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Samsung Q85 (QE65Q85RATXXU) sound popping and cracking on external devices

(Topic created on: 28-04-2020 05:51 PM)
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Rich12
Student
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I’m currently on my third Q85 television set and before I pack this one up and send it back I’m hoping someone can help.

 

I have a Samsung QLED Q85 (only available in Europe I believe) connected to an Apple TV 4K, fire stick 4K and a PS4. The sound is fine when watching terrestrial tv and using apps through the tv itself, however when watching anything through any of the three external devices the sound pops, breaks and cracks. It’s intermittent, and sometimes there’s no problem at all, but if I notice it on one device, when I switch to another I am hearing the same problem. 

 

I’ve called Samsung several times and they have suggested it’s a compatibility issue which I find hard to believe given the popularity of the devices I’m trying to connect (I should also say the tv has no problem recognising the devices and is able to set the correct settings on the smart remote). I’ve changed the cables (even though I was already using high spec high speed hdmi cables), tried switching devices in different ports, performed factory resets on all devices, and ensured all software is up to date but it’s still happening. It was the same issue I had with the previous television (that I got replaced) so unless this is a known fault it can only be something I’m doing but am out of ideas.

 

I’ve made several adjustments to the setting such as turning anynet on/off. I only have the option of selecting PCM as the output. I have the tv connected to a sonos soundbar on a 5.1 setup via optical cable, however I also get the crackling when switching to the tv speaker so i’m confident it’s not the sound system.

 

Finally, samsung have performed several tests,

and have remotely reset the HDMI ports which temporarily resolved it but low and behold an hour later and it was back.

 

So all in all I’m pretty confused and all the basic troubleshooting steps I’ve found online don’t resolve the issue.

 

Samsung have escalated my recent issue with their technical support team, so I will post a response if they’re able to fix it. If anyone knows of anything else I might be missing and should try in the meantime, please let me know.

 

I love the picture and the tv itself so really hoping I can find a fix. Thanks so much in advance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

99 REPLIES 99
Andyjt
First Poster
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You are 100% going to get your money back then.  This is a long standing issue with the 2019 sets. If you switch to hdmi while on a hd channel, you will get the popping. I changed hdmi cables, bluray player, etc. The only two solutions, 1 unplug the aerial or 2 switch to a non-HD channel before switching to hdmi. As I said before, my solution was to upgrade my av receiver and connect all hdmi devices to it.  My 4k bluray has two hdmi outputs so that has a direct connection to tv and amp. Everything else is just passed through (old dvd player).  The picture quality of the q85 is excellent  but this sound issue will put a lot of people off it (and it seems other models as well).

I can live with it  as my solution introduced a dolby atmos system into the mix (7.1.2) so movies are greatly enhanced by the picture from the tv and sound from a denon amp (avr-x4500h). But this issue will make me think twice before I ever invest in a samsung tv again.

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mudd666
First Poster
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If the sound issue is there with the replacement tv ,I can't live with that so I will get a refund or maybe pay the difference and get a Q90 (does this also have the issue). I think the one connect is larger/different .

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Andyjt
First Poster
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From the different comments on the board a whole range of sets are affected from 2019. I don't remember specifically, but I think someone earlier in this thread also said the had a Q90, also Q70 and Q60 were affected.  If you can live with changing the channel to z non-HD channel (or disconnect the aerial) before switching to a HDMI source, then Samsungs 2019 range may not be for you. No clue if the 2020 range has a similar issue, but I won't hold my breath as Samsung won't even acknowledge this thread on their own forum.

 

UPDATE: Confirmed, someone indicated their 75 inch Q90 has the issue in this thread.

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Elvb
Apprentice
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I have a Q90 and have exactly the same issue so I wouldn't waste your time and money going to one.
Also waste of time getting a replacement they're all the same.
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mudd666
First Poster
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Rang richersounds back and cancelled the replacement tv .I settled for a refund. the guy at richersounds said he's sold thousands of qled tvs and not heard of the issues. Its a shame because because the picture was amazing. What next? do i try a oled tv with the risk of of the burn issues they have...Back to 8 yr old panasonic plasma for time being
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J0n35y
Student
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The trouble is a lot of people who buy these TVs may have Sky, Virgin or BT boxes instead of freeview so won't ever notice the issue. I'm happpy with my q80 and everything else works great. 

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Charles12
Apprentice
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Interesting, I have SKY Q and that has its own issues of compatibility with my Q80, which box are you using? I should add that I had no issues with my older Sky box.

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Andyjt
First Poster
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Honestly, only you can decide your purchase, even with the sound issue I still think the Q85 is an outstanding tv.  But samsung refuse to acknowledge the issue with HDMI.  Personally, QLED picture quality is superior to OLED, but that's a whole other discussion. You need to choose, me I chose the Q85.

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mudd666
First Poster
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I decided to get a replacement tv and it had the same sound issues but after more searching I found from this another forum...its been 2 hrs since i did it and seems to be ok  ,the tv is in Game mode but no popping upto now...to try it ,on the hdmi input your actually on,go into ''General > External Device Manager > Game Mode Settings and Turned off Game Enhancer''


@Andyjt wrote:

Honestly, only you can decide your purchase, even with the sound issue I still think the Q85 is an outstanding tv.  But samsung refuse to acknowledge the issue with HDMI.  Personally, QLED picture quality is superior to OLED, but that's a whole other discussion. You need to choose, me I chose the Q85.



   

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Outlander
Apprentice
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I have the same issue with the sound popping and clicking with two HDMI devices (blu-ray player and Freesat recorder/receiver) connected to my QE55Q70RA.  Yes, the only practcal workaround is to ensure you are watching an SD channel before changing the source to your connected HDMI device.

 

Tried everything to solve this problem since buying the 4k TV.  Replaced HDMI cables, reset TV, played around with numerous TVs settings. None made any difference, even though I learnt a lot about the TV!  The HDMI devices are fine when they are first connected, but the next time you use them the sound issue appears if you are watching an HD channel and then switch to an HDMI source. 

 

The other fix is to also to a hard restart by holding down the power button (QLED logo appears), but ensuring you are first watching an SD channel is simpler. 

 

Let's hope Samsung are reading these posts and comes up with a firmware upgrade that solves this sound issue.  

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