Samsung Subwoofer Keeps Cutting Out? (Try These Fixes!)

We understand the frustration when settling for a movie night and getting your entertainment interrupted because your Samsung subwoofer keeps cutting out mid-scene. Don’t worry!

The audio cutting is either due to distance problems, power supply issues, or interference.

So, let’s walk you through addressing all these possibilities!

How to Fix When the Samsung Subwoofer Keeps Cutting Out?

You can run a speaker test by turning off your subwoofer and holding the right keypad button on your soundbar’s remote for 10 seconds. 

We recommend running the speaker test after each solution to test if the audio is improving!

1. Move the Subwoofer in Range

Start by positioning the subwoofer as close to the soundbar as possible.

The default range limit of your subwoofer tends to be about 40–50 feet before the connection starts to disband, and the audio starts to cut out, respectively.

We advise placing the subwoofer even closer than that, possibly right next to the soundbar, to determine if the output will improve. 

2. Change the Frequency Channel

The radio frequency channel of your Samsung soundbar defines the bandwidth at which your soundbar communicates with the router, subwoofer, and speakers in your system. 

The default channel (channel “3”) is optimized for minimal interference, but you can select from frequencies 1 through 6.

Changing the frequency channel may affect the performance of nearby wireless units and your Samsung soundbar, especially if you’re not using the default frequency. 

Here’s how to change the frequency channel:

1. Ensure the soundbar and subwoofer are both turned on.
2. Press the “WOOFER” button on the soundbar’s keypad.
3. Wait until the display shows “W-CH” in the settings menu.
4. Press the “Up/Down” buttons to highlight a channel option.
5. Press the Fast-Forward key to lock in the channel option.

If your soundbar was already set to the default channel, we advise testing on the first, second, or fourth.

The frequencies of the fifth and sixth channels are prone to interference as they are far lower in the wavelength ratio. 

3. Lower the System Volume

If your Samsung soundbar and subwoofer blast at full volume for extended periods, this could exhaust the amplifiers and lead to the consistent cutting.

So, we recommend turning down the volume slightly and seeing if the Samsung subwoofer’s output improves.

The volume can be regulated from two sources:

• TV volume: Use the TV’s remote control to decrease the volume.
• Soundbar: Use the soundbar’s remote or VOL +/ VOL – buttons.

Tip: Set the volume at around 25–30% and wait for several minutes until the output stabilizes. 

4. Move All Wireless Devices

Well, interference has a simple meaning–an aerial conflict between the frequencies of two or more wireless devices. 

Your Samsung soundbar projects a wireless frequency in the 2.4–2.8 GHz latitude that controls the wireless surround sound (subwoofer and speakers). 

If, for example, there’s a device in a 5–10 feet radius from the subwoofer that operates under the same frequency, there will be a consistent interference. 

Note: Devices such as Bluetooth speakers, RF transmitters, radios, and any appliance that operates on wireless frequency could interfere with the subwoofer. 

5. Reset Samsung’s Power Supply

When the Samsung wireless subwoofer keeps cutting out, a simple power cycle can often resolve the issue.

This approach is most helpful, especially if there are underlying fluctuations in the electrical supply, which can cause consistent audio interruptions with your subwoofer output.

The power reset procedure yields only two steps–disconnecting and reconnecting.

Here’s how to power cycle the soundbar and subwoofer:

1. Unplug the subwoofer and soundbar’s power cords.
2. Wait for a total of 60 seconds until a full discharge.
3. Next, reconnect your soundbar, then the subwoofer.

While your devices are unplugged, thoroughly inspect the condition of the power adapters and the connectors.

Search for any signs of wear that could indicate problems in the power supply. 

6. Check for External Device Issues

If the audio cuts only occur while listening through a third-party device and not from your TV’s native output, then it’s most likely that the issue isn’t with the subwoofer.

Whether you have a PlayStation, an Xbox, or a Blu-Ray player, there could be a problem with your audio format.

Use your TV’s remote control to switch to the native source and play audio from an installed app or a program from the TV guide.

Turn up the volume to about 40–50% and test the output.

7. Reprogram the Subwoofer

The wireless Samsung subwoofer can be programmed in either a manual or an automatic way. 

By default, the wireless subwoofer is designed to connect automatically whenever powered on in a range of the soundbar.

If the automatic setup fails, you must use the device ID set function.

Here’s how to use ID SET to reprogram the subwoofer:

1. Ensure the soundbar and subwoofer are turned on.
2. Find the “ID SET” pinhole on the subwoofer’s back.
3. Insert a paperclip into the pinhole of the subwoofer.
4. Wait until “STANDBY” turns off and “LINK” turns on.
5. Power off the soundbar and hold the “Mute” button.
6. Continue holding the “ID SET” button for 5 seconds.
7. Power on the soundbar to finalize the programming.

