As an owner of a Samsung TV, I know the frustration of seeing an error message that says, “External Speakers Not Available.” I recently encountered this issue and spent a lot of time researching and working on solutions to the problem. In this blog post, I’m going to share what I learned and how I was able to get my Samsung TV’s external speakers to work again.
I’ll also discuss a few other solutions that I discovered while researching this issue. I hope this blog post helps other Samsung TV owners who are experiencing the same problem.
The “Not available” message on a Samsung TV with an external speaker could point to an issue with sound settings, connections, or overlapping signals.
| Tips |
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| 1. “Not available” message on a Samsung TV with external speaker issue may be due to sound settings, connections, or overlapping signals. |
| 2. To fix, check source, configure audio settings, restart Bluetooth connection, get separate remote controllers, plug in a headphone, or hard reset speakers and TV. |
| 3. If the issue persists, contact the manufacturer for further assistance. |
Table of Contents
What Does the Samsung TV External Speakers Not Available Message Mean?
If the “Not Available” message pops up whenever you try to adjust the volume on your Samsung TV, it might be due to one of these causes:
Sounds Settings and Connection Issues
If you set your device’s sound output to an external source, but there’s no actual speaker connected, you’ll get this message repeatedly.
To fix this, you can change the settings or properly connect an external speaker to the TV.
Remote Controller Compatibility
More often than not, the remote clicker you use to control the external speaker can also overlap with the TV’s input.
This overlap means that both the external speaker and the TV set get volume signals every time you press the controller. This mix-up can be the culprit behind the “Not Available” message.
How to Fix External Speakers on Your Samsung TV
Whether it’s an issue of overlapping signals or just a poor connection, there are a few tricks to try.
Let’s take a closer look!
- Check the Source
A reasonably easy troubleshooting step is to check if the external speakers are on the wrong source. Since there are several audio input ports on your TV, it’s easy to make this mistake.
So, look at the ports and ensure all wires are intact and plugged in correctly. Even a shaky cable can cause this error, so you need to be thorough.
- Configure the Audio Settings
Typically, the TV Speakers are the sound output’s default setting. However, it ought to recognize an external speaker when you connect one.
If this doesn’t happen automatically, you might want to configure the primary audio output manually.
Here’s how:
- Select Settings by pressing the Home button on your controller.
- Click Sound, then choose Sound Output.
- Pick your external speaker from the menu that appears.
- Restart Your Bluetooth Connection
Some speakers connect via Bluetooth instead of cables, and while having a wireless speaker is great, it can have some drawbacks.
Other signals, such as interference from Wi-Fi, may sometimes disrupt Bluetooth signals. Disconnecting and reconnecting the setup might help in this case.
To do that, you only need to:
- Reverse what you just did with the audio output settings to make the TV speaker the default.
- Restart the speakers.
- Re-configure the settings to play the output to the external speakers.
- Get Separate Remote Controllers
Sometimes, the only way around the remote signal mix-up is to separate the clickers you use for each device.
With a universal remote controller, you can narrow down the compatibility range to the speakers only.
That means you’ll have a programmable controller synced to the frequency of the external set. This way, when you adjust the volume, the TV won’t even register it as a signal, so the error message should disappear.
You’ll use the TV remote to tackle everything else other than the volume levels.
On the downside, this solution can be a little inconvenient if you want to continue using the same controller for both the TV and the external speaker.
- Plug-In a Headphone
With the remote signal mix-up, sometimes, connecting a headphone to the TV can help remove the error message.
However, it’s important to note that this should only be a temporary solution since the headphones could overheat with time.
- Hard Reset Your Speakers
An external speaker may occasionally require a hard reset to work again, but it’ll turn your speakers to their default configuration.
Depending on the speaker model and brand, there may be variations in the steps. In most cases, you need to hold the Play/Pause button for a while, but it’s still better to check with the manual for the specific external speaker you’re using.
- Hard Reset Your TV
If hard resetting the speaker doesn’t cut it, you can try resetting your TV to factory defaults.
Different Samsung TV models may need special steps, but the standard method for factory resetting is as follows:
- Select General from the Settings menu.
- Choose Reset, then type in your PIN (0000 is usually the default).
- Confirm and don’t unplug the TV till the reboot is over.
Summary
The Samsung TV “external speakers not available” message can be a frustrating issue to deal with over and over again.
To tackle the error message, you’ll have to check that there are no underlying connectivity or configuration issues.
However, if remote signals overlapping is the culprit, your best bet might be to get a programmable controller and adjust the volume functions to control the external speakers only.
As a last resort, you can try hard resets for both the TV and the speaker. However, if none of these fixes work, it might be time to contact the manufacturer to take a look.
Read more: How to get xCloud on Samsung TV
