Sonos Sub Gen 3 crackling/static sound

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246 replies

W

I 

Apologies to re-ignite an old thread but I’m looking for assistance. 

As mentioned above my Sub was faulty - same crackling issue. I contacted Sonos support who - initially - were great. They took some diagnostics and asked for footage/sound clip of the Sub crackling. I sent this over and they forwarded me the returns label. 

I organised the return with DHL who collected the sub made it back to their Euro warehouse in Poland on approx 12/05/2023. Since then I have heard nothing from them…..

I have sent numerous emails with very little response and when I phoned them (17/05/203) they advised the replacement sub was due to be sent out by the end of that week. Nothing has arrived. 

Now when I try contacting them the wait times are ludicrous and no one is reponding to my emails. I’m pretty shocked at how bad the service has been from this brand. Has anyone else experienced this? I’m hoping I am a minority in this aspect. 

Have you contacted the global sales team? If not, then perhaps give them a call. Here is their contact details:

https://support.sonos.com/s/global-sales-help

Thanks mate I contacted them this morning; turns out my replacement hasnt even been organised and nobody seems to really know whats going on. I was so dissappointed. 

The agent has now escalated it to the warehouse team who should be back in touch ‘between now and Monday’, again shocking. 

I asked about their complaints escalation procedure and the guy had no idea, referred me to the forums and told me to email their CEO. He said he would try to organise a call back but seemed very non-commital about it. You pay thousands for a system and the aftercare is this bad, I don’t think so. 

I’m really dissappointed in SONOS I expected so much better. 

C
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@andrewchiu1st @smaes 

Well against my better judgement based on the information I had gathered on this issue and hearing from everyone else’s experiences, I went ahead and got a replacement for my sub as it was really the only option Sonos support had offered me. Sure enough the replacement has the same issue with the added bonus of the crackling sound being a little more pronounced from my last one. I am seriously regretting not returning the sub and just being done with this altogether. I’ll reach back out to support and see what can be done.

Krishma M
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Hi folks, thanks for reaching out and welcome to all the new users here in the Sonos Community! We greatly appreciate you being a part of the Sonos family. It is our pleasure.

Just to let you know that some of the third-generation Subs seem to have an audible issue (Ticking/Hissing) that is more prevalent compared to older generation Subs. Our engineering team is currently working on testing and implementing a solution. 

Try to put your ear near the opening and have a quiet room to test as well. If you think you’ve done enough to play around with the Sub like playing different contents from TV and music in the Sonos app, rebooting, pairing with different Sonos if possible, resetting to its factory settings, and if still the same, subscribe to this channel and will notify you all as soon as we have a concrete next step. You can also call 800-680-2345 from Monday to Friday from 10 am to 9 pm ET. We appreciate your patience and understanding. 

Please let us know if there’s anything else we can help you with. We and the community are always here.

Help others find useful content by clicking the like button and selecting the best answer to your question.
T

From Denmark, I can confirm having the same issue with a unit just received yesterday. 

C
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@Krishma M Thanks so much for responding and giving us an update! I am very relieved to have a statement from Sonos regarding the ticking/hissing issue on g3 subs. I reached out to support on the phone, but the rep seemed incapable of understanding the situation when I explained it multiple times and tried to say that the noise was not abnormal. I will keep out an eye for an update and eagerly await a solution. Thanks again!

S
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Hi All ( @andrewchiu1st  @cstyow )

Great to hear your updates, but what a hassle all of this…

Just got answered by Sonos in the Netherlands just a day after I sent the audio recordings. They stated: “The ticking/crackling is clearly audible. The problem you’re experiencing is under investigation with us right now. We hope to fix this issue with the next software update.”

Sonos in the Netherlands thinks the issue is cause by software, so they think they can probably fix it with a software update. I doubt this, so I replied: “I heard rumours about a hardware issue on the Sonos Community, but you think this is a software problem?” and “Do you have a time indication about how long this software fix is going to take and when it will be available? Also, is the Sub Gen 3 in this state safely usable and won’t it damage itself?”

 

I will keep you posted, but what do you think about this story?

 

Cheers guys!

Looking forward to your update. I am also from The Netherlands and am holding back on buying after seeing multiple of these issues on this forum and Reddit…. 

 

Hope a conclusive solution is found soon! 

 

Cheers

 

Hi! Great to se a fellow Dutchman on this thread! Will keep you updated, but not looking great at the moment I’m afraid.. 

They are still investigating the problem and the latest software update didn’t fix it, no time frame given or whatsoever.

 

Cheers!

D

I have had my sub Gen 3 nearly a month now and it has just developed a ticking noise.

Yesterday I noticed it had dropped offline and disappeared from the app.   

After about 6 attempts to find it I eventually had to reset it twice before it could be found and re-added..   

Now it appears to be making a ticking noise.  From new it always had an audible static hum but this was only noticeable when you put your ear in the in the opening, but this ticking noise is much more audible.

 

E
Userlevel 1

I'm hearing the clicking sound as well. I have to get my ear close to the sub. The phone mic seems to pick it up very clear. I'll be contacting support soon. I think I'll wait to request a replacement until they figure out if it is indeed hardware. I noticed it when I put the volume tv to 0 and was sitting by the sub. I wonder how many others may have this same issue and don't notice. 

