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klipsch cinema 1200 what problems, software flaws, glitches?


karogs

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I forgot to mention, I did have a problem with the back right speaker crackling.  Didn't do it out of the box, but about two weeks in I noticed it when my kids were playing on the Switch.  Firmware update seemed to make it worse.  We ended up changing some furniture around in the living room, and on a whim I reversed the back speakers, made sure to change the L/R switch too, and the cracking went away.  Haven't had any problems with that at least since the switch.  Don't know why reversing the speakers would change anything, maybe it was just the L/R switch making a better connection.  Might give it a try if you're having the same issue. 

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A little update.  Fixed my dropout problem.  Turns out I had a bad HDMI cable.  It was a hi speed HDMI with ethernet, swapped it out with just a basic hi speed HDMI cable as part of my trouble shooting, and lo and lo and behold, no more dropouts.  So it was a bandwidth issue with the cable. More than just an end to drop outs though, I now have room shaking bass which I didn't have before.  Might be too much bass actually, have to fine tune this week.  Anyway, no more dropouts on streaming or the Sony player.  Am now enjoying Dolby Atmos in all its glory.  Time to watch some movies just in time for the holidays.  Highly recommend this system!

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I've ordered all my hdmi cables from Amazon so I checked my order history, and my bad cable was from 2014 and HDMI 2.0 and that explains a lot.  I somehow got that confused with my newest cable I bought in March with the sony blu ray player which I just located.  We've moved twice in the last year so I'm lucky I can find anything.  The basic HDMi cable I'm currently using from the soundbar to the tv is an amazon basic from 2017.  It works fine.  Again, haven't had any more dropouts or any problems since I switched cables.   Always suspect user error even when you are the user!

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Thank you, I just bought a cable specifically for this soundbar, I took specially HDMI 2.1 and is not cheap. Before that I listened on another soundbar with this cable and there were no problems. I'll try to change the cable to a new one. But it seems to me that the problem is not in the cable, as the sound from the cable TV connection is also interrupted. But this happens very rarely, maybe only once a day.

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For me the ethernet (lan) dont work, every time connected, disconnected, network error....... (All day long) When i disconnect the cable and go with wifi everything is ok, maybe sometime losses wifi but when i reconnect is is ok

LAN LED does not light up on my router and in the router settings it is also saying no connection

 

SB is on the newest firmware, i tried all, factory reset, static I.P, second time firmware update, nothing helps and this is my second cinema 1200 🙈

 

Maybe Klipsch can say this is a software issue??

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello, I had an issue with mine. I tried to install the firmware and it hung up on the 2nd part(wifi)  shows mcu v92,Wifi(no numbers at all) DSP 4.9, sur t80, Sur r00, sur L80, sub T03 Rub r06.  Already mounted on wall . Tested everything prior to update and was working, connected to internet and bluetooth. Now cant connect to internet through wifi or cat 5e cable, canyt engage searching for Bluetooth device no matter how long i hold it, still has static on surrounds.

 

Already tried to roll back through link given by Klipsch, already tried, factory reset, already tried about 10 flash drives...not joking formatted to fat32 multiple sizes below 8 gb and cant get the wifi update to take any ideas is there like a master file that will reinstall the entire operating system? all other insputs work, but it is wifi bluetooth related as they are usully the same drivers

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I play the last days through Spotify connect.

When i finish i dont turn of the bar or my phone (Spotify cennect)

The bar turns of automatically after some time when i go to sleep

Next day when i turn on my tv no sound comes from the bar, the bar says TV and volume on the display but no sound

i had to do a power cycle and after that it works normal

I think that's the same bug as when you mute it for a long time and then no more sound comes out

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi,

 

I wanted to share my story of issues with the Cinema 1200 soundbar. Long story short: I now have two Cinema 1200 soundbars that both don't work at all now. I have purchased one in October and have issues since day 1.


I should point out that the customer service team have been very helpful and are clearly doing their best--however, there is clearly some firmware/fundamental issues in the Cinema 1200 that have not been sorted out.

 

I would love to know how to escalate my issue to get this sorted out--so if anyone knows how I get more visibility outside of the Customer support team, please let me know (Can I email the CEO, a product manager, firmware engineer--anyone to help?)

Here's my story:

I purchased the Cinema 1200 in October from Crutchfield. Mounted it on the wall, everything seems great at first. I notice in the first week that sometimes the soundbar will just stop playing audio. Sometimes a reboot will fix it, but often when I turn it on it has a "high pitch whistle" and no audio. Usually off/on and reset and holding down the on button would fix it. I also had issues where occasionally, audio would stop in the center speaker and all audio would divert to the rear right speaker.

