Sonos Arc No Sound From TV — Fix HDMI eARC and CEC Issues

The Sonos Arc is one of the best soundbars you can buy, but getting it to reliably pull audio from your TV over HDMI is not always straightforward. A silent Arc while the TV plays video normally is one of the most common complaints, and it usually comes down to an eARC handshake failure, a CEC routing conflict, or a mismatch between the audio format your TV is sending and what the Arc expects. This problem frequently shows up after a TV firmware update, when switching between streaming apps, or after plugging in a new HDMI device like a game console.

The good news is that this is almost always a settings or connection issue rather than a hardware defect. The steps below will walk you through every fix from the simplest power cycle to a full factory reset.

Quick answer

• Power cycle everything — unplug the Sonos Arc and your TV from the wall for 60 seconds, then reconnect the TV first and the Arc second
• Verify the HDMI port — the Arc must be plugged into the port labeled HDMI ARC or eARC on your TV, not a regular HDMI input
• Reset CEC on both devices — disable HDMI-CEC in your TV settings, reboot, then re-enable it
• Set audio format to PCM — temporarily switch your TV audio output from Auto or Bitstream to PCM to rule out a format incompatibility
• Set TV audio output to External Speaker / HDMI ARC — many TVs default to internal speakers after an update and need to be manually switched back

Symptoms

• TV plays video normally but the Sonos Arc produces no sound at all
• Arc works when streaming via AirPlay or Spotify Connect but goes silent when playing audio from TV apps like Netflix, YouTube, or cable input
• The Arc LED on the front shows no audio activity (no flicker or pulse) when TV audio should be playing
• Audio cuts in and out intermittently, sometimes dropping for a few seconds before returning
• The Sonos app shows the Arc as connected and available but the volume slider has no effect on TV audio

Quick checks

Check the HDMI port label on your TV. Look at the physical port where the Arc is connected. It must say ARC or eARC. If the Arc is plugged into a standard HDMI input (like HDMI 1 or HDMI 2 without the ARC label), your TV will not route audio through that port. Most TVs only have one ARC-capable port, and it is usually HDMI 2 or HDMI 3 depending on the brand.

Inspect the HDMI cable. A damaged or low-quality cable is one of the most overlooked causes of eARC failures. Try a different cable, ideally a certified Ultra High Speed HDMI cable like the Zeskit Maya 8K (paid link), which supports the full 48Gbps bandwidth needed for lossless audio passthrough.

Check your TV audio output setting. Navigate to your TV's sound or audio settings and confirm that the output is set to External Speaker, HDMI ARC, or Receiver (HDMI) rather than TV Speakers. This is the single most common cause of the problem — many TVs reset this setting to internal speakers after firmware updates.

Check the Sonos app. Open the Sonos app on your phone and look at the Arc's status. If it shows as unavailable or offline, the issue is a network problem rather than an HDMI problem. If the Arc shows as connected and you can play music to it through the app, the Arc hardware is fine and the issue is specifically with the HDMI audio path.

Step-by-step fix

1. Full power cycle with cable disconnect. Unplug the Sonos Arc power cable from the wall. Unplug your TV from the wall. Disconnect the HDMI cable from both the TV and the Arc. Wait a full 60 seconds. This drains residual power from both devices and forces a clean HDMI handshake when everything reconnects.

2. Reconnect to the eARC port. Plug the HDMI cable back into the port on your TV that is labeled ARC or eARC. Double-check the label — on Samsung TVs this is typically HDMI 3, on LG it is usually HDMI 2, and on Sony it varies by model. Plug the other end into the HDMI port on the back of the Sonos Arc. Make sure both connections are fully seated.

3. Power on in the correct order. Plug the TV back into the wall first and turn it on. Wait for it to fully boot to the home screen. Then plug the Sonos Arc back in and let it complete its startup (the LED will glow white when it is ready). This order matters because the TV needs to be the one initiating the HDMI handshake as the source device.

4. Reset CEC on both devices. Go to your TV settings and find the CEC option — it is called different things depending on the brand (Anynet+ on Samsung, SimpLink on LG, Bravia Sync on Sony, Roku TV CEC on Roku). Turn CEC off. Reboot the TV. Then turn CEC back on. In the Sonos app, go to Settings > System > [Your Arc] > TV Setup and re-run the audio setup if the option is available. This forces both devices to re-establish the CEC link from scratch.

5. Configure TV audio output to external speaker. In your TV's sound settings, set the audio output to one of the following (the exact name depends on your TV brand):

   • Samsung: Settings > Sound > Sound Output > Receiver (HDMI)
   • LG: Settings > Sound > Sound Out > HDMI ARC
   • Sony: Settings > Display & Sound > Audio Output > Speakers > Audio System
   • Roku TV: Settings > Audio > S/PDIF and ARC > Auto or Auto (Stereo)
   • Vizio: Settings > Audio > Speakers > HDMI ARC

6. Check Sonos app audio settings. Open the Sonos app and navigate to Settings > System > [Your Arc]. Check that the TV audio input is configured. Under audio format settings, if you see an option for TV Audio Input or TV Dialog, make sure it is not muted or set to an incompatible mode.

