Sonos Sub Gen 3 crackling/static sound


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Hi guys,

 

I just bought the Sonos Arc and the new Sub Gen 3 and I paired them with 2 Sonos One (Gen 1) speakers for the surround setup.

Yesterday I noticed that while idling and playing, there are some tiny constant crackling/static/electric current sounds coming from the brand new Sub and I found it quite irritating. So what I did first was to make sure that the connection with the power cord is secure, which it was. Then I tried to remove the Sub from the group, factory reset it and added it back to the system. But the same issue persists.

I don’t suppose this is normal, right? Does anyone has a similar issue with the new Sub?

I’ve checked my Sonos Arc, One and Beam and none of them has this issue.

Since I just bought it from Best Buy last week, should I return it and get a new one to see if it’s something wrong with the one I’ve got? 

It’s not a cheap device and I don’t want to compromise on its quality.

 

Thank you all!


246 replies

Userlevel 1
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@A7ibaba Let’s focus on sharing information instead of doubting each other. Keep the positivity please. We are all here to help.

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I know and sorry , but spreading desinformation doesnt help

Userlevel 1

Just wondering if anyone has received an update on this? I have talked to Sonos and provided audio of the issue to document it. Just wondering if there is any word on if it's something in production or indeed software? To me, I would think it's hardware since not everyone seems to have the issue. 

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 :) 

UPD: just spoke with Sonos customer support rep this morning. I been given a RMA for replacement. Hope the 2nd one will have no issue. thanks everyone!

Userlevel 2
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For anyone curious, the new 12.1 system update that just came out today does nothing to address the issues on the G3 sub. Still have the audible hum and ticking post update.

Userlevel 2
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I had this problem and requested a replacement, the second unit had the same problem too… Sonos offered another replacement, if the unit has the same problem I think it’s either arc or sub that has systematic problems

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I just got another replacement. The humming/static is still there at all times. I sent a video of the issue the first time and it was verified by Sonos to be defective. I'm hoping Sonos posts here soon with an update again. I don't want to keep swapping out for new subs until it is certain it's fixed. $700 is a lot to spend. On the upside, Sonos service has been amazing so thank you!  

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!

Userlevel 1

After talking to Sonos support, I was told the team was still working on this issue. For this reason, I will hold off a bit from requesting another one as I'm sure it will still have the humming/static clicking. Hopefully, a resolution is found soon whether hardware or software update.

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…. 

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.

Userlevel 4
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Hi guys,

I just followed up with Sonos Escalation team and hopefully they will come back with some concrete updates since it has been almost 4 months and I expect them to give a bit more context rather than just “we are working on it, no ETA at this time.”

Will keep everyone posted!

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.   

recently got the arc and gen 3 sub and here is what i’ve discovered after some testing:

 

-when watching netflix directly through the app on the new LG smart TV or through an Apple TV box on an old Sony LED TV, there is the ticking sound described by everyone else.  Likewise when I watch youtube/amazon prime directly through the apps on the LG smart TV, I can also hear the ticking sound.  The ticking sound is audible as long as the videos are playing, even if I turn the volume all the way down.

-when watching netflix through my laptop plugged into my TV via HDMI, or when watching youtube through my iPhone via airplay, or when listening to music using the Sonos app, the ticking sound disappears .  when watching cable tv directly on my old sony LED tv, the ticking sound also disappears.  likewise, when watching an old dvd through a dvd player on my laptop, plugged into the tv (which has audio passthrough), there is no ticking sound.  There is still a slight electric buzzing sound that is audible from the sub under these scenarios, but it is steady and faint and is not the ticking sound described earlier.  

 

I can’t speak for everyone, but from my experience the issue seems to be how audio files are streamed. it seems more prevalent the higher the quality being streamed (atmos or 5.1, as opposed to airplay from iPhone).  can anyone else test and confirm my findings?

Userlevel 2
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recently got the arc and gen 3 sub and here is what i’ve discovered after some testing:

 

-when watching netflix directly through the app on the new LG smart TV or through an Apple TV box on an old Sony LED TV, there is the ticking sound described by everyone else.  Likewise when I watch youtube/amazon prime directly through the apps on the LG smart TV, I can also hear the ticking sound.  The ticking sound is audible as long as the videos are playing, even if I turn the volume all the way down.

