A Sony A80L whose soundbar or receiver will not play the TV's sound over eARC or ARC has a port and setting question, and the A80L has a detail about its ports that decides most cases. This 2023 OLED has Acoustic Surface Audio speakers, which make the screen itself vibrate, and a Google TV platform. It has two full HDMI 2.1 ports, HDMI 3 and HDMI 4, and HDMI 3 is also the eARC port; if a soundbar takes eARC on HDMI 3, a console that wants 4K 120 hertz should be on HDMI 4. A soundbar on any other port gets no sound over ARC. Start with the port.
The checks in more detail
On the back of the TV, find the HDMI port marked eARC or ARC, which is HDMI 3, and connect a high-speed or ultra high-speed HDMI cable from it to the soundbar's eARC or ARC port. Seat the cable firmly. Set the soundbar to listen on its TV, ARC or eARC input, whichever its panel names. If your receiver has several HDMI outputs, use the one marked ARC. Then the TV settings. Under Display and Sound, find Audio Output; selecting Audio System, or the eARC option where it is listed, sends sound to the soundbar and mutes the panel's own speakers. Turn on Control for HDMI, the name for HDMI-CEC on Sony, under External Inputs, so that the TV and the soundbar can control each other.
The Digital Audio Output item should read Auto or Pass-through, with PCM as the fallback if the soundbar rejects a format. Check Eco and power-saving settings. If there is still no sound, switch the soundbar and the TV off, unplug both for a minute, and power the soundbar on before the TV. Check that the TV is on the HDMI port that the source uses. For a Sony soundbar, the Center Speaker mode lets the TV's speakers and the soundbar work together, which needs the right option selected. Update the TV software through Settings, System, About, and the soundbar. Try a different cable. If no cable and no port carries sound, contact Sony with the model number.
The A80L has a feature that complicates the soundbar question: its screen is the speaker. Sony's Acoustic Surface Audio makes sound come from the panel, so the picture and the voices line up, and a Center Speaker mode lets the TV's panel speakers act as the center channel of a compatible Sony soundbar. If Center Speaker mode is on but the soundbar is not set up for it, dialogue can vanish or double; if you want ordinary soundbar playback, turn the mode off in the Audio Output settings. When a PlayStation 5 is on HDMI 4 and the soundbar on HDMI 3, both work together, and the Perfect for PlayStation 5 mode does not interfere with eARC.
Differential
Likely causes of “Sony A80L OLED TV ARC or eARC soundbar audio is not working”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
The soundbar not on HDMI 3
What separates it No sound from the soundbar
How to confirm Use the eARC port, HDMI 3
- 2
A poor or loose HDMI cable
What separates it Dropouts or silence
How to confirm Use a high-speed cable and reseat it
- 3
The wrong audio output or Control for HDMI off
What separates it The TV plays on its own speakers
How to confirm Choose Audio System and enable Control for HDMI
- 4
A format the soundbar cannot decode
What separates it Crackle or silence
How to confirm Set Digital Audio Output to Auto or PCM
- 5
A stale link
What separates it The soundbar is not detected
How to confirm Power cycle both, soundbar first
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Which HDMI port the soundbar uses
- What Audio Output is set to
- Whether Control for HDMI is on
- The soundbar model
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedUse HDMI 3
ReversibleThe eARC port.
Use a good HDMI cable
ReversibleSeated firmly.
Set Audio Output
ReversibleTo Audio System.
Enable Control for HDMI
ReversibleOn both.
Set the audio format
ReversibleAuto or PCM.
Contact Sony
ReversibleIf it still fails.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Port roles
- HDMI 3 is eARC and 2.1; HDMI 4 is 2.1.
- Audio Output
- It must select the audio system.
- CEC
- Control for HDMI links the devices.
- Cables
- A poor cable drops audio.
- Power order
- Soundbar first, then TV.
- Sony help
- Quote the model number.
- Acoustic Surface Audio
- The screen vibrates to make sound, so the TV's own speakers are unusual.
- Center Speaker mode
- It needs a compatible Sony soundbar and the matching setting.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !Do not force an HDMI plug
- !Unplug before moving the TV
- !Contact Sony if no port carries audio
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
Why will my soundbar not work with my Sony A80L?+
The wrong port, a cable or a setting.
Which port is eARC?+
HDMI 3.
Should a console use HDMI 4?+
Yes, if a soundbar uses HDMI 3.
What is Control for HDMI?+
Sony's HDMI CEC.
What is Acoustic Surface Audio?+
The screen acts as a speaker.
What is Center Speaker mode?+
A Sony feature that uses the TV's panel as the center channel of a compatible soundbar.
Can the PS5 and a soundbar share the TV?+
Yes, a console on HDMI 4 and a soundbar on HDMI 3.