Note: If the programming was successful, the subwoofer’s LED should illuminate in solid blue after turning on the soundbar.

8. Adjust the Router’s Dual-Band

Your router’s dual-band configuration could conflict with the wireless signal of the soundbar and thus cause it to cut out consistently.

Well, signal fluctuations with the soundbar mean that your Samsung subwoofer will also output inconsistently and may experience playout interruptions. 

If switching the Samsung soundbar to a different thread back in step #2 didn’t have any effect, we recommend temporarily disabling the dual-band function.

• Accessing the dual-band functions of the router is only possible via the web GUI!

8.1 How to Access the Router Web GUI?

You will require the Default Gateway of your network for access to the router’s web interface!

The gateway looks like a regular IP address, starts with  “192.168,” and can be found on a sticker on your router’s side or lower panel.

Alternatively, you can find the gateway through a Windows CMD by typing “ipconfig”  and hitting enter.

Once you have the gateway address, open a web browser on your PC or laptop and paste the IP into the search field to get redirected.

Once you’re at the router’s login page, sign in using admin/password or admin/admin.

Tip: You can also try opening http://192.168.0.1/.

8.2 How to Configure the Dual-Band Options?

The dual-band option goes by a different name for each router model interface.

For example, it could be “Multi-Thread”, “Band-Steering,” or the default “Dual-Band”.

It can typically be found under the “Network” or “Wi-Fi” tab of the router’s GUI, and there should be an activation slider.

Setting the dual-band feature to off will instantaneously deactivate the 5 GHz thread of your network.

This means all devices connected over the 5 GHz network, including your Samsung soundbar, will be disconnected.

Note: Reconnect the soundbar to Wi-Fi over the Samsung app and test whether the subwoofer is still cutting out. 

9. Update the Soundbar’s OS

Samsung periodically releases updates for the soundbar and subwoofer, accessible through the SmartThings app or uploaded manually over a USB cable.

Outdated firmware could disrupt the subwoofer’s connection with the soundbar and cause output to cut or break.

First, let’s learn how to check the system’s current version!

9.1 How to Check Samsung Soundbar OS Version?

• Press the “Sound Control” button on your Samsung soundbar’s remote once, then hold it for about 20–30 seconds.

A single letter will appear on the display of the Samsung soundbar, followed by a sequence of digits, indicating the firmware version.

The message should look like this: “B 1008.0”, where the digits indicate the current version.

9.2 How to Update Samsung Over SmartThings?

Note: Ensure your soundbar is registered in the app (go to “Add Device”).

1. First, open the SmartThings app on your smartphone.
2. Unplug ALL of your Samsung devices for 30 seconds.
3. Tap the 3 vertical dots in the SmartThings app menu.
4. Now, navigate to “Information” → “Firmware Update”.
5. Tap on “Update Now” and follow the on-screen steps.

Note: If there’s a more recent update available for your Samsung system, there will be a blue “Update Now” button available in the tab.

9.3 How to Update Samsung Over USB Cable?

1. Navigate to the Samsung Download Center on your PC.
2. Select “Product Type” and enter your soundbar’s model.
3. Scroll down in the tab to view all of the available versions.
4. Next, download the most current version from the options.
5. Unzip the file’s contents in a directory on your computer.
6. Connect a USB thumb drive into a USB port on your PC.
7. Drag and drop the zip file’s contents into the USB directory.
8. Next, safely eject and remove the USB from your computer.
9. Then, plug the USB drive while the soundbar is powered off.
10. Then, turn on the soundbar and switch to the “USB” source.
11. Finally, press “Play/Pause” until “INIT” appears on the display.
12. Wait until the soundbar powers off, and the update has begun.

Alert: Do not unplug or power off the soundbar before the update has finished.

10. Factory Reset the Soundbar

Well, software glitches could be the reason why the Samsung subwoofer keeps cutting out, and that’s why your next and final step is to perform a factory reset.

Although all of your soundbar’s settings will be erased to default, the reset helps with various issues, including the consistent audio cuts your subwoofer is going through. 

Here are the steps to reset the Samsung soundbar to factory settings:

1. Verify your Samsung soundbar is powered on.
2. Hold the “+” and “–” buttons on the top keypad.
3. Release once “INIT” shows up on the screen.
4. The device will say “BYE” and then power off.

Note that all of your soundbar’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Equalizer settings will be erased after the procedure is complete.

So do not unplug, turn off, or interact with the device before the reboot. 

Note: If your Samsung subwoofer is cutting out, even after everything you’ve tried, you may be dealing with a hardware defect, so try claiming your warranty.