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.
I’m done with all the issues since day one. Anyone want to buy an arc, sub gen 2 and 2-1’s? Seriously with what I paid for the system this is unacceptable. It’s been going on for a year and a half. With no solution in sight
I don’t blame you, and I have serious concerns over whether this can or will ever be fixed.
The sheer number of examples here and diagnostic reports submitted must have given Sonos a clear view into what is going on. Particularly those on this thread who are able to demonstrate it on demand with Sonos engineers observing.
Luckily I have a work around in using the native TV apps, but they are not as intuitive as the Apple TV and don’t get updated as often.
Luckily I have a work around in using the native TV apps, but they are not as intuitive as the Apple TV and don’t get updated as often.
I would also urge caution because DD+ and Dolby MAT are not the same thing even though they both deliver Atmos. DD+ is designed to be compressed for Streaming services, so quality in theory takes a hit. How much a user can hear the difference is very subjective of course
Yep, it’s been years looking at this thread. We did a video of it too.
Turning off Auto HDR on series X does make the pop go away . I’m happy now at least I can play Resident evil 4 with Atmos !! :)
It totally ruined the whole experience . It’s basically buying an Atmos product but then it’s not . It’s so ridiculous . Someone should provide us an update . It should just be a clear message , able to fix or not ? If not then I’m selling all my equipments .
I get it. I’ve already reported this to them but unfortunately the phone support is useless on this issue. The only information they can give me is that my soundbar isn’t damaged from the sudden popping and the fix is to disable Atmos. However, a fix isn’t one that’s solution is to disable the reason most of us have an Arc. No one has been willing to give any updates nor will they call back with an update. That’s why so many of us are here on the forums awaiting word for Sonos…
I have the problem since March 2022. And I tried all the things called here. All without success.
Finally I read that you should turn off trueplay and then run Dolby Atmos MAT. I wanted to try that next.
I actually wonder if this is a thing. I hadn’t had a single issue until sometime after I tuned my system using TruePlay. Doubtful, but worth a try.
I just tried it with Forza Horizon 5 and it popped within 5 seconds.
Failed experiment.
Shocker…
As someone with an Arc + Sub + 2x Era 300 I refuse to disable Atmos as that’s the whole reasoning for my setup.
Sonos support has been useless here. I am not giving up on my Xbox or Apple TV. This issue needs a fix today. Screw their “performance and stability updates” that fix things I’ve never noticed. I need it to fix the biggest issues plaguing them.
I should have bought Bose
Edit: I called Sonos and they’re adamant that their engineers are looking into it and she took my information. I don’t expect much but she did call me back 20 minutes later to ask me what model TV I have (Sony A80J) and if I’m using eARC which I am. They also took my address because they may want to send me a replacement which I’m okay with even though I doubt that’s the issue.
Can I ask how long you’ve had your Arc? I was a very early adopter. When I’ve called and asked for replacement, they tell me it’s out of warranty.
March 25th, 2022 was delivery day. I set it up when I moved in to my new home on April 23rd, 2022.
If the issue is indeed hardware, which I’ve yet to see any indication of such, they need to replace every one regardless of the purchase date. This is happening to newer and older units alike so whatever the solution is they’ll need to eat the cost.
In my case I didn’t ask for a replacement. She called me back and stated that they may want to send me one as it could be hardware related. I should hear back in 24-48 hours.
They wanted to go over troubleshooting steps with me but I shut them down quickly saying I’ve tried everything already. I quickly informed them that I’m an advanced home theater installer (I do simple set ups to the expensive projector/audio setups) and can troubleshoot without instruction.
I simply told her that I have a full Atmos setup that requires the Atmos to work properly. I’m not sure if a replacement would be sent based on my continued support and because I have Era 300 which are Atmos and a failed Soundbar ruins that. Who really knows what Sonos thinks here. I just want it fixed for us all.
Just a thought, has anyone tried to get any of the tech sites to cover this? I’m thinking like Ars Technica or the like. Some additional pressure and eyes on the issue might help get the ball rolling on this.
I have not.
I was contacted by Sonos Level 2 Support regarding this.
