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sono1027jp
Contributor I
Oct 27, 2026 12:35 PM UTC

Beam Ultra: 9-10s of silence on TV power-on only

Setup: Sonos Beam Ultra, REGZA 43Z890S (2026 model), HDMI 2 (eARC/ARC),
included Ultra High Speed HDMI cable.

Symptom: Every time the TV is powered on, the Beam stays silent for 9-10 seconds before
audio starts. Channel changes and input switches are instant. Only a cold TV power-on is
affected. On the same TV, REGZA's own soundbar (RA-B100, proprietary link) reached audio
in 2-3 seconds.I thought it would be 5–6 seconds, so this was unexpected.

What I have tried, all with zero effect (still 9-10s):
1. TV > audio device power off set to "Do not link" (no CEC standby sent)
2. Digital audio output set to PCM (rules out format negotiation / decoder startup)
3. TV off then on within 30 seconds (Beam cannot have entered idle; rules out idle wake)
4. eARC off / ARC only (rules out eARC capability handshake)
5. Different certified Ultra High Speed HDMI cable (rules out signal integrity)
6. TV's internal speakers start in under 1 second, so TV boot and decoding are not the bottleneck.

The delay does not move at all regardless of configuration, which makes me think it is a
fixed-length initialization routine at power-on rather than a negotiation step.

Has anyone else seen a fixed ~9-10s startup delay that is completely immune to TV-side
settings? Any known fix or workaround? 

9 replies

Stanley_4
Stanley_4
Grand Maestro
Oct 27, 2026 3:21 PM UTC

Cold power on, either unplugged from power or on a switched outlet, has to do a lot of internal setup that a normal change to standby mode doesn't. 

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Puppeteer
Puppeteer
Trending Lyricist I
Oct 27, 2026 3:38 PM UTC

I have similar with LG (cold or standby) and Arc Ultra - never actually timed it but 5-10s sounds about right... 

Never really viewed it as a 'fixable' issue as I think it is just devices handshaking and/or self checking.

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Long term user/contributor from 2014, @User117655 now 'Anonymous', who had a forced user reset imposed by the forum update...
    Puppeteer
    Puppeteer
    Trending Lyricist I
    Oct 27, 2026 4:22 PM UTC

    Just timed it, approximately 8 seconds 🤔

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    Long term user/contributor from 2014, @User117655 now 'Anonymous', who had a forced user reset imposed by the forum update...
      AjTrek1
      AjTrek1
      Oct 27, 2026 3:43 PM UTC

      What is the source of the broadcast (i.e. cable box, AppleTV, FireStick or built-in app)? My LG’s will do a similar delay. I use a cable box therefore there are two handshakes to contend with. However, as you said once everything is up and running there are no volume delays even if I pause (time shift) the broadcast.

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        kdowling
        kdowling
        Oct 27, 2026 8:26 PM UTC

        Using a Sony TV (CEC off), a TiVo (yes a TiVo DVR!) and Beam Ultra, it takes 8 seconds before I hear anything when turning on / coming out of standby. If I just turn the TV off and back on, it takes 3 seconds before I hear anything. This is all without removing power from anything.

        I think 9-10 is probably completely normal, and really depends on what devices are involved. I don’t think it’s something that needs to be fixed. But, that’s just IMO.

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          kdowling
          kdowling
          Oct 27, 2026 8:45 PM UTC

          On the same TV, REGZA's own soundbar (RA-B100, proprietary link) reached audio
          in 2-3 seconds.

          Comparing apples to oranges. What about compared to a different soundbar using the eARC/ARC port on the same TV? It could very well be the TV has slower handshaking using eARC/ARC hdmi port than you are expecting.

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            Stanley_4
            Stanley_4
            Grand Maestro
            Oct 27, 2026 10:42 PM UTC

            Sonos can likely look at a diagnostic and see if the delay is the TV, Sonos or an interaction.

            Power things on and send the diagnostic as soon as the sound stabilizes.

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            sono1027jpAuthor
            Contributor I
            Oct 28, 2026 1:25 PM UTC
            Thank you all for your comments.Regarding "TV power-on," I was referring to the act of turning the TV on from its standby (off) state—this is independent of the power plug itself.I have concluded that a 5–10 second delay likely falls within the "normal" range according to the current software specifications.However, having used soundbars from other brands—the Sonos Beam Ultra being my fifth—I’ve found that those others typically took around 5 seconds to start up.A delay of about 10 seconds feels too long for "normal" operation. I believe this might be something that could be improved through a software update from Sonos, rather than it being solely an issue of compatibility with the TV. Therefore, I intend to submit a feature improvement request, hoping for a future update.I have only been using the Sonos Beam Ultra for a few days, but the sound quality and ease of use are excellent; aside from this particular issue, I am very satisfied with it.
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            jgatie
            jgatie
            Oct 28, 2026 1:31 PM UTC

            I have an Arc and Arc Ultra connected to a Fire TV/Toshiba and Samsung TV, respectively.  The Fire TV was formerly connected to a Beam Gen 2.  None of them have taken more than 2-3 seconds to start playing audio.  What you are experiencing is not the norm, and I would first investigate support for your TV, then possibly involve Sonos.  Why the TV first?  Because Sonos plays what it is sent, so the TV is the source.  This doesn’t rule out a possible handshake problem on Sonos’ side that Sonos and the TV manufacturer would have to figure out, but you have to start somewhere.  

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