 

Back and forth with Crutchfield, they said they needed 3 separate calls before they will replace it. I realized it would be faster to talk with Klispch. We did a bunch of trouble shooting over a week or so and eventually they agree to send me a replacement. Which does not arrive until late Novemeber.

 

Around this time, I discover that it is Atmos content that is a common trigger (but not exclusively). Something like Bridgerton would cause a crash frequently, at specific scenes.

 

Eventually, around the start of December I get my replacement speaker, so I set it up to test. Any atmos content would not play at all. The speakers would just crackle loudly and I would get bits of audio interspersed by quiet or crackle. I look at the firmware versions and see that it is older than my original one I purchased, so I figure it's just a firmware issue.

 

I goto the Klipsch website and follow the instructions to a tee to update all the firmware (There are 3: DSP, Wifi and something to run if the LED is bricked). Two out of the 3 work fine (Wifi and the LED one). The main one, DSP, fails every time. Figuring it was an seperate issue with the replacement, I try updating the DSP firmeware on the old speaker.

 

Now both speakers have DSP 0.0, play a high pitched whistle when turned on and play no audio whatsoever. I have now spent weeks with support, I have probably spent 10 hours flashing different USB sticks, following instructions and trying different combinations of "wait times" for the flash to work. Customer support even mailed me USB sticks with the new firmware installed (4.9(, but flashing would still not hold for either one.

 

So now, I am waiting yet again for my call to be escalated to some technical team, it's now been 3 days since that point, and about 3 months since I paid $1700 for what was supposed to be the best soundbar on the market, and right now is a large paper weight. During the long wait for a replacement and all this troubleshooting, I can't even get my money back from Crutchfield because they have a 60-day policy. So I am in a pretty bad position, where I am out alot of money with nothing to show for it. Well, I do have video and audio recorded of these issues--it's not pretty.

 

I'm not trying to cause a scene, I simply just want to have my Cinema 1200 to work. It's been a frustrating experience and I have gotten alot of sorry's from support and I know they are doing their best--but I need a product manager or engineer or manager form the firmware team to help. Or something.

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For me the same but update works without problems with usb and the update guide from the website (newest Firmware + newest app) but: 

 

1. I also have sometimes the high pitch whistle when i turn on the bar (when the bar before was muted or auto off after some time), complete power cycle 10sec helps

2. My lan (ethernet) dont work (led at the back lights green every ~3 seconds but on my router no connection at lan port 2 - everytime connected - disconnected - connected - disconnected.... wifi is ok but for me i need the lan

3. No output mode in the app, output mode not available

4. High Channel adjust dont work with normal remote since it works with the app, nothing helps - software issue

 

So i think these are all software problems

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  • 2 weeks later...

I bought this 1200 the first one the one back speaker was maiking  strange noise and the other one will not connect at  all tried everything and nothing helped - I went to the shop again and got a new one and the same problem one back speaker will not connect - I went to the shop again and they sad they have been told to not sell them anymore I got my money back 

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I recently picked up a the Cinema 1200 and it sounds incredible... when it works.   I have this system plugged into a sony bravia TV and will randomly have the Front Left/Right and Center channels drop.  The rear surrounds and sub will still be working -receiving and producing audio.  I've tried every setting I could find on the Sony TV, Replaced the HDMI Cable, Factory Reset the sound bar, Updated both DSP and WiFi to the latest versions... all with no success.   The only thing that seems to work is leaving the sound bar unplugged overnight.  When it cuts out, I hear static then only the rear and sub channels.  Very odd.  Anyone have any suggestions outside of returning it?

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Did you ever get your firmware updated?
Current firmware update causes the hardware remote control to not work correctly. You can no longer control the rear height speakers with the remote control if you manually update your firmware. Confirmed by many owners in another forum.

OTA updates don't work -- I've never received one -- so luckily I'm still on factory firmware from August 2021 (The one with no smartphone app EQ.) Everyone who has updated to newer firmware has done so via USB drive. I'm not manually updating with USB drive until it's all hashed out.

The problems on the old firmware pale in comparison to the hardware remote control losing functionality.

My Klipsch Cinema 1200 sounds fantastic. I love it. The only issues I have are:

1) occasionally when turning on the TV there will be no audio and I have to physically turn off electrical power, then turn back on. "Occasionally" means once or twice a month.

