Sub Gen 3 Tickling Noise

  • 1 October 2020
  • 26 replies
  • 1670 views

Userlevel 2
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I received my Gen3 sub and paired it with Arc sometime ago, and I noticed that whenever something is payed through the TV, the sub will make this constant tickling noise like a bad PC fan. I have seen another thread about this problem, and I requested an RMA for replacement. The second sub I received have the exact same problem(even a bit worse than the first one).

At this point I am not sure if I should spend more time requesting for another replacement. The noise is not noticeble from more than a meter away, but if you stick your ear close enough to the opening you can hear it. I have updated my system to the new 12.1 software, and it did not help. If this is indeed a widespread problem I think sonos should provide a solid solution for it. 

What is more, the problem is inconsistant with the content I played. If I play music through airplay or the sonos s2 app, the sub makes a hissing noice which is much less pronounced than the tickling noise it makes when playing through TV. I wonder if that means that sonos arc’s capability of dilivering low-frequency content to sub is flawed?


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26 replies

Userlevel 6
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Hi @ghflow, thanks for reaching out. Sorry to hear about this issue on you Sonos Sub 3rd Gen, I appreciate the efforts in contacting our support team regarding the concern. For us to further check for any valuable information that may be causing this issue from the new Sub that you have, I’ll ask you to submit a diagnostic report to investigate further what could be causing this issue. You may reply to the thread with the confirmation number to assist you with this issue. 

Let me know your thoughts with the advice above.

We're here to answer any further questions you have.

Userlevel 2
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I have contacted Sonos support, and the only option they provided is to request another replacement. I will do that, but if the next one exhibit the same problem, I think there is either something systematically wrong with the arc or sub gen3

Userlevel 6
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Hi @ghflow, thanks fort he update. Sorry about what happened, but let us know how it goes after the replacement, So we check it further if the issue persists.

Let us know what you have in mind with the advice above.

The Sonos community is always here to help.

Userlevel 1

There is another thread 4 pages long with this same issue here: https://en.community.sonos.com/troubleshooting-228999/sonos-sub-gen-3-crackling-static-sound-6842907 

 

Sonos staff replied on page 3 saying they are working on figuring out the problem. The subs I have received have had the same issue. The second I plug it in you can here it. Hopefully, they figure out soon if this is a production or software issue.

Userlevel 6
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Hi @egborko, thanks for reaching out and the information that you provided. You are right, This is already a reported concern, and our engineers are closely monitoring on this issue. And @ghflow, Kindly check this link that @egborko  provided for reference on this issue. 

Please, feel free to let me know if you require any further information.

We're here to answer any further questions you have.

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. 

Userlevel 6
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Hi @ghflow, thanks for the update, and Sorry to hear about the replacement Sub Gen 3 that you got still have an issue. As I checked, It is still under monitoring by our engineering team for this known issue. As I might suggest that you don’t request any replacements yet since We are still closely monitoring this issue. We’ll let you know on this thread once an update or a fix is released for this concern.

Please, feel free to let me know if you require any further information.

We're here to answer any further questions you have.

@Simon B Hi, do you have nay news on this issue? I’ve put my buy of a Sonos Sub on hold until this issue will be sorted out. I also would like to ask if Gen1 Sonos Sub is affected because maybe i can found some Gen1 for a good price. Sorry for my english, Thank you

Ivan

Userlevel 6
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Hi @ivan5150, Thank you for reaching out and welcome to the community, regarding your question. The status for this issue for the Sonos Sub 3rd Gen is still waiting in progress. We are still waiting for updates from our team. We don’t have any issues or outage for previous Sonos Sub versions for tickling sounds on the Sonos Sub.

Let me know your thoughts with the advice above.

The Sonos community is always here to help.

Hi @Simon B. Well, let me say, it’s 5 months now you at Sonos are working on this issue and you still dont any news to share with us. This is quite disappointing :( I wasnt able to find an “old” Sonos sub here in italy so I’ll wait to buy the 3rd Gen until this issue will be sorted…

Thank you

Userlevel 6
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Hi @ivan5150, thanks for the update. Sorry to hear about it. We understand where you’re coming from. Once we have any updates from our team, I’ll have this thread updated to let you know if this has been fixed. 

Let us know what you have in mind with the advice above.

The Sonos community is always here to help.

Hi @Simon B what do you think I have in mind after reading your post?

I’ll NOT buy any Sonos Sub until you guys fix this issue, It’s clear this is hardware related so I think we will have to wait for gen 4...

Userlevel 1

Hi @Simon B what do you think I have in mind after reading your post?

