Has anyone else had audio problems after updating Apple TV and HomePods to version 27? My setup worked normally before the update, including eARC.
My setup:
Apple TV 4K (2nd gen); two original HomePods (1st gen) in a stereo pair as the default audio output; Sony X95EL TV (Chinese version of X95L); PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 connected to the TV via HDMI. Apple TV connects to the TV’s eARC port. All devices are on current stable releases, not betas.
Here’s what happened:
1. Dolby Atmos problems with a TV app
First, a native Sony TV streaming app (酷喵帧享影院) began having problems with Dolby Atmos: strange sound, seemingly missing bass, frequent dropouts, and sometimes completely silent passages. Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo 2.0 initially worked.
2. Audio problems on PS5 and Switch 2
Then some Switch 2 games and PS5 audio developed brief dropouts and popping/crackling. I believe both consoles were set to 5.1 PCM at the time.
During testing, setting the Sony TV’s digital audio output to PCM made the TV app’s audio stable. On PS5, Linear PCM worked when Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital 5.1 didn’t; a router reboot later seemed to restore those Dolby modes temporarily. Switching eARC to ARC did not help.
3. Crackling during native Apple TV playback
Later, even audio played directly on Apple TV was affected. Dolby Atmos movies in the Apple TV+ app produced occasional pops/crackles, but I did NOT notice audio dropouts during those movies.
The Apple TV interface sounds also occasionally popped when navigating between apps.
4. Complete eARC failure after factory resets
Finally, ordinary videos in Sony TV apps started crackling too.
I factory-reset the Apple TV, both HomePods, and Sony TV, then set them up again.
This appeared to fix native Apple TV audio, but now eARC has stopped working completely: TV apps, PS5 and Switch 2 produce NO sound through the HomePods.
Apple TV still shows Audio Return Channel as “On (eARC),” while the TV’s built-in speakers work normally.
5. Troubleshooting attempts
Since then I’ve tried toggling ARC/eARC on the TV and Apple TV, unplugging/reconnecting the HDMI cable at both ends (the same cable that worked before), and restarting the Apple TV, HomePods, TV, and Wi-Fi router.
Nothing has restored TV audio to the HomePods.
I’ve reported this through Apple Feedback. The TV streaming app’s support team also suspected an Apple software issue, but I can’t establish the root cause.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Is anyone else seeing crackling, dropouts, or completely silent ARC/eARC audio with tvOS 27 and a HomePod stereo pair, especially with a Sony BRAVIA TV?
Did you find a reliable fix?
I’d appreciate any experiences or suggestions. I hope Apple will investigate this possible software regression and fix it in a future update.