2) when muting for long periods of time -- because I need to take a phone call or do something else that requires my full attention -- when I then UNmute the soundbar there's no audio. The only fix is to physically turn off electricity to the sound bar, then restore.

"Long periods of time" is an arbitrary number. 5 minutes? Don't know. Basically, the longer muted the greater chance there's no audio when un-muting. Something is obviously "timing out" and losing connection. The volume LEDs still go up and down, but there's no audio.

For brief instances, I can mute and unmute without issue. This is a function that I use frequently. So it's very annoying, when I then have to get up from the couch and pull out the media console from the wall to find the soundbar power cord.

==

Nothing else, except a hard electrical power reset, will fix these two issues. Because I've tried everything else.

Other people have complained about this too. So it's not that I alone have a faulty unit. Replacing the unit won't fix the issue. For the muting) un-muting in particular, it's obviously poor software coding.

This shows me that in spite of the 18-month delay in releasing the soundbar and a name change ("Bar 54" at CES 2020 to Cinema 1200 August 2021), Klipsch seemingly did not extensively test it before releasing.

I haven't heard that these "no audio" issues have been fixed with newer firmware. What I have heard is that the newer firmware breaks important remote control functionality.

I have reported to Klipsch Support specifically the muting/un-muting problem.







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It is unfortunate in some ways that there isn't a "Cinema soundbar thread". I certainly understand why there are separate threads for the 1200, 800, and 600, each being a different product, but when it comes to the issues we all encounter there is much more in common across the whole Cinema line.

 

As you may appreciate, because the Cinema 800 and Cinema 600 have been available longer than the Cinema 1200 more customers have had an opportunity to identify issues with those products. You may be surprised to learn that many of the Cinema 1200 issues have plagued the other models too.

 

Have a look at some of the other threads in this forum:

  1. Cinema 1200
  2. Cinema 800
  3. Cinema 600

I have responded to posts in most of the threads involving the Cinema soundbars and, while numerous issues have been identified, there are common issues impacting all models related to: 

  • Firmware updates
  • Power (soundbar just dies!)
  • Random noises (affecting the soundbar, or subwoofer, or surround speakers)
  • Dialog (indistinct, difficult to understand)
  • HDMI-ARC connectivity 
  • All sound stops (either for a couple of seconds or permanently until power is removed from the soundbar)
  • Video and sound synchronization.
  • ... and more.

In my opinion, these are just symptoms of a few larger issues impacting not only the Cinema soundbars but the previous BAR series too.

  • Component reliability
  • Design defects (or oversights)
  • Software defects impacting the firmware.

While these issues can be dealt with during the product development phase, they are much more difficult to rectify once a product is in distribution.

 

The typical resolution for a component failure is a replacement unit but if there is an issue with the general reliability of the component the replacement may encounter the same issue. Worse yet, if other components are also subject to reliability issues, the replacement can have more issues than the soundbar that was returned. This is exactly what happened to me when I received a warranty replacement for my BAR 48! It would appear that the Cinema series has not achieved a significant improvement in component reliability.

 

Design defects can be much more difficult to deal with, for example, a soundbar with a power supply incapable of providing the needed power. These issues are usually rectified when the product design is revised which, from what I have observed, is when Klipsch announces a new line of soundbars. If we expect to see improvements in future soundbars it is important that we provide Klipsch Product Support with the appropriate feedback.

 

Firmware issues are likely to impact all devices so, if your issue is related to a firmware defect, a warranty replacement will not help. Unfortunately, as customers, we are unable to determine what issues are specifically firmware related. The good news is that some issues may be resolved by installing a firmware update. So far, I have not been very impressed with Klipsch firmware updates!

 

Whatever issues you may be experiencing, I encourage you to register your product and open a case with Klipsch Product Support. Whether or not they are able to resolve your particular issue, this is the only way to reduce the likelihood that new products will encounter the same issues found in current models.

 

I hope this overview will help you decide how to best deal with your current issues.

 

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4 hours ago, ChazzMatt said:

OTA updates don't work -- I've never received one

 

4 hours ago, ChazzMatt said:

occasionally when turning on the TV there will be no audio and I have to physically turn off electrical power, then turn back on.

 

4 hours ago, ChazzMatt said:

when muting for long periods of time -- because I need to take a phone call or do something else that requires my full attention -- when I then UNmute the soundbar there's no audio. The only fix is to physically turn off electricity to the sound bar then restore.

 

My Cinema 800 experiences these same issues.

 

Check out the links I have provided here. There are many more subtle issues affecting these soundbars that you may only notice once someone else has pointed them out.

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