7. Test with different apps and inputs. Play audio from multiple sources — try a streaming app like Netflix, then try a different one like YouTube, and also try a live TV channel or an external HDMI device like a game console. If only one app is silent, the issue is app-specific audio routing. If all sources are silent, the problem is in the HDMI handshake or TV audio output settings.

8. Try a different audio format. Go back to your TV audio settings and change the output format. If it is set to Auto or Bitstream, switch it to PCM. PCM is the most compatible format and will confirm whether the HDMI connection itself is working. If audio comes through on PCM, then the issue is with your Bitstream or passthrough settings. You can then switch back to Bitstream or Auto and set the digital audio format to Dolby Digital rather than Dolby Digital Plus or Atmos to find a working middle ground.

9. Replace the HDMI cable. If none of the above steps produce sound, swap in a known-good HDMI cable. Cheap or old cables can pass video perfectly fine while failing on the audio return channel. A certified Ultra High Speed HDMI cable (paid link) eliminates cable quality as a variable.

If it still isn't working

Factory reset the Sonos Arc. As a last resort, you can reset the Arc to factory defaults. Press and hold the Connect button on the back of the Arc while plugging the power cable back in. Continue holding until the LED flashes amber and white. The Arc will reset and you will need to set it up again from scratch in the Sonos app. This clears any corrupted settings that might be preventing the HDMI audio handshake.

Check your TV firmware. Go to your TV's system or support settings and check for firmware updates. Some TV firmware versions have known bugs with eARC audio routing. Updating to the latest firmware — or in some cases rolling back to a previous version — can resolve the issue. Check your TV brand's support forums for known audio issues with your specific model.

Contact Sonos support. If the Arc still gets no audio after a factory reset, a cable swap, and a TV firmware update, there may be a hardware issue with the HDMI port on the Arc. Sonos support can run remote diagnostics by having you submit a diagnostic report from the Sonos app (Settings > System > About > Send Diagnostic). This gives their team detailed logs of the HDMI handshake state and can identify whether the issue is on the Arc side or the TV side.

Upgrading Your Soundbar Setup?

If you are pairing the Sonos Arc with an LG TV and want to make sure you have the best soundbar match for your panel, our best soundbar for LG TV guide covers the top options for eARC compatibility, Dolby Atmos passthrough, and room correction features.

Thinking About Expanding Your Sonos System?

If you're evaluating which Sonos product is right for your space, our best Sonos speakers guide covers the full lineup — Arc, Beam Gen 2, Era 300, Era 100, Ray, and Sub Mini — with honest notes on the 2024 app situation and which products pair best together.

FAQ

Why does my Sonos Arc work with AirPlay but not with TV apps? When you use AirPlay, audio goes from your phone or tablet directly to the Arc over Wi-Fi. The HDMI connection is not involved at all. If AirPlay works but TV apps are silent, it confirms the Arc hardware and speakers are fine. The problem is exclusively in the HDMI ARC/eARC audio path between your TV and the soundbar — typically a TV audio output setting that is still pointed at the internal speakers, a CEC handshake that failed, or an HDMI cable issue.

Do I need eARC or is regular ARC enough for the Sonos Arc? Regular ARC is enough for Dolby Digital 5.1, which covers most TV shows, movies, and streaming content. You only need eARC if you want lossless Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD) or uncompressed 7.1 surround. The Sonos Arc supports Dolby Atmos over both eARC and over lossy Dolby Digital Plus through regular ARC, so most users will get Atmos either way. If your TV only has regular ARC, make sure your TV audio format is set to Dolby Digital or Dolby Digital Plus rather than PCM for the best surround experience.

Why does the audio from my Sonos Arc cut out randomly? Intermittent audio dropouts are usually caused by a flaky HDMI handshake rather than a permanent configuration error. The most common culprits are a marginal HDMI cable that works sometimes but loses the audio return channel under certain conditions, CEC conflicts from other HDMI devices fighting for control, or a TV that briefly switches audio output when changing between apps or inputs. Try a new certified HDMI cable first, then disable CEC on any HDMI devices you are not actively using to reduce conflicts.

Can other HDMI devices interfere with the Sonos Arc getting audio? Yes. When you have multiple HDMI devices connected — a game console, a streaming stick, a Blu-ray player — each one can send CEC commands that interfere with the audio routing between your TV and the Arc. A common scenario is a game console sending a CEC command that switches the TV audio output away from the ARC port. The fix is to disable CEC on devices that do not need it, or to go into your TV settings and make sure the audio output is locked to HDMI ARC rather than set to Auto, which lets the TV switch outputs on its own.