Contributor I

Sonos Arc loud pop then audio loss

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I was playing on my Xbox when the arc suddenly made an extremely loud pop sound and then lost audio completely. The app wouldn’t let me adjust the volume and Alexa wake up didn’t emit its usual tone. I had to remove the power from the arc and reapply which resumed the audio. I’m concerned that one of the speakers in the arc may have been damaged when this happened. Has anyone had this issue?

We have had no issues with the arc since purchasing it earlier this year.

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Pinned Reply By Corry P

Hi Everyone!

Good news! We are pleased to share that our team has identified a fix for the popping sound on Arc and it will be shipped to all customers as part of a software release today, Thursday Nov 16 at 09:30 ET, 14:30 GMT, 15:30 CET. Please note that some app stores may take an extra hour or two for it to become available.

During our investigation we uncovered a rare bug that impacts how Sonos Arc and Beam (Gen 2) in certain home theater configurations process Dolby MAT, a streaming technology which is used to deliver Dolby Atmos audio over HDMI. Occasionally a Sonos product will receive a corrupted audio segment from an external source and needs to filter out unwanted audio data. The bug we identified was allowing our Dolby decoder to play audible errors on certain home theater setups rather than concealing them. The solution we’ve built and tested improves our Dolby decoder so it better filters out corrupt audio data that can manifest as a popping sound. We’ll continue to monitor customer feedback closely after the fix has been released and ship additional updates if necessary.

We strive to deliver the best listening experience possible and work to address major issues that impact our customers. We apologize for the disruption this bug has caused and want to thank you for your patience while our team developed a fix.

We would also like to thank our community users for their detailed setup information and steps to reproduce the issue, which were helpful to us in uncovering the cause of the bug.

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blunderdome

Enthusiast I

After several days without any issues, my random loud pop followed by reduced volume is back. I was watching a show on HBO/MAX, it wasn’t even Dolby atmos.

Is this on the new 15.11 update?

Airgetlam

Note that @Robyn4999 has chosen to open up a separate thread here:

Bruce

W

whippleshuffle

Lyricist III

Hi Everyone!

Good news! We are pleased to share that our team has identified a fix for the popping sound on Arc and it will be shipped to all customers as part of a software release today, Thursday Nov 16 at 09:30 ET, 14:30 GMT, 15:30 CET. Please note that some app stores may take an extra hour or two for it to become available.

During our investigation we uncovered a rare bug that impacts how Sonos Arc and Beam (Gen 2) in certain home theater configurations process Dolby MAT, a streaming technology which is used to deliver Dolby Atmos audio over HDMI. Occasionally a Sonos product will receive a corrupted audio segment from an external source and needs to filter out unwanted audio data. The bug we identified was allowing our Dolby decoder to play audible errors on certain home theater setups rather than concealing them. The solution we’ve built and tested improves our Dolby decoder so it better filters out corrupt audio data that can manifest as a popping sound. We’ll continue to monitor customer feedback closely after the fix has been released and ship additional updates if necessary.

We strive to deliver the best listening experience possible and work to address major issues that impact our customers. We apologize for the disruption this bug has caused and want to thank you for your patience while our team developed a fix.

We would also like to thank our community users for their detailed setup information and steps to reproduce the issue, which were helpful to us in uncovering the cause of the bug.

We have a new kid in our house and I warned them that it may pop really loudly (they get scared easy) but… it didn't happen. Playing whatever, never happened. I'm messing in settings muting when I could and hoping it doesn't happen but… it didn't happen. I thought I was just getting lucky but then I googled and was shocked. My wife is relieved. I can stop steeling myself against a constant jump scare threat.

Thank you to the team for finally tracking this down. It's crazy how much stress this caused in my life.

M

mdcheckoh

Lyricist I

New to this community, thanks for the add.

Sonos Arc with sub and Era 100s for surround, Era 300s in dining room and bedroom.

Purchased less that 2 weeks ago.

Got the dreaded popping sound when streaming Apple Music throughout the house.

Have not had it happen watching TV (streaming through Apple TV4K & Sony TV) yet.

Does disabling Spatial Music on the Arc and Era 300s remove the popping?

Airgetlam

It might depend on what the cause of the popping is. I’d recommend, especially since you seem to be experiencing it frequently, to submit a system diagnostic within 10 minutes of experiencing this problem, and call Sonos Support to discuss it.

There may be information included in the diagnostic that will help Sonos pinpoint the issue and help you find a solution.

When you speak directly to the phone folks, they have tools at their disposal that will allow them to give you advice specific to your network and Sonos system.

Bruce

S

Sparks74

Contributor I

I’ve read this thread after experiencing “popping” noises and loss of audio on my arc (also paired with 2 x era 300s and sub mini). Without fail, every evening, there will be a popping noise (sometimes when also using my iPhone randomly scrolling, but might only be coincidental), and audio also disappears for 3-5 seconds.

This happens not only with Atmos content, but also watching a movie where the Sonos app showed up as Dolby 5.1.

I wouldn’t describe the popping noise as loud or scary - just very random and very annoying! It’s more a “plopping” sound.

The arc is connected to LG G36 tv and I have 2 x 300s set up in surround mode, with a sub mini.

Any advice how to fix would be appreciated- my wife is complaining it’s a waste of (significant) money and wants it all returned - and it’s hard to argue with her to be honest!

P

ProfessorFrag

Enthusiast II

Seeing this thread resurrected, I want to express how important this fix was. This week, I bought two ERA 300 and Sonos stands to upgrade my surround.

I 100% would not have done that if my home theater setup was still on 5.1 without Atmos because of the pop. I know it’s often more exciting for businesses to focus on new products. But fixing flaws in already sold goods directly impacts future sales.

S

Sparks74

Contributor I

Seeing this thread resurrected, I want to express how important this fix was. This week, I bought two ERA 300 and Sonos stands to upgrade my surround.

I 100% would not have done that if my home theater setup was still on 5.1 without Atmos because of the pop. I know it’s often more exciting for businesses to focus on new products. But fixing flaws in already sold goods directly impacts future sales.

Hi ProfessorFrag

What is the fix you refer to? The plopping sound still happens on my Arc (bought only 3 weeks ago), whether or not Dolby Atmos content is being played?

thanks

Corry P

Sonos Staff

Hi @Sparks74

It sounds like you have a different issue - especially since the issue this thread relates to is resolved. I recommend you open a new thread where you are more likely to receive help from the community.

I do, however, recommend that you first try rebooting your TV by unplugging it from power for at least a full minute.

I hope this helps.

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

S

Sparks74

Contributor I

Hi @Sparks74

It sounds like you have a different issue - especially since the issue this thread relates to is resolved. I recommend you open a new thread where you are more likely to receive help from the community.

I do, however, recommend that you first try rebooting your TV by unplugging it from power for at least a full minute.

I hope this helps.

Thank you both for your help and advice - I’ll open a new thread.

Thanks

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