Samsung Soundbar Sounds Muffled: Causes & Fixes

Since 2008, Samsung has been one of the go-to brands for quality Soundbars. Hening a top-level manufacturing producing company, you’d by default, expect only pricey high-end devices.

While they didn’t quite disappoint in that regard, there have been several complaints from users claiming their soundbars produce a muffled sound. When you pay a premium for a soundbar, the last thing you want is not to be able to experience the best sound quality.

While this problem has been acknowledged and addressed by Samsung in the past, their solution didn’t quite cut it. Aside from only paying attention to only 9 models out of the 30 soundbars they’ve released since 2008, they also only offered a firmware update which is just one of the numerous things that could cause the muffling sound.

In this article, we’ll be giving you a comprehensive guide on how to solve your Samsung Soundbar muffling sound issue. Before we get to that, let’s discuss some possible causes so you have a heads-up if you ever consider getting another Samsung Soundbar.

Samsung Soundbar Sounds Muffled: Possible Causes

Aside from the widely acknowledged Samsung Soundbar bug which will require a firmware update, there are other factors that can be responsible for the muffling sound you’re getting from your Soundbar.

• Bad Cable Wiring or Damaged Cable 

This is a very common cause of muffling sounds in soundbars that uses an audio wire – it’s often happening if you have bad cable management.

If there are loose connections between the speaker wire, receiver, and audio source, then you’re bound to hear muffling sounds when the speakers are in play; in worse cases, you’ll hear distorted sound when there’s a slight movement of the audio wires even if there’s no sound being played.

Furthermore, wrong speaker placement can lead to muffled sound reception. You want to ensure that your speakers are at optimal distances for the best sound quality.

• Bad Audio Source

If the actual audio you’re trying to play has a bad quality, you’re going to experience a muffled sound when trying to listen to it from your soundbar.

You want to make sure that you’re not playing a sound that’s bad on its own – your Samsung Soundbar can perform only as much as the quality of sound it’s supplied.  Even though it’s not being touched on enough, it’s something that you don’t want to ignore.

• Bad Positioning and Room Acoustics 

When tweaking the positioning of your Samsung Soundbar to produce Surround sound, you may end up with muffled sound delivery. Poor positioning results in an imbalance of sounds and can prevent optimal sound delivery of your device. In addition, the acoustics of your room can play a huge role in the type of sound you hear from the soundbar.

Playing music in an empty room with hard walls is not the same as playing in one with soft furnishings and acoustic panels to absorb reflections. All-in-all you want to make sure that the problem isn’t coming from the room itself or from the way your speakers are mounted.

• Outdated Firmware

If you’re using a Samsung Soundbar that’s a HW-B or HW-s series, then this is most likely your problem. There have been multiple firmware updates for these devices to correct the muffling sounds as well as other technical issues. In the next section, we’ll go into detail on how to get the update installed.

Samsung Soundbar Sounds Muffled: How to Fix

The muffling sound being a common problem among Samsung Soundbars is nothing to be proud of, but good thing the company has also taken some steps to ensure it’s not present in their latest models, and there have been multiple firmware updates for older models with the issue.

In addition, we’ve added some troubleshooting tips to ensure you get the best sound experience your device is capable of providing.

• Check your Wiring

If you’ve recently got your Samsung Soundbar set up and you can confirm there’s no physical damage to any component, your muffled sound is likely to be caused by incorrect wiring.

Make sure you read your Samsung Soundbar user manual for the proper wiring setup. Each Soundbar model comes with a slightly different wiring system so you want to make sure you’re only doing what’s right for your device.

• Ensure Your Soundbar and Speakers are Properly Placed

You’ll get the best sound quality if you’re playing in a room with soft furniture – that’s if you’re not including acoustic walls. You also want to make sure that all your speakers aren’t placed on the same level in the room so that there’s not an imbalance in sound supply.

Meanwhile, make sure there’s nothing blocking your speakers or it can also increase the risk of getting a muffled sound. Lastly, if you’re playing through a Bluetooth connection, you want to make sure that the source is as close to the soundbar as possible, and that there’s no wave interference.

• Update the Firmware Bug

Samsung has addressed the firmware issue on models like the HW-B650, HW-B67C, HW-B63M, HW-B63C, HW-B550, HW-B57C, HW-B53M, HW-B53C, and HW-S50B.

For other models, you can try checking out for updates with their customer support to see if any is offered. To have your firmware updated for these versions, follow the steps below.

1. Download the latest version of the firmware from Samsung’s website.
2. Extract the zipped file into the root folder of a USB drive and insert it into the USB port of your Soundbar.
3. Tun on your Soundbar and change the source to Bluetooth. The firmware installation process should begin automatically.
4. Wait for your device to restart when complete. If issues persist, you may then proceed to contact customer support.