Forum Discussion

Tinman98's avatar
Tinman98
Channel Surfer
2 months ago

Intermittent audio issue with Roku Streaming Sticks

I have seen SOME reporting of audio sound issues with ROKU sticks, but haven't figured out if there is any solution. And by the way, telling me to disconnect this or that, or reload something is NOT a solution. I am smart enough to do that on my own.

The problem I have had with multiple ROKU sticks/StreamBar, and with multiple TVs (so it is not unique to any one), is that randomly, the audio will go extremely low (but not off), OR extremely high to the point of gross distortion. But also sometimes anywhere in between. Occasionally the TV will seem to be a LITTLE louder than it was. And it almost never does this while I am actually watching. The kitchen TV is on 24/7, and the living room TV is on most the time during the day/evening. I have even had it happen while the TV was on mute; as soon as I unmuted it, it would be super loud. It clearly is not the TV device, because it can be cleared by reloading the particular channel I was watching. And it is not a particular stick. I have two sticks and one stream bar. It does happen mostly with the stick, but also occasionally with the stream bar. Interestingly enough, I almost never have had the synchronization problem that many others have experienced. The ROKUs are automatically updated. However, the updates are mostly APPs, not the actual streaming hardware updates. I don't know if ROKU has found a solution, but I cannot believe I am the only one experiencing this.
Again, this is a hardware/software glitch, and telling me to restart or reboot something is NOT a solution, because that does not keep it from happening again. (I assume ROKU has my contact info.)

tv & player support

9 Replies

  • RokuElizer-A's avatar
    RokuElizer-A
    Community Moderator
    2 months ago

    HeyTinman98​,

    Thanks for posting! It seems that you have an audio issue with your Roku stick. We'd like to know more about it.

    Could you drop some info here?

    • When did this issue start?
    • What specific channels were affected?
    • Did this happen after an update? If so, can you tell us the latest software version of the Roku devices? (Check under Settings > System > About) 
    • Any specific troubleshooting steps you tried so far?

    We'll wait for your response!

    Thanks again,
    Roku Community Team

    • SLucier's avatar
      SLucier
      Newbie
      16 days ago

      The audio issues, volume specifically, happen on all apps. I will be watching something then the volume will slowly lower. After some time it will just start blaring and the loud sound will be distorted. Backing out of what I’m watching usually fixes it, but it’s getting to the point where I may have to do it several times throughout a movie or series. It can happen 10 minutes into a show or two hours later. There is no rhyme or reason to when it happens. I usually only watch tv late night so my tv may be on for 4 to 6 hours at a time. 
      my tv is a plasma tv. It’s maybe 5 years old. I have one of the first ROKU devices made. Attaches by a short usb adapter to the tv that came with the Roku device and attaches to the device on the other end of cord.

      I also use my tv attached to an hdtv antenna to watch local sports games and have no issues with volume then so it’s not the tv. 

      Any suggestions?

      • RokuRiamie-D's avatar
        RokuRiamie-D
        Community Moderator
        16 days ago

        Hello, SLucier​

        Thanks for reaching out and sharing your audio issue while streaming on your Roku device. We'd like to take a closer look at this.

        Share with us the following:

        • Exact model and software version of your Roku device
        • Do you have an external audio device connected to your TV? If so, what's the model?
        • Have you tried plugging this device into other TV/s to test if the same issue occurs?
        • Video showing the issue occurring


        Let's see if this works for you:
        System restart your Roku device, go to Settings > Select System > Select Power.         If you do not see a Power submenu, skip to the next step > Select System restart.

        Keep us posted.

        Roku Community Team

    • Tinman98's avatar
      Tinman98
      Channel Surfer
      2 months ago

      I got my first ROKU around Dec 2020, then added a 2nd stick and the Sound Bar not long after. They are the Roku Streaming Stick+. By far, the sticks exhibit the problem more than the Bar, probably a couple of times a week at least. One TV and stick stays on 24/7 and the other is hardly ever on. So a while back I switched the sticks; same problem. I have no idea when it started but has been going on as long as I can remember, likely within a year or so of first getting them. The Streaming Bar does not seem to do it enough to worry about; just that it has not been immune to the problem.

      I have not noticed a particular channel. By far, my most watched channels are FNC, Unexplained Zone, Forensic Files, Modern Marvels (History), A&E. BBC America and a few others.

      First, there is no way of knowing if it happened after an update because it does not notify when updates have occurred, and I would not have kept track of the updates. It has been going on longer than would be related to any one update. I am always up-to-date (ver. 14.5.4 Build 5944 on the streaming bar. The sticks have the same Build).

      The only "troubleshooting" one would be able to do is strictly observational, or substitution, which I have already told you about. It happens with both sticks and the stream bar, on two different TVs. But most often with the stick, quite possibly simply because that TV is on all the time. And no, the sticks do not overheat as I have read others complain about.

      It is not just one effect, but multiple. That is, the audio might go to near zero, but you can still barely hear it. Volume has no affect. Or it might go noticeably louder than your volume setting. Or it might go as if you turned the volume up all the way. Or it might go even beyond that with very extreme distortion, like probably 100%, so bad it is garbled. I suppose in theory, there is nothing that would PRECLUDE that something in the downstream is triggering it. Yet, if that is true, it still points to a flaw in the hardware or software to have that susceptibility.  They are all about four years old, so I don't know if ROKU has made any significant hardware/software changes in that time. I certainly would be willing to try a couple of new sticks (gratis, of course.)

      Milo Austin

      • Tinman98's avatar
        Tinman98
        Channel Surfer
        2 months ago

        By the way, all channels are provided by Sling. I have not watched the Roku channels enough to notice a problem.

        As mentioned in original post, problem is always cleared by merely reloading the channel (not Sling, just the channel). Obviously, that is the "highest level" of an action that might clear the audio. Any lower level, such as reloading Sling, or Roku, or rebooting would also do the same thing. None of the TV audio controls have any affect. Or maybe I should say they REMAIN in affect, like when the TV had been muted, and then unmuted it was suddenly in distortion. On the other hand, THAT cannot be corrected by the volume control. So both are true.


        I wonder if the length of continuous time on any one channel is doing it. Like possibly some internal errors accumulate to the point that something "blows up". Sometimes, FNC can be on almost all day in the kitchen, even if I am watching something else in the living room. And if reloading the channel clears it, then so too would changing channels. So if you were changing channels a lot, it might never happen. Still a flaw. Just a thought.