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cpat1
Contributor I
November 18, 2025
Answered

Switching sound between Samsung TV and external speakers with Sonos Amp

I just set up my new Samsung TV with a new Sonos Amp.  I also connected external speakers for TV using the eARC HDMI connection so I could listen to TV through my Sonos on external speakers.  I noticed that the TV would not let me select TV audio through this configuration.  Every time I tried to select TV audio through the TV settings, the TV audio would come on for a couple of seconds and then immediately over ride my selection and reconnect to external speakers.  I called Sonos...they pointed the finger at Samsung.  I called Samsung...they pointed the finger at Sonos.  Surprise..surprise.  I tried unplugging everything and reconnecting like many suggested on the internet.  I also factory reset the TV and Sonos  to see if this would fix the issue.  I made sure TV and Sonos s/w were up to date.  Nothing fixed the issue.  Finally- after researching the issue on the internet, I found this to be a known issue and found a work around.  I had to disable the ‘anynet + (HDMI-CEC)’ setting under external device manager on the Samsung TV settings.  That allowed me to select my TV audio source to be from the TV (as long as anynet+ was disabled) or through Sonos external speakers (if anynet+ was enabled).  This seems like an un necessary extra step...but at least I don’t have to physically disconnect the HDMI cable from the Sonos if I want to watch TV with TV speakers only.  Does anyone know of a more straight forward way to solve this issue?

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jgatie
jgatieAnswer
November 18, 2025

No.  Samsung’s implementation of CEC defaults (logically) to the superior audio device.  You must disable CEC in order to use the TV’s audio.  As an aside, why would you purchase an expensive sound system and only use it part of the time?  Most TV speakers are genuinely bad, and even talk shows and news will benefit from better audio.

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3 replies

jgatie
jgatieAnswer
November 18, 2025

No.  Samsung’s implementation of CEC defaults (logically) to the superior audio device.  You must disable CEC in order to use the TV’s audio.  As an aside, why would you purchase an expensive sound system and only use it part of the time?  Most TV speakers are genuinely bad, and even talk shows and news will benefit from better audio.

    cpat1Author
    Contributor I
    November 18, 2025

    Hi-

    Thanks for the reply!  That makes sense.  The short answer to your question regarding why using the TV speakers rather than the external speakers is that sometimes we prefer the TV speakers.  We only have (2) wall mounted recessed speakers that are quite old and should be replaced.  We use the external speakers primarily for watching live sporting events, but the spearkers and sonos are mostly used for background music in that room.   Eventually we will update the sounds system...but have not done so yet.

      dakotamerriweather
      Lyricist I
      November 23, 2025

      This is a common Samsung behavior. When Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) is on, the TV automatically forces audio back to the Sonos Amp, so your manual selection won’t stick. Turning Anynet+ off is currently the only reliable workaround to use the TV’s internal speakers.

      There isn’t a simpler method right now, because Samsung prioritizes external eARC devices whenever CEC is enabled. Hopefully a future Samsung update improves this.

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