Sony TV Switching To External Speakers? – Quick Fix Guide

Worried because Sony TV switching to external speakers? Don’t worry, we understand how difficult it is for you to identify and deal with this situation.

However, we have prepared a guide to help you easily resolve the TV audio from switching and prevent it from appearing in the future.

If your Sony TV is switching to external speakers, the reason could be due to incorrect audio output source settings.

They can be easily configured by navigating to your TV audio output settings and restarting your Sony TV for the changes to take effect.

Let’s learn more about Sony TV’s switching speakers! 

Why Does Sony TV Keeps Switching to External Speakers?

Incorrect audio settings, wireless signal interference, and an outdated system are the primary factors that cause the Sony TV to switch to external speakers.

Once you’ve identified the true cause, troubleshooting the Sony TV will be a simple and quick task so nothing to worry about.

The following factors can cause the Sony TV to switch to external speakers:

✅ Incorrect audio output

The Sony TV’s audio settings are already set to external speakers, which is why the audio is switching.

✅ The HDMI-CEC is enabled

If your TV’s HDMI-CEC settings are enabled, the remotes from connected devices might interfere with the TV.

✅Faulty cable connections

If your TV’s ethernet or HDMI cable is plugged into the wrong port, the Sony TV might switch the audio output.

✅ Faulty TV Software (OS)

Sony TVs with outdated firmware or software glitches might unexpectedly switch to external speakers.

✅ Signal detection issues

Any wireless device’s signal interference might confuse the Sony TV and ultimately lead to automatic audio output switching.

Now let’s move further to start troubleshooting your Sony TV audio switching problem!

How to Fix When Sony TV Switching to External Speakers?

Tip: Follow all of the steps in the order that they are listed!

1. Check the TV Audio Output Setting

Sony TV will switch the audio to the device that you have configured in the TV audio output settings.

We speak for the default audio output device, which when selected will be used when there is any signal, hence the TV will switch from one output to another automatically.

There’s a chance your Sony TV is set to external speakers, such as soundbars, which is why it switches to external speakers as soon as it detects the signal.

So, without further ado, go to the TV audio settings and make sure it’s set to TV internal speakers.

Here is how to check the Sony TV audio output settings:

1. Ensure your Sony TV is turned on and working.
2. Locate and press the Home button on the remote.
3. Navigate to TV Settings from the gear icon.
4. Navigate and choose the Display/Sound settings.
5. Look for Audio Output and set it to “TV Speakers”. 

If you have any external speakers connected to your Sony TV, especially via HDMI, disconnect them from the TV and then play any sound on your Sony TV to check for the coming sound. 

2. Soft-Reset the Sony Television!

Sometimes the Sony TV system fails due to bugs or glitches that prevent the device from using the TV’s internal speakers and force it to use the other connected external speakers.

However, such issues can easily be resolved by soft resetting the TV which is really simple!

Here is how to soft reset the Sony TV in easy steps:

1. Turn off the TV using the remote control.
2. Unplug the Sony TV from the power outlet.
3. Disconnect the HDMI and other video cables.
4. Wait for about 3 minutes for complete discharge.
5. Plug your Sony TV back into the power outlet.
6. Tightly reconnect the HDMI cable on both sides.
7. Turn on the TV and HDMI-connected device.

Test Your TV!

When your TV is turned on, play something on it to see if it produces sound through its speakers or if it switches to external speakers.

If it keeps switching, then there might be something else that needs to be checked, so keep reading the next solutions.

3. Disable the Sony TV HDMI-CEC

If you have an HDMI-CEC compatible Sony TV, such as Bravia Sync or Bravia Link, it will allow you to control your TV and other externally connected devices with a single remote.

Well, this allows the 2-way audio transfer with ARC to send or receive audio between the TV and external speakers, which sometimes causes trouble.

The Solution?

• Simply disable the HDMI-CEC control settings on your TV!

Here is how to disable the HDMI-CEC on Sony TV:

1. Press the Home button on the TV remote.
2. Navigate to your Sony TV Settings.
3. Click on the Inputs or External Inputs.
4. Look for the HDMI-CEC control option.
5. Tap on the HDMI-CEC control to disable it.

What Next?

When you have done disabling the HDMI-CEC on your TV then play any sound on the TV and check whether the sound comes from TV speakers or external speakers.

If the same audio switching issue persists, disconnect the HDMI-CEC configured external devices from the TV.

4. Disable Sony Bravia Sync Control

Whenever the Bravia Sync control is enabled on your Sony TV, the audio output will be switched to the external audio system automatically.

In order to prevent this you would need to turn off the Bravia Sync control, which is very simple to do.

Here’s how to disable the Sony Bravia sync control in easy steps:

1. Press the Home button on the TV remote control.
2. Navigate to your TV Settings by clicking on the gear icon.
3. Choose the Watching TV or TV category from the menu.
4. Locate and tap on the External Inputs from the list.
5. Locate and tap on BRAVIA Sync Control to set it to OFF.
6. Also, locate Auto Input Change (MHL) and set it to OFF.

These steps will prevent your Sony TV from switching between audio devices. Furthermore, ensure that the output audio on your Sony TV is correctly configured to TV speakers.

Also, check if the HDMI-CEC permission is disabled, and/or disconnect the external speakers!

5. Update the Sony TV’s Firmware

When the Sony TV is running on outdated firmware, it often causes display and audio issues that can be frustrating to resolve.

Therefore, it is always crucial to keep your Sony TV up to date so it’s time to check whether there is new firmware available for your television.

Note: Internet connection is crucial for doing a firmware update on Sony TV!

Here is how to do a firmware update on Sony TV:

1. Press the Home button from the Sony TV remote.
2. Go to Sony TV Settings and then Device Preferences.
3. Click on the About option under the preferences list.
4. Press on the Update button from the list to check.

Note: In case of any update available, based on your internet speed the process might be prolonged so remain patient.

6. Revert Sony TV to *Initial Settings*

As a last resort, you should perform a factory reset on your Sony TV to restore default settings.

Remember that this will delete all of your TV’s personalized settings, so make a note of them before proceeding as well as creating any backup of all content that you wouldn’t like erased.

Here is how to perform a factory reset on the Sony TV: 

1. Press the Home button on Sony TV remote.
2. Head over to Sony TV Settings from the menu.
3. Navigate to the Storage and Reset option.
4. Click on the Factory Data Reset from the list.
5. Confirm the reset and continue the process.

Info: The reset process on your Sony TV can take up to 15 minutes, so don't turn it off until it's finished. 

Once the reset is done, your Sony TV should no longer switch to external speakers!

Need More Help?

If your Sony TV continues to switch to external speakers, then you could be facing a hardware problem, which can’t be solved at home.

In those cases, you would need professional help by contacting Sony Support and reporting the issue you’ve been facing. Good luck!

Quick Recap:

If your Sony TV switching to external speakers, check the TV audio output setting, soft reset your TV for 10 minutes, and disable the HDMI-CEC.

For Sony Bravia, simply stop the sync settings, and in case that doesn’t help, perform a factory reset on the Sony TV.

Visit our blog for more Sony TV troubleshooting guides!

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