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ntx
Contributor I
December 12, 2022

Crackling with Sonos Beam gen 2 (Multi PCM 5.1)

Hello,

I experience massive problems with my beam gen 2 when watching Multichannel PCM 5.1 content.
While Multichannel PCM 5.1 content is playing I get crackling and popping sounds out of the beam sporadically but constant.
The issue occurs with Multi PCM 5.1 format only.
No issues at all With Dolby Atmos / Dolby TrueHD / DTS / Stereo / Dolby Digital.

I tested Multichannel PCM 5.1 Content with:
Apple TV 4k -> Cracklings and pops
PS5 -> Cracklings and pops

What i’ve tried:
Changed HDMI Cables -> no effect
Tried different settings in the sonos app -> no effect
Restarted everything -> no effect
changed sonosnet channels -> no effect


My Setup:
Philips OLED807 Series
Beam gen 2 with two surround speakers
Settings: Multichannel bypass on TV with eARC turned on
Sonos connected over ethernet

Here I have a diagnostics code: 412271189


There are other people on the forums who experience the same issues, so i think its more of a software problem rather then a hardware issue. Some say that this problem occurred after a sonos update, but i cannot verify this.
The problem is easily reproducible.
 

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Pinned Reply By Corry P

Hi @ntx et al

We now recommend you reach out to the TV manufacturer (LG) as this behaviour is also occurring with different soundbar manufacturers (so it’s not a Sonos-specific issue).

Alternatively, please utilize different audio formats from McLPCM 5.1 (e.g., McLPCM 7.1, DD+, etc).

I hope this helps.

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33 replies

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ntxAuthor
Contributor I
February 13, 2023

Hello NTX,

Thank you for the feedback and raising this issue to Philips.

What is strange is that I got this TV since October and the issue just started around end of December, beginning of January I would say.

Let’s hope they solve this quickly and nicely at least.

Could you post your firmware update history? I also heard that this issue came up with one of the last updates. Maybe you had an older firmware version before updating in december in which the problem was not present.

MiseryGuts
Lyricist III
February 13, 2023
I purchased it at the beginning of October. Had no issues until 232 was installed

 

ntxAuthor
Contributor I
February 13, 2023
I purchased it at the beginning of October. Had no issues until 232 was installed

 

Well, i can confirm that i had this issue with 223 too. So Maybe it was an sonos update?

MiseryGuts
Lyricist III
February 13, 2023

Also a possibility. I just hope it gets sorted either way

Coldness
Lyricist III
February 13, 2023

@ntx please see enclosed tv updates history.

 

On first release I had no issues at all on sound.

I just did an update with latest firmware, I still have cracks on pcm5.1 but they sound weaker.

 

ntxAuthor
Contributor I
February 13, 2023

@ntx please see enclosed tv updates history.

 

On first release I had no issues at all on sound.

I just did an update with latest firmware, I still have cracks on pcm5.1 but they sound weaker.

 

Thanks, i have the same update history.

so you can confirm that on .222 firmware were no sound issues? Maybe there is a way to downgrade?

Coldness
Lyricist III
February 13, 2023

Yes, I don't remember having issue at that time!

If there is a way to downgrade this would be perfect indeed.

Coldness
Lyricist III
February 13, 2023

@ntx , downgrading looks not to be recommended as the version gap would be too big according to this website.

https://toengel.net/philipsblog/2011/02/03/philips-firmware-downgrade-anleitung/

I will not do this. I ll just swap audio settings according to what I'm listening in the meantime.

    Marcellus H.
    Trending Lyricist I
    February 14, 2023

    First of all thanks for the reply.

    • I’m using the HDMI cable that came with the beam
    • If I change the Digital Out Format on the TV to “multichannel” then I get the format “Dolby Multichannel PCM” instead of “Multichannel PCM”. But in this Mode there is no Dolby TrueHD and on PS5 there is only Dolby Multichannel PCM 2.0 available over linear PCM where i lose surround sound. The TV is doing all decoding in this case which results in loss of audio quality.
    • If i disable eARC then obviously the Multichannel PCM 5.1 format is not available. But also no Dolby Atmos and no Dolby TrueHD, so this is not an option for me.

    Normally you always want to use the passthrough (Bypass) option from the TV so that you get the unchanged (Bitstream) signal from the original source, no matter if you turn eARC on or off. So I left my TV sound output on Philips on multichannel (bypass) with eARC on/automatic. 

     

    The best output format for PS5 is PCM. This is delay-free. If you select DTS or Dolby in the audio output settings of the PS5, the PS5 delays the sound and changes the dynamics, Dolby being the worst to me.

     

    My PS5 sound output settings:

    • Linear PCM “2 ch” / AV amplifier. Basically Stereo. It would be great ofc if you could run McPCM 7.1 or 5.1, but this is not working crackle-free with multichannel (bypass). Hope Philips fixes this.

    • Lossless Dolby Atmos (TrueHD) from a Blu-Ray still works on the PS5. First of all, you should know that the audio output settings in the system menu of the PS5 have nothing to do with Blu-ray playback. The PS5's Blu-ray player has its own settings that can only be changed when a Blu-ray is running. From there, you have to select Bitstream as the audio output format.

     

    If you always want to hear surround sound, I guess you can switch the Philips TV output to "Multichannel". This will make the TV convert everything fed to it into a 5.1 surround format (Atmos, Dolby, DTS). No crackle. With this setting enabled I can even adjust and hear height audio from my Arc even if the source signal (e.g. PCM 2.0, 5.1, 7.1) doesn't give any. It sounds alright, but the original sound must be altered in some way during the conversion process...This may still be the most hassle-free option for Apple TV users at the moment to circumvent the cracking and get Atmos?

    People are entitled to their own opinions, but not to their own facts.
    Coldness
    Lyricist III
    February 14, 2023

    It’s not link to Apple TV. I use a Shield Pro, same for my PC with an RTX 3080Ti connected with HDMI 2.1 (to the TV) and same with PS5.

    PCM5.1 Protocol (and 7.1 to be checked) are impacted with the issue.

    This evening, I’ll connect the Sonos directly to the PC and check with certitude if the issue come from Philips or Sonos..

    In any case I just opened a ticket with Philips, I’ll you keep you informed of the situation.

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