby Atmos compatibility’ fixed it (though obviously no Atmos). My experience was more temperamental. Sometimes it got better and sometimes it didn’t.

Anyone else experiencing anything like this?

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    98 replies

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    edanuff
    Lyricist III
    August 16, 2020

    Getting the problem where the sound cuts out for 2 seconds every 5 seconds or so.  Only thing I find that corrects it every time is power cycling the Arc.  Then it works for approximately 1 to 2 days and comes back.  Sometimes tweaking settings on the Samsung side fixes the issue temporarily but at this point the only thing that always works is power cycling the Arc by unplugging it and plugging it back in.

      NickHwd
      Lyricist I
      August 29, 2020

      I suspect the issue is eArc on the tv. I have the q95t hooked up to a Sony ht-st5000 Soundbar. External devices to the tv and then eArc to the Soundbar. Sometimes Atmos works sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it works for a while and then just cuts out. I use Apple TV and Xbox one. It’s very frustrating. 

        Mr Ben Logan
        Lyricist III
        September 9, 2020

        Still not fixed. Spoke to a very helpful Sonos assistant today who said the known issue is still with Samsung and they don’t have a date for any fix. A little worrying - I’m having to consider returning the product in case it can’t/won’t be fixed by a software upgrade at either end. Disappointing that neither manufacturer is choosing to let people know in advance of purchase that this well-advertised feature doesn’t actually work!

        perrydavid1985
        Avid Contributor I
        September 9, 2020

        I’m in the same boat. Is there a work around here? Maybe sacrifice atmos somehow? Would using the optical to hdmi adapter? Of course that would controlling the soundbar more difficult since CEC (or equivalent) would no longer work.

          AS1978
          Lyricist I
          September 28, 2020

          Samsung Q95 75” TV with Sonos Arc.  

          I also have an issue with the sound cutting out every 3-4 seconds.   Temporary fix is to disconnect the HDMI on the Arc and reconnect it.    happens every morning.  

           

          I have also noticed that on the Samsung TV, in Sound - Expert Mode, the HDMI eARC mode has to be off to get sound - setting it on Auto stops the sound. 

           

          Any help please? 

          Micha1971
          Lyricist I
          October 5, 2020

          Yep, exactly same issue here!

          Bought brand new Samsung 65Q900T with Sonos Arc, 2 x One SL and Sub.

          Worked perfectly for the first 2 weeks, then since last week sound start cutting out every few seconds. Only thing that works is repowering the arc. Then it works for a while until the problem starts all over again.

           

          Very annoying and shouldn’t happen with equipment at this price level.

          Is this a Samsung thing or a Sonos thing??  Any suggestions?

           

          Krishma M
          Krishma M
          Retired Sonos Staff
          October 9, 2020

          Hi folks. Here's an update for all users using Samsung 2020 QLED (LS03T) Range in the US.
          Samsung released a firmware update version 1402.1 that may assist in mitigating the issue.
          Currently, the update appears to only be available for US models and via a manual USB update.
          Reach out to Samsung for further assistance and hope this helps.
          We and the community are always here to help.

          Help others find useful content by clicking the like button and selecting the best answer to your question.
          malkam
          Lyricist I
          October 12, 2020

          Have a Samsung Q80 and ARC with the same issue.  Power cycling the ARC fixes it for a while then it returns.  

          I’ve also turn off eARC on the Samsung TV and haven’t noticed any dropped audio, but that means we don’t get Dolby Audio.

          Krishma M
          Krishma M
          Retired Sonos Staff
          October 12, 2020

          Hi @malkam, thanks for reaching out here and welcome to the community. Let me share this thread and just to let you know that if you’re only using the inbuilt apps on your TV, you’ll still get Atmos even it’s eARC is disabled. If Arc is receiving an Atmos signal, it will display that within the Sonos App on both the "Now Playing" screen, and within the settings portion of our app. 

          eARC should always be enabled if possible to get the most out of the Sonos Arc. If your TV is having trouble when eARC is enabled and you're using streaming services like Netflix, you can disable the eARC from the TV settings because the streaming audio will still be compressed and you'll still get Atmos and most probably we’re investigating about it.  
          For 4k Bluray or any hard media plugged in directly to the TV and has Atmos, always enable eARC because eARC always looks for uncompressed audio. Here’s a helpful video about it. 

          Hope this helps. We and the community are always here to help.

          Help others find useful content by clicking the like button and selecting the best answer to your question.
            David_367
            Contributor I
            October 16, 2020

            Frustratingly - after the 1402.1 USB upgrade on the TV, the problem seems to occur more frequently, not less.  Turning off eARC on the samsung is a consistent (not ideal) fix?

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