Sonos Beam sound cuts out intermittently

  • 8 January 2022
  • 24 replies
  • 8725 views
N

Hi there,

I’m having an issue where my brand new Sonos beam will cut audio for a split second and return, like a pop, consistently whilst watching TV. The video doesn’t freeze frame or indicate that there is anything wrong with the stream or our internet  

I’ve replaced the HDMI cable but that hasn’t helped. 
 

I’ve seen other posts that seem to be discussing the same problem where no real solution is presented, if any exist I’d appreciate a link, if not is there anything I can do to solve this problem as it’s very frustrating. 

24 replies

Ken_Griffiths

Do you have other devices connected to the HDMI ports on your TV that have CEC enabled? - If so, maybe try removing those devices (temporarily) or switching off CEC control to see if the issue goes away.

N
Userlevel 1

Hi, I have exactly the same problem. I have a brand new Beam Gen 2 connected to a One and a One SL in my TV room and Play 1s in two other rooms. My beam is connected to my TV (a Samsung 49Q80T) via the Sonos supplied HDMI cable. I only have one other device connected to my TV, a Panasonic DVD player but 98% of the time this is left turned off.

What I find is that the audio cuts, normally very briefly but worst case for 1-2 seconds, every few minutes or so. However this is very irregular… sometimes it does not seem to happen at all, sometimes every ten minutes, sometimes every minute. It seems to be independent of what I am watching - normally either Live TV or the Samsung IPlayer or Prime Video apps.  I’d appreciate some help with this as it is ruining what is otherwise a very impressive device.

Ken_Griffiths

@Nick60,

Have you tried the suggestion of either switching off CEC (called VIERA Link or HDAVI Control or EZ-Sync on Panasonic devices) or removing the device from the TV’s other HDMI port temporarily to see if the issue goes away?

N
Userlevel 1

Thanks.  Not yet - so I have literally just now unplugged the DVD recorder.  That said, I struggle to see why it will make any difference because 98% of the time the DVD recorder is turned off?

 

Ken_Griffiths

Thanks.  Not yet - so I have literally just now unplugged the DVD recorder.  That said, I struggle to see why it will make any difference because 98% of the time the DVD recorder is turned off?

Is it powered off completely or just in standby? Also checkout in a Google search the issues around Samsung TV’s and the various complaints about their TV’s auto-switching HDMI ports.. it affects a number of their products apparently and that ‘may’ have some relevance, but switching off CEC on connected products may help.

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/5/18/15658876/samsung-tv-2016-automatic-hdmi-switching-complaints

For devices/peripherals where CEC cannot be disabled, many users seem to suggest using these CEC-Less adapters between the device and the TV: 

https://www.amazon.com/Lindy-HDMI-Adapter-Female-41232/dp/B00DL48KVI

Anyhow I hope the information/suggestions assist you to resolve the issue with your TV. 

N
Userlevel 1

Thanks for your continued support!

By “unplugged” I meant that I disconnected the HDMI cable between the TV and the DVD recorder.  With this set up I then watched a 90 minute programme using the TV’s Prime app, during which the sound glitch occurred about 8-10 times.  Will disabling CEC make any difference if there is no other device connected?

Ken_Griffiths

Thanks for your continued support!

By “unplugged” I meant that I disconnected the HDMI cable between the TV and the DVD recorder.  With this set up I then watched a 90 minute programme using the TV’s Prime app, during which the sound glitch occurred about 8-10 times.  Will disabling CEC make any difference if there is no other device connected?

No it’s only the CEC protocol on any connected devices - if you have none connected then the issues is likely going to be something else here - try these things instead:

  • Check the T`V manufacturers website for any TV firmware/software updates.
  • Power off (not standby) the TV and connected HT product for 3 minutes to clear the power in their circuits and bring back online and try it again. If the problem persists then change the HDMI cable.

If problems persist even after trying those things, then submit a diagnostic report after the T`V audio drops out and note it’s reference and then contact/chat to Sonos Support via this LINK

 

N
Userlevel 1

Well I tried all that and unfortunately it made no difference. During 2 hours of viewing this evening it was fine for the first hour, got progressively worse during the next 30 minutes (up to 4 second pauses) but then recovered for the final stretch 

Airgetlam

Did you then submit the diagnostic, as suggested, with the intent to contact support in the morning?

