Question

Sonos Arc sound stuttering (Only when listening to Dolby Atmos)

  • 7 September 2020
  • 4 replies
  • 3384 views

Hardware
New Sony Bravia XBR 75 X900H (1 Week Old) with latest system updates

New Sonos Arc (1 Week Old) with latest system updates

Sonos Arc plugged into HDMI ARC (Port 3) on Sony TV.

 

Details
Everything was working great the first day of playing sound through the Sono Arc.

The second day, whenever I listened to YouTube Videos, Sling, or Spotify the sound would be perfect but as soon as I switch to a movie being played in Dolby Atmos the sound will continuously stutter over and over forever as if the video is skipping but the video its self plays smooth with no stutters (it’s only the sound).

Sony TV Audio Output Settings:

  • Audio System Prioritization - ON
  • A/V Sync - ON
  • Digital Audio Out - Auto 1
  • Dolby Digital Plus Output - Dolby Digital Plus
  • Pass Through Mode - Auto

Two things will temporarily solve the problem for me and cause Dolby Atmos audio to play perfectly afterwards.

  1. If I power off the Sonos Arc for a minute and turn it back on the issue completely goes away (Dolby Atmos back to sounding great again)
  2. If I change my Dolby Digital Plus Output to Dolby Digital for a few minutes and then turn Dolby Digital Plus back on the stuttering is gone (Dolby Atmos back to sounding great again)

I can generally reproduce this issue now by listening to any NON Dolby Atmos sources for a few hours (such as YouTube, Spotify, Playstation 4 games or Sling TV). Then switch to a Dolby Atmos source such as a Netflix or Amazon Prime movie and the stuttering shows up again.

Here is my latest Sonos Diagnostics Report:
983514909

Thanks

 


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4 replies

Userlevel 5
Badge +16

Hi @seanleeoliver.

Thanks for reaching out and welcome to the community!

I appreciate your detailed post outlining the issue as well as the steps that you did, let me help and try to figure this out.

Upon reviewing the diagnostic report, the system is unable to detect the codec/audio format in use when the diagnostic was submitted.

 

Can you please verify through the Sonos App what audio format/codec type the HT product (Sonos Arc) is receiving?

Using the Sonos app, navigate to Settings > System > About my System > Sonos System Info > Audio In 

 

Please refer to this article that outlines the main factors that determine if your Sonos Arc can play Dolby Atmos audio

These factors include the HDMI connections on your TV, and HDMI-eARC is required to play lossless Dolby Atmos audio using the Dolby TrueHD codec.

As you mentioned, Sonos Arc is plugged into HDMI ARC (Port 3) on your Sony TV, which means the Dolby Atmos audio is played through HDMI-ARC using the Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) and not Dolby TrueHD codec.

If audio interruptions only occur when set to Dolby Atmos, the TV may not be passing an audio signal correctly.

 

Let us know how it goes and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Hi @Annazel S ,

I just checked my SONOS App as you suggested. Here is the info you requested.

  • Audio In: Dolby Digital Plus

I think it didn’t show up in my diagnostic report because my TV was turned OFF at the time I sent the report.

I referred to the article you suggested and it looks like everything on my end is compatible.

  • Sony X900H HDMI 3 port is in fact HDMI ARC
  • My Audio out is set to Dolby Digital Plus

Theoretically everything should be working fine.

The thing is Dolby Atmos works just fine and sounds great most of the time (I can watch Dolby Atmos movies all day long for multiple days with no problems at all).

It’s only if I’ve been watching standard audio sources (such as watching YouTube for a few hours AND THEN switch over to a Dolby Atmos movie in Netflix OR Amazon Prime). At that point the Dolby Atmos audio instantly stutters over and over and will not stop until I unplug the SONOS Arc or turn on/off Dolby Digital Plus for a minute. Afterwards, Dolby Atmos works just fine again.

By the way, I’m not using any external devices. I’m only using the built-in Apps on my Sony TV.

Built-in Apps Used:

  • YouTube
  • Netflix
  • Amazon Prime
  • Sling TV

TV Internet Connection:

  • Ethernet (500 Mbps).

@Annazel S 

One additional note:

When I’m watching a Dolby Atmos movie on Netflix my SONOS app System Info shows the following:

  • Audio In: Dolby Atmos (DD+)
Userlevel 5
Badge +16

Hi @seanleeoliver.

Thanks for your response and for the additional details.

We need to identify what is the codec/audio format in the movie you’re playing.

Note that even if a service supports Dolby Atmos, some shows and movies may not have Dolby Atmos audio. 

If it is encoded with  Dolby TrueHD codec, then the TV you’re playing it on has to be able to decode Dolby Atmos or pass it along to a Dolby Atmos-capable sound system without altering it. This is known as “pass-through.”

To sum it up, Sonos speaker like Arc can only play what is handed to it, possibly that TV may not be passing an audio signal correctly, I suggest reaching out to the TV manufacturer to also check into this and see if there are additional configurations needed.

 

For additional information, this article provides common fixes for TV audio interruptions while using Sonos home theater speakers.

Let us know if you have any other questions or concerns, we are always here to help.