Top critical review
1.0 out of 5 stars"Not Optimized for Samsung QLED TVs"
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2020
This is one of the most bizarre product experiences I’ve ever had in my life. I purchased the Samsung Q80R Soundbar to pair with my Q90R QLED TV. I had been using an older soundbar, and was ready to upgrade.
The soundbar arrived, and could not be detected by my television. I assumed maybe it was a firmware issue, so I followed the instructions to download the Samsung Smartthings app. I could not get the soundbar to pair to the app. It kept failing. About an hour and a half later, after much trouble shooting, I got the soundbar to work.
I was not out of the woods however. Using my TV’s remote, which universally controls both the TV/Soundbar, I attempted to change the volume. This caused the sound to revert back to the TV speakers. The soundbar would then disappear as an option via HDMI. It would only show as available via a WIFI connection. The alternate issue I experienced, was that if I turned off the tv, the next time I went to watch something the soundbar would not show as an available connection. I would have to physically unplug the unit for a minute, and perform a factory reset to make it available again.
After an odyssey with Samsung support, I was advised to exchange the soundbar. Upon receiving the replacement Q80R soundbar, I was excited to see that my tv immediately picked it up. It connected to the Smartthings app with no issue. The same issue eventually arose however. When I turn off the tv after I’m done watching, the next time I power it on the soundbar no longer shows as an available output. Sometimes it shows as available via WIFI, sometimes not, but never as available via HDMI.
I was frustrated to learn that the only warranty service for a $1,000+ soundbar was to mail it in. I had to request service for my TV to get someone to come and look at it. The tech was friendly, but was at a loss for what the issue was. He performed some refreshes in the technician menu, and reset the tv. At this point the soundbar seemed to work without issue for a few days. Until the issue arose again.
I enjoyed the sound, even if it was a bit uneven at times. There’s no optimization mic, so I feel as though some effects/channels were extremely overpowered compared to others. Additionally, the bass from the included subwoofer was fantastic. However, I could not get past the constant disconnecting issues, which could only be remedied by unplugging the unit, or a factory reset. I eventually returned the second unit and purchased a competing brand at a similar price point. I have not had a single issue with this competing brand unit.
Never in my life have I bought a product that’s the same brand as the product it pairs with, that even says it’s “optimized specifically for Samsung QLEDS” on the box, yet doesn’t work. I would say it’s my television, but no other brand I’ve used exhibits this issue. The old soundbar I was using, which was a Yamaha, worked fine. The replacement soundbar I’m using which is a Bose works fine. It’s only a Samsung soundbar that doesn’t work with a Samsung TV.