Bruce
N
Userlevel 1

Not yet. Having read that Samsung’s eARC implementation is not without issue, I’ve tried a different approach, i.e. turning off eARC on my TV (so dropping back to standard ARC). Because 99.9% of the time I stream from Prime, Netflix or iPlayer this will make zero difference to the sound reproduction on my system (I read that none of these services use the “full fat” high data rate audio that eARC is designed to handle).  I know it’s a bit of a cop out but I’m hopeful that this will fix the issue (I will let you know).

C

Same here, my Sonos Beam 2 audio is cutting out randomly.

It’s so FRUSTRATING!!!! 😤😤😤

I bought it to be entertain not to be worried every time I use it!

I’m on the edge to RETURN it!!!

PLEASE SONOS, NEED TO THIS TO BE FIXED!!!!

 

Airgetlam

I would recommend that you submit a system diagnostic within 10 minutes of experiencing this problem, and call Sonos Support to discuss it.

There may be information included in the diagnostic that will help Sonos pinpoint the issue and help you find a solution.

When you speak directly to the phone folks, they have tools at their disposal that will allow them to give you advice specific to your Sonos system and network.

Bruce
C

Thanks @Airgetlam where can I find diagnostics?

jgatie

Thanks @Airgetlam where can I find diagnostics?

 

Follow the underlined links in Airgetlam's post.

J

I’m having the same issue. 
I have to turn TV & Beam off every time we use it. 
TV is wall mounted so doing this isn’t easy and is impossible for the kids. 
If there isn’t a fix I’m going to sell and get a Samsung sound bar instead. Is there anything that will fix this other than turn it off and on again? 

Ken_Griffiths

I’m having the same issue. 
I have to turn TV & Beam off every time we use it. 
TV is wall mounted so doing this isn’t easy and is impossible for the kids. 
If there isn’t a fix I’m going to sell and get a Samsung sound bar instead. Is there anything that will fix this other than turn it off and on again? 

Have you tried the suggestions mentioned early on in the thread and if no joy there, have you followed the advice provided by @Airgetlam?

D

I’ve been troubleshooting the issue on my Samsung UN65TU display with Apple 4k TV and the Sonos Beam 2 plugged into the eARCH input and pass-through turned on (no audio processing on Samsung display). From what I can tell, it seems to have something to do with Dolby Atmos. When I turn Atmos support off on the Samsung display, the intermittent sound issue disappears. The sound bar only receives Dolby Digital 5.1 instead of Atmos. I looked in the Sonos Beam 2 settings to see if I could turn Atmos off on the soundbar but couldn’t find a setting, so I don’t know if the issue is with Samsung or Sonos. All 3 of my devices are running the latest firmware, and I have followed the steps recommend above. This seems like something Sonos should be looking into as they are selling a product that should be able to be used with reputable manufacturers. 

T

Hi there,

I’m having an issue where my brand new Sonos beam will cut audio for a split second and return, like a pop, consistently whilst watching TV. The video doesn’t freeze frame or indicate that there is anything wrong with the stream or our internet  

I’ve replaced the HDMI cable but that hasn’t helped. 
 

I’ve seen other posts that seem to be discussing the same problem where no real solution is presented, if any exist I’d appreciate a link, if not is there anything I can do to solve this problem as it’s very frustrating. 

 

M

Has anyone found a cure to this problem. I was advised to change the channels which I did on the SONUS...It has made a small difference...reduction in number/frequency of drop outs. But not cured the issue. The most recent advice from their Support said having the SONUS 20feet away from the Modem is too far. Ridiculous.

 

To change the channel you need to have the Sonus hard wired. There are  3 available channels, 1, 6 and 11. For me 11 works best.

Airgetlam

That is to change a SonosNet channel. You may want to change the channel your WiFi router is using. 

Bruce
Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

To change the SonosNet channel you have to have a Sonos wired to Ethernet.

To change your WiFi channel you need to do it from your WiFi device.

Older Sonos will use that WiFi channel if none are wired to Ethernet. Newer will use it even if other Sonos are wired.

M

Ok one thing I did just now. I switched of the wifi booster I was using in the same room as the SONUS. I watched a whole movie with not a single drop put. If it remains so I may have cured my problem...fingers crossed. 

Airgetlam

Note: the name of the company is Sonos, not Sonus. You may need to ‘fix’ your spellchecking software. 

There is a separate company called Sonus Faber that makes speakers, but the two companies are not affiliated. 

Bruce
Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

Sonos requires a fully functional network, many boosters and extenders don’t really provide that which is why Sonos doesn’t support their use.

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