Panasonic Soundbar - sound intermittently drops

drivershigh

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Hi,

I have a Panasonic TV and Soundbar (SC-HTB690) that until recently have worked fine together.

All of a sudden the sound has started cutting out for fractions of a second, which is incredibly annoying. There doesn't seem to be any pattern to this, it can be 5-10 minutes without any disruption, then it will cut in/out a few times in 10 seconds or so.

It's the same regardless of the source (apps, switch, virgin TV box) and how the audio is connected (it was always through the Arc out, but it does it on the optical connection as well).

Is it just dead or is there something I'm missing?

Thanks
 
You have two possible sources of problem, the TV or the sound bar. If you haven’t made any changes to connections or added anything, then it’s process of elimination, made by swapping of of the items.

Clem
 
Hi Clem,

Thanks for the reply. I just wanted to check there wasn't anything known or obvious that anyone could recommend before I started a process of elimination. Now its the weekend I can have a go at going through each connection at a time as you said.
 
Update

Unplugged everything, then tried TV and YouTube through ethernet. Sound kept dropping on both connections, worse (more frequent) on HDMI than Optical but still present.

I'm guessing the fault is with the soundbar, is there any merit in trying to repair it or is it liable to happen again and a replacement is better?
 
What happens if you disconnect the sound bar from TV and use it just as an audio device? If you don't get drop outs then it could be the TV. Make sure that your TV's firmware is up to date, try a factory reset and a full power cycle. Can you try a different TV, something with an HDMI ARC port, and see what happens?

Clem
 
Is this issue still ongoing? I have the exact same issue with the same soundbar.
I've swapped out the HDMI cables, used only optical, and done the same with another TV set (an older Panasonic).
Have also reset the sound bar but no joy.
 
Took it to a repairman. He said that the processor was no longer working, which is pretty much the only part he could not replace. It went straight back to doing the same thing, so I bought a secondhand one from ebay and its working fine. Difference is sound was noticeable so I wonder if the processor was impacting on more than just the sound cutting out.

In short, it might be your processor and if so it's terminal sadly.
 
Took it to a repairman. He said that the processor was no longer working, which is pretty much the only part he could not replace. It went straight back to doing the same thing, so I bought a secondhand one from ebay and its working fine. Difference is sound was noticeable so I wonder if the processor was impacting on more than just the sound cutting out.

In short, it might be your processor and if so it's terminal sadly.
Ah that's unfortunate! Thanks for replying.
I don't fancy buying another of the same in case it's a common issue so it may be time to step up to an AV receiver system.
 
I had the exact same problem with not one, but two SC-HTB690's.

The first lasted just over a year and a half then the intermittent fraction of a second sound dropouts started. The second lasted longer, 2 years, but the same problem started last week so I guess the processor is on it's way out in this one as well :(.

It's a shame because aside from being happy with the sound, I really liked the look of the SC-HTB690 with it's sloping front - it was nice and unobtrusive soundbar, and the perfect height for under the TV, which is why I went and got another one after the first one had its problems, hoping that the issue was a a one-off anomaly. I wonder how many other SC-HTB690's ended up with the same problem?

Replacing with a Sony HT-ZF9 this time.
 
I had the exact same problem with not one, but two SC-HTB690's.

The first lasted just over a year and a half then the intermittent fraction of a second sound dropouts started. The second lasted longer, 2 years, but the same problem started last week so I guess the processor is on it's way out in this one as well :(.

It's a shame because aside from being happy with the sound, I really liked the look of the SC-HTB690 with it's sloping front - it was nice and unobtrusive soundbar, and the perfect height for under the TV, which is why I went and got another one after the first one had its problems, hoping that the issue was a a one-off anomaly. I wonder how many other SC-HTB690's ended up with the same problem?

Replacing with a Sony HT-ZF9 this time.

It's a real shame.

Mine was an ex-display model I got for £180 when it was still £250 off the shelf and I was amazed and very pleased as it came in the original box with all the bits and bobs, which is unusual for ex-display!

Have replaced the soundbar with a Yamaha RX-V485 5.1 AV receiver with NS-P41 speaker package instead for £430 and I can tell you it was the right decision! The little speakers are perfect for my little living room and the difference in sound is phenomenal.
 
So had the same problem with my soundbar.
Pulled it apart and used a small gas soldering iron to heat the pins on the processor to fix any dry joints. So far after testing it looks like it’s fixed the problem.
Played tv and Bluetooth songs through it and sounds great.
 
So had the same problem with my soundbar.
Pulled it apart and used a small gas soldering iron to heat the pins on the processor to fix any dry joints. So far after testing it looks like it’s fixed the problem.
Played tv and Bluetooth songs through it and sounds great.
Hi
I unfortunately have encountered the same problem as the rest of you :(

@brendan84 or anyone else ...can you please help and guide me as to where the processor is located on the board. I will give it a go.
 
Hello
I hope you guys didn't dump it, I got solution for it. There is some "switch" on the back of the soundbar that is cosing this issue. So just disassmble the soundbar, disconect it and reasemble it. It's working for a week now with no issue. Hope this help with your too :)
Br Bostjan(canon printer tehnician)
 
Hello
I hope you guys didn't dump it, I got solution for it. There is some "switch" on the back of the soundbar that is cosing this issue. So just disassmble the soundbar, disconect it and reasemble it. It's working for a week now with no issue. Hope this help with your too :)
Br Bostjan(canon printer tehnician)
Hi Bostjan

I am having the same issue with mine. Where is the “switch” you mention on the back of the soundbar? And just to confirm, this is for the Panasonic SC-HTB690? Thanks
 
Jup its same model, posting picture of "shitswitch" location, just disasembel the soundbar, disconect the conector, reasemble and you are victorious :) I dindt find what the funcionality/why the switch is there thought..

Panasonic-SC-HTB690_3 shit switch.jpg
 

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