Thank you for reaching out, @shufflegeek.
I understand you're using a Sonos soundbar system with an optical adapter and splitter, and you're looking to mute the soundbar while still allowing audio to pass through to the Sonos subwoofer.
Unfortunately, on Samsung TVs and typical optical audio connections, there isn’t a native setting that allows you to mute only the soundbar while keeping the subwoofer active, as both devices typically receive the same full-range audio signal from the optical output. Since the subwoofer is wirelessly paired to the Sonos soundbar, its output is dependent on the soundbar's active audio processing. Muting the soundbar may also mute the signal that reaches the subwoofer.
That said, under certain conditions, such as setting the TV audio output to PCM and lowering the soundbar's volume via the Sonos app or remote, the subwoofer can still output audio while the bar is nearly silent. However, this is not officially supported or guaranteed by Samsung or Sonos and may result from firmware or signal routing quirks.
To explore further, I recommend checking with Sonos Support for any app-level controls or developer options. Experimenting with the Sonos app's EQ settings to lower the soundbar volume independently of the subwoofer could help. Also, verifying if a Night Mode or Speech Enhancement setting is enabled that might alter perceived volume distribution would be beneficial.
If you recall any specific sequence that accidentally allowed this setup, it might help narrow down the exact behaviour.
