Sonos vows to fix stuttering surround sound caused by 14.6 software update

Some Sonos owners have been having a torrid time recently. Following the 14.6 software update that dropped at the end of April, people using the speakers as part of a surround sound multimedia setup have claimed stuttering, out-of-sync, and unreliable audio.

This has been reported by multiple users and appears to impact people watching television, movies, or playing games — with those simply listening to music unimpacted.

According to a range of reports, this issue with audio dropping occurs when users have their speakers set up to take advantage of the hardware’s surround sound capabilities. The problems regularly begin when switching between sources (say games consoles and television).

Some have fixed this by restarting the Sonos devices — but the audio issues begin again when switching to another source.

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Over recent years, Sonos has moved beyond being a simple provider of wireless music, instead focusing on providing a full audio experience. This has led to the company releasing the Arc soundbar (a Dolby Atmos speaker for home theaters), alongside longer-standing products like its subwoofer (named, shockingly, the Sub).

In fact, the company now bundles these items (alongside two One SL speakers) in its Home Theater package — and it’s the technology behind this surround sound setup that’s causing the problem for many users.

Thankfully, this was finally by a Sonos representative on the company’s forum:

sonos surround system 14.6 software update issue — The text above says: “Just to let you all know, we have now identified an issue whereby some Sonos Home Theatre satellites will experience audio interruptions after the latest 14.6 update. We are investigating the situation and hope to resolve it soon. At present, we have no further information to share.”

For users impacted by this issue over the past few weeks, this is obviously a godsend. Setting up a wireless audio system is still fraught with difficulties and, personally, has sent me running into my network configurations more times than I can count.

Knowing this issue with surround sound is from Sonos’ 14.6 software update is bound to soothe a lot of users’ worries. Well, at least it will when they have more information on when the problem will be fixed.

We’ve reached out to Sonos for further comment on the above, including explanation on the specifics of the issue and when it plans to roll out a fix, and we will update the piece when we have that information.

Until then… good luck, people.

Story by Callum Booth

Callum Booth is a freelance journalist with over a decade of experience. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of TNW, where his reporting (show all) Callum Booth is a freelance journalist with over a decade of experience. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of TNW, where his reporting was cited widely, including in VICE, the FT, and the BBC. Callum’s writing has appeared in The Verge, The Daily Telegraph, Time Out, and many more. He covers the full spectrum of technology, with a particular focus on how it shapes our daily lives. And a lot of regulation stuff too. Outside of work, Callum’s an avid bookworm, a Fisherman’s Friends addict, and resolutely unshaven. Follow him on Twitter @CallumBooth or visit www.callumbooth.net.