The LG Soundbar is one of those sound products any music enthusiast needs to have.
With a rich, complex sound, simple setup, and affordable price, it’s a slam dunk!
But as with any tech product, it’s great…when it works.
Unfortunately, they don’t always work instantly, and it’s sometimes hard to know what you need to do to fix them.
Well, we’ve got you covered here in our LG Soundbar troubleshooting guide.
We took a look at what people were struggling with and came up with a list of answers to guide you in better musical enjoyment.
Sound Bar Won’t Turn On
The biggest problem people have is when their Soundbar won’t turn on.
Fortunately, this is a relatively easy fix if you know what to look for.
Follow these steps to check out what’s wrong with your Soundbar’s power:
- Check the power cord connection at the wall outlet and at your device. Make sure both are plugged in and tight.
- Examine the power input for the Soundbar to determine if the input itself is damaged or unseated. If so, it likely needs repair or replacement.
- Check the batteries on the remote used. Use the power button on the unit manually.
- Unplug the device. Wait 60 seconds. Plug it back in. This is called power cycling and fixes many tech-related problems.
- Ensure the outlet or power strip has power by testing it on another device, such as a lamp. If there is no power to the outlet, check your breaker and switch it to On. Contact an electrician if you’re having power issues on your house end.
Check the lights and signal from your Soundbar. These fixes only address the power issue. If your device has power but isn’t doing what it’s supposed to on the other end, check out the rest of the article for more troubleshooting.
No Sound from Sound Bar
If you’ve determined you have power to the Soundbar and it’s turned on, check out these tips for making sure the sound is coming through.
Some of these may seem obvious, but it’s critical to still step through them all in order.
By addressing specific problems systematically, you increase the chance of fixing the problem or at least determining where the issue is coming from.
- Match the output from your TV with the input selected by the TV or other device. For example, if you have an output of HDMI1, then make sure HDMI1 is selected on the TV.
- Ensure the Soundbar’s volume is up.
- Turn the TV’s volume up. An analog connection may require you to also turn the volume up on the original system.
- Double-check the connections with the TV or other device and the Soundbar. Make sure they’re secure. Remember, you’re sending your sound OUT of the TV and IN to the Soundbar.
- Reconnect the cords and do the following:
- Press the “Select Function” button on the soundbar remote control and set Input Mode as “OPTICAL”
- Reset Sound Sync with the following steps:
- Reconnect the cable between the TV and Soundbar.
- Use “Select Function” on Soundbar and set Input Mode as “Optical.”
- Use the TV remote and navigate the menu to reach the “Sound” submenu.
- Select the sound out as “LG Sound Sync.”
LG Soundbar No Sound HDMI ARC
As a specific sub-issue of the previous problem, here’s what I’d recommend ON TOP of the suggestions already stated above.
- Make sure the Soundbar is connected to the TV’s ARC HDMI input. If your TV doesn’t have this, it won’t work.
- Set the sound on the TV to HDMI ARC.
- Set the TV’s Digital Sound Out to “Auto” or “Passthrough.”
No Sound from Subwoofer
As a bassist, I need that low sound, which is why it’s so disappointing when the subwoofer won’t make a sound when connected to an LG Soundbar.
And it’s even more frustrating to think that most people won’t even know it’s connected!
Double-check and follow these tips to get that sweet bass sound.
Stop after each step and test the sound and see if it’s fixed.
- Is the power LED for the subwoofer on?
- Check the power cable if not.
- Is the green light blinking or red?
- Subwoofer isn’t connected.
- Reset the connection by pressing the STOP button on the unit and 6 on the remote and holding.
- Select WL RESET to reset.
- Press the Pairing button on the unit and hold it for 5 seconds when green and red start blinking and see if it’ll reconnect.
- Power cycle the TV, Soundbar, and Subwoofer by unplugging the power for 10 seconds and then plugging it back in.
- Turn the volume down. The subwoofer has an easier time connecting if the volume is down.
For more specific tips and tricks on this topic, check out our article: SubWoofer Not Connecting To LG Soundbar
Remote Control Won’t Work
Remote controls are convenient for everyone; it’s too bad they don’t always work consistently.
Even quality LG remotes are susceptible to this.
Check out these troubleshooting tips to help you get them working again:
- Change the batteries
- Make sure nothing is blocking the signal emitter on the end of the remote
- Ensure the buttons aren’t stuck or depressed
- Unplug the Soundbar and plug it back in after 10 seconds.
LG Soundbar Not Connecting: Connection Issues
- Determine if your TV requires a physical connection via cables or Bluetooth.
- Unplug the power, wait 10 seconds, and replug in both the TV and Soundbar.
- Turn both devices on and wait for a minute.
- If they don’t connect, go to your TV menu and look for Sound.
- Find Pair devices or make sure the Sound is set Out to the correct device.
- Pair your Soundbar if needed and applicable. You may want to have your TV forget the device before repairing it.
Pro-tip: If your TV is connected to Wifi and the Wifi is acting off, it’ll mess with the TV’s ability to connect via Bluetooth. This shouldn’t be the case, but it sometimes does, depending on your TV.
Can’t Connect LG Sound Sync
Sound Sync is one of the best parts of the LG systems.
