Looking for an AV expert!

[tosalet]

I hoping someone can help with an intractable problem . . .

I have recently acquired a Samsung QLED Q60R TV and I want to connect my previous amplifier/speakers. They are nothing special but they are good enough for me. The amplifier is an SMSL Q5Pro. The TV is connected to a Sky box, Amazon Firestick and the amplifier via Optical cable.

After going through the Samsung audio connection process, including PCM, the optical sound system worked perfectly but only when using Sky! As soon as a video or music was selected on Netflix, Prime Video or the Firestick, a loud, rapid 'clicking' noise occurred which could only be stopped by de-selecting the source media.

I tried turning off every conceivable local electrical source that might be causing interference but with no improvement . . .

Any assistance would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Lucid]

The loud clicking is the sound of an amp receiving a bitstream audio signal that it can't process. In your case, Netflix, Amazon Prime and the Firesti k are all sending Dolby Digital or DTS audio to the TV, and the TV is passing that Bitstream signal "as is" to the amp rather than down-converting to stereo PCM.

There could be a couple of reasons why Sky is being treated differently. Either the TV has a "per input" memory facility, or you've changes the audio output on the Sky box set-up menus thinking this was for the TV's global settings by mistake.

As a test, go in to the Firestick set up menus. Change the audio out to PCM. If done correctly, this will send only stereo PCM to the TV regardless of whether the programme has Dolby Digital audio or not. Your amp should then be happy with the Firestick. Repeat this for the audio setup on the other sources.


If this or any other reply was helpful to you, then please do the decent thing and click the T-H-A-N-K-S button. It appears when you hover the mouse pointer near the Quote Multi-quote buttons. This is the proper way to show your thanks for the time and help someone gave you.

 

[tosalet]

I am very grateful to you for taking the time and trouble to resolve this issue for me. Everything is sorted now. Many thanks.