-when watching netflix through my laptop plugged into my TV via HDMI, or when watching youtube through my iPhone via airplay, or when listening to music using the Sonos app, the ticking sound disappears .  when watching cable tv directly on my old sony LED tv, the ticking sound also disappears.  likewise, when watching an old dvd through a dvd player on my laptop, plugged into the tv (which has audio passthrough), there is no ticking sound.  There is still a slight electric buzzing sound that is audible from the sub under these scenarios, but it is steady and faint and is not the ticking sound described earlier.  

 

I can’t speak for everyone, but from my experience the issue seems to be how audio files are streamed. it seems more prevalent the higher the quality being streamed (atmos or 5.1, as opposed to airplay from iPhone).  can anyone else test and confirm my findings?

I pretty much observed the same phenomenon. Only that the hissing did not completely disappear when playing through Sonos app or airplay, it became much quieter but still noticeable. Also, when playing content through tv, the noise sub makes is like a tickling noise. When playing music through airplay, the noise’s frequency is much higher.

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?

Userlevel 2
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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?

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.

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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 !!! 
 

 

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My sub 3 is working flawlesly , but build number is starting with 6038

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

Hey all,

Just thought I’d give you an update from my end:
I got my replacement unit today and I used the option to send my old one to Sonos within 14 days = I have both at home right now.

After som testing I can conclude that they are both having the exact same problem.
One thing that I found out during testing was that it does matter what the Sub is paired to.
I tested to pair it to: Sonos One, Sonos Five, Sonos Arc and Ikea Symfonisk bookshelf.

Conclusions:
When paired to One, Five or Symfonisk - the sub has one specific crackling/hissing sound - mainly crackling. The volume of this noise is not too bad

When paired to the Arc, the Sub has a much louder, high pitch hissing noise. This I can hear from 3 meters away.

Contacted support again, sent them my findings, and their response was so send me yet another Sub.
If this 3rd Sub exhibits the same problem I will not bother accepting any more exchanges.


A Dropbox link to my recordings of the sound when paired to different speakers:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ntb6uwjl08vhzyk/AAC2gHkIpnHsVgm_b7YZ7ZK6a?dl=0

 

Note: When I made the recordings I had music playing to the speakers, but volume muted.
That is when this problem occur. When there is nothing playing, there is just a very faint crackling which does not bother me at all.

 

Could anyone with an Arc confirm my findings that the problem is worse when the Sub is paired to Arc compared to any other speaker?

Userlevel 2
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Hey all,

Just thought I’d give you an update from my end:
I got my replacement unit today and I used the option to send my old one to Sonos within 14 days = I have both at home right now.

After som testing I can conclude that they are both having the exact same problem.
One thing that I found out during testing was that it does matter what the Sub is paired to.
I tested to pair it to: Sonos One, Sonos Five, Sonos Arc and Ikea Symfonisk bookshelf.

Conclusions:
When paired to One, Five or Symfonisk - the sub has one specific crackling/hissing sound - mainly crackling. The volume of this noise is not too bad

When paired to the Arc, the Sub has a much louder, high pitch hissing noise. This I can hear from 3 meters away.

Contacted support again, sent them my findings, and their response was so send me yet another Sub.
If this 3rd Sub exhibits the same problem I will not bother accepting any more exchanges.


A Dropbox link to my recordings of the sound when paired to different speakers:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ntb6uwjl08vhzyk/AAC2gHkIpnHsVgm_b7YZ7ZK6a?dl=0

 

Note: When I made the recordings I had music playing to the speakers, but volume muted.
That is when this problem occur. When there is nothing playing, there is just a very faint crackling which does not bother me at all.

 

Could anyone with an Arc confirm my findings that the problem is worse when the Sub is paired to Arc compared to any other speaker?

I agree with you, it seemed to me that when I play music through TV, which is connected to ARC, the sub makes a louder crackling sound. 

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

Hi all, can you guys please confirm 1st gen does NOT have this issue? I’ve found a 1st gen Sonos Sub at a good price and would like to know if this generation is affected by this issue…

Thank you very much

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