HW-K650 and Two R1 Wirelss Speakers in 5.1 With KS7000 TV

[podavies]

When using the K650 sound bar and two R1 Wireless speakers in surround sound mode over wifi with the latest firmware, The quailty of the sound K650 drops, sounds very muddy. As soon as you use the sound bar on it own, the sound bar improves. this is happening for a quite a few users.

can you help.

[Monkfish]

Thanks guys. Yeah, I'm trying to work out whether it needs taken back to the shop too...

The 550 afterall is pretty much the same, with costs for 5.1 being substantially smaller...

I was going to get the 5.1 5550w during black friday sales (now it's bit more expensive...). Possibly a better solution if looking for a samsung option ... no HDMI input though, so you're reliant on optical-in only, and no Multiroom.  Seems like a better solution to ease-of-use 5.1...

[Robbienobs]

This is all a big shame if you ask me as originally 5.1 worked on wifi only straight out the box............ Samsung broke it with a firmware update so surely it's an easy fix if they just admitted there is a problem in the first place, and fix the firmware issues. 

I have been speaking with their senior customer services team and they have the opinion that this workaround with an optical lead has fixed the issue and requires not further action, and from the email I have received this is not going to be fixed any time soon!!

I think at this point if your happy to live with the workaround and an extra control it's not so bad (not very loud but sound quality is better) , but for me this is not what's written on the box or online, and I have asked for my money back but I am yet to receive a response from Samsung! 

[Robbienobs]

I am also very very tempted to contact the BBC's Watchdog team online and report these issues; I have done this before a few years ago and had a very good response from the retailer after the problems were reported on mainstream TV! 

Might just be the nudge they need. 

Still also my intention to visit their head office next week in Chertsey............ To make my point if anything. 

[dfensom]

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@Robbienobs wrote:

This is all a big shame if you ask me as originally 5.1 worked on wifi only straight out the box............ Samsung broke it with a firmware update so surely it's an easy fix if they just admitted there is a problem in the first place, and fix the firmware issues. 

I have been speaking with their senior customer services team and they have the opinion that this workaround with an optical lead has fixed the issue and requires not further action, and from the email I have received this is not going to be fixed any time soon!!

I think at this point if your happy to live with the workaround and an extra control it's not so bad (not very loud but sound quality is better) , but for me this is not what's written on the box or online, and I have asked for my money back but I am yet to receive a response from Samsung! 

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Well, if that's the response you're getting from Samsung CS, then the whole lot is going back. You can't sell something that doesn't work as advertised! I am surprised this is their attitude. It's a shame as I liked the design of the product and the price point. Looks like I'll have to save a few more pennies for a Bose 3000 sound bar system (that's the order one I liked).

[Robbienobs]

If anyone wants a copy of the email I have been sent just Pm me your email address and I will forward this on.

[dfensom]

PM Sent. Thanks,

[dfensom]

Just tried to log my issue with Samsung CS via the phone.  I thought that if I logged another call stating the same issue, it might have helped highlight it as a more 'urgent' problem.  My God - what an awful experience.  After 40 minutes, I gave up. First they couldn't find the R1 speaker on their system. Then they told me that 5.1 surround sound wasn't supported with the HW-K650 and the R1's. I pointed out that this is not what the Samsung webpage stated!

When I told him that I wasn't the only person experienceing these issues, and that there was a pretty big 'thread' on the UK Samsung forums about it, he said he would be passing me to the R1 speaker support team to see if they could help.

It was at this point I decided that I wasn't ready to waste hours of my life trying to convince Samsung they have an issue with their hardware if they weren't willing to listen to me. I find it amazing that nobody at Samsung HQ has a KS series TV, a couple of 360 surround speakers and a K650 soundbar.  Set the hardware up and see for yourselves that it doesn't work!  It's not rocket science!

If you can't be bothered to do that, then come round and look at mine.  However, you'd better be quick as I'll be taking it all back to the retailer soon...

Very disappointed in Samsung.  It's true what they say. Good customer service makes all the difference.  Sadly, it would appear that this company is lacking in this area.

[Monkfish]

That's pretty disappointing to hear. That could suggest no further support at all. Or worse than that - since the firmware is developed by 2 or more teams, it could diverge further, leading to further complications that Samsung doesn't acknowledge / want to fix. 

I'm pretty back and forth on keeping the soundbar at the moment. 

It'd be nice if the Community Manager stepped in at some point. 

[dfensom]

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@Monkfish wrote:

That's pretty disappointing to hear. That could suggest no further support at all. Or worse than that - since the firmware is developed by 2 or more teams, it could diverge further, leading to further complications that Samsung doesn't acknowledge / want to fix. 

I'm pretty back and forth on keeping the soundbar at the moment. 

It'd be nice if the Community Manager stepped in at some point. 

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I think it points to Samsung outsourcing their help desk to a third party. Disonnected totally from the true technical support teams Samsung has.  It's not the agents fault. He had no more experience of using the HW-K650 than my cat does!

They just work from a script. They have to ask you and a standard set questions, then reply with an equally 'standard' set of answers.

I am like you. I am torn between returning the soundbar or not. I love the size, style and price point.  It works ok on it's own at a 3.1 system.

It's just that I wanted to be able to use it with 2 rear speakers for 5.1 surround sound (as stated all over Samsungs marketing material)

I might just send the R1's back and wait it out to see what happens on here.... *holds breath*

Is there anyone from Samsung that can comment ????

[BornInThe50s]

Hi All

Like everyone in this thread I'm having the 5.1 issue following the update, the optical route gets the 5.1 working, but has the drawback of having to use a seperate remote for the volume, and the missing 5.1 wirelessly.My system "failed" withi 1 hour of purchasing and setting it up and allowing it to upgrade.

It's been mentioned that Samsung won't admit there's a problem. From a business perspective, they won't, as it'll leave them wide open for litigation. The only way to get them to admit the issue, is by bringing pressure upon them.Without resorting and paying for legal representation, the only real option, is reporting the post update problems to as many consumer programs/magazines etc as posible.  

Personally, I will be sending a link to this thread to the UK Samsung Facebook Support page - they seem to respond to that route quite quickly. I'll be following that up, with a flood of emails to as many Samsung email accounts as I can find, and finally, onto the consumer program route.

With all the bad publicity that Samsung have had recently over the S7 etc, the last thing they need now, is more bad publicity denting their reputation.