Beam Gen2 possible speaker driver issue

Hi @JMazio :) 

I have the same problem with the same speaker (the fourth one from the left), and I wonder if your problem was solved?

I brought my Beam back to the shop last week to be returned to Sonos, but it has not yet been collected. :( 

Thank you.

Hey JMazio, what was the overall resolution? 
Thank you 

I have the exact issue.

What did technical support provide you, when you contacted them?

@Airgetlam Hi, in my case, tech support asked me to email a sound clip, then a video clip of my Beam playing, which I did. After a few days they suggested that I return it to the dealer..

I got a phone call this morning from the dealer and my Beam will be replaced with a new one.

Thanks all for your help :) 

Ciarán

Hi @CiaranP 

Good to know that I'm not the only one who noticed this strange behavior in this device, and much better to know that it's a problem not voices into my head. I bought the Bean Gen2 at the end of last year for my home in Madrid, and in January I had to go to work in Brazil, where I am still today, but as soon as I return home I will contact the technical service to replace the device.

thanks for sharing your experience

Hi all, here is an update- my Beam Gen2 was replaced by the dealer a couple of weeks ago, however I was surprised to hear that the new Beam sounds exactly the same; at close range, the sound from the fourth speaker sounds muted.

It is unlikely that all of our Beams fourth speakers are faulty, so it would appear that this is not a problem with the Beam.

I contacted Sonos Support again and I sent a video as requested where I tried to isolate and the sound from each driver (using cardboard dividers), and recorded the sound from each.

I asked if it is normal that no high or midrange sound comes from the fourth driver but as yet I have not received a reply.

From normal listening distance, the Beam sounds absolutely fine (with and without surround Play speakers, and with and without Trueplay.

I hope this helps..

Hi, @CiaranP. I’m having the same problem(?). Did you receive a reply from Sonos? I think they should let us know if this is an issue or if this is normal in the Beam Gen 2. I hope this can get fixed with an update.

Hello @Vaco1604 :)

Have you been in touch with Sonos tech support about your problem too?

or do you work with Sonos 🤔

Sonos employees are required to have that ‘tag’ on their accounts. So, no, @Vaco1604 is not a Sonos employee, but a user like most of us in these forums. 

Thanks @Airgetlam 😀. apologies all round, Sonos support asked me on Tuesday for a link to this thread, which I sent. and I had also suggested an update. it’s just a coincidence.

I haven't yet had a solution suggested although it is being checked out. 

I’m hoping now to find a retailer nearby who has a Beam on display that I can listen to and compare :) 

Hello @CiaranP, I haven’t been in touch with Sonos tech support as I live in Perú where there is no official support at all. I just was wondering if you got a response and maybe a solution from Sonos 😊. Please let me know if they say they can fix the issue with an update, I’m thinking of sending my unit to a local technician in my country but I’m not pretty sure about it as it might get worse if a non-authorized Sonos technician tries to resolve the issue☹️.

Good Morning @Vaco1604 🙂,

I have had lots of communication with Sonos tech support over the past three months, but no solution yet; the case is still open and they are trying to recreate the issue..

The tech support is all via email, so it would be worth trying to get in touch :) 

I had returned my first Beam 2 to the retailer who replaced it with a brand new one, but the new one also has the same issue.  The retailer returned the first one to Sonos.

My driver/speaker (the fourth one from the left) does not have any sound, whether from a HDMI source (TV/ BluRay) or using Airplay, with or without surround speakers and with Trueplay on or off.

I will update you all here if that is ok? (hope I’m not taking over the topic 😯, I haven't been on a forum for decades 😊) 

Ciarán

Hi, I noticed the same problem yesterday. I don't know if it was planned this way. Did you manage to get anything?

Hi @magellaner :) 

I didn't have any resolution, and I now assume that no noticeable sound is designed to come from that fourth speaker.

Initially, the dealer did arrange a replacement Beam for me, but that had the same issue.

I later contacted Sonos and they eventually arranged a second replacement, which also has the same issue. 

The sound from the Beam is perfect (as were the previous two), but I feel that a lot of emails, phone calls and shipping could have been avoided if Sonos had confirmed that that speaker does not output high/midrange sound!

I hope that helps :) 

CP

I also thought that it only makes a bass sound… I can hear a sound from it, but maybe it's just a bass. Five amplifiers five speakers in Beam is interesting. Have you tried three beams and nothing got better?

yes, there are also two bass ports on the front and I too hear bass from near the fourth speaker but definitely no high or midrange.

Sonos did spend time with me via email and phone calls to make a diagnosis. I even made improvised baffles to isolate each speaker and record sound from each and there was (and still is) no mid sound from that speaker.

the issue was the same with the three Beam 2s that I have had.

so to sum up, the lack of sound is only noticeable with your ear to the speaker or when measured with a sound meter but at normal listening, it sounds fine. I just had expected the stereo separation to be a bit better! 

However my current TV has ARC and not eARC, and I assume the sound separation will be much better with eARC.