Like other home electronics, televisions are subject to failures, and why does my TV sound keep cutting out is one of the myriads of issues TV owners have to deal with.
Most TV manufacturers are good at what they do, and it’s scarce to have an audio problem that causes the sound to keep cutting out.
Your TV sound is cutting out because of a faulty cable, software problem or channel problem. All these three issues can be tackled differently and resolved relatively quickly without spending too much time or money.
This is a detailed article that elaborates the various reasons your TV has intermittent sound and has a step-by-step guide on how to fix such sound glitches.
Reasons Why TV Sound Keeps Cutting Out
Your TV has to have an excellent sound to fully enjoy the shows, movies, or songs you are watching.
Here are some of the probable reasons why your TV sound keeps cutting out:
1. Wires
It’s not uncommon to confuse or mess up wire plugging, affecting the TV sound. Damaged wires will also often affect the quality of TV sound.
2. Stereo Receiver
If your TV is connected to a stereo receive that’s not working, you should expect the sound to keep cutting out because of obstructions.
3. Electronic Devices
Where you place your TV matters a lot. Smart TVs, in particular, are susceptible to electronics that may create signal interference which will cause the sound to cut out periodically.
Remember that your TV sound issues could also be caused by speakers going wrong or being damaged mechanically.
Quick Fixes For Why Does My TV Sound Keep Cutting Out – Solutions
Typically, TV sound cutting out often happens because of a TV Box issue or a cable issue. But there is more to the problem because sound systems are susceptible to both software and hardware faults.
Here are the different viable solutions for TV sound cutting out to get your TV sound working again.
Solution #1 Unplug All Wires then Plug Them Back
If you’re using a Smart TV, it’s probably connected to other devices to enhance your experience.
While you may be wondering why does the sound keep cutting out on my TV, these secondary devices may have cable problems which may be the reason for the sound hitches.
It would be best to consider unplugging the cables then plugging them back to fix the sound issues.
Here’s how to do it:
- Disconnect the power cable from your TV.
- Disconnect coaxial wires.
- Disconnect all home theatre wires.
- Unplug all cables to the stereo receiver.
- Unplug all cables from the A/V receiver.
- Use manuals to reconnect all the cables.
Once you reconnect the cables to their correct ports, you should restart your TV first to fix the sound.
Note: If there are any damaged cables, you’ll have to get new ones. Reconnecting damaged or broken cables will not fix the sound issues.
Solution #2 A Cable Channel Problem
Cable channels experience sound issues in varying degrees and for various reasons that only the cable provider can fix.
For example, some channels don’t broadcast Secondary Audio Programming (SAP) signals.
Programming errors also occur, and they are often limited to different geographical locations.
Here’s how to fix your TV sound caused by a cable channel problem:
- Isolate the channel.
- Disable Secondary Audio Programming (SAP).
- Ensure the coaxial cable is hand-tight.
- If it doesn’t work, ensure you contact your cable provider.
Check the audio settings on your television. If you have connected the tv to the external sound system, check that the audio is set to stereo.
Note: In case you have sound on most channels, but TV sound keeps cutting out on some or all of your local network channels, you may be able to fix the problem by turning off the Secondary Audio Programming.
Solution #3 Reset TV to Factory Settings
Settings in Smart TVs, in particular, can be tweaked and changed in numerous ways. When such settings affect your TV sound, it’s advisable to reset your TV to factory settings.
Resetting your TV will restore it to the default settings it had after purchase.
Here’s how to reset your TV to factory settings:
- Press Settings from your remote.
- Go to Systems.
- Select Advanced system settings.
- Select Factory Reset.
- Choose Factory reset everything.
While this is a general reset guide, your TV may have a different reset guide, often in the TV manual.
When the TV is connected to an external USB device, unplug the external USB device from the TV before resetting.
NOTE: If you reset the TV’s settings to fix a sound issue, you must re-enter all of your network information — including passwords — and any other previously entered information such as parental controls and Wi-Fi passwords.
Solution #4 Update TV Firmware
Generally speaking, firmware is programs that help devices like Smart TVs do what they’re supposed to do.
When your TV sound keeps cutting out, it could be a firmware problem.
TV manufacturers are constantly innovating and creating new firmware to fix many software-related issues, including static audio and audio drops.
Most TVs run on Android OS, and like other Android devices, you have to update the firmware to keep your television up to date.
Here’s how to update firmware:
- On your remote, press Home.
- Select Apps icon.
- Scroll down to Help.
- From the options, choose System Software Update, then software update.
To avoid any future interruptions, you can set your Smart TV to update firmware automatically. Just make sure your TV is constantly connected to reliable internet for automatic updates.
Note: Different TV manufacturers and models have different steps for firmware updates. Check your TV manual to get a guide on how to update your TV firmware.
Solution #5 Replace Your TV Speakers
If your TV speakers are faulty, don’t expect miracles; you have to replace them, so your sound issue.
Replacing TV speakers is not necessarily an easy task, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing.
But first here’s how to know your TV speakers are faulty:
- Check speaker settings on your TV.
- Make sure TV has not been muted.
- Ensure no headphones are connected to your TV.
- In the TV menu, verify that the speakers are set to ON.
- Turn off any simulated effects on the TV audio menu.
- If the TV sound still cuts off, you need to replace them.
Call your local technician to help with the speaker replacement, and while at it, ask them to clean any dust accumulated in your TV motherboard.
TIP: You can use external speakers temporarily if you can’t get your TV speakers to work.
Go to the settings menu once you get the external speakers, then change audio settings to “External.”
However, this is just a temporary fix and should not be a long-term solution.’
Read Next: How to Tell if TV Power Supply is Bad?
Final Thoughts
TV sound cutting out can be fixed by unplugging all the wiring, plugging them back into their correct ports, and resetting your TV to factory settings. You may also have to replace your TV speakers or update your firmware.
For cable channel-related issues you’ll have to call your cable provider to help fix programming errors.
Whenever you find yourself worried about why does my TV sound keep cutting out remember there are numerous troubleshooting options and fixes you can try.
In most cases, power cycling the TV by unplugging it from a power source then plugging it will solve the problem.
Kevin has over five years of experience working in various Tech startups and providing Technical solutions. He has contributed to many Tech publications and websites.