“Hello Stephen,
This is Bryan from Sonos Level 2 Support. I received your case. This case will be escalated to our Engineering team for further investigation, but I need to ask you a question first: What audio format are you playing when you experience these screeching sounds in your Sonos Arc (PCM, Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos...)?
I will be eagerly awaiting your answer.”
I let them know that it’s only when Atmos is in use and even linked them to this ongoing discussion. I also sent them the video one user posted above showing the issue at hand.
Basic Questions like this two years in is pretty darn comical at this point. Right hand isn’t talking to the left. Makes you wonder if engineering are even spending time on a fix. None of Sonos blanket silence passes the smell test here
For real…
I am not expecting much but I am trying anyway.
I’m still somewhat concerned that this isn’t a Sonos issue, but instead an issue up the chain. Perhaps with the CEC interpretation of MAT, which might be faulty at the point of ‘change’.
If so, Sonos may not be in a position to ‘fix’ this issue, since they’re actually playing what has been handed to them further up the chain.
I have yet to see an issue with Dolby Atmos soundbars by Sony, Bose and LG. It’s also not happening with a receiver setup as far as I’ve seen. It’s not unreasonable to expect it to work properly or be entitled to a refund program. I love the versatility of Sonos but I’d give that up and switch to Bose just to be able to use Atmos.
The issue has been isolated to Sonos and that alone makes it their issue.
- so maybe that’s worth a try and set aside any Apple TV, or connected problem device and try a different device and just see if the popping stops.
And after all these years with no fix in sight, that’s all I’m expecting from Sonos at this point: put out a statement, an FAQ, a disclaimer, a warning, anything. Sonos Arc is not a good pairing with Apple TV or Xbox. I don’t even expect them to take responsibility anymore.
Potential customers deserve to know before they buy or the string of frustrated users finding this thread will never end. It’s the only decent thing to do.
Maybe see this link to a thread (8 pages) I found online:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254099712
It still seems like this is not a Sonos issue, as other TV connected products are mentioned.
Not entirely convinced that this is the same issue as we are experiencing. I read this to be a series of small popping sounds, not a big gunshot type pop that this thread is about
In all my searches on the internet around this issue, nobody produces a pop like the Sonos hardware does
I've only had the problem with my Xbox Series X so far and I've had it a number of times. Today I was able to reproduce it every time I played Forza 5 and then went to the dashboard. A few seconds later there was a loud bang and the LED on the arc burned orange. So I decided to turn off Dolby Vision because I've also read this here in the chat that it's supposed to help. I couldn't believe it, but in the Xbox settings I just unchecked "allow dolby vision" and "dolby vision for gaming" and since then I haven't been able to reproduce the problem. maybe it's just a coincidence, but when I had Dolby Vision active, the bang came every time in connection with Atmos. But this means doing without Dolby Vision and “only” using HDR10.
This has worked for me without fail. Remember that there aren’t very many games that natively support DV, so to me most games really dont do much more than HDR does anyway. Atmos sound is far more valuable to have than DV at this stage
I’m glad it works for you. As I mentioned above it happens with HDR10 without fail every time in my case.
Sonos needs to fix this nonsense
As I said, I have to test this over a longer period of time, but yesterday evening it banged continuously with Dolby Vision and atmos and after I switched to HDR it didn't anymore. I have tested with HDR for a maximum of 30 minutes so far.
has unfortunately settled again. Just as Forza 5 went into the game, there was a loud bang... Whether it's HDR or Dolby Vision, it doesn't matter.
Please let me know how to get Sonos to pay me. I could use some additional income, or even product, instead of merely the satisfaction I derive from attempting to help my fellow humans, obviously a bad instinct that Ken and I share.
So I’m still not sure, personally speaking, that this issue is entirely down to Sonos and hopefully I am free to express that personal view in the thread here as there is evidence in the posts that the same/similar popping noise has been encountered on other brands of Soundbar/Receiver whilst playing LPCM uncompressed Atmos audio from an Apple TV 4K and/or Xbox.
This is the statement I can’t get behind. When I search for non Sonos soundbars with popping sounds I get results, but none of them describe the sound as a gunshot pop. To mean there is a varying context that needs to be applied here when people describe “popping”.