It replaces the TV sounds with the Soundbar and completely removes the doubling effect some other sound systems give off.
But if it’s not working, it can sound weird and be quite frustrating.
The best thing to do (besides searching online to see if your TV is compatible) is to reset the system with the following steps:
- Unplug Soundbar, wait 10 seconds, and plug it back in.
- When reconnected to your TV, use the remote to access the TV sound settings.
- Find the Sound submenu and the Sound Out.
- Ensure the Sound is set to LG Sound Sync and not the TV.
- Select the correct device (either by wireless, Bluetooth, or physical connection).
- Pair the device as needed (and if applicable).
LG Soundbar Keeps Disconnecting
Is your device connected via HDMI? Check the cord and inputs in both devices. Examine the cord and inputs for damage.
Is your device connected via Bluetooth? If it keeps connecting and disconnecting, there is too much “Bluetooth traffic.”
Eliminate or turn off other Bluetooth devices in the room, including phones, tablets, and other sound equipment.
If neither of these fixes helps, test the connectivity of the TV by connecting it to another device.
On the other hand, if it works fine, it’s the Soundbar. If not, it’s the TV.
Contact the manufacturer of the bad device for advice at this point.
LG Soundbar Won’t Turn Off
All computer-driven devices have the chance of getting frozen or stuck.
The fix for all of them is basically the same:
- Hard reset
- Unplug the power and plug it back in.
For a soundbar, a hard reset comes from pushing the Volume Down button on the bar and the Sound Effect button on the remote and holding them.
It’s better to do a hard reset first and then try the unplug method.
Why is my LG Sound Bar blinking red?
The subwoofer is either powered off or not connected. Follow the steps for reconnecting the subwoofer manually or simply power both off and then back on.
A List of More Troubleshooting Tips
Some folks do the pairing between the soundbar and subwoofer the wrong way and this will generate some issues. Here is the right way to do this:
How to pair LG soundbar with its subwoofer?
They should connect automatically when turned on, but here’s the manual way.
- Turn the volume down on the Soundbar.
- Hold the Mute button for 3 seconds on the remote to stop the Soundbar.
- Press and hold the Pair button on the subwoofer for 5 seconds (you’ll need a small, pointed object).
- Unplug both devices, wait 10 seconds, and plug them back in.
They should now connect!
The placement of your subwoofer is very important to make sure your whole sound system is working properly. Read the section below for some ideas:
The best placement for the subwoofer to avoid technical issues?
Subwoofers do well anywhere, but if you want the best bang for your buck, either place the subwoofer in front or directly behind the sitting area.
Also, consider corners your friend.
Corners channel the vibrations and make them more powerful too.
Avoid placing a subwoofer on one side of the main listening area; this will throw the acoustics off balance.
Connecting the soundbar to your TV must be done the correct way. Otherwise, you may run into various issues and get lost troubleshooting your problems. Read the section below to learn how properly you can connect your soundbar and TV to avoid later headaches.
Properly Connecting LG Soundbar to a TV May Resolve some Issues
If you’re using HDMI: Connect the Soundbar to the appropriate sound output port. Go to your TV settings and make sure it’s sending the sound out to the correct channel. Usually, this is in a Sound submenu.
If you’re using Wireless Bluetooth: Turn on the Soundbar. Go to your TV setting and search either in the Sound or Device submenus. Find the “Find Device” or “Pair Device” options and select the Soundbar. You may also need to go to a Sound submenu and change the sound to only go through the Soundbar either via Sound Sync or Optical options.
Resetting your LG Soundbar can Resolve Several Issues
Reset your LG soundbar by pressing the Volume Down on the soundbar and the Sound Effect button on your remote. Hold them until the reset option pops up or the system resets.
Updating your LG Soundbar Software (SJ4Y) May Eliminate Many Technical Issues
This is complicated, but the basics go like this:
- Get a USB drive formatted to the FAT32 filesystem.
- Insert it into your computer and go to: http://www.lg.com/us/support-product/lg-SJ4Y
- Go to Software, Firmware, and Drivers.
- Find the SJ4Y and select it.
- Download the ZIP file and then open it.
- Copy the HEX file to your USB.
- Turn on the soundbar and press Function on the remote until the USB is selected (look at the LED on the device).
- Insert the USB and wait for the device to update and shut off.
- Remove the USB and power the device back on.
To avoid some technical problems, proper connection of the soundbar to WiFi is crucial. Here is the right way to do it:
How do I connect LG Soundbar to WIFI?
There are two main methods for connecting an LG soundbar to Wifi.
- Wifi via the TV connection.
- Set up with Google Home.
Follow the normal steps for connecting the Soundbar via the TV (if the TV has Wifi).
For Google Home, the steps are a bit more complex.
- Pick a device to hold the Google Home app.
- Download on your device (can be TV, tablet, phone, etc.).
- Turn on Soundbar and reset the device by pressing and holding the microphone button.
- Open Google Home and select add device.
- Set up the LG soundbar in the app.
- Connect the Soundbar to Wifi in the app. (Both must be on the same router for this to work.)
Take a look at related articles that may help you with even more tips:
Samsung soundbar troubleshooting
