diff --git a/src/SoundManager.ts b/src/SoundManager.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1c50cbbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/SoundManager.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) 2018 The xterm.js authors. All rights reserved.
+ * @license MIT
+ */
+
+import { ITerminal, ISoundManager } from './Types';
+
+// Source: https://freesound.org/people/altemark/sounds/45759/
+// This sound is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
+// (CC BY 3.0) license. It was created by 'altemark'. No modifications have been
+// made, apart from the conversion to base64.
+export const DEFAULT_BELL_SOUND = 'data:audio/wav;base64,UklGRigBAABXQVZFZm10IBAAAAABAAEARKwAAIhYAQACABAAZGF0YQQBAADpAFgCwAMlBZoG/wdmCcoKRAypDQ8PbRDBEQQTOxRtFYcWlBePGIUZXhoiG88bcBz7HHIdzh0WHlMeZx51HmkeUx4WHs8dah0AHXwc3hs9G4saxRnyGBIYGBcQFv8U4RPAEoYRQBACD70NWwwHC6gJOwjWBloF7gOBAhABkf8b/qv8R/ve+Xf4Ife79W/0JfPZ8Z/wde9N7ijtE+wU6xvqM+lb6H7nw+YX5mrlxuQz5Mzje+Ma49fioeKD4nXiYeJy4pHitOL04j/jn+MN5IPkFOWs5U3mDefM55/ogOl36m7rdOyE7abuyu8D8Unyj/Pg9D/2qfcb+Yn6/vuK/Qj/lAAlAg==';
+
+export class SoundManager implements ISoundManager {
+  private _audioContext: AudioContext;
+
+  constructor(
+    private _terminal: ITerminal
+  ) {
+  }
+
+  public playBellSound(): void {
+    const audioContextCtor: typeof AudioContext = (<any>window).AudioContext || (<any>window).webkitAudioContext;
+    if (!this._audioContext && audioContextCtor) {
+      this._audioContext = new audioContextCtor();
+    }
+
+    if (this._audioContext) {
+      const bellAudioSource = this._audioContext.createBufferSource();
+      const context = this._audioContext;
+      this._audioContext.decodeAudioData(this.base64ToArrayBuffer(this.removeMimeType(this._terminal.options.bellSound)), (buffer) => {
+        bellAudioSource.buffer = buffer;
+        bellAudioSource.connect(context.destination);
+        bellAudioSource.start(0);
+      });
+    } else {
+      console.warn('Sorry, but the Web Audio API is not supported by your browser. Please, consider upgrading to the latest version');
+    }
+  }
+
+  private base64ToArrayBuffer(base64: string): ArrayBuffer {
+    const binaryString = window.atob(base64);
+    const len = binaryString.length;
+    const bytes = new Uint8Array(len);
+
+    for (let i = 0; i < len; i++) {
+      bytes[i] = binaryString.charCodeAt(i);
+    }
+
+    return bytes.buffer;
+  }
+
+  private removeMimeType(dataURI: string): string {
+    // Split the input to get the mime-type and the data itself
+    const splitUri = dataURI.split(',');
+
+    // Return only the data
+    return splitUri[1];
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/Terminal.ts b/src/Terminal.ts
index ef2349f2..721996c9 100644
--- a/src/Terminal.ts
+++ b/src/Terminal.ts
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ import * as Browser from './shared/utils/Browser';
 import * as Strings from './Strings';
 import { MouseHelper } from './utils/MouseHelper';
 import { CHARSETS } from './Charsets';
-import { BELL_SOUND } from './utils/Sounds';
+import { DEFAULT_BELL_SOUND, SoundManager } from './SoundManager';
 import { DEFAULT_ANSI_COLORS } from './renderer/ColorManager';
 import { MouseZoneManager } from './input/MouseZoneManager';
 import { AccessibilityManager } from './AccessibilityManager';
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ const DEFAULT_OPTIONS: ITerminalOptions = {
   termName: 'xterm',
   cursorBlink: false,
   cursorStyle: 'block',
-  bellSound: BELL_SOUND,
+  bellSound: DEFAULT_BELL_SOUND,
   bellStyle: 'none',
   enableBold: true,
   fontFamily: 'courier-new, courier, monospace',
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ export class Terminal extends EventEmitter implements ITerminal, IInputHandlingT
   private helperContainer: HTMLElement;
   private compositionView: HTMLElement;
   private charSizeStyleElement: HTMLStyleElement;
-  private bellAudioElement: HTMLAudioElement;
+
   private visualBellTimer: number;
 
   public browser: IBrowser = <any>Browser;
@@ -224,6 +224,7 @@ export class Terminal extends EventEmitter implements ITerminal, IInputHandlingT
   private userScrolling: boolean;
 
   private inputHandler: InputHandler;
+  public soundManager: SoundManager;
   private parser: Parser;
   public renderer: IRenderer;
   public selectionManager: SelectionManager;
@@ -328,6 +329,7 @@ export class Terminal extends EventEmitter implements ITerminal, IInputHandlingT
     this.selectionManager = this.selectionManager || null;
     this.linkifier = this.linkifier || new Linkifier(this);
     this._mouseZoneManager = this._mouseZoneManager || null;
+    this.soundManager = this.soundManager || new SoundManager(this);
 
