Facing Roku Ultra Sound Issues? (Try This Quick Fix!)
If you are facing Roku Ultra sound issues, it can be quite unexpected.
It’s sometimes harsh screeches that occur through the TV speakers and soundbar, other times it’s random beeps or a change in the volume.
Whatever sound issues you’re facing with the Roku Ultra, this quick guide will walk you through some of the best troubleshooting methods.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to:
There is much more, so let’s get into it!
Guaranteed Ways to Resolve Roku Ultra Sound Issues!
Note: Before you start, we recommend power cycling both your TV and Roku Ultra player!
1. Unplug & Connect the HDMI Cable
Considering that Roku Ultra transfers both audio and video through the HDMI cable, the first and most important step would be to reconnect it.
The HDMI cable connects your Roku Ultra to one of the HDMI inputs of your TV.
So, unplug the cable on both sides, and then securely reconnect it.
Tip: ZontSound recommends switching the HDMI cable sides and trying with different available HDMI ports on your TV.
2. Adjust the Roku Ultra HDMI Audio
The Roku Ultra’s HDMI audio settings control how sound is sent to your TV or receiver.
If your Roku Ultra sound is not working properly, you can troubleshoot easily by tweaking these settings.
Here’s a quick breakdown of all HDMI settings and how each option affects the way audio is sent to your TV or receiver.
Note: To reach the HDMI audio settings on Roku Ultra, go to Settings → Audio → HDMI.
Auto-Detect
Roku automatically picks the “best” audio format your device supports, like Dolby Digital Plus or Atmos, based on HDMI detection.
It may transcode stereo content into a surround format, which can confuse some setups.
PCM-Stereo (Recommended)
Outputs all audio as basic 2-channel PCM stereo, ignoring surround sound formats. It’s the simplest, most compatible option.
Dolby D
Sends audio as Dolby Digital (5.1 surround), converting content to this format if needed. Older receivers often support this, but not newer formats.
Dolby D+
Outputs Dolby Digital Plus, supporting up to 7.1 channels and Atmos for streaming apps like Netflix. Older devices may default to stereo if they don’t support it.
Dolby D+ DTS
Supports Dolby Digital Plus or DTS 5.1, depending on the content’s format. Useful for mixed media like streaming and Plex.
If you still experience issues, regardless of the HDMI audio settings you select, keep reading!
3. Disable the Night Listening Mode
Another audio option on your Roku Ultra that can potentially lead to sound issues is the “Night Listening Mode”.
This option automatically reduces loud sounds and, respectively, increases quiet sounds to balance the volume and prevent “audio jumping”.
This option is helpful when you’re viewing content filled with ads with artificially boosted volume, to prevent loud explosions of sound at night.
- To disable the option, head to Settings → Audio → Night listening mode → Off.
When you’re ready, we strongly recommend restarting your receiver TV and Roku Ultra to check whether the problem will now disappear.
If not, keep reading…
4. Check your TV/Receiver Settings
As you probably know, the TV you’re using as an output monitor for your Roku Ultra also comes with a bunch of audio settings enabled by default.
Some of them include Auto Volume, SRS, and Surround, which can severely impact the Roku Ultra audio output in different ways.
Based on your TV brand and model, these settings could be labeled differently, but it’s worth heading to the settings and tweaking them a bit to test this out.
Note: The general recommendation here is to disable any TV audio options and leave your Roku Ultra controlling the audio playback entirely.
5. Test via your TV’s Default Speakers
If you have a connected soundbar, subwoofer, or another audio system to the Roku Ultra’s TV, you can quickly isolate the problem.
This is possible via testing the audio output solely through the TV’s built-in speakers, but you’ll need to disconnect all connected audio devices beforehand.
When you disconnect everything, the next step is to set the audio playback through your built-in TV speakers, so we’ve prepared a table with the most popular brands.
| Brand | How To Enable Built-In Speakers? |
| Samsung | Settings → All Settings → Sound → Sound Output. Select TV Speaker from the list of available audio devices. |
| LG | Settings → All Settings → Sound → Sound Out. Select Internal TV Speaker or Internal TV Speaker + Audio Out (Optical). |
| Sony | Settings → Display & Sound → Audio Output → Speakers → TV Speakers. |
| TCL (Google TV) | Settings → Display & Sounds → Audio → Audio Output → Internal Speaker. |
| Philips | Settings → All Settings → Sound → Advanced → Speakers → TV Speakers. |
| Hisense | Settings → Sound → Speakers → TV Speakers. |
| Panasonic | Menu → Sound → Speaker Selection → TV. |
Note: If you don’t see your TV brand in the table above, the process should be nearly the same as with the other brands listed above.
6. Update your Roku Ultra Firmware
If you are confident that the problem is not coming from your Roku Ultra audio settings, you may need to update the firmware of your player.
In some cases, an outdated version of your system may cause audio issues when combined with the latest version of some streaming applications.
Hence, updating is a step that we shouldn’t skip!
To update your Roku Ultra player, head to Settings → System → System Update and check for any pending firmware to be installed.
If there is an available software version, provide your device with the time needed to install it, and then test whether the audio problems will continue.
If yes, there are more things to try…
7. Reset your Roku Ultra to Defaults
If your Roku Ultra sound problems continue to appear, a factory reset could be the only solution that will help.
However, this method clears all preferences, signs you out from the Roku account, removes apps, and ultimately restores everything on your device to the original state.
There are two methods to factory reset the Roku Ultra:
Using the Physical Button
Locate the Reset button on the back or bottom of your Roku Ultra—it’s either a tactile button or a pinhole requiring a straightened paperclip.
With the device powered ON, press and hold the button for about ~10 seconds until the status LED blinks rapidly, indicating the reset is complete.
From the Settings Menu
Using your remote or the Roku mobile app, go to Settings → System → Advanced system settings → Factory reset, and follow the on-screen instructions.
If asked, you may need to insert a 4-digit code that will trigger the factory reset procedure!
8. Test via a Different Output Device
If nothing helps against the Roku Ultra sound issues, perhaps the issue originates from your TV or receiver.
Hence, the conclusive step that will narrow down the circle of possibilities is to test with a different TV (preferably a newer model), to check whether the audio issues continue.
This will show you whether the problem comes from the TV, Roku Ultra, or any of the connected audio equipment.
If all odds lead to a problem related to your Roku Ultra player, we recommend getting in touch with Roku customer service.
Finn Wheatley, a Master’s graduate in Computer Science from UCL, London, honed his skills at small data science consultancies. There, he helped large corporations enhance their data capabilities by deploying cutting-edge machine learning analytics and resolving technical hurdles.
