Sonos Sub Gen 3 crackling/static sound

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246 replies

S

Received my Sonos Sub 3 Gen yesterday. I can confirm the cracking noise as well. Very disappointing.

In case that only music is played you can hear a constant sum noise like a harddrive. If sound is coming from TV over the Sonos ARC you can hear a cracking noise in regular intervals that is louder.

i will get in base touch with the Support on Monday.

At the moment I am not sure how to proceed. It seems that replacements do have the same error. 

Did some more tests. Connected all speakers (ARC, Sub, 2x One SL) using Ethernet to a switch. Disabled WiFI on each speaker.

The cracking noise is gone! In a LAN-Setup the system works as expected.

I am using a FrithBox 7590 as Router in the basement. In the ground floor and upper floor there is a FRITZ!WLAN Repeater 1750E each. The FritzBox 7590 and both FRITZ!WLAN Repeater 1750E build a Fritz Mesh. WiFi is repeated WiFi-to-WiFi on the FRITZ!WLAN Repeaters. At the moment I assume that the annoying noise at the Sonos Sub is caused by this WiFi-Mesh configuration.

Has anyone had this experience too?

What can I change on the Fritz Mesh so that it works with the Sonos system without background noise?

When the going gets tough I replace the Fritz Mesh.But what would you recommend? The WiFi must work on three floors. Preferably with just one WiFi SSID.

I have the same issue with a noise like a harddrive. I switched my Beam and the Sub to wired and disabled the wireless on the sub. It did the trick - now the noice is gone. 

B

I have a A202 and it’s making that electric noise from the Dropbox link!

Very annoying when watching quiet horror movies.

 

Hello everyone,

I have also just received a brand new A202 (in Germany) as well and was frankly shocked by the high-frequency whirring that it emits throughout the room. Granted, one can only hear it with quiet music or light conversations on TV but this certainly does not sound “right”. It also emits the aforementioned crackling when you put your head close to the sub.

 

https://wetransfer.com/downloads/c0077398557b8372cded0840d19f028520220105171945/654b67159529db056462486a65d3fcdf20220105171945/8536ab

 

I didn’t know about this problem before I experienced this myself and I am honestly appalled by the extent of it. This seriously diminishes my trust in Sonos as a company, even though I am very happy with the rest of my Arc surround set.

Sonos Support was quick to dispatch a brand new replacement, but I am curious to see whether it won’t show the same issues. If it does, I’ll just return the sub for good and wait a couple of months and hope they’ll iron it out. Moreover, one could keep the sub and return it before the 100 day period ends.

Did the replacement fix your problem?

Sonosjunkie
Userlevel 5
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Received my replacement Sub3 from Sonos today. So far so good. 👍


that encouraging. Hope it lasts. Keep us posted.  

Lounge: 5.1 Arc HT (2x Subs and 2xP5 rears) with LGOLED77CX. Kitchen: 2xOneW, 2xP3w with SubW. Bedroom: 2xP1s. Office/Studio: 2xP5w. Snug 2xP1s. Garage: 2xOneW. Also 3x Moves.
Sonosjunkie
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My Gen3 Sub has just shipped. fingers crossed the issue is resolved! Will know soon enough I guess. 

Lounge: 5.1 Arc HT (2x Subs and 2xP5 rears) with LGOLED77CX. Kitchen: 2xOneW, 2xP3w with SubW. Bedroom: 2xP1s. Office/Studio: 2xP5w. Snug 2xP1s. Garage: 2xOneW. Also 3x Moves.
Sonosjunkie
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Gen 3 arrived today. 
 

The good news: it sounds great. 2 sub setup is not quite night and day difference, but ao far on limited testing the experience is more ‘cinematic’. (Shame they don’t allow toggle of either sub off on to aid comparison). 

The not so good news: there is most certainly a difference in the ‘silence’ of the Gen 3 vs Gen 2.  
 

Both do have a small degree of electrical buzz type noise if you put your ear next to the speaker port. But the Gen 3 is noticeably louder and has that little tiny cricket type noise - which to my ears sounds like some sort of resonance or secondary noise from the PSU in addition to the electrical hum. 
 

With the Gen 2 I have to practically put my ear in the speaker port to hear it. With the Gen 3 i can hear it about 0.5m away. Only just, but it is there.

Just thought of a test as I was typing this…. 

The tiny crickets go quiet as soon as I put the TV in Standby!!!! 
 

With the TV off the difference between the two subs is even more marginal. I think that the Gen 3 sounds ‘louder’ as the pitch off the electrical hum is higher than the Gen2. But I can’t hear either from my seating position 4.5m away from the TV…. so not sure if it is a show stopper - and when the TV is on I don’t plan to spend much time on my knees with an ear to the sub port. 
 

i’ll try some additional positional and environmental tests - placement and see what other kit interferes over the weekend and report back. 

