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The firmware update is one of those things that you just have to try and see. For some issues, it may fix the problem. For others, you will probably have to submit a warranty claim to Klipsch and have it replaced. *My original BAR 48 never worked out-of-the-box, even with the firmware updates. From what I have experienced, it looks like many of the early batches were defective (like yours, and like my original one too). The used market is now flooded with broken BARs as it appears the early batches were dumped on the reseller market (lots of returns). The newest versions of the hardware appear to have fixed the problems with having to plug/unplug the sub plus the system loosing most of the settings every time it it powers down. The latest firmware updates appear to have addressed the low-volume output problem on the surround speakers. The replacement BAR 48 that I received under warranty (a newer production model with later s/n) fixed the lost sub connection issue (it powers up and pairs instantly when the sound bar turns on) plus it remembers all of my settings (e.g. LED off, volume settings) every time. If you patched your BAR with the latest firmware and have not seen any improvement, then you may need to contact Klipsch customer support to arrange for an exchange.

Thank you KevinB. When I receive the replacement new BAR 48, I'll be testing the Surround 3 speakers. I was able to turn the surround volume up/down with the remote following the procedure in the doc you posted above and did notice a very slight increase in volume, but it was still a whisper compared to the volume coming out of the BAR 48. I've updated the BAR 48 firmware, then replaced the S3 speakers to no avail, so I hope the replacement BAR 48 will do the job.

@JP71 Have a look at this thread: Bar 48 No-Power Repair Thread.

@Zee See the BAR 48 subwoofer power supply fix post by @nova. Return your BAR 48 to your retailer, if you can. If you can't, you should: REGISTER YOUR KLIPSCH PRODUCT Update your BAR 48 firmware. Open a Klipsch PRODUCT SUPPORT request and report your issues.

Hi, I'm using my Cinema 600 which I was sent as a replacement after sending two dysfunctional Bar 48s back to the factory. Is it normal to wait over 60 seconds for the soundbar to power on? I have to hold or press power repeatedly. The sub comes on sooner. It also takes a while to automatically power on after I turn on the TV source. Is this a firmware thing? I got it brand new last week.

I purchased a Cinema 600 soundbar in May 2021, which just died. Red light, won't power on. Went through the FW upgrade steps, still nothing; it's dead, Jim. I contacted Klipsch support and they wouldn't honor the warranty because I bought it open box through Best Buy which, honestly, is crap (but I get it). Worse, the Cinema 600 replaced an equally faulty Bar 48. Looking around the internet, I see a litany of similar stories and stumbled upon this (https://www.channelnews.com.au/is-the-klipsch-cinema-600-soundbar-being-recalled/) which leads me to believe this isn't isolated at all and Klipsch probably knows it. Here's the thing: I purchased the Surround 3's so I have the set up for a decent enough 5.1 should I choose to replace the Cinema 600. My question is: has the Cinema 600 been improved? Was the power supply issue addressed (which supposedly leads to the red light issue)? Will my Surround 3's still crackle and disconnect all the time if I purchase (yet another) Klipsch soundbar?

