KevinB

Have you tried to just mute the sound from the soundbar? Will it stay muted?

I hadn't noticed that... I just took another look at the Surround 3 Speakers - Sound Bar Surround Sound Speakers Spec Sheet. It states: MAX ACOUSTIC OUTPUT: 94dB @1M Anechoic each / 100dB @1M Anechoic pair The BAR 48 Sound Bar + Wireless Subwoofer Spec Sheet states: MAX ACOUSTIC OUTPUT: 103 dB The 3 dB difference means the BAR 48 should sound twice as loud as the pair of the Surround 3 speakers or, to put it another way, the Surround 3 speakers should be capable of producing sound levels half as loud as the BAR 48. Be that as it may, we all know the sound we are getting from the surround speakers are nowhere near those sound levels! Those of us posting to this forum represent a small number of the BAR 48 owners experiencing issues. I encourage anyone reading these posts who is experiencing similar issues to reply to one of them even if it is only to say "me too". Tech support is provided by a third party and I am not at all convinced that they are willing or able to resolve issues related to firmware defects. I'm told that Klipsch staff sometimes looks at these posts and that this is the best way to make them aware of issues. I wish there were a better way to notify Klipsch of our dissatisfaction with this product!

I too had the same issue. The new firmware helped a lot as well as setting the surround speaker volume to maximum. Even now if the source is not Dolby Digital the volume from the surround speakers is barely audible. Now, when watching a Dolby Digital movie having surround content the sound level from the surrounds is adequate with the surround volume at maximum..

@USNRET Yes, that appears to be the issue but the Amazon streamer audio (input to the TV via either HDMI) does produce audio at the TV's Digital Audio Output terminal. That suggests there is something different about the feed coming from the Dish Hopper. I know some TVs will not produce digital audio output if the TV's audio input source is analog. That is why I asked about other inputs. Have you checked the setup on the Dish Hopper to see if there are any settings that affect the audio output format? If all of that checks out then the issue could be related to High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP). This is what the Dish website has to say about Digital Rights Management. The dish forum has lots of post about HDCP. You may find some help over there.

From what you describe, my first thought is that this may be a TV setup issue. Make sure that the TV has the latest firmware update. Refer to the Sharp LC-52D62U OPERATION MANUAL The Amazon streamer is connected to which input? The Dish Hopper connected to which input? Are any other inputs being used? Refer to page 28/29 of the manual (digital audio output) What is the audio output format set to? Dolby Digital should work and is probably the one you want but try PCM too to see if it makes a difference. Refer to page 35/36 of the manual (Advanced Option Settings) Check the Output Select: try changing from/to fixed and variable. Try increasing the volume.

@DaleG in my BAR 48 Surround Button post I included the pages from the manual that describe how to increase the volume of the surround speakers. As usual, the instructions are incomplete. The diagram shows there the surround volume can be increased to +8 or decreased to -8 from the neutral setting. To increase the volume on my speakers I had to press the volume up about 28 times to get to the +8 level as the original setting appeared to be around -6. Holding the volume up button didn't seem to work! The other thing to consider is your source: What is it? How do you know there is rear channel content? If you are listening to YouTube, I believe it only provides stereo output regardless what the video description might say.

@Abel This information was missing from my BAR 48 manual but it is included in the one you can download from the website. The pages I posted are from the Surround 3 manual. I don't know what the documentation is like for other Klipsch products but the BAR 48 documentation is dismal! Klipsch really needs to do something about that. In the mean time all we can do is share information and try to help out each other.

@Abel Page 7 and 8 of the Surround 3 manual explains this. It is how you adjust the volume of the surround speakers.

Surround 3 manual: Page 4 This is a page from the Surround 3 manual. When I first saw it I just skipped over it. Later, I went back to try and understand what it was trying to explain. I hate to admit it but I'm still baffled! The diagram shows two additional speakers which, I assume, are the Surround 3 speakers. I must therefore assume the diagram is trying to explain what happens if the ((SUR)) button is pressed when the BAR 48 has the Surround 3 speakers connected and is capable of producing 5.1 surround sound. Each time I press the ((SUR)) button on my remote the ((SUR)) light on the BAR 48 toggles on then off. That much is obvious. When the ((SUR)) light is on I can hear sound from the surround speakers. When it's off, I don't. At least that is what I think is happening. The left side of the page appears to describe the effect the ((SUR)) button button has when listening to music. Furthermore, I assume this is a mono/stereo source and that neither the DTS or Dolby Digital lights on the soundbar are illuminated. I think it is suggesting that pressing the ((SUR)) button will produce sound from the surround speakers. 😉 What is VIRTUAL SURROUND? Besides being an oxymoron, what is 5.1 STEREO? What is a 3.1 UPMIX? The right side of the diagram suggests the source is a movie. Since it shows 5.1 DISCRETE, I assume either the DTS or Dolby Digital lights are illuminated and the source may contain 5.1 content. If the ((SUR)) light on my BAR 48 is illuminated, I can hear sound from the Surround 3 speakers. If it is not illuminated, I don't. The diagram suggests that pressing the ((SUR)) button will switch from 5.1 DISCRETE to VIRTUAL SURROUND. So, when I have sound from my Surround 3 speakers, am I listening to 5.1 DISCRETE or VIRTUAL SURROUND?