I’ll NOT buy any Sonos Sub until you guys fix this issue, It’s clear this is hardware related so I think we will have to wait for gen 4...

It doesn’t look like the replacement they are the process of sending me is likely to have the problem fixed 🙁

I follow this topic. As my sub gen 3 is producing same static sound when it is Connecting to the arc.

Userlevel 1

I have the exact same issue and the support agent I was on the phone with today assured me that a replacement would solve the issue. Mine has a hard drive like noise when watching tv that can be heard 3m away and a hissing when using the music app.

@Simon B if my replacement has the same problem, will Sonos allow me to return it for a new one after the return window ends if this turns out to be a hardware issue? Or should I just return it and only rebuy once the issue is fixed?

Userlevel 6
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Hi folks, thanks for the update and for all the information that you provided. Our team is still closely investigating this concern. and for further assistance on replacements or other options, kindly contact our phone support team for further assistance and more in-depth troubleshooting steps and further options and recommendations for this issue. 

Let me know your thoughts on the advice above.

We're here to answer any further questions you have.

Userlevel 1

Hi folks, thanks for the update and for all the information that you provided. Our team is still closely investigating this concern. and for further assistance on replacements or other options, kindly contact our phone support team for further assistance and more in-depth troubleshooting steps and further options and recommendations for this issue. 

Let me know your thoughts on the advice above.

We're here to answer any further questions you have.

@Simon B  With all do respect, this is not good enough. I need to have assurance that if there is a hardware issue, you will allow me to replace this sub beyond the return window. This is a very expensive piece of equipment and I am not getting the assurances I need.

Same problem with my new Gen 3 sub. I hear same noise from the sub but only when put my ear to it, somewhat like a coil whine from a GPU or an old PC fan.

Reddit is overwhelmed with reports like that. What should I do now?

Userlevel 1

Same problem with my new Gen 3 sub. I hear same noise from the sub but only when put my ear to it, somewhat like a coil whine from a GPU or an old PC fan.

Reddit is overwhelmed with reports like that. What should I do now?

Latest conversation with Sonos and they say that they are “tracking the issue”, which is odd because they have so far being denying that anyone else has reported a problem!

I also have the same issue with the Gen 3 Sub, sounds like an old film reel ticking away when I get close to the sub in standby. I’ll call Sonos on Monday to discuss - still within the 14 day returns window so wondering whether to look for a suitable replacement...

Userlevel 6
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Hello @Ancodia, Thanks for reaching out, and welcome to the community.Sorry to hear about this issue on your Sonos Sub Gen 3, Keep us posted on how it goes after calling our phone support team and we're here to answer any further questions you have.

This same exact issue is happening with my Gen 3 sub as well (connected with Beam & One SL surrounds).  Sub emits a fluttering fan-like type of noise at any sound level and is audible from 3m/10ft away.  Of course it is especially noticeable when sound levels are lower.   The whole system is brand new only 2 weeks old, everything has been updated and reset.  The noise only goes away if I switch off the sub in the app or physically turn off, which is completely unacceptable.  It’s disappointing to see so many people with this issue for months now with no resolution.  I understand Sonos is in growth mode & am pleased to see your products sell out at many retailers this year, but as a customer & shareholder this needs to be resolved immediately if you want to avoid bad press on social media and reputation.  We all paid a premium to have a seamless experience and AVOID having these issues, to AVOID spending more time calling customer service for something that likely needs to be fixed via a firmware update or product replacement (after issue is properly identified & resolved).   Your clientele pays a premium to SAVE time and enjoy a top quality product.   Please keep us informed on next steps to resolve this as I have already spent time writing this, and do not want to waste more time calling since it looks like we’re all having the same issue.   Thank you   

 

Userlevel 2
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Last week I requested another replacement in the hope that it arrives before Christmas . It arrived today, and it was nearly good. I can still hear a faint tickling sound when I put my ear very close to the opening in the middle. I can certainly live with it. Anyways, I don’t know if this is as good as it gets since I don’t own a prior generation sub.  It took me 4 replacements to get here though, I don’t think a lot of people is patient enough to request replacements over and over again  

I’m on my first replacement, like the above, it’s now only really noticeable when my ear is close to the speaker, it sounds akin to a hard drive noise in a random read state. My main concern is will it affect the longevity of the speaker? I guess it depends on what exactly is making the noise?

I’m on my first replacement, like the above, it’s now only really noticeable when my ear is close to the speaker, it sounds akin to a hard drive noise in a random read state. My main concern is will it affect the longevity of the speaker? I guess it depends on what exactly is making the noise?

 

I don’t think so. I think there’s a common level of operating noise in place.