I’ve no idea if Sonos had made any changes on the more recent builds compared to the early adopters. But to me it sounds like a shielding issue. It could be that the assembly quality control is hit and miss and that some suffer more than others. 
 

2x subs and play 5 rears does make for a very full surround sound though. The battle scenes in Fury which I used ad a quick test have a fair bit more ‘umpf’. Arc arrives in 2 weeks so will complete the ‘upgrade’ - assuming the damn thing works with the LG lol. 

 

Lounge: 5.1 Arc HT (2x Subs and 2xP5 rears) with LGOLED77CX. Kitchen: 2xOneW, 2xP3w with SubW. Bedroom: 2xP1s. Office/Studio: 2xP5w. Snug 2xP1s. Garage: 2xOneW. Also 3x Moves.
N
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Just received my new SUB Gen3 from Sonos. Checked the Hardware Version and it is 1.32.1.5-2.2 which appears to be newer than people are reporting earlier in this thread.

I’m pleased with the SUB, no issues at all, could the hardware update have solved the previous problems people were having or am I just lucky?

C

I’ve been following this thread and was decided to buy the sub from Sonos directly and it just arrived yesterday. Here is my setup and initial observations with the sub so far:

Setup

  • Beam
  • two Play:1s
  • Sub gen 3
  • Sony 950G TV connected via HDMI/ARC
  • all speakers, TV and Apple 4K TV are wirelessly connected to the network

Sonos OS: S2

Sub version: 12.2 (build 61183251)

Sub hardware version: 1.32.1.5-1.1

Standby mode (nothing playing): Slight hum but I need to put my area right up to the sub to hear it and it’s not bothersome. It sounds like the hum my old passive speakers would have when my amplifier was powered on.

Music playback via Apple Music (not Airplay): Same subtle hum as in standby mode.

TV audio: I can hear a faint ticking noise when < 2 feet away. I definitely cannot hear it from my normal TV viewing position that is ~10 feet away.

 

At this point I’m pretty satisfied with the sub and don’t have any strong concerns with the humming and ticking noise. I do find it curious that I can only hear the ticking while watching things on TV and not with music playback, and it makes me think that there is a chance that the ticking noise could be software related but this is pure speculation on my part.

Sonosjunkie
Userlevel 5
Badge +12

I’ve been following this thread and was decided to buy the sub from Sonos directly and it just arrived yesterday. Here is my setup and initial observations with the sub so far:

Setup

  • Beam
  • two Play:1s
  • Sub gen 3
  • Sony 950G TV connected via HDMI/ARC
  • all speakers, TV and Apple 4K TV are wirelessly connected to the network

Sonos OS: S2

Sub version: 12.2 (build 61183251)

Sub hardware version: 1.32.1.5-1.1

Standby mode (nothing playing): Slight hum but I need to put my area right up to the sub to hear it and it’s not bothersome. It sounds like the hum my old passive speakers would have when my amplifier was powered on.

Music playback via Apple Music (not Airplay): Same subtle hum as in standby mode.

TV audio: I can hear a faint ticking noise when < 2 feet away. I definitely cannot hear it from my normal TV viewing position that is ~10 feet away.

 

At this point I’m pretty satisfied with the sub and don’t have any strong concerns with the humming and ticking noise. I do find it curious that I can only hear the ticking while watching things on TV and not with music playback, and it makes me think that there is a chance that the ticking noise could be software related but this is pure speculation on my part.


whilst we have different hardware versions - of the sub gen 3 - though can’t be sure there’s any material difference in components or build practise/quality. Your experience when the TV is powered on is similar to mine. There is something about the frequencies emitted from the TV when not in standby more that the Sub is picking up and not shielded from. 

Lounge: 5.1 Arc HT (2x Subs and 2xP5 rears) with LGOLED77CX. Kitchen: 2xOneW, 2xP3w with SubW. Bedroom: 2xP1s. Office/Studio: 2xP5w. Snug 2xP1s. Garage: 2xOneW. Also 3x Moves.
J

For me it is sadly not solved, I need to replace mine again…

Annoying to you, no doubt. But the good thing is: there seems to be a technical solution in general…  

C
Userlevel 2
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@giovannichiappetto Thanks for sharing your results.

Seems like at this point there is not going to be an official fix for the sub g3 issues we are all experiencing. I am gonna roll the dice and ask for a replacement since it seems more recent replacements have the issues ironed out.

Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi @Livius21 

Dear Corry P., 

after all the hassle we have gone through with this “premium HiFi product”, would you mind to give the name or number of this “latest hardware revision” that solves all our problems?

We all have heard or read so many different explanations along the last 12 months from Sonos that I would highly appreciate some proofs to rebuilt our trust!

Thank you in advance!
 

