Sonos Arc | Sony eArc | Atmos

Hi guys,

I've just received my Arc and Gen 3 Sub on 10 June. Connected it to my Sony KD65X9500G and paired with 2 Play:1's as surround. Worked fine on day 1 but since then I've been experiencing daily issues with no sound output coming out from the system even though it was connected to the eARC on the Sony using the original HDMI cable supplied by SONOS.

With the native Netflix app playing the S2 app shows "silence" under "Audio In". At time I also do not get ATMOS in even though they system and TV is capable of it. The issue tends to be solved only when i do a hard reset on the Sony TV by switching off the mains and powering back on or going into the Sony TV settings and doing a restart from the TV’s menu function. There are also times when it's fine 5 minutes ago but after switching off the TV for around 10 mins and turning it back on from standby the problem comes back again. I see many other ARC owners experiencing audio issues with other eARC TV systems. I’ve not had any sound issues with my older system (Play Bar + Gen2 Sub + Play 1’s) on the same Sony TV.

Sony TV settings wise I’ve selected the following:

Speakers: Audio System

Audio System Prioritization: On

Home Theater Control: NA

Sound Mode Sync: On

A/V Sync: On

eARC: Auto

Digital Audio Out: Auto 1

Digital Audio Out Vol: Max

Dolby Digital Plus Output: Dolby Digital Plus

Pass Through Mode: Auto

Not sure why I’m having such issues but thanks in advance guys!

Have you tried disabling external sound in the TV audio menu...then re-enabling it. I own the X950G and have experienced this on a few occasions and this method has fixed the issue when it has happened. I notice it mainly with Netflix. Also have you updated the TV with the latest firmware….I used to experience it much more frequently but after the latest firmware it only happens very rarely now. I believe it’s a codec bug because it comes back immediately upon disabling/enabling the external sound. I am experiencing the issue with a different soundbar but plan on purchasing the ARC in the near future so it definitely isn’t just happening with the ARC.

Yup, I’ve done the external sound method. I’m on the latest TV firmware update. Still happened again today. Really hope Sony or Sonos will be able to come up with updates/solutions to sort this out. 

I haven’t noticed any “stoppage” of my Dolby Digital content on my Vizios, but I don’t have access Atmos content. 

I would recommend that you submit a system diagnostic within 10 minutes of losing audio, and contact Sonos Support to discuss it. If there’s an issue with the Arc, it should show up in that diagnostic. If it’s an issue in the TV or the source device, it won’t. 

I suggest the phone folks, they have more options available, and are available Monday through Friday during business hours. Twitter support folks are available 24/7.

There may be information included in the diagnostic that will help Sonos pinpoint the issue and help you find a solution.

I will do that next time when this happens again , feel it’s got something to do between system going idle when Netflix is paused vs signals (cached) activated after resume . 

Could certainly be an issue, although with those conditions, I’d be more suspicious of an HDMI CEC handshake than I would be of the Sonos software. 

Thanks , that’s where I first checked to ensure I enabled Bravia synch and to my surprise it was automatically checked to be enabled . Will keep y’all posted when I find more details . 

Might be worth, while you’re waiting for it to occur, to try a simple reboot of your TV, by unplugging it from the wall for two minutes, then plugging it back in. Shoot, I’d be willing to suggest a check for a software update before doing the reboot sequence. 

There’s nothing like a control alt delete process to reset all random software issues :)

Will do !

Keep me posted. I’m always amused if I end up being correct :) Seriously, I like learning, and this does seem like a potential handshake issue, if it’s disconnecting while being paused. Normally speaking, that shouldn’t happen (as you’ve correctly sussed out!).

Hey Bruce,

I might be backward in understanding how I submit the system logs to Sonos as I faced the same issue today too , Could you or somebody from the forum let me know the steps ?

Here you go:

submit a system diagnostic

The issue occurred again and sent a diagnostic information as it was happening . Also had a chat with the bot and opened a case hopefully  the diagnostic info will help them narrow down the issue.

now that I've had a chance to use my new arc. it seems I to have this issue or similar. it can happen to me when switching Netflix content like from one film to another after an hour or 2 use. I need to reboot my system to get the audio back my TV is a Sony bravia kd-75xg8796. I'm keen to see what your diagnostic shows up.

Its exactly same scenario as you have highlighted here .

I am having the exact same issue too while watching Netflix and i have submitted diagnostic but waiting to hear from Sonos support.

yeah only difference is I'm connected to WiFi 

After a lot more hours of playing different audio format , it appears to be occurring primarily only on Atmos and hence makes me believe to be possibly software issue from Sonos end hopefully it gets fixed in Softwareupdate .

@niranjans Sorry for the slow reply and thank you for bringing your questions to us here. I would recommend that you continue troubleshooting with our agents in your email case, but your diagnostic report is showing an issue with your TV’s CEC functionality. The simple things need to be confirmed. Does the issue also happen with a streaming music service. If no, then you will need to confirm your TV audio settings using the TV manual or contacting your TV maker. You also mention this is with Netflix. What is the audio format of that movie or show? Also, is there a setting that can be adjusted from Netflix playing the content? After we can eliminate the audio source or TV settings as not the issue we can quickly test another source with the HDMI Arc cable to eliminate that as an issue. As Bruce mentioned earlier, power re-boot the TV and Arc from an outlet off/on for 15 seconds, reconnect the HDMI Arc cable and then test the Arc as the only thing wired to the TV and re-test.

We would need confirmation of the testing results along with an updated diagnostic report number while the audio source is playing.

Wish I found this before posting my on thread. 
 

I’m having the same issue. Using a Sony A8H. Tried various solutions. Always the same result. It’s only with Netflix. Prime, Cable, Music (Spotify, Amazon, Apple), various apps all work fine. It’s only with Netflix. If I change sources and come back to Netflix it would work for a bit again. But it’s very random when the sound disappears. It has to be the way Sonos works with Netflix. Btw i am using the native Netflix app from the tv. 
 

Has anyone tried using Netflix on an Apple TV or similar?
 

Update: I have been issue free for the past few days. I basically removed all other HDMI sources from the TV with only the ARC connected to HDMI 3 (eARC). Been watching the onboard Netlfix, digital TV, youtube videos and streaming spotify. I believe the cause stems from the CEC functionality as mentioned by @John G. Hope Sony will be able to release an update to patch this up.

seems to be some conflicting issue with the native sony netflix app. the arc is the only thing wired to my tv and netflix is the only app that does this. there is no settings that i can find to change on it. the formats so far that i have noticed is atmos, uhd 4k with 5.1 and ill test more formats today if i get a chance.

Spoke too soon…. was watching Punisher (Dolby Vision / Dobly Atmos) on the native Netflix app on the Sony X950 and the sound suddenly cut off. I quickly submitted a diagnostic report too 1135935625.Streaming Spotify works fine but there is no sound from Netflix / Digital TV and other native movie apps. I’ve attached the TV Audio Output settings for comparison. Would be great if someone from the Sonos team can assist with this. Thanks!

still no update on this? tried all I can with settings to a point where I'm thinking about sending mine back.