topic HT-A3000 Soundbar volume issues in Home Cinema, Projectors & Players

HT-A3000 Soundbar volume issues

Si6776 — Sun, 11 May 2025 10:52:48 GMT

Hello,

I have the above soundbar, paired with a Bravia A90K, having previously had a Denon DHT-S218.

The problem I have is that the volume on the soundbar seems to differ wildly between input sources. When I had the Denon, the volume setting displayed on the TV was between 12 and 15 for normal viewing, but for this HT-A3000, I have to have it at set to around 30 for a comfortable volume. If I then switch to Bluetooth to play music, the volume is too loud. The soundbar is connected to the TV via eARC, the same as the Denon was, and I never had this issue with the Denon.

I've tried the 'Auto Volume' setting and that seems to work in some instances, but it also makes the volume distractingly inconsistent, so when watching a programme like a quiz show, with varying sound levels, the volume seems to go up and down, like it's being overly compressed for 'loudness'.

I was thinking of purchasing the new Sub 7 subwoofer to go with this, but I'm not sure I can live with this soundbar with these ongoing inconsistent volume issues.

Has anyone found the same with this soundbar, and is there anything I can do to stabilise the volume a bit better?

Re: HT-A3000 Soundbar volume issues

daveyh64 — Sun, 11 May 2025 12:10:11 GMT

Each different input to the TV and soundbar will have its own audio level.

Does the soundbars own settings have a volume offset for each input, if not

go to the A90Ks Settings menu> Sound Settings and adjust the Volume level> Volume off set

so that each inputs volume is set so there isn't a huge difference in volume levels when you switch inputs.

Re: HT-A3000 Soundbar volume issues

Si6776 — Sun, 11 May 2025 17:23:38 GMT

Thanks for the suggestion. I've gone all through the sound settings on the A90K, and the Volume level & Volume offset are both set to Max, so adjusting those would presumably have the opposite effect to what I want, as I can only make the TV output quieter.

If I'm switching from the TV to Bluetooth, I can lower the volume on the source device (phone), but surely I shouldn't need to have the Soundbar turned up to between 30-50% to get a decent volume from the TV via eARC?

To be honest, I'm not overly impressed with this soundbar anyway. The bass is only adjustable to Low, Mid or Max, and typically, Mid is too little, with Max being too much. It was a toss up between this and the HT-S2000, and with this being the more expensive of the two, I assumed it would be the better product, but I'm starting to think I made the wrong choice and it's too late to return it now.