Apple TV 4K Not Passing 5.1 Sound with Atmos enabled - Sonos Arc Ultra

Question

Level 1

4 points

Apple TV 4K Not Passing 5.1 Sound with Atmos enabled - Sonos Arc Ultra

I recently purchased an Apple TV 4K to work with my Sonos Arc Ultra Sound Bar. When the Apple TV audio is set to Auto (Atmos Enabled), certain apps like Netflix and Max will not pass the correct audio stream unless that particular show is Atmos enabled.

For example on Netflix, The Witcher is encoded with Atmos and works fine, sound is great and the Sonos app shows that the audio stream is Dolby Atmos. However, if I then play another show, which is not in Atmos - maybe Dolby 5.1, then the only thing that plays is background music. I need to go into the Apple TV settings and turn of Atmos for it to work.

This is really aggravating.

All my firmware is up to date on both the Sonos system and Apple TV.

I am assuming from multiple posts that this is an Apple TV issue that has been a problem for a while. Has anyone found a viable solution?

Posted on Sep 18, 2025 6:30 AM

Reply

Answer 1

vazandrew

Level 8

40,834 points

Sep 19, 2025 12:51 PM in response to Rizzo185

I had to use something similar on my previous TV and it was that device that became the issue..in my case the sound actually stopped altogether. Once I got the new TV and connected the soundbar directly, the issue was resolved.

The easiest way to test would be if you could test on someone else's TV where you're able to connect directly. In lieu of that you can always contact Apple support, they can run through things with you and if they do determine an issue then they can investigate. However, it makes it hard to narrow things down when you are using the other device.

As far as the other reports, hard to know without speaking to each individual case and seeing the entire picture. There are a lot of factors to consider.

Reply

Answer 2

Rizzo185 Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 19, 2025 11:30 AM in response to vazandrew

I can see how it would be the TV. I have to pass the output from the Apple TV through an audio splitter and direct it directly to the soundbar. My TV doesn’t have an eArc out. I guess it could be that, but I’ve seen posts about this issue involving different TVs.

Reply

Answer 3

vazandrew

Level 8

40,834 points

Sep 18, 2025 3:03 PM in response to Rizzo185

Haven't encountered that issue with my Sonos Beam (Gen 2). Were the other reports also using the Arc Ultra or was it across different systems? What about the TV being used?

Reply