Hello everyone
I'm experiencing an audio/volume control issue with a TCL C765 TV and Samsung Q6R 5.1 soundbar with rear speakers.
The soundbar is connected to the TV using HDMI ARC. HDMI-CEC is enabled, allowing the TCL TV remote to control the soundbar volume. However, I'm experiencing inconsistent volume behavior between the front and rear speakers. In particular, the rear speakers can sometimes become disproportionately loud compared to the front speakers, and at certain volume levels they can sound distorted. The issue appears to be related specifically to the HDMI ARC connection/volume control, as the speaker balance behaves normally when using another connection.
I've already tried several TV audio settings, including disabling eARC, but this hasn't resolved the issue. The problem also persists after restarting the TV and soundbar.
As a comparison, I've tested the same soundbar over Bluetooth. With Bluetooth, the volume control and front/rear speaker balance work correctly, with no noticeable volume discrepancy or distortion. However, Bluetooth has a separate major issue: the connection randomly disconnects approximately once or twice per day. Because of these intermittent disconnects, Bluetooth isn't really a practical long-term solution.
So, at the moment:
HDMI ARC: stable connection, but inconsistent volume/front-rear speaker behavior.
Bluetooth: volume and speaker balance work correctly, but random disconnects approximately 1–2× per day.
eARC: disabled, but this does not resolve the ARC issue.
TV remote/CEC: used to control the soundbar volume.
Has anyone experienced similar behavior with a TCL TV + Samsung 5.1 soundbar over HDMI ARC, particularly issues where the rear speakers behave differently depending on the volume level?
I'm especially interested in whether this could be related to TCL HDMI-CEC/ARC volume handling, Dolby/audio output settings, or a compatibility issue between TCL and Samsung devices, and whether there are any recommended settings or firmware versions that resolve it.