@glens I'm a new Klipsch customer and new to this forum (~5 months). I'm well aware of Klipsch's reputation for producing quality products and that, in part, influenced my decision to purchase the BAR 48. During the past five months I have encountered almost a dozen issues with this product that I have documented and reported to Klipsch technical support and all of which have been referred to engineering. All of these issues, I might add, are with the firmware or other active components. As I browse through posts from owners of other Klipsch soundbars I find similar issues. You say, "they'd be better off sticking with passive loudspeakers only." Perhaps, but market conditions change and vendors need to explore new market segments to stay competitive. I do believe there is a large demand for soundbars and I'm glad to see that Klipsch has stepped up to the challenge. Having said that, their current line of active products is plagued with issues that basically make them unusable in certain situations for which they were designed and marketed. Whether or not the active components in these products were developed by Klipsch or sourced from third parties is irrelevant. These products are marketed under the Klipsch brand and are having a negative impact on the Klipsch brand reputation. One way or another, it is Klipsch's responsibility to resolve these issues. It's unfortunate but but it does happen, to all vendors, that new products sometimes experience unforeseen issues. What is important is how they deal with them and in my opinion Klipsch is not handling this well at all. Technical support will only say that these issues have been reported to engineering and that they will provide updates when they hear back from engineering. Of course, engineering has not yet reported back (or so I'm told) and despite my many requests, tech support has made no effort intercede on my behalf. In effect, it appears their primary function is to ensure customers remain ignorant about the number of issues reported and the steps (that may or may not) being taken to get them resolved. Customers are told to return their products to the retailer from whom they purchased it and ask for a replacement. As discussed in these forums, the replacements may have more issues that the product being returned. This suggests strongly that there are internal quality assurance issues that need to be addressed. Furthermore, Klipsch is aware that many of the reported issues are related to firmware defects which will also be present in any replacement product. Tech support will not even confirm that the issues I've reported can be reproduced. All they will say is that there has already been one firmware update released and that will not be the last. I have pointed out to them that I am about half way through my warranty. I have asked about what happens if these issues are not yet resolved when my warranty expires. I have not yet reserved a response. Obviously, there is a lot of concern about how these issues are being handled. What I find most disturbing is the apparent lack of interest in getting these issues resolved. Yes, the products affected by these issues are entry level products and may not generate the same revenues as some of the more traditional products but, on the other hand, a huge number of customers are affected. Take a look at the number of views generated by a couple of threads in only a few months (these numbers keep increasing daily). Bar 48 Subwoofer disconnect 126,505 views BAR 48 Surround volume at max but can barely hear them 44,730 views In conclusion, I agree that products containing active components do appear to experience more issues than more traditional products but the real issue here just how Klipsch is dealing with this!

Just bought and installed a new Klipsch Bar 48. Fairly disappointed in the build quality thus far. The body must be constructed in 2 pieces, because it noticeably sags in the middle of the bar (I have it wall mounted). I can put pressure upwards on the bar and it will go back to a straight shape, but sags as soon as I release pressure. Has this happened to anyone else? Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to fix this? I now wish I had gone with another product or just laid the bar on top of my media console. I was also disappointed with the wall mount brackets in the first place, as I had to rig up a thick layer of rubber pads to keep the soundbar from pointing down towards the floor.

@Brob412 I'm sorry to hear you are having issues. The first thing to do, if you have not already done so, is to install the latest firmware: Bar 48 Firmware Update Next, take a look at this VIZIO support article: Connecting a sound bar with ARC If your TV has an option to select the audio output format, select Dolby Digital rather than PCM. Are you using the rear Surround 3 speakers with yout BAR 48?

@Jaysin86 If you read through this forum you will see that the BAR 48 has more than its share of issues. The first thing to do is ensure you have updated your BAR 48 firmware. At this time firmware v23/v83a is available depending on your devices serial number. There are a number of reasons why you may experience this behavior including: You may have a defective speaker. Some external device may be causing interference to your Bluetooth signal. The Bluetooth adapter may be defective. The BAR 48 itself may be defective. The first thing I would do is swap the left/right surround speakers, change the channel on each, and see what happens. If it still happens on the right speaker it is likely not the speaker. If the scratching noise stays with the same speaker then it is likely a speaker issue.

Yes, the surround 3 speaker are the ones that need to be used with the cinema 600. I just got a cinema 600 replacement for my bar 48. All the issues identified with the bar 48 appear to have been resolved with the cinema 600. We finally have control over the volume on the surround 3 speakers.

For Bar 48, there are repair, troubleshooting threads here. A search will show you. Thanks!

As for Klipsch failure in both quality control (Bluetooth pairing failure on the last 2 of 3 units, and 1 of 3 pairs of Surround 3 speakers produced static) and lack of features (lacking immersive stereo) and unfamiliar tech support staff, Klipsch marketing, engineering, manufacturing and customer support managers should make a serious review of this product line. I've had three BAR 48 units and three sets of Surround 3 speakers in the last 6 weeks because of these issues. The last two BAR 48s won't pair with Bluetooth and I now realize Klipsch does not include stereo immersion with the Surround 3 speakers. I've given up on the Klipsch BAR 48 5.1 and will be returning them for refund.

