The included Samsung Subwoofer is an integral part of the audio experience delivered by Samsung’s excellent line of wireless-enabled soundbars. The subwoofer is the component of a speaker system that handles the bass and low-end of an audio mix, and is vital for a balanced and engaging movie-watching and music listening experience.
The Samsung subwoofer is designed to connect automatically with compatible Samsung Soundbars, allowing for a straightforward installation process. However, as with most one-size-fits-all solutions to connecting hardware together, there can be circumstances where the subwoofer fails to connect or keeps cutting out and disconnecting from the soundbar.
Here are some common fixes for this irritating subwoofer connection issue.
Why does my Samsung subwoofer keep cutting out?
There are a few possible reasons for the subwoofer cutting out from the Samsung soundbar. To discern this reason, we’ll need to check a few things
Is the Soundbar cutting out intermittently or is there never any sound coming out?
To test this, play a movie or some music that would have some deep impact or bass in it. If you can’t hear anything at all, the subwoofer is disconnected from the soundbar.
If it keeps cutting out or plays intermittently, this is an issue with the connection or hardware. If there is a physical obstruction between the soundbar and the wireless subwoofer, the audio may keep dropping out.
Another possible reason for connection issues between the soundbar and the Samsung wireless subwoofer is wireless interference. The connection between the subwoofer and the soundbar runs on the 2.4GHz wireless band. Any Wi-Fi devices or transmitters using the same frequency might cause interference, which impedes the wireless connection between the two devices.
How can I fix no sound from my Samsung Subwoofer?
If the issue you’re experiencing is that no sound is coming out from the wireless subwoofer, we should first check whether the subwoofer has been paired to the soundbar.
Turn the subwoofer around to look at the rear of the device. Here we should find a blue LED indicator. This is the PAIR indicator and lets us know whether the subwoofer as connected to a host soundbar module.
If this light is shining a solid blue, the subwoofer has been paired. We’d then be looking to see whether interference or firmware issues may be causing the issue.
Else if the LED is flashing, this means that the subwoofer is not paired to a soundbar. Here’s how to reconnect the subwoofer to a Samsung Soundbar.
Manual Pairing
Step 1: Ensure your soundbar is in Standby Mode. Make sure you’ve plugged in the power cord to both devices. We need to make sure both devices are getting power. Find the soundbar’s remote and hit the red power button to turn it off. This will place the soundbar in Standby Mode.
For 2018 Soundbars and Newer. These next steps differ depending on which mode of Samsung Soundbar you own:
Step 2: Press and hold the ID Set button on the Subwoofer. Next, we’ll need to force the subwoofer to enter pairing mode by hitting the ID Set button on the back of the device. On newer Samsung Soundbars, the ID Set button is pressable. Find the corresponding button on the back of the device and press and hold it for 5 seconds.
The LINK LED indicator will then start flashing.
Step 3: Press and hold the UP button on the remote. Next, we’ll need to grab the soundbar remote, point it towards the sound bar and press and hold the up button for about five seconds.
We should find that ID SET will appear on the soundbar’s display. Once the ID Set process is complete, the soundbar will automatically exit standby mode and the soundbar should be successfully paired.
For 2017 Soundbars and Older. The process for older soundbars is a little bit more involved:
Step 2: Press and hold the ID Set pin button on the Subwoofer. To access the ID Set button on the back of the subwoofer, you’ll need to get a pin or a paperclip to push the button. This works like the classic reset button on old electronics and is designed to prevent accidental presses.
Push the pin into the hole and hold for a few seconds. Continue holding the button until the standby indicator has turned off.
Step 3: Press and hold the SAT MUTE button on the remote. Find your soundbar’s remote and press the VOL button and hold it down for 5 seconds. You should then see the message ID SET appear on the soundbar for around 1.3 seconds.
Check your Subwoofer has been turned up
The Samsung Remote includes the option to dial in how loud you want the subwoofer to be. Many users inadvertently turn the subwoofer volume to zero without realising. It’s worth checking to see if you’ve accidentally done this.
On the Samsung Soundbar remote, find the Subwoofer volume rocker and press it upwards to adjust the subwoofer’s volume. The display on the soundbar will show you which volume level you are setting the subwoofer too.
If you’re struggling to hear the subwoofer, it’s worth turning its volume up to see whether this resolves the issue
How can I fix sound cutting out from subwoofer?
If you can occasionally hear sound coming from the subwoofer, or if it only works in a particular position, we’d want to check for any sources of wireless interference.
Move your Subwoofer Closer to your Soundbar. The connection between the subwoofer and the Samsung Soundbar has a limited range, and some users have reported that their subwoofer won’t operate if they set it too far away from the Samsung Soundbar. To ensure that the subwoofer connects, try moving it closer to the soundbar module.
Check if your Wi-Fi Router is close to your subwoofer. As mentioned earlier, the wireless connection between the two devices works on the 2.4GHz band, the same frequency that most Wi-Fi devices work off of. Your subwoofer may be too close to your router. If your wireless access point (WAP) is placed between your soundbar and subwoofer, you should either move the subwoofer or move your router.
If you have any other Wi-Fi devices, don’t place them in between or near the subwoofer and soundbar. This can disrupt the signal.
Angle your Subwoofer Towards Your Soundbar. Some users have reported that the direction of the subwoofer can improve the quality of the signal between it and the soundbar. The wireless receiver in the soundbar is placed at the device’s rear where the LED indicator and power input are placed.
Try altering the direction of your subwoofer so that the rear of the device is facing the soundbar.
Check for a firmware update & install it. The sound connection issue could be down to faulty firmware or be caused by an issue that Samsung have already patched. To fix these issues, you may wish to try updating the firmware of the device.
First, let’s check if there’s a firmware update available for your device. Make sure the soundbar and subwoofer are in standby mode by hitting the Red power button if it is turned on. You should see the words STANDBY on flash on the soundbar’s display.
Then, we’ll want to tap the Sound Control button on the soundbar’s remote once and then press it down for 20-30 seconds. Watch the soundbar’s display careful and write down the numbers that follow the letter “B”. This is the firmware version.
Next, we’ll either use the SmartThings app or the Samsung Support website to find the latest firmware available for the device. See whether it matches or exceeds the version number of the firmware that is currently installed on your soundbar.
You can update the firmware straight from the SmartThings app and the app will beam the files to your soundbar for you. If this doesn’t work, you can install the firmware update manually.
How to manually update the Firmware of Samsung Soundbar
First, we’ll need to take down the model number of your soundbar. You can find this on the back of your soundbar.
Then, you can download the firmware update file from the Samsung Download Center [link: https://www.samsung.com/us/support/downloads/?model=N0021435]. Download the latest firmware and unzip the downloaded file.
Copy or move the firmware’s files to the root of your USB flash drive. It’s worth clearing everything on your USB drive or formatting it before proceeding. This USB drive should have a storage capacity of at least 2GB.
Next, plug in the USB stick the firmware update into the USB port in the back of the soundbar while the device is turned off.
Power on your soundbar and the update should begin. The display on the soundbar should show UPDATE. If this doesn’t happen, use the source button to switch to the USB Source.
Once the update is complete, the soundbar will power off. Press the Play/Pause button on the remote for 5 seconds.
The words “INIT” will appear on the display. This means the firmware update has been installed successfully.
Why does my sound bar keep turning itself off?
If you sound bar keeps powering off, and none of the above troubleshooting steps work to stop it including a firmware update, there may be something wrong with the main board or power supply on the sound bar or subwoofer.
Contact Samsung Support or go to their website at samsung.com/support to get this issue resolved.
