KevinB

Klipsch soundbars certainly have had more than their fair share of issues and, in my opinion, many are due to poor quality control. If your issue is due to a hardware defect then I agree with your assessment of the situation. If it is due to a hardware design issue then it is unlikely to be resolved until the next generation of the soundbar becomes available, possibly a year or more from now. It's possible your symptoms may be caused by a firmware issue. If that is the case it would surely affect all devices and may be corrected with a revised firmware. Please see this article: Cinema 600 - How to Check Firmware Versions If your issues persist with the latest firmware, your options are limited. The first thing Klipsch product support is likely to suggest is that you obtain a replacement from the retailer from whom you purchases it. If you decide replace your current soundbar(s) try to get one with a more recent serial number, if you can...

In case you haven't seen it, there is a new article to address this issue: Cinema 800 - Soundbar Bricked After Update

Perhaps... these things sometimes happen. If you can, I would speak with someone from the place where you purchases it. They may be able to confirm if there are any issues with how it might be connected. They may be able to exchange it for another unit. You can open a case with Klipsch Product support. They are often slow to respond but can walk you through a number of steps to determine if there are any issues with your bar. They can also provide a warranty replacement should one be warranted. I may be able to offer some suggestions too but you will have to clarify a few things: How does a fire stick play a part in this discussion? A hard drive is not an audio source and cannot be connected to the soundbar. Do you hear any sound from your soundbar? Try this: Disconnect all cables or devices attached to your soundbar via HDMI. Attach a sound source to the soundbar via the analogue input. Power on the soundbar. Select the analogue input. If you don't hear any sound, increase the volume on the soundbar and on the device attached to the soundbar. If there is still no sound, that is a pretty good indication there may be issues your your soundbar. I would first try to get the retailer to exchange it. If that doesn't work, contact Klipsch Product support. You may also find some more helpful information in these Cinema 800 articles.

I do not have this issue with mine. Yours may be defective. The latest firmware update may help. You have the option of adding a second subwoofer to the Cinema 800.

After my November 4 post above I notified Klipsch Product support. I have a case I opened two years ago. 😞 Ten days later I got a response asking if I tried this and that and could I send a photo of the of the display. They also wanted to know what version of WIFI I was using. This is the relevant info from the display: "MCU V76", "DSP 4. 4" (with the space), "WIFI" (with no version). Yesterday I phoned Klipsch Product Support. The gentleman with whom I spoke was very helpful. He acknowledged that some customers have encountered issues with firmware updates and, while they don't yet have a solution, he suggested there may be an issue with how the USB thumb drive is formatted. Okay, I'm grasping at straws here. Initially I prepared the USB drive on a Windows 10 system. This time I formatted the drive on a Linux system and again attempted the firmware update. After it completed, the display showed: "MCU V76", "DSP 4. 4" (with the space), "WIFI 1.0.138.0". While the firmware update did not complete successfully some components did change. Perhaps if we share additional details about our attempted firmware upgrades we can find something in common with all the failed attempts? I have the Surround 3 speakers pared and connected. This is required for part two of the firmware upgrade but apparently not for the first part. Also, my sound bar has HDMI connections to my TV, Apple TV, and cable box. I will attempt another manual firmware upgrade after removing all external connections and see if that helps. More to follow...

After a few months the same thing happened to me so you aren't alone...

The Surround 3 speakers are the ones you need. The Cinema series soundbars are designed to work with them. I have a pair and they sound great. There have been issues with some of the supported soundbars where the volume from the surrounds is not loud enough but that is an issue with the soundbar and not the surrounds.

I know that feeling... I exchanged my Cinema 600 for a Cinema 800 three days ago. The install went well except for one thing: I couldn't get my HDMI connections to work until I used the HDMI cable that came with the soundbar. Just so others know, an older cable can cause issues. The next day I saw the "UPDATING..." message on the display. It was still updating the following day too. Like you, I decided to do a manual firmware update. Everything proceeded exactly as expected but when I verified that the update was successful, the display showed "DSP 4. 4" (with a space after the decimal point.) I repeated the update a couple of times, double checking everything along the way, but the outcome was always the same. There is another possible issue everyone should be aware of: Item #2 under Upgrade Step 1 - DSP in Cinema 800 - Firmware Update states: If you format the USB Flash Drive from Windows 10, the drive will contain a small hidden directory that cannot be removed using Windows 10. I don't know if that will impact the firmware update but it is something about which everyone should be aware. I was able to delete the directory from a Linux system but was still unable to successfully complete the firmware update. Once again it's time to reach out to Klipsch Product Support. 😞

I had a Cinema 600 and found, at times, the sound was a bit muffled. I got a Cinema 800 as a replacement. The Dolby Atmos sound is fantastic in comparison. My only concern is product quality. I've only had it a few days and I'm already experiencing issues. 😞

The Cinema 800 has two HDMI ports plus the HDMI ARC port. It supports passthrough, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos, and more. It sounds as if this might have been a better choice? CINEMA 800 SOUND BAR

Do you have the Surround 3 speakers installed and connected? When using the apps, is the Dolby Digital light on the soundbar illuminated? What is the audio output format from your TV: PCM? Dolby Digital 5.1? Does it change when using the apps? Is the sound still muffled if you turn off ((SUR))?

I do... A lot of cable channels provide Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. If you don't have the Surround 3 speakers the best you can expect is simulated surround sound from the soundbar and subwoofer. The first thing to do is to is to verify that the audio feed from your TV is Dolby Digital and not PCM. If that is set correctly the soundbar should have the DD light illuminated, at least on some channels. As for the apps, it's complicated... Read the TV manual or check with Sony customer support to verify what sound formats are available from the TV apps. For example, the YouTube app only provides two channel stereo regardless what a particular video claims to provide.

