Random 1 sec audio drop when playing Dolby Atmos from Apple TV 4K

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72 replies

R

I have exactly the same problem. So annoying …

Been through all that troubleshooting but nothing worked so far (except for switching to 5.1 - but that can't be the solution).

M

Same exhaustingly frustrating problem.

 

Equally frustrating are suggestions to unplug and / or restart.

 

It is clearly an issue on the Sonos side they are aware of.

 

Great quality speakers, but the issues are “the pits.”

Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi @Tafsern & @Wolfsmith 

If you haven’t tried it already, the first step I would always take with TV audio interruptions is to reboot the TV by removing power for at least 2 minutes. This restarts the TV’s software in a way that Standby does not achieve, and can often fix such issues.

I hope this helps.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
T
Userlevel 1
Badge

I have the exact same issue when using atmos on my Apple TV, samsung TV, and Sonos Arc. 1 second audio drop offs randomly. It really does take you out of the immersive experience. I found that if you switch to 5.1 it stops, but why would you buy a ridiculously expensive equipment like Sonos if you can’t use all its features?

It's frustrating, not going to lie. But since Sonos, Apple and Samsung really doesn't acknowledge the problem, it's not much to do other than set it to 5.1. Sadly. :/

 

TV OS 17 doesn't help either. 

W

I have the exact same issue when using atmos on my Apple TV, samsung TV, and Sonos Arc. 1 second audio drop offs randomly. It really does take you out of the immersive experience. I found that if you switch to 5.1 it stops, but why would you buy a ridiculously expensive equipment like Sonos if you can’t use all its features?

T
Userlevel 1
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Same issue here.  Arc, Sub, 2 X Era300’s, Apple TV, Samsung Frame TV 2022. Random sound drops for approximately 1 second or less.  Happens 3 or 4 times over the course of a 2 hour movie.

 

At a loss of what to do as the Atmos sounds amazing but the drop outs ruin the experience when it happens.

 

You got to set Apple TV to Dolby 5.1 instead. Sadly only solution I've found and I've been looking for a solution to keep atmos for over a year. 

 

I certainly understand your point but not sure if turning off Atmos is necessarily a solution.

It does not fix the reason it is happening, but it doesn't make the sound disappear in a movie. And it doesn't really sound that different :)

If you find a real solution that keeps atmos, post it right away!

I don’t know.  I wouldn’t say it doesn’t really sound that different though.  Atmos content, at least in my set up, sounds pretty great.  Both movies and music.  Much better than 5.1 in my opinion.  And certainly since Atmos is being touted as such a significant feature of the Era 300’s as well as the Arc I’d still say there needs to be a proper fix.

I haven't got the Era's, but I see your point. The loss of sound in movies kills the mood for me. 

D
Userlevel 1
Badge +1

Same issue here.  Arc, Sub, 2 X Era300’s, Apple TV, Samsung Frame TV 2022. Random sound drops for approximately 1 second or less.  Happens 3 or 4 times over the course of a 2 hour movie.

 

At a loss of what to do as the Atmos sounds amazing but the drop outs ruin the experience when it happens.

 

You got to set Apple TV to Dolby 5.1 instead. Sadly only solution I've found and I've been looking for a solution to keep atmos for over a year. 

 

I certainly understand your point but not sure if turning off Atmos is necessarily a solution.

It does not fix the reason it is happening, but it doesn't make the sound disappear in a movie. And it doesn't really sound that different :)

If you find a real solution that keeps atmos, post it right away!

I don’t know.  I wouldn’t say it doesn’t really sound that different though.  Atmos content, at least in my set up, sounds pretty great.  Both movies and music.  Much better than 5.1 in my opinion.  And certainly since Atmos is being touted as such a significant feature of the Era 300’s as well as the Arc I’d still say there needs to be a proper fix.

T
Userlevel 1
Badge

Same issue here.  Arc, Sub, 2 X Era300’s, Apple TV, Samsung Frame TV 2022. Random sound drops for approximately 1 second or less.  Happens 3 or 4 times over the course of a 2 hour movie.

 

At a loss of what to do as the Atmos sounds amazing but the drop outs ruin the experience when it happens.

 

You got to set Apple TV to Dolby 5.1 instead. Sadly only solution I've found and I've been looking for a solution to keep atmos for over a year. 

 

I certainly understand your point but not sure if turning off Atmos is necessarily a solution.

It does not fix the reason it is happening, but it doesn't make the sound disappear in a movie. And it doesn't really sound that different :)

If you find a real solution that keeps atmos, post it right away!

D
Userlevel 1
Badge +1

Same issue here.  Arc, Sub, 2 X Era300’s, Apple TV, Samsung Frame TV 2022. Random sound drops for approximately 1 second or less.  Happens 3 or 4 times over the course of a 2 hour movie.

 

At a loss of what to do as the Atmos sounds amazing but the drop outs ruin the experience when it happens.

 

You got to set Apple TV to Dolby 5.1 instead. Sadly only solution I've found and I've been looking for a solution to keep atmos for over a year. 

 

I certainly understand your point but not sure if turning off Atmos is necessarily a solution.

T
Userlevel 1
Badge

Same issue here.  Arc, Sub, 2 X Era300’s, Apple TV, Samsung Frame TV 2022. Random sound drops for approximately 1 second or less.  Happens 3 or 4 times over the course of a 2 hour movie.

 

At a loss of what to do as the Atmos sounds amazing but the drop outs ruin the experience when it happens.

 

You got to set Apple TV to Dolby 5.1 instead. Sadly only solution I've found and I've been looking for a solution to keep atmos for over a year. 

