billbillw
Streaming Star

Re: Subwoofer won't pair with Soundbar after years of working correctly

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I am still not able to pair my subwoofer (Roku Bass Pro). I actually tried with a newer Roku Streambar Pro (9101R2) and the result is the same. The Streambar Pro is also on the same software 14.0.4. This replacement Streambar Pro bought a new device and was setup from the factory default. The results are the same when I try to pair the subwoofer. It searches, it finds it, then it gets stuck on Updating Subwoofer. The spinning circle never shows any % completed and it errors out after about 5 minutes and says unable to pair. This has now been an issue for more than 2 months and Roku doesn't seem to want to fix it. I've seen other reports of this issue also with the Streambar 9102 model running the same software and unable to pair the wireless speakers, so there is a trend of Roku breaking the wireless accessories with a software update.

Please fix this and release an update.

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billbillw
Streaming Star

Re: Subwoofer won't pair with Soundbar after years of working correctly

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My Streambar Pro finally received an update to 14.1.4. Unfortunately, the subwoofer (Roku Wireless Bass Pro) still won't complete the pairing process. Did Roku eliminate the compatibility between the Streambar Pro and the wireless subwoofers or is this a sign that my subwoofer is defective? It is less than 2 years old so that would be disappointing.

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technikal
Channel Surfer

Re: Subwoofer won't pair with Soundbar after years of working correctly

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I don't think it's an issue with just your speaker.  Mine has failed in the same way after saying it was unable to update firmware and now after factory resetting I can't get it to link at all.

 

It's also interesting that Amazon has stopped selling all Roku subs.  I wonder if they know more than we do?

 

It's frustrating as the sub is one of the most expensive devices Roku sells, and if you're buying the sub you've also already bought a Roku TV or stream bar, and wireless speakers.  So we've made a relatively large investment into the ecosystem and no acknowledgement of the issue or idea of when/if it'll be resolved.

billbillw
Streaming Star

Re: Subwoofer won't pair with Soundbar after years of working correctly

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Thanks technikal. I won't say I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one, but is is reassuring that it probably a Roku software issue. Whether they fix it or not is another question.

It is really sad that Roku Support has quit responding to this and has not provided any information to solve the problem. Since I first reported this issue over a year ago (when Roku moved from OS 12 to 12.5), they have never responded with any solutions. It has always been a wait and see if they fix it with the next OS release.

My original Smart Soundbar worked fine with the subwoofer on Software version 12.x.x and failed to update with the 12.5 software update. It was fixed in the next update. Then it happened again with the update to 13.0. Fixed with next update. It worked fine up until Oct 11th when it updated to 14.

Unfortunately, the software update from 14.0.4 to 14.1.4 hasn't fixed the issue and it still fails to update the subwoofer (Roku Bass Pro) and complete pairing. 

I love the convenience of the Roku Streambar Pro, but it seems they have discontinued it and are moving towards smaller/cheaper units like the Streambar SE. I'm not even sure if they still make the Streambar (non Pro) anymore. I used a Streambar SE during beta testing and didn't really like it because it only handles PCM audio. I really don't want to abandon Roku, but I may. I have already moved two of my TVs to Apple TV 4K boxes. The 3rd in the bedroom is the lone Roku holdout.

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billbillw
Streaming Star

Re: Subwoofer won't pair with Soundbar after years of working correctly

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I have an update, and the problem has been solved, no thanks to Roku Support. The fix for me was to join the Roku OS Release Beta program. I entered the Streambar Pro into the program. After getting accepted, the Streambar Pro was updated to version 14.5.4, but the subwoofer still would not pair. After reaching out to the Admins of the OS Beta program, they added my subwoofer to the list of devices in the Beta program, and the subwoofer then successfully paired.

This is 100% proof that the issues with pairing are software related. I shouldn't have to enter a Beta program to make my hardware work together, but for now, that is the solution.

duckychill
Channel Surfer

Re: Subwoofer won't pair with Soundbar after years of working correctly

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Yup it’s definitely software, I didn’t have to join a beta program to resolve it. Just had to force an update on the soundbar.

its crazy that Rokus support team is so clueless that they can’t figure out this issue. That or they don’t care and want you to buy new products instead 

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technikal
Channel Surfer

Re: Subwoofer won't pair with Soundbar after years of working correctly

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Good news.  I'll wait for them to push the update in the normal channel so I can enjoy my sub again.  At least until they break it again!

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billbillw
Streaming Star

Re: Subwoofer won't pair with Soundbar after years of working correctly

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Good luck waiting. Two updates for the Streambar Pro and it was still not working for me and the wait for the 2nd update was almost 3 months.

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