It's not just a matter of having a bunch of components and hoping they can be connected is such a way as to product the desired result. In your case you need to understand the capabilities and limitations of your soundbar, TV, and projector. If you want to obtain the best sound from your Cinema 600, including surround sound from your Surround 3 speakers, you have two choices: HDMI ARC Digital HDMI ARC offers greater bandwidth and increased functionality. According to Klipsch Product Support, the Cinema 600 does support Dolby Digital Plus but I've never been able to get it to work. UPDATE (2021-12-04): Klipsch Product Support, states they were mistaken and that the Cinema 600 does not support Dolby Digital Plus. I have a Samsung Q70R TV. Originally, I had a BAR 48 connected to it via the HDMI ARC connection. You can read about all the issues I encountered elsewhere in this forum. The BAR 48 specs state the soundbar supports Dolby Digital Plus. My TV will allow me to select DD+ if the attached device supports it. When I selected it, the Bar 48 locked up. Long story short: After a year I received a Cinema 600 as a warranty replacement. Now it is connected to the same TV via HDMI ARC but my TV no longer gives me the option of choosing DD+. I had a case opened with Klipsch Product Support for twenty months and, despite many attempts, I still haven't been able to get an update on the status of this issue. With no HDMI ARC nor Digital output from your projector there is no way it can provide a high quality audio stream let alone a Dolby Digital audio stream. Period! Perhaps... Your TV supports Dolby Digital as does your soundbar but Dolby Digital supports several different formats besides 5.1 including 2 channel stereo. If you expect a 5.1 audio feed to your soundbar then all the connections from the source to the soundbar also have to support 5.1 audio. This includes any apps you may have on a smart TV. Based on the information you provided, that's your best option to incorporate your Cinema 600 into your existing system. If your projector had a digital audio output it would greatly simplify things.

I am using the HDMI-ARC connection on my Samsung TV. I get sound from all the apps. I also have an issue where the Cinema 600 just disconnects from the HDMI-ARC channel. The only way to reestablish the connection is to remove power from the soundbar (i.e. not just turn it off) Since you can get sound from your HDMI-ARC connection you know that the TV<->Soundbar connection is working. The Cinema 600 may encounter issues if the Sound settings for the for the TV are configured incorrectly. Check the TV manual or contact Sony for an explanation. Sometimes an update to the TV firmware and/or the TV's apps might improve things.

@MCC67 @D.J. @jjdeutsch I can see where this could be annoying. 😞 Here's a couple of suggestions: Separate the soundbar and the other device from each other as much as possible so that the other device's remote is not pointing at the soundbar when you use it. If that doesn't work, try to find a universal remote for the FIOS/other device. Maybe you can find one with a more focused infrared beam that won't affect the soundbar. I know these aren't the perfect solutions you were hoping for but they may help.

It sounds to me as if the remote is working, especially since this is a new one. That leaves the soundbar. Make sure there are no obstructions between the remote and the soundbar. Try and point the remote directly at the row of LEDs on the front of the soundbar which is where I believe the sensor is located. If it still doesn't work then I would suspect the soundbar itself. If you can return it to the retailer for a replacement, that might be the easiest solution or you can open a case with Klipsch Product Support and ask for a warranty replacement.

@DesertPearl Without some troubleshooting there is no way to know where the problem lies. If it is not too much trouble I would return the whole package to the retailer for a replacement. The orange lights will change colour depending on the input source the soundbar is listening to. You can change that from the buttons on the soundbar. The other lights are for ((SUR)), Dialog, and Night. Those features are activated from the remote. I hate to ask... Are you sure you inserted the batteries right way? Did you try reversing them?

@James86 I would return the soundbar to your retailer and ask for a replacement.

I would take/send it back to the retailer from whom you purchased it and ask for a new one.

Now that you mention it, I too have noticed that the DIALOG mode doesn't always make the dialogue easier to understand. I'll have to play with it a bit. You can open a support case with Klipsch Product Support. The more often a particular issue is reported, the more likely it will be investigated.

Yes, I'd do that!

Both the BAR series and the Cinema series require an HDMI-ARC (Audio Return Channel) connection. Connecting these soundbars to a device having an HDMI connector will not produce any audio output unless the device supports the ARC feature. The soundbar has only a single HDMI connector so there is no way to connect a receiver to the soundbar and then connect the soundbar to a TV so there cannot be any pass through capability. Even though the soundbar has an HDMI connection and HDMI does support video, the soundbar only can process the audio stream. Update (2022-01-12): The Cinema 800 and Cinema 1200 do support 4K video passthrough. They had not been announced when this post was originally created.

How does Virtual Surround work with Surround 3 speakers connected? I raised this question when I had my BAR 48 but I never got a answer. The Cinema 600 user manual doesn't provide any additional information. The documentation is severely lacking. Regarding Virtual Surround and Surround sound with Surround 3 speakers connected, the manual states: When the ((SUR)) LED is on, Virtual Surround mode is engaged. When the ((SUR)) LED is on and the Surround 3 speakers are connected, sound will emanate from the Surround 3 speakers. It never specifies what kind of sound! I finally got some answers from the Product Support group and thought I'd share them with the Community. Every little bit of information helps...

@JerkyTruck Have a look at this thread: Cinema 600 Sound Bar Thread If you are using an HDMI cable, you must connect it to a device that supports HDMI-ARC otherwise it will not work. The Cinema 600 spec sheet leaves much to be desired. It says that Dolby Digital is supported but makes no mention of PCM which we know does work.

The Cinema 600 Sound Bar Thread has a lot of helpful information and a good place to ask questions about that product. You can find additional information about some of the Cinema 600 features here.