How to Make a Samsung Soundbar Louder

Evan Gower June 20, 2021

There was a time when people buying a TV would consider its sound quality as an essential feature. It would be as important as the picture quality. But with the advent of portable soundbars, consumers have stopped caring too much about the sound on their TVs because they know they can depend on external speakers.

If you have a Samsung soundbar, you would naturally want it to be louder than your TV’s built-in speakers. However, that’s not always the case. In this write-up, you’ll see how to make your Samsung soundbar louder.

The jury is still out on Samsung soundbars. These portable devices are famous for the power they deliver and are relatively cheaper compared to their counterparts. Still, there have been numerous reports about Samsung soundbars not working particularly well when used with TVs of other brands.

One of the most common problems with Samsung soundbars is the failure to get the volume up. Some users have complained that when connected to their TVs, the volume on their soundbars can’t get loud enough.

There could be multiple reasons for loudness issues with Samsung soundbars, but here are the two most common ones and how to rectify them.

1. Check the Audio Output of Your TV

Now, this might sound a bit silly, but it needs to be mentioned. If you have a Samsung TV and a Samsung soundbar, your TV might still use its built-in speakers even if the soundbar is connected. Here’s how to change the speaker output on your TV.

Use your TV remote to navigate to “Settings.”
Under Settings, select “Sound” and then “Sound Output” on your Samsung TV.
Your Samsung soundbar will now be showing as one of the options. Select it and adjust the volume with your TV remote. If they’re connected, the soundbar and TV should turn on and off together using the remote.

2. Check the TV Audio Settings

In certain other situations, you might find that the Samsung soundbar is not getting louder despite it being connected to the TV. The chances are that the TV audio output is set to PCM or some other output.

In this case, the problem might be with the sound extension you’re using. Here’s what to do.

Go to “Sound Settings.”
Select “Additional Settings.”
Now choose “Digital Audio Out,” then change the “Audio Format” to “Dolby Digital.”

Fixing Samsung Soundbar Not Turning Up All the Way

Another issue, which Samsung soundbar owners often report, is that the volume on their soundbars fails to turn up beyond a certain level. It’s not a problem exclusive to Samsung TVs, but most users who’ve experienced this problem do own Samsung TVs.

But remember, this method will only work if you own one of Samsung’s flagship phones. Your TV might be connected to your Samsung phone. Here’s what to do.

To check, swipe down on your phone to access the Quick Menu.

Tap on “Samsung Connect” to see if your TV is connected to your phone.
Select your TV on your phone’s list.
Choose “Mirror View.”
Confirm that your soundbar volume goes to the max level.

As users report, the volume should shoot up instantly when following the above procedures. Now, you can max out the volume to its top level. If this process did not stop the soundbar volume from being too low (even when maxed out), you have one more option to try as a last resort.

Factory Reset Your Soundbar and TV

If the volume too low problem persists, we recommend that you try to reboot your Samsung soundbar first. We would advise against the factory reset, but that’s an option that should always work. You will lose all settings and saved data if you opt for a factory reset. Follow the instructions for your particular Samsung soundbar (if applicable) and TV (any model).