That would be A202.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi @Mansfield46 & @Judge_Cookie 

In that case, I would ask you both to please get back in touch with our technical support team - we are committed to resolving this issue, but it is our current understanding that A202 did so. If this is not the case, we’d very much like to investigate for you.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
C
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@andrewchiu1st Fantastic update! I was just about to request another replacement but will wait for this new hardware revision. Cheers!

A7ibaba
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It seems im in the same position. Waiting for new revision

P

Thanks for the tip; I’ll definitely press Pause on ordering the Sub 3…  maybe the Sub 4 in 2025 will be “fixed”.  *digresses*  I got the cheaper sub a month ago, and it’s been a champ so far.

Airgetlam

Ah, I see, a 6 month old thread. 

Bruce
V
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Hello Everyone! Like many of you, I am currently experiencing the same issue with the ‘hissing/static/humming’ noise with my black sub (Gen 3). Located in the US.

Purchased both Arc+Sub back in late Apr 2022 and received it in early May 2022. Just talked to a CS person today (5/16) and was advised that I will be sent a replacement of another A202. They mentioned that many people were experiencing the same issue when I asked but some have resolved it with the replacement (case-by-case basis).

 

SPECS:

Serial #: F0-F6-C1…

Version: 14.6 (Build 6822...)

Hardware Ver: 1.32.1.7-1.2

Series: A202

 

Sub when watching tv/movies/music: ‘hissing/humming’ sound (even with tv muted)

Sub when standby/tv off: minor ‘static’ sound + no ‘hissing/humming’ sound (doesn’t really bother me)

 

IMO, it does feel like a hardware/electrical issue since the ‘hissing/humming’ sound is profound when the sub is currently on. Hopefully the new replacement has no issues! (will keep this updated)

did you solve?

Ken_Griffiths

Seems odd to have the issue repeatedly after trying several replacement Subs, might it be the electricity supply at the local property? Maybe give it a try setup at another premises (friend/relatives Home) and just see if the issue goes away. Worth a try, at least.

I have a number of Subs and not noticed the issue, although I’ve seen some others mention hearing the static/ticking sound when you put your ear really close to the Subs aperture. I dont hear the static, but maybe it’s the switching PSU power supply, hence my suggestion to try the sub powered up elsewhere, away from the Home, just to see if the issue changes and/or goes away completely.

M

I didn't have this problem until I connected to my new TV yesterday and it's driving me crazy now!!

I got a 65" Hisense tv as it's newer and also had the eArc.

I can't believe this problem with such an expensive bit of kit. 

It's unbearable! 

M

I'm not tech savvy unfortunately. 

What setting do I need to change please? 

andrewchiu1st
Userlevel 4
Badge +2

@Dropper 

I do think that noise is related to electricity or something from the chip set inside the sub.

I have doubts whether this can be fixed by any firmware update because the moment that I connected the new Sub out of the box to the electrical outlet, I could hear the static noise immediately, and this is before I pair it to other speakers.

Honestly speaking, the noise situation is a bit better with the new Sub I received, you have to literally move your ears right next to the speaker to hear it. But I’m not sure if the situation will get worse over time, I guess I will have to find out.

Not sure if this may help, the serial number of the 2 Subs that I received are quite similar, wonder if they were manufactured in the same batch:

  • The first Sub: 542A1B103E223
  • The replacement Sub: 542A1B1056109

If the issue is related to the build quality and not the software/firmware problem, maybe I’ll have to return the Sub and wait for them to solve the problem but that’d be a shame since I really want to add that bass to the setup.

D
Userlevel 1

@andrewchiu1st how did you get in touch with Sonos? The only way I can see to do it is to call them (UK), rather than log a ticket. 

Ken_Griffiths

So if you put your ear near the subs when they are receiving data you hear nothing? Unfortunately I have a conditioned power grid as I have a recording studio, and even at a friend house the last one did the same… can’t understand.

Not that I’ve ever noticed anything outside the playing low frequency channel audio. The Subs all seem to sound fine to my ears, what is it you actually hear when they are playing then, is it a clicking sound?

I’m on my hands and knees now (as I type) listening to Dolby 5.1 audio (Netflix Movie) and I’m not noticing it? I’m about 6 inches away from the opening I have two Gen-3’s attached to a Sonos Arc and Surrounds and listening close up. When the .LFE channel is not outputting audio at quiet moments in the movie too, I just hear nothing from the Sub 🤔?

andrewchiu1st
Userlevel 4
Badge +2

@Dropper 

Yes, I called them on the phone (in Canada), and they will try to troubleshoot the issue on the phone with you. You just need to let them know what you’ve done before and they will likely ask you to send a video to prove it and then issue you a replacement.

 

Let me know how you get on!

D
Userlevel 1

@andrewchiu1st Thanks man. Will update with what happens.

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