A loud popping noise that seems like a bang or gunshot after which no audio in any respect has been the expertise for quite a few homeowners of the $900 Sonos Arc soundbar. But don’t fret: Sonos is engaged on re-creating the issue—and has been doing so for over two years.
That’s proper. As an Ars reader helpfully identified, customers have been overtly complaining about their Arc startling them with a “gunshot-esque” or popping/cracking sound after which dropping audio till being power-cycled for years. If you do not imagine me, take a look at this thread on Sonos’ group discussion board that goes again two years and has 980 replies. There’s additionally this 2-year-old thread, one other thread that is a 12 months previous, and a few more moderen ones. There are piles of discussions on Reddit, too (listed below are just a few examples: one, two, three, 4). (*2*)
The tales sound reasonably disturbing. One consumer on Sonos’ discussion board, going by William_61, described the Arc’s sudden sound as far more of a blare than a pop.
“Pop is an understatement. We examined once more final week and BANG is a way more applicable phrase for what occurs,” they wrote.
Another consumer, going by Schlagdog, detailed their ordeal:
I can’t imagine after 2 years Sonos nonetheless hasn’t fastened this. … I used to be watching an [Atmos movie] and actually 10 seconds into it the loud POP OF DEATH and [Arc] is finished. … The [Arc] to me is fairly disappointing to say the least and the shortage on somebody that truly works at Sonos to have an actual solutions is embarrassing.
Ars Technica reached out to Sonos about the issue, and a spokesperson mentioned:
We are conscious {that a} small proportion of prospects have skilled an interoperability concern which is inflicting a popping sound on Arc. What we all know now’s that this concern happens on some Dolby Atmos enabled audio merchandise, together with Arc, when linked to sure combos of streaming units and TVs whereas enjoying Dolby Atmos content material.
Sonos did not specify whether or not or not another Sonos merchandise had been affected.
The firm’s rep additionally mentioned Sonos is trying for the “root trigger” of the issue and testing for a “dependable replica of what prospects are describing on-line and in conversations with our help workforce.”
The Santa Barbara, California-headquartered firm’s spokesperson added:
We are additionally partaking our contacts at third get together producers to additional discover potential options. As this is a matter stemming from the best way numerous units are working collectively, there are a selection of exams our workforce wants to conduct to perceive the scope and develop a focused answer for every setup. We’ll let you understand as quickly as we’ve got an replace to share.
But if I’m something like Sonos’ prospects, it may be years earlier than I perceive what’s incorrect with the Arc.
A Sonos worker on Reddit (I requested Sonos to affirm the consumer’s actual title however did not hear again in time for publication) has beforehand tried to present perception into the issue however hasn’t clarified what’s inflicting the issue.
“Officially, our steering is to disable CEC on HDMI linked units, then reboot these units in addition to the TV. If the problem persists, disable Dolby Atmos and use Dolby Digital 5.1 as an alternative,” they mentioned final month.
“Personally, I’ve seen a number of people within the Sonos Community … use issues like an HDMI change or one thing like an HDFury Arcana to mitigate the problem for now. But I would not anticipate Sonos to give that as official recommendation.”
That’s not a lot consolation for individuals who purchased Arc for Atmos help, need to have full performance of their $900 soundbar, and don’t need to be pressured to use a number of remotes of their house theater.
But primarily based on what Sonos’ PR rep informed me, there is no clear timeframe for when there will likely be any answer.
As famous by the Sonos worker on Reddit:
[To be honest], it definitely would not really feel good providing that as a ‘answer’ both. And I believe I converse for the workforce on that.
I hesitate to say a ‘fix’ is within the works. Only as a result of I do not need anybody to get tied to the concept one thing is coming ‘quickly.’ The workforce has been and is actively working in direction of an answer, the most important concern we’ve got is reproducing the loud pop. We can discover stories of the problem however getting the problem to occur repeatedly and in our personal labs has confirmed to be troublesome. But there may be motion on it although!
Movement is a relative time period, nonetheless. It’s apparently taking Sonos years to re-create an issue that Arc customers have discovered widespread sufficient to dub “notorious.”
Sonos hasn’t made swift strikes to alert consumers and customers of a reported drawback with its product. As of this writing, the machine is not discounted from its 2020 launching value; in reality, the Arc prices $100 greater than it did upon launch.
Sonos did not reply my query about providing prospects refunds. But Sonos usually has a 45-day return coverage, and its merchandise have a one-year guarantee within the US.