D
Userlevel 1
Badge +1

Same issue here.  Arc, Sub, 2 X Era300’s, Apple TV, Samsung Frame TV 2022. Random sound drops for approximately 1 second or less.  Happens 3 or 4 times over the course of a 2 hour movie.

 

At a loss of what to do as the Atmos sounds amazing but the drop outs ruin the experience when it happens.

T
Userlevel 1
Badge

I've had this problem for over a year. Calling Sonos support is a dead end. So is calling Apple. 

I get 1-2 seconds without sound several times during movies rented on Apple Movies etc. 

The only solution so far is turning off Atmos and put it on Dolby 5.1 (on Apple TV). 

 

It's a total mess and it's so frustrating that these companies cannot sort this out togheter. It affects thousands of users. 

AjTrek1
Userlevel 7

I’m very late to this thread. I’ve been a member of this community since 2015 and that’s not a long time compared to the tenure of other members.

However in my brief time in this community Samsung TV’s (IMO) have been mentioned more than other brands as a common thread with having issues with Sonos. BTW, that dates back to the Playbar even though it only used an optical connection. Since the introduction of CEC with HDMI ARC and eARC connection/audio issues IMO have proliferated.

The issue count  (again IMO) by brand in order of frequency seems to be Samsung, Sony and LG. The biggest complaint on LG being not allowing pass-through of DTS. That’s an odd one because at one time LG’s allow it, then stopped and I think now the newer models are once again allowing DTS pass-through. Also the LG “Picture Frame” pops up on occasion.

All said Samsung seems to be the leader with issues. To be fair maybe Samsung is the TV of choice which means more purchases equates to a higher number of incidents.

My final point being is that instead of focusing on the AppleTV 4K, the Arc and other devices in this thread…maybe the attention should be turned toward Samsung. I’m just saying…

Note: Full disclosure I own three (3) LG’s dating 2019 thru 2021. All have a Sonos Arc and AppleTV 4K connections. On one LG I have a Panasonic 4K Player that sends Dolby Atmos, DD 5.1 and DTS audio. I play Movies through the ATV direct from Apple and installed Apps for MAX (formerly HBO Max), Stars, and Paramount. Through my ISP I subscribe to the premium programming of Netflix and Amazon. Furthermore I have an older Sony Bravia with a Beam Gen 2 and ATV 4K using a HD Fury to get Dolby Atmos with no audio issues. The product I don’t use is Xbox. Otherwise I have no audio issues. Knock on wood. 😂

Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
C
Userlevel 3
Badge +2

Dolby Mat issue, Apple TV and Xbox use Dolby Mat and Sonos need to sort this issue with Dolby Mat.

M

I have the same problem [arc, sub, era300]

So frustrating as the hole system is tailored against playing atmos.

If I play content thorough Samsung apps all is fine but if I play it on my Apple TV I get the dropouts with atmos films.

One solution is just drop the Apple TV but is so much more enjoyable consuming content on AppleTV compared to Samsung apps 

A
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What did Sonos support say when you submitted a diagnostic, and called them with the number?

 

Sorry for my late reply. They didn't find anything wrong with the Arc. They said I should contact Apple. I asked them to write an email for proof that Sonos can't see anything wrong on their side and have done what they can. I  going to send the Apple TV in for service. I'll update you!

AB
A
Badge

Hi,

Have a very similar setup as yours and having same symptoms. Drops audio 1sec every now and then when playing Atmos. Very annoying.

All Sonos units in my surround setup has been conneced to wired network, and HDMI cables are changed to new high quality ones to remedy the issue but it persists. 

Sorry for my late reply. Very annoying indeed! You have done more than I can. I'm going to send my Apple TV 4K for service. Will update you on what Apple returns with!

AB
Airgetlam

What did Sonos support say when you submitted a diagnostic, and called them with the number?

 

Bruce
D

Hi,

Have a very similar setup as yours and having same symptoms. Drops audio 1sec every now and then when playing Atmos. Very annoying.

All Sonos units in my surround setup has been conneced to wired network, and HDMI cables are changed to new high quality ones to remedy the issue but it persists. 

Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi @Arborg 

Yesterday I did some more testing after I saw someone here in the Sonos Community had audio interruptions that were solved by turning off Wi-Fi on some devices on their wireless network.

 

I would take that report with a pinch of salt, if I were you. If the Arc is dropping out (and not just the surrounds) then it has nothing to do with the network.

Edit: I don’t think a reset would help, to be honest, though I could be wrong.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
A
Badge

Hi @Arborg 

Welcome to the Sonos Community!

I can only recommend that you continue troubleshooting with our technical support team - I hope they find an answer for you!

Thank you, Corry!
I am sure we will find a solution! Whether it's Sonos, Samsung or Apple TV causing the issue is still hard to say…



Yesterday I did some more testing after I saw someone here in the Sonos Community had audio interruptions that were solved by turning off Wi-Fi on some devices on their wireless network.

I turned off the wireless network on my router and only had Arc and Apple TV 4K connected via Ethernet cable. Unfortunately, there were still Audio interruptions when I played Mad Max: Fury Road from the movie library on Apple TV. The Sonos app confimed that it was playing in Dolby Atmos. I'm starting to become more and more convinced that it could be a handshake problem between ATV / Sonos / Samsung.

I'm running out of things to try. Of course, resetting the Arc is an option, but I think it's a last resort.

AB
Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi @Arborg 

Welcome to the Sonos Community!

I can only recommend that you continue troubleshooting with our technical support team - I hope they find an answer for you!

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein

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