3 months ago I bought and installed a Samsung 75" QN90C 4K Neo QLED HDR Smart TV (2023) and connected it with the supplied HDMI cable to a S801B Soundbar. I set it up using the TV+Soundbar over HDMI and it looked and sounded great. I spotted the sound over Wi-Fi option and also the bluetooth, tried them both, but stuck with the superior HDMI ARC.
A few weeks ago I started noticing soundbar dropouts. Almost a second, roughly every minute. The TV audio is fine, but not loud enough for me. So I thought I’d switch to the WiFi soundbar connection instead, but for some reason it was no longer available. So I’m now using the Bluetooth connection, which is fine, but not as good as it should be.
I have factory reset the TV and also the sound bar twice now and the sound over WiFi option is just not there anymore either on the TV or the SmartThings app. The HDMI is still cutting out and just unlistenable, so I am forced to stick with disappointing Bluetooth audio. At least that works as the sound from the TV alone is pretty poor.
So I’m looking for assistance. Is there some magic setting that’s on by default which I need to disable to get the HDMI audio working? Is the TV and/or soundbar broken? Do I need a new HDMI cable? Running out of things to try.
For info. TV is QE75QN90CATXXU. All the firmware is up-to-date. The Wi-Fi is 5G, with both TV and soundbar connected to the same network. TV is streaming fine and soundbar is working with Alexa so I know both are connected to the WiFi. All TV and soundbar settings are default (after the factory reset). HDMI cable is the Samsung supplied one. I have messed about with as many options as I can find, both on the TV and also the SmartThings app.
It sounds like you've already gone through several troubleshooting steps, including factory resets and checking connections. Since you're still experiencing issues with the HDMI ARC connection and the WiFi sound option is no longer available, here are a few more things you can try:
1. **Check HDMI ARC settings:** Make sure that HDMI ARC is enabled on both your TV and soundbar. Sometimes, there may be specific settings related to HDMI ARC that need adjustment.
2. **Try a different HDMI cable:** Although you're using the Samsung-supplied HDMI cable, it's still worth trying a different HDMI cable to rule out any potential issues with the cable itself.
3. **Update soundbar firmware:** Ensure that your soundbar's firmware is up-to-date. Manufacturers often release firmware updates to address compatibility issues and improve performance.
4. **Check for interference:** Interference from other electronic devices or nearby wireless networks could potentially affect the stability of the HDMI ARC connection. Try moving any nearby electronic devices away from the TV and soundbar or adjusting your WiFi network settings to avoid interference.
5. **Contact Samsung support:** If you've exhausted all troubleshooting steps and are still experiencing issues, it's best to reach out to Samsung's support team for further assistance. They may be able to provide additional troubleshooting steps or advise whether there could be a hardware issue with either the TV or soundbar.
Given that both the HDMI ARC and WiFi sound options are experiencing issues, it's possible that there could be a deeper underlying issue with either the TV or the soundbar. Contacting Samsung support would be the best course of action at this point.
Call samsung. I purchased a q80 & atmos soundbar & my soundbar stopped working about a month ago & they came & repaired it. Highly recommend call samsung support.
It sounds like you've already gone through several troubleshooting steps, including factory resets and checking connections. Since you're still experiencing issues with the HDMI ARC connection and the WiFi sound option is no longer available, here are a few more things you can try:
1. **Check HDMI ARC settings:** Make sure that HDMI ARC is enabled on both your TV and soundbar. Sometimes, there may be specific settings related to HDMI ARC that need adjustment.
2. **Try a different HDMI cable:** Although you're using the Samsung-supplied HDMI cable, it's still worth trying a different HDMI cable to rule out any potential issues with the cable itself.
3. **Update soundbar firmware:** Ensure that your soundbar's firmware is up-to-date. Manufacturers often release firmware updates to address compatibility issues and improve performance.
4. **Check for interference:** Interference from other electronic devices or nearby wireless networks could potentially affect the stability of the HDMI ARC connection. Try moving any nearby electronic devices away from the TV and soundbar or adjusting your WiFi network settings to avoid interference.
5. **Contact Samsung support:** If you've exhausted all troubleshooting steps and are still experiencing issues, it's best to reach out to Samsung's support team for further assistance. They may be able to provide additional troubleshooting steps or advise whether there could be a hardware issue with either the TV or soundbar.
Given that both the HDMI ARC and WiFi sound options are experiencing issues, it's possible that there could be a deeper underlying issue with either the TV or the soundbar. Contacting Samsung support would be the best course of action at this point.
So I called Samsung Support and they told me the HDMI/ARC cable I was using was probably the issue and best to get another one. So I have ordered one from Amazon which I will install tomorrow. Fingers crossed.
He also said the Wi-Fi sound output was a known issue and that a firmware fix would be out "shortly".
Interestingly though I was playing with my Virgin router settings today as I was working from home getting dropped connections possibly caused by neighbour interference. So I decided to change the Wireless Channel from 100 down to 36 to see is that helped. It seemed to fix my laptop issue, and I noticed the WiFi audio option has magically returned on my TV+Soundbar too. Further investigation on the 100 channel reveals that is a “DFS” channel. Not sure what that means, but I’ll be sticking with Channel 36 for the time being enjoying Wi-Fi sound.
New cable arrived, made no difference whatsoever. Soundbar still cutting out for a second every monute or so. WiFi connection seems pretty stable though so I'll be sticking with that for now.