@CKLIM After reading your post I checked for a newer version of the firmware. The latest one was Released: 12/13/2019. What version did you download the first time? Is it possible you entered an incorrect serial number and download firmware that wasn't valid for your device?

This YouTube video explains the process much better: Klipsch Bar 48 Firmware Update

Do you know how to enable/disable this feature?

Two weeks ago I purchased a new 2019 Samsung Q70R TV and the Klipsch BAR 48 with Surround 3 speakers. Both devices claim to support Dolby Digital Plus. The soundbar is connected to the TV via HDMI-4 which is the HDMI (ARC) connection. The TV recognizes the BAR 48 and the TV sound settings allow me to choose "Receiver HDMI" to direct sound output to the soundbar. The TV also has "Expert Settings" where I can specify the Audio Output Format. The default format is "PCM" but if the source uses Dolby Digital I have the option of selecting "Dolby Digital" or "Dolby Digital+". When I choose Dolby Digital I can hear surround sound (more on this below). When I choose Dolby Digital+ the sound stops and the soundbar goes comatose. Selecting Dolby Digital does not restore the sound. To get things working again I must: Remove power from the soundbar. Disconnect the HDMI cable. Restore power to the soundbar and turn it on. Reconnect the HDMI cable and allow the TV to rediscover the device. The latest BAR 48 firmware Version: v83 v23 Released: 12/13/2019 does not resolve this issue. So why is Dolby Digital Plus important to me? Dolby Digital uses a lossy compression algorithm and supports a maximum bitrate of 640 Kbps. Dolby Digital Plus also uses a lossy compression algorithm but one that is much more efficient. It supports a maximum bitrate of 6 Mbps and can provide almost CD quality audio. Dolby Digital does not imply surround sound: It supports 1, 2, 4, and 5.1 discreet channels over HDMI or digital (optical) connections. Dolby Digital Plus supports 8-channel (7.1) audio and can down-mix side and rear channels to create 5.1 surround sound when equipment doesn't support 7.1. Dolby Digital + requires an HDMI connection. To experience surround sound from the Bar 48, several conditions must be met. The User Manual, of course, explains none of this. The Surround 3 speakers have to be connected and working and the volume has to be at a sufficient level to hear them. The Surround 3 speaker volume can be adjusted but the manual included with my soundbar doesn't explain how to do this. Even when the volume of both Surround 3 speakers is at maximum, sound from the speakers is barely audible. Firmware v83 v23 does help considerably. The ((SUR)) indicator on the Bar 48 must be on, indicating that sound is being directed to all the appropriate speakers. The Dolby Digital indicator on the Bar 48 must be on, indicating that multi-channel audio might be delivered to the device. The audio content must contain audio assigned to all the appropriate channels in order to experience surround sound. I have a case opened with Samsung for this issue but before they will escalate it they want proof that the fault does not lie with the soundbar. Is anybody using a Dolby Digital Plus source with the BAR 48 and, if so, are you experiencing any issues? If it is working as it should, would you care to share the make and model of the device you are using?

The latest firmware update provides two new modes but I can find no information about them. Does anyone know what they do? Version: v83 (S/N: 106655719110001 - 106655719242000) Released: 12/13/2019 Region: Global Bar 48 BT v83 - Change Log: Improved subwoofer connection Increased Surround Output when Rear Surrounds are present. When volume is set to minimum, sub volume now mutes. Content continues playing after Bluetooth connection is made from device to soundbar. BT switches input when coming from other audio input after BT connection is made from device to soundbar. Sub Volume Increase/Decrease LED indication improved on bar Can power off soundbar when HDMI content playing with button on soundbar or remote. Installer Mode Added External Player Mode Added Various Bug Fixes

I've had my BAR 48 and Surround 3 speakers for about two weeks now and encountered the same issue. The volume of the surround speakers can be adjusted but that information was missing from the manual included with the sound bar. Page 7 of Bar-48_Manual_v06.pdf has the details. You can find the BAR 48 Sound Bar + Wireless Subwoofer Manual on the Product Download page. Increasing the volume on each of the Left and Right surround speakers to maximum did make a difference but the new firmware update helped even more. NOTES Version: v83 (S/N: 106655719110001 - 106655719242000) Released: 12/13/2019 Region: Global Bar 48 BT v83 - Change Log: Improved subwoofer connection Increased Surround Output when Rear Surrounds are present. When volume is set to minimum, sub volume now mutes. Content continues playing after Bluetooth connection is made from device to soundbar. BT switches input when coming from other audio input after BT connection is made from device to soundbar. Sub Volume Increase/Decrease LED indication improved on bar Can power off soundbar when HDMI content playing with button on soundbar or remote. Installer Mode Added External Player Mode Added Various Bug Fixes Correction: 2019-12-20 I actually installed V23. I must have entered the incorrect serial number when I copied the Change Log for this post. Version: v23 (S/N: 106655719280001 - 106655719470250) Released: 12/13/2019 Region: Global Bar 48 2.4GHz v23 - Change Log: Increased Surround Output when Rear Surrounds are present. When volume is set to minimum, sub volume now mutes. Content continues playing after Bluetooth connection is made from device to soundbar. BT switches input when coming from other audio input after BT connection is made from device to soundbar. Sub Volume Increase/Decrease LED indication improved on bar Can power off soundbar when HDMI content playing with button on soundbar or remote. Installer Mode Added External Player Mode Added Various Bug Fixes