What's going on

Routing high-definition TV or console audio to wireless earbuds like the Nothing Ear (1), Ear (2), or Ear (a) usually involves an intermediate HDMI eARC/ARC audio extractor or a dedicated Bluetooth transmitter. When sound fails to reach your ears, the issue rarely lies within the physical earbud drivers themselves. Instead, you are likely dealing with an digital handshake breakdown between the HDMI protocol and the Bluetooth Audio distribution profile.

Because HDMI carries high-bandwidth multi-channel audio (such as Dolby Atmos or DTS-HD) that wireless earbuds cannot natively process, proper downmixing and formatting must occur upstream. If any link in this chain fails—whether due to CEC signaling errors, unsupported codecs, or dual-device interference—your Nothing Earbuds will sit in complete silence.

Symptoms people notice

• No audio passing through to Nothing Earbuds when switching input sources on a TV or AV receiver.
• Loud metallic static, popping, or buzzing when starting a movie or game.
• Distorted audio or constant drops when using an HDMI USB-C hub connected to a tablet or laptop.
• Pinch controls on Nothing Earbud stems failing to respond or alter system volume.
• Noticeable audio latency that makes dialogue completely out of sync with onscreen video.

Likely causes

When troubleshooting wireless audio operating over an HDMI infrastructure, problems generally boil down to three categories: format incompatibility, handshake failures, and signal hijacking. Check out our earbuds troubleshooting hub for broader audio hardware issues.

1. Unsupported Audio Codec: The host device is pushing surround-sound bitstream data over HDMI that the transmitter cannot translate into standard SBC/AAC for your Nothing device.
2. HDMI eARC/ARC Handshake Failure: The display failed to recognize the connected audio extraction hardware during boot-up.
3. Multipoint Distraction: The Nothing Earbuds are actively holding a priority connection to your mobile phone via the Nothing X app.
4. HDMI CEC Conflicts: CEC commands sent over HDMI are toggling the audio output back to internal TV speakers.

Quick checks first

Before taking hardware apart or resetting everything, perform these rapid signal checks:

• Check the Cable: Ensure your HDMI cable is plugged into the designated eARC/ARC port on your TV, not a standard HDMI input.
• Disconnect Phone Bluetooth: Turn off Bluetooth on your phone to prevent your Nothing Earbuds from prioritizing mobile notification streams over the HDMI audio feed.
• Verify PCM Mode: Check that your console or streaming box is outputting 2-Channel PCM audio.
• Check Battery Levels: Ensure the earbud case and transmitter both have sufficient power; low voltage on transmitters often degrades signal range first.

When it's a real hardware fault

If you have verified that uncompressed stereo PCM is flowing out of your HDMI port and other Bluetooth headphones work fine on the transmitter, your Nothing Earbuds may have a hardware-level failure. Physical issues include:

• Damaged Bluetooth antenna inside the earbud stem caused by drops or moisture ingress.
• Faulty charging case contact pins preventing proper reset cycles.
• Degraded lithium-ion cells unable to sustain high-power Bluetooth reception.

For deep dives into earbud hardware reliability, browse our latest tech reviews.

Soft resets vs board/panel work

Always start with soft fixes before suspecting hardware damage. Re-pairing Bluetooth devices and adjusting digital TV menus solves over 90% of HDMI audio transmission issues.

If the failure resides inside the TV's mainboard eARC chip or a burnt-out HDMI audio extractor circuit board, DIY board repair is generally not recommended due to tiny surface-mount components and micro-soldering requirements. Replacing an inexpensive external HDMI audio transmitter or adapter is always far safer and more cost-effective than attempting board-level HDMI repairs yourself.

Next steps

1. Set your display's audio output strictly to PCM Stereo via HDMI.
2. Disable Dual Connection inside the Nothing X app and re-pair the earbuds directly to your HDMI audio box.
3. Test the Nothing Earbuds with a phone to confirm the earbud drivers and wireless radios are healthy.
4. If the issue persists across all sources, test a different HDMI cable or replacement audio transmitter.