G

Have submitted the clicking sound many others have been talking about, to the store where I bought the Gen 3. Will pick up a replacement today and see if the problem remains. Was able to capture the sound quite clearly on the phone and send to the staff in the store, who immediately ordered a new one. Bit worrying that this might be a problem that isn’t resolved with a new unit… :( But very happy to see that others have this problem and I’m not alone….

I’m not sure, but the clicking sound level is different from when the sub is being used or not, as well as with different sources, like an Apple Tv or television. But unsure….

H

Just received my gen 3 sub today. Same issue as soon as I hook the power cord up. It’s ticking away before I even paired it up w the rest of my beam 5.0 system. 

Will connect w Sonos (Canada) tomorrow and see. 
Thank you for everyone’s inputs here! I have read all of the postings and they have been very helpful :) 

V
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Just went trough the support request for my two months old SUB GEN 3.

It is a rev 202, and having the same problem of yours guys… that crackle sound clearly hearable when running tv at low volume.

 

The really disappointing thing is that support confirmed that, as their policy, the swap even new products with B-STOCK units!!!

 

Don’t know what to say… hope they at least switch the drivers for brand new, and that the newer unit will not have the same problem

C
Userlevel 2
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Was there ever an official solution to this? I recently moved to a new home and rearranged my system with the sub now closer to seating. It produces a noticeable electrical static hum at all times like I am sitting next to an electrical transformer, it’s truly horrible and distracting. Such a bummer because the rest of my Sonos system is top notch.

H

I also got my replacement last week. noises still remains..contemplating if I should call Sonos and ask for 3rd one? would appreciate any thoughts? thanks!

S

I just added the gen 3 sub and arc to my system, and I’m having the same static noise from my new sub. I have never had any issues from my older model sub, and this is very disappointing considering the quality I am used to from Sonos. I am going to reach out to Sonos when their service line is open to report my issue…. 

G
Userlevel 2
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I just received my second replacement from sonos. This one is actually a lot worse than the first two, I can hear the static noise from more than one meter away, and it makes me regret purchasing gen3 sub in the first place. For those who contemplating whether to request a replacement from sonos, I suggest holding that off for right now. Based on my experience, requesting replacements cannot solve the problem because sonos probably is still trying to figure it out, and a great number of gen3 sub that exist probably have more or less the same defect. The warranty covers the first twelve months, so the best thing to be is probably to wait until sonos actually find something out.

S

Just adding to this topic from Sweden.

Recently got the Arc, Sub, One SL package and my Sub have the same cracking/hissing problems mentioned in this thread.

I have reached out to the Swedish support and sent them 3 videos of the different sounds I can hear.

  1. When nothing is playing there is a constant crackling noise
  2. When music and movies are playing, regardless of volume (even on mute) there is a constant high pitch hissing.
  3. When using the provided HDMI/Optical adapter, connected to an Xbox One the noise is even worse. A hissing and crackling noise combined.

Support was gonna send these videos to the tech-team and I’ll send them my Sub.
Hopefully the replacement will be a bit better at least. My current one is terrible and I can hear the noise from my couch 3 meters away.

I will also keep you updated if I get any informatino that has not already been written in this thread.   

andrewchiu1st
Userlevel 4
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Here is the update from the Sonos Escalation Team,

“Thank you for the check-in. While it is not going at the expected pace, we are still in the process of implementing a fix to address this issue with the existing SUB units. 

In the meantime, we could process another exchange for your current SUB as we have not had any further reports outside of the initial one from the community.”

I’m a bit nervous to ask for another exchange because it seems like people who just bought the device recently also have the same problem?

G
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

Here is the update from the Sonos Escalation Team,

“Thank you for the check-in. While it is not going at the expected pace, we are still in the process of implementing a fix to address this issue with the existing SUB units. 

In the meantime, we could process another exchange for your current SUB as we have not had any further reports outside of the initial one from the community.”

I’m a bit nervous to ask for another exchange because it seems like people who just bought the device recently also have the same problem?

Based on my experience, I would say it’s a quite widespread problem, and it will possibly occur in the replacement unit. The best way to deal with this right now is probably to wait for  Sonos to come up with an actual solution.

Nickkettt
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Hi there. 
Im “in part glad” that Im not the only one with this issue with the SubG3  

 

My Serial # 54-2A-1B .…

 

Diagnostic: 956776400

 

I hope Sonos fix this soon !!! 
 

 

M
Userlevel 5
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I have just requested my exchange of my gen 3 sub, due to clicking noise, but from what im seeing here that won’t resolve it! fingers crossed

M

I also have the same issue reported in this thread. Only bought the sub gen 3 a month ago.

C
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Any updates here, Sonos team? We have all been patiently waiting for well over a year at this point.

B

Have my Arc and Sub (Gen 3) about a week and out of nowhere the sub has started humming. It fills the room when quiet. Can’t believe such a premium product has this issue. Seems like poor shielding. Considering going straight for a refund for the sub rather than contact support because clearly it’s a long standing mechanical flaw. Wish I was aware before dropping €850. 

M

I have the same issue. Last week ordered the sub gen 3 and arc. When the sub is Connecting with the arc the static noise starts. Hopefully Sonos Gets it solved.

andrewchiu1st
Userlevel 4
Badge +2

@TwoBiteBrownies 

Yes, I’ve shared the case number with you and just reach out to the customer service. It seems to me that this is still happening with the new units, I hope they can resolve the problem for good and send a perfectly working replacement as I think the issue seems quite wide spread.

 

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