HW-Q80R no midrange

[Members_kQnNt2s]

Hi,

I've had a Samsung Harman Kardon HW-Q80R for about a week. I bought it online after reading numerous glowing reviews online for both this and the similar Q90R.

Unfortunately, I'm really unhappy with my purchase. There is zero midrange. It sounds like some of the speakers are missing.

I've tried every combination of EQ settings with all of the sound modes but they're all terrible. The sound is entirely made up of excessive lows and tinny highs, with nothing in between.

There is no way that what I'm hearing could have scored the reviews it did. I'm starting to think it is faulty.

Does anybody have a similar experience with the Q80R or Q90R soundbars, or have you got any suggestions of what I can do to improve the mids or confirm it is faulty, please?

Thanks!

[GreyMatter]

before you decide to return or blame manufacturer, use a high quality, uncompressed file.
to me, no mid range sounds like a virtual surround has been enabled and the phasing used has cancelled the midrange. if playing back a compressed mp3 format, it would sound complete toilet

[Members_kQnNt2s]

Thank you very much for the advice!

I've downloaded a number of .dsf and .flac files and can confirm that the sound quality is incredible. The "Standard" sound mode with EQs set to zero sounds amazing - no need to alter anything from defaults. There is so much more presence than my previous Sony system. The music sounds like it's coming out of my walls, from top to bottom.

This leaves me with somewhat of a dilemma. I've got what is certainly the best sound system I've ever had, but one that totally lacks midrange frequencies when playing TV or film. Given I almost exclusively will use it for these two things, it's not really fit for purpose.

I've spoken to two "Samsung Experts" in technical support, neither of which understood what midrange was. One wanted to end the call when I confirmed there was sound coming from the bar, while the other asked how I knew I could hear bass. I also got asked to record a video and email it to them. Arrrgghhh!

I've got the bar connected to my LG 60LA740V via TOSLINK optical, as using the bar to switch HDMI is really impractical. My previous Sony 5.1 system had no issue with midrange when connected via optical. I've also checked the TV for any external audio EQ settings, but nothing. The bar is back to all defaults on "Standard" with virtual surround disabled.

Does anybody have any clue how I can resolve this issue, please?

Thanks

[GreyMatter]

ok, so if audio files are ok, it could be a decoding issue.
have a play with the output settings on your tv. start by sending out as standard two channel stereo and go from there

[Members_kQnNt2s]

Thanks for the reply, once again.

I am truly torn with this soundbar. I now know that it has great ability, and is definitely something I'd like to keep, but I'm totally fed up with all of the messing around to get nowhere.

I've now set my Humax set top box to stereo and connected my Amazon Fire Stick 4K directly to the bar's HDMI input, but the same lack of midrange and overuse of treble exists.

I've tried the Fire Stick in stereo and surround modes, of which, switching between them noticeably alters the sound profile, but the end result is flat, regardless of which is selected.

The problem is very noticeable during music which would normally fill the whole frequency range, but most annoying during male dialogue in TV/film, where there is a distinct lack of tone to the voice.

I'm no audiophile, so it's not me being overly picky. The midrange is totally missing.

I think I've come to the end of what I can deal with, so it's time to send it back. I'm so incredibly disappointed that, after spending so much on a high end system, it has failed on something so basic and fundamental to its purpose. What's equally disappointing, is that Samsung technical support (phone, not forum) aren't geared up to deal with technical questions about the basics, which prevents any possibility of a quick resolution to what could be a simple problem to resolve.

Thanks for your help. Much appreciated.

[Members_kQnNt2s]

Just to add to this...

I've just downloaded the 'Paradise Radio' app on my Fire Stick and have set the app's audio quality setting to lossless FLAC.

The sound is amazing.

I'm able to set the Fire Stick itself to stereo, which sounds great, or to Dolby DTS, which adds an incredible dimension to the 'Tool' rock track I'm currently playing.

Sub level zero (default), EQ bass up two notches, treble down one notch and "Standard" sound mode. No other tweaking required.

Now playing 'Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers', 'Breakdown (Live)' which is just so great to listen to on this system. Totally immersive.

Such a shame that the bar has some sort of codec incompatibility with my Humax box (in general), Netflix and Prime Video (on my Fire Stick), which make up 90% of my use.

Arrghhhh... I'm so upset at having to send this back!