If someone can provide a video showing the exact type of pop sound being produced by a non-Sonos soundbar I will back down from my stance. But from my research this is a Sonos issue alone
Thats not to say that upstream needs to make changes as well, and maybe Sonos hardware produces this sound where other soundbars are able to handle it far more gracefully (perhaps catching the exception and pre-muting) but I think there is a fix on multiple ends here that is needed for a permanent resolution
I had a growing impression. I felt it was time to clear the air. Both of you have done that. As much as I may disagree with your assessment of the Sonos Pop, you have been generous and are acting in good faith.
For those of us not really interested in combing through 35 pages of this, is there a solution or anything that needs to be done for anyone who experiences this issue?
I’ve had my Arc since launch with no issues ever, and just started seeing this issue relatively often
I’m sorry to hear you’ve been affected. Once the Sonos Pop has struck, there is no way to go back.
Some of us have had success with keeping it from triggering by disabling certain features on our devices. Unfortunately there isn’t one approach of that that’s worked for everyone. We just know too little.
What are all the devices you use?
That’s the strangest part. I was able to play Forza Horizon 5 for more than a year without a single pop. I was able to play any game for that matter but that was my most played. Now every single game creates a pop each time.
My Apple TV even with Atmos still activated doesn’t yet. But once it starts to do so it’ll likely never stop. I disabled Atmos on my Xbox and it still sounds great but it’s not what I paid for!
Any luck with the 15.5 update?
I like to think
I think if a Sonos update finally fixes this long-standing problem, you'd hear about it before the update rolls out.
Sure would be nice if someone from the actual engineering team that has been working on this (for over two years) could be engaged to comment more directly. I know many have sent in diagnostics that capture these pops - what do those show? What specifically has been done in house to recreate the issue and what progress has been made from a technical standpoint? Other systems and sound bars have figured out this issue - why does the Arc continue to have this issue? And if the issue is this well known, why does Sonos continue to advertise the product as Atmos compatible (a main selling feature) with no disclaimer or warning that many ultimately are forced to disable Atmos - at this point, it seems to be nothing short of false advertising. As others have discussed above, the Arcana Fury does not seem to fix the issue either. Again, we would not have to do as much speculating if someone from Sonos more directly would comment SPECIFICALLY on what has been done, how many folks are working on this issue and how actively, and next steps (with a timeline) for moving this issue forward. If no timeline can be given, it would seem that advertising Atmos compatibility should be removed from the Arc advertising and website until the issue is resolved.
Im saying that Sonos ought to disclaim that there may be a compatibility issue with Apple TV and Xbox. Do you really think customer do not deserve a heads up? Is it preferable that they spend thousands on a Sonos system, find out afterwards they can’t use Atmos with Apple TV or Xbox, potentially after being out of the return window?
Happy 900th post, thread!
I encourage everyone to link rc12’s post directly for anyone new to the Sonos Pop. Here is the direct link:
I would also add one more point - even IF this is an issue that is not related to how Sonos decodes MAT and handles that content (be it upstream issues with eARC and/or CEC (when enabled) or errors in timing from BOTH the XBox and ATV encode process with MAT), Sonos still could make changes in how these errors are handled. I would far prefer if there were brief audio drops when there are decoding/processing errors with the Arc/Beam as opposed to a MASSIVE gunshot sound that wakes up my entire house, scares me to death, and makes me worried it might ultimately blow out a speaker. It would be an incremental, though substantive improvement if Atmos content did not result in such a catastrophic breakdown specific to Sonos products. I’m scared to even enable Atmos to do testing because the noise is so loud that I’m on edge the entire time (don’t even get me started on the terror it induces for our cats).
Couldn't agree more, perhaps other soundbars have had the same issue and have far superior exception handling routines over Sonos and are able to gracefully recover without hinting to the user that something is wrong.
I think the community would welcome that fix if it were at all possible
...I would far prefer if there were brief audio drops when there are decoding/processing errors with the Arc/Beam as opposed to a MASSIVE gunshot sound that wakes up my entire house, scares me to death, and makes me worried it might ultimately blow out a speaker….
You know, it didn’t even occur to me that this should be the case but now that you’ve said it, it seems obvious.
Sonos, please AT A MINIMUM make this happen.
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