KevinB wrote: The sound level from the Surround 3 speakers is adequate when: I'm watching a movie with DD sound and the DD light on my soundbar is illuminated. and... the ((SUR)) indicator on the BAR 48 is illuminated, and... The surround volume is at maximum ***** I play DD channels from cable TV (Comcast/Xfinity) with ((SUR)) turned on, S3 volume at max and ... the S3 speakers are a bare whisper. Same thing from Bluetooth and Optical inputs. I don't have a Bluray player attached. Same thing when I play Amazon Prime videos with 5.1 channel sound, with both DD and ((SUR)) lights on (LG 4KTV with Amazon Prime app built-in, which is 1 year old TV). As a comparison to what I expect from the BAR 48 5.1, I have a home theater I setup a few years ago, with a Denon 7.2 receiver with 7.2 Klipsch speakers and they all play nice and loud. This is what I expect from the BAR 48 5.1 if Klipsch engineers would get their act together, fix the problem and release a firmware update this month, or I will have to return the S3 speakers by Jan 31 for a full refund from Amazon.

Hello. I’m looking for the power supply for the bar 48. I went on the Amazon link and the closest unit I see is the 24v4amp/12v1amp. Will this work?

The BAR 48 supports Dolby Digital via the digital optical input and via an HDMI (ARC) connection. It is also supposed to support Dolby Digital Plus but that is only via the HDMI (ARC) connection. The BAR 48 and the Surround 3 speakers cannot make use of an external amplifier. You would most likely want to connect the BAR 48 to your TV's HDMI (ARC) input. You could also connect it to your Yamaha receiver via the digital optical connection which would also allow you to hear 5.1 surround sound from your receiver, assuming your Yamaha receiver was able to provide Dolby Digital output via the digital optical connection. If your receiver doesn't have a digital optical output, you could still connect it to your receiver using the analog connection but that would only give you 2-channel stereo.

KevinB, thank you for the info. Yesterday I updated the to the new firmware v23 on my BAR 48. Now, I need to wait for the replacement Surround 3 speakers to be shipped to me (I returned them the same day the firmware was released. Argh!). Addendum: Interesting to note the version is different for yours and mine. I'm in USA. It all looks the same, but in slightly different order. 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

BTW: They introduced another firmware update for the BAR 40/48 products on Dec 13th, (V83 and V23) which I also downloaded and tried. The latest V83 software for my version did not even load. I downloaded the file to the root directory of my USB drive (as before) and when I tried to install it on the soundbar, the software was unable to load. The soundbar never showed any LED lights, never reset and was left "dead" after the failed install. I deleted the new firmware file from my USB drive and re-loaded the V2 firmware back on the drive. I ran the same firmware update procedure with that version and it loaded perfectly, getting me right back to where I was before, with a working sound bar, but the same sub woofer unplug/plug issue. I advised Tech Support of this and they issued a return ticket to me. I have shipped back the BAR 48 soundbar and am awaiting the replacement. I sure hope the replacement fixes the issue (and will update after I receive it).

Klipsch has posted new firmware for BAR 48 that addresses the problem. See my update to the original post. If you try the new firmware, please comment about your experience with it and the Surround 3 volume problem. Addendum: Interesting to note the version is may be different globally. I'm in USA. It say v23. Others have mentioned v83. They look the same. 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

Hi. I have the Bar 48 system with Reference surrounds added. The Switch outputs full PCM 5.1 surround only so my soundbar can't process it. Nintendo doesn't use any kind of Dolby encoders. Is it possible to get another Klipsch soundbar with an HDMI in and eARC that pairs with my sub and surrounds? I've read that going directly from the Switch to HDMI-in works, with eARC going to the TV. I really don't want to get a whole new home theater setup just so I can enjoy surround on the Nintendo. And I would also like to continue using the sub and surrounds... Any advice appreciated greatly. This is frustrating.

