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[Rickarama]

We got a new 43" Samsung TV. Great picture but of course the sound quality is horrible. I bought the Insignia Soundbar 216. The audio randomly cuts out whenever it wants to. I can't detect any pattern on why it's cutting out. When I turn everything off and back on, then it works again for a while. Any ideas on what might be causing this? 

[KyleR-BBY Senior Social Media Specialist]

Hello, Rickarama,

Welcome to our community, and congratulations on that new television. I'm sorry you are having those sound issues.

The first thing you'll want to try is unplugging and reattaching the HDMI cable you're using. If that doesn't work, try replacing it with a new cable. Cables are the most common cause of this I've seen.

If that doesn't help, please let us know.

Sincerely, 

[Rickarama]

Do you mean the HDMI cable that goes to the TV? I am using a digital optical audio cable for the sound bar. I tried another digital optical cable but the problem is still happening. The sound comes back when I turn the TV and the sound bar off again and then back on.

Any ideas would be welcome.

[KyleR-BBY Senior Social Media Specialist]

Hi, Rickarama, 

Good call on trying a new optical audio cable. Trying a different HDMI cable into the TV may fix this as well. If not, do you have another TV that you can test the sound bar with briefly?

If that other TV is having the issue, you'll know it is a problem with the sound bar. If the sounds works, you'll know it is an issue with the television.

Sincerely, 

[Rickarama]

No we only have the one TV in the living room. I’ll come in and pick up another HDMI cable. We’re still using the one from our old TV that we got at Best Buy 10 years ago.

I noticed the HDMI 1 on the TV says ARC and HDMI 2 does not. I don’t know what ARC means. Should I use it or not?

[KyleR-BBY Senior Social Media Specialist]

Hi, Rickarama,

Since you are using the optical cable, it shouldn't matter which HDMI port you use. ARC allows you to control both your sound bar and television through a single remote, by letting them talk to each other. Since that sound bar isn't attached by HDMI, however, it doesn't matter.

Sincerely, 

[Rickarama]

Thanks for the info. Hopefully a new HDMI cable into the TV will fix the problem. It’s a weird problem. Sometimes the sound bar just shuts itself off... maybe once or twice a day. Sometimes it just stops working. But the sound bar always works after I turn everything off and then back on. But it sure is annoying!

[Rickarama]

So I got a new HDMI cable and it hasn't fixed the problem. The sound will often cut out when I mute the TV. And I will have to turn everything off and on to get the sound working again. The sound will also stop intermittently when I pause the TV for more than a few seconds. Sometimes the sound bar totally shuts itself off. Other times I can see it is on but it is just not working. And last night the sound cut out when I tried to start the DVR and watch something. I had to turn everything off and on again to get it working. 

It's very frustrating for a brand new TV and sound bar. It is a very inexpensive Insignia sound bar. Maybe I just need to buy a better one? Although no one else seems to mention this problem. Do you really think there could be an issue with the TV? It's a Samsung 43 inch LED 5 Series 5300. 

[John-BBY Social Media Specialist]

Rickarama,

Thank you for sharing the additional details.

As a last troubleshooting step, I would recommend setting your TV's audio to PCM as recommended in the soundbar User Guide.

If this does not resolve the problem, I would recommend pursuing troubleshooting of your TV with Samsung. There are some helpful troubleshooting tips in most User Guides. If needed, you may download one for your TV via Samsung's Support Download site.

I hope this helps. Thank you for writing to us.

[Rickarama]

Yes the TVs audio has been set to PCM all along.

Do you think it’s worth bringing the TV back and getting another one? Is there some kind of 90 day warranty? We just bought this last month. I can’t figure out what the problem is and all this troubleshooting is giving me a headache.