     // Create the terminal's buffers and set the current buffer
     this.buffers = new BufferSet(this);
@@ -493,8 +495,6 @@ export class Terminal extends EventEmitter implements ITerminal, IInputHandlingT
         }
         break;
       case 'tabStopWidth': this.buffers.setupTabStops(); break;
-      case 'bellSound':
-      case 'bellStyle': this.syncBellSound(); break;
     }
     // Inform renderer of changes
     if (this.renderer) {
@@ -693,9 +693,6 @@ export class Terminal extends EventEmitter implements ITerminal, IInputHandlingT
     this.helperContainer.appendChild(this.charSizeStyleElement);
     this.charMeasure = new CharMeasure(document, this.helperContainer);
 
-    // Preload audio, this relied on helperContainer
-    this.syncBellSound();
-
     // Performance: Add viewport and helper elements from the fragment
     this.element.appendChild(fragment);
 
@@ -1894,7 +1891,9 @@ export class Terminal extends EventEmitter implements ITerminal, IInputHandlingT
    */
   public bell(): void {
     this.emit('bell');
-    if (this.soundBell()) this.bellAudioElement.play();
+    if (this.soundBell()) {
+      this.soundManager.playBellSound();
+    }
 
     if (this.visualBell()) {
       this.element.classList.add('visual-bell-active');
@@ -2215,24 +2214,6 @@ export class Terminal extends EventEmitter implements ITerminal, IInputHandlingT
     // return this.options.bellStyle === 'sound' ||
     //     this.options.bellStyle === 'both';
   }
-
-  private syncBellSound(): void {
-    // Don't update anything if the terminal has not been opened yet
-    if (!this.element) {
-      return;
-    }
-
-    if (this.soundBell() && this.bellAudioElement) {
-      this.bellAudioElement.setAttribute('src', this.options.bellSound);
-    } else if (this.soundBell()) {
-      this.bellAudioElement = document.createElement('audio');
-      this.bellAudioElement.setAttribute('preload', 'auto');
-      this.bellAudioElement.setAttribute('src', this.options.bellSound);
-      this.helperContainer.appendChild(this.bellAudioElement);
-    } else if (this.bellAudioElement) {
-      this.helperContainer.removeChild(this.bellAudioElement);
-    }
-  }
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/Types.ts b/src/Types.ts
index 2906521d..be292dbf 100644
--- a/src/Types.ts
+++ b/src/Types.ts
@@ -349,3 +349,7 @@ export interface IBrowser {
   isIphone: boolean;
   isMSWindows: boolean;
 }
+
+export interface ISoundManager {
+  playBellSound(): void;
+}
diff --git a/src/utils/Sounds.ts b/src/utils/Sounds.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index be26d4a5..00000000
--- a/src/utils/Sounds.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * Copyright (c) 2017 The xterm.js authors. All rights reserved.
- * @license MIT
- */
-
-// Source: https://freesound.org/people/altemark/sounds/45759/
-// This sound is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
-// (CC BY 3.0) license. It was created by 'altemark'. No modifications have been
-// made, apart from the conversion to base64.
-export const BELL_SOUND = 'data:audio/wav;base64,UklGRigBAABXQVZFZm10IBAAAAABAAEARKwAAIhYAQACABAAZGF0YQQBAADpAFgCwAMlBZoG/wdmCcoKRAypDQ8PbRDBEQQTOxRtFYcWlBePGIUZXhoiG88bcBz7HHIdzh0WHlMeZx51HmkeUx4WHs8dah0AHXwc3hs9G4saxRnyGBIYGBcQFv8U4RPAEoYRQBACD70NWwwHC6gJOwjWBloF7gOBAhABkf8b/qv8R/ve+Xf4Ife79W/0JfPZ8Z/wde9N7ijtE+wU6xvqM+lb6H7nw+YX5mrlxuQz5Mzje+Ma49fioeKD4nXiYeJy4pHitOL04j/jn+MN5IPkFOWs5U3mDefM55/ogOl36m7rdOyE7abuyu8D8Unyj/Pg9D/2qfcb+Yn6/vuK/Qj/lAAlAg==';