Bar 48 effort here... It seems my order has arrived and I confirmed it is 24V 4A and 5V 1A. Be Careful... the amazon link works but you have to choose the right configuration... Amazon currently out of the 24V 4A and 5V 1A..... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WKH5RZV/ref=srdp?keywords=noyito+ac+to+dc+power+supply+24v+5v&srpt=POWER_CONVERTER&sres=B07WKH5RZV%2CB07T9PJ9D7%2CB07BDL176B%2CB07JV7CN1T%2CB07C1JHBB3%2CB07CNTHTSP%2CB07FNFJTHH%2CB0816B34FR%2CB07CML2GXN%2CB081RGVJGD%2CB06XJVYDDW%2CB07BLTTX1W%2CB07C8R5PJD%2CB07HWP4TSX%2CB07G6J3PK1%2CB07BLQKW37&qsid=135-3283479-4546535 So I got it all unscrewed and getting started... Following this- GND is your ground, VDD is your +5V voltage, and STB is your standby line (as labelled from the original power supply removed from the Bar48). Because the STB line also happens to be a +5V channel, you can simply twist the VDD and STB wires together and plug them into the +5V out line of the power supply, and the soundbar should work. Make sure you verify which side of the new power supply is 5V and which side is 24V! Very important to not plug the VDD and STB wires into the +24V output by accident or you will likely fry your Bar48's mainboard. Any other tips before I let the smoke out?? Mounting options? I will likely glue or drill and bolt. Anything to test or check other then it works?? Cheers for all the contributions. I almost tossed this in the bin.

The sub is wireless and it mates/connects to the soundbar. He kind of identified it in the title...Soundbar 48...but the model is BAR 48 Sound Bar. Nevertheless, a sound bar.

After having had four Klipsch soundbars (three different models) and helping out in these forums for the past two years this is what I can conclude: Most of the issues I have observed or that have been discussed in these forums appear to be due to poor quality control and/or poor design. As such, many of the same models currently stocked by retailers may experience the same or similar issues. Klipsch Product Support has recommended that any customer experiencing issues with their soundbar first try to return it to the retailer from whom it was purchased. If it is beyond the time period when the retailer will accept returns, and it is still within the warranty period, the customer can request a warranty replacement from Klipsch but that can take many weeks. Based on my own experience and that of others posting in these forums, there is no guarantee that the issues one is experiencing will actually be resolved with the replacement. In some cases the replacement may actually exhibit additional issues. Klipsch won't comment on the issues that have been reported and I have been unable even to get an acknowledgement let alone a progress report on the issues reported in the case I have opened but I still believe it is important for all of us to provide as many details as possible to Klipsch about the issues we encounter. Almost all the issues I encountered with my BAR 48 and reported to Klipsch appear to have been addressed in the Cinema 600 and Cinema 800. 🙂 I'm happy to see that each new soundbar generation has fewer issues and more features than the previous one but I'm disappointed that owners of a current model may not find a replacement completely free of issues.

@Kenhugh Quite a few people have reported issues with their BAR 48. I have tried to address their concerns. This link shows all the BAR 48 posts in the Klipsch Community. If you read through them they should answer your questions.

@billups You should register your BAR 48 with Klipsch (Product Registration) then open a service request. The first thing Klipsch tech support will want to know is whether you have installed the latest firmware so I suggest you do that before you open the service request. The fact that more than one person has encountered this issue suggests to me that it may affect many devices. As users attempt to exploit lesser used features more such issues will surface. It will likely take quite some time before tech support resolves this issue and they won't discuss with you any progress they might be making. I would return your BAR 40 to your retailer for a replacement as that is something else that tech support will suggest. It may be your specific device is defective and, if so, it is probably the fastest way to resolve your issue. If the replacement has the same issue then that provides further evidence that this is a generic issue that requires a firmware update or a hardware refresh to resolve.