Thinking about boosting sound for your late-night movie marathons? If the audio on your Vizio TV isn't up to snuff, it could be time to explore other solutions. Check your audio settings, make sure your TV's software is the latest version, or try a factory reset if needed.
In this article, we will show you how to fix sound issues on your Vizio TV without needing any tools or calling for professional help.
Why Does My Vizio TV Have No Sound?
A Vizio TV without sound cannot provide an enjoyable experience. If you are currently experiencing this issue, it’s best to know what causes them.
Here are a few possible reasons why your Vizio TV might have no sound:
Muted/Low Volume: This is a very common cause and one that many fail to realize. It is possible a friend/family member altered the settings and forgot about it, or it could also be caused by an issue with the remote control.
Input Issues: External speakers or other media devices, such as gaming consoles and DVD players, can also affect the sound input configuration of your Vizio TV. These can hijack the sound controls and interfere with the default audio settings.
Faulty Wiring/Cables: Another common issue is having loose/broken wires. If a power cable or any other audio/video cable is damaged, this could cause the TV to suffer from audio glitches.
Outdated Software: Software-related issues can also affect the TV audio. Despite having perfect hardware or properly configured settings, glitches and bugs in the operating system (firmware) can affect the volume levels or sound quality of the TV.
Quick Fixes for Your Vizio TV
Fortunately, several quick fixes can get a Vizio TV’s audio working in no time at all. However, these fixes are only specific to the TV's in-built speakers. Therefore, if the sound issue keeps persisting, you will have to inspect whatever external soundbar or speaker system is connected to your TV.
Increase the volume: The first thing you should do is increase the volume. Do this by pressing the Up and Down volume buttons on your remote control – these buttons may also be labeled with the “+” and “-” symbols.
Unmute the volume: Another volume setting that you can check is the mute settings. You can toggle the mute settings using the button on the remote or even use the volume controls on the back of the TV.
Always keep the TV speakers on: Configuring the TV speakers to always stay on might also resolve the issue. You can configure this setting by selecting Menu > Audio > Audio Settings > pressing OK and enabling the speaker setting to stay on.
Reconnect the cables: The audio/video signal carrying cables (e.g. HDMI) may also be loose or damaged. Disconnect them from their ports and check for any external and internal damage. If the cables appear to be okay, try plugging them back in and ensure the connections are secure.
Try a different device source: An easier method of figuring out if another media device is affecting the volume is to switch the source and try the audio on a different device. For example, you can try playing music from an app like YouTube.
Change volume settings on the connected device: When connected to media devices that have their own volume controls (such as a cable or satellite box), the volume controls on that device might interfere with the TV’s audio. Try switching the inputs to another device and check the audio volume.
How to Disable the TruVolume Feature
Vizio TVs have a special feature called TruVolume that alters the volume level to keep it clear and consistent when watching content. It’s an adaptive system that changes the volume level depending on the intensity.
This is a common reason why the volume on your Vizio TV might fluctuate from time to time. Unfortunately, there can be several other reasons such as:
1. Bugs in the firmware
2. Broken volume button
3. Faulty cables
4. Connected media devices
However, with the help of this guide, we will show you how to disable the TruVolume feature.
- First, switch on the TV using the remote control.
- After that, press the Menu button on the remote control to open up the Vizio TV menu.
- Then, select Audio Settings.
- After that, select the Advanced Audio option.
- A new menu will open up and in that menu, look for the RSS TruVolume setting. Disable this setting by turning it off.
- Finally, if you have connected other media devices such as set-top boxes and gaming consoles, you will have to disable their particular audio settings – ones that would interfere with the audio levels as well.
- Optional: In some models, you might find several settings such as TruSurround, Surround Sound, and Volume Leveling. Try disabling these settings as well to see if this also helps your volume issues.
How to Factory Reset Your TV
There’s nothing better than starting with a clean slate, and that’s what a factory reset can do for your device. So, if you’ve tried all the previous quick fixes and resolved all hardware issues, your last resort is going to be performing a hard reset.
Unfortunately, a hard reset will delete all your user settings and credentials. Therefore, after a hard reset, you will have to re-initialize all your accounts and information from scratch. It is a hassle, and because of this, we recommend doing a factory reset only if nothing else works.
- First, switch the TV on.
- Press the Menu button on your remote control.
- After that, select Reset & Admin.
- A window will pop up asking you for confirmation. This is the first of many, so just press OK.
- After that, select the Reset TV to Factory Default option.
- Another window will ask for confirmation. Press OK.
- Select Reset and confirm for the third and final time by pressing OK.
- After that, leave the TV for 1-2 minutes so that it will reset the software.
- After it has fully reset, configure the initial settings, such as language, region, and more.
- Then, select Watch TV.
- Test the audio of the TV and make sure to increase the volume using the remote.
How to Connect External Speakers
This may not happen all the time, but there can be instances where the in-built speakers on your Vizio TV can be defective. Regardless of the situation, an easy solution would be to bypass the TV speakers.
If this manages to work, then the reason for your Vizio TV lacking audio is because the in-built speakers are broken. You can opt to get these repaired either through your warranty or by yourself.
This guide will show you how to bypass the in-built speakers and connect to an external soundbar or speaker system.
- First, connect the external speakers to your TV using either the HDMI or AUX ports.
- After that, switch on the TV using the remote and press the Input button.
- If you are using a soundbar, select the Confirm button under the Soundbar tab. If you are using a different device, confirm it in the same way.
- However, don’t select the speaker devices as the default option. The default option sets the audio output device as the in-built speakers.
- After that, to ensure that the TV speakers are off, select Menu and tap on Audio Settings.
- Check that the TV speakers are off.
- Now, play something on the TV and check if the audio is working.
Common Questions Relating to No Sound on Vizio TV
Why is my Vizio TV’s sound not working?
There can be several reasons for this. The fixes range from changing a simple Menu setting to performing a factory reset, or even replacing/bypassing the in-built speakers.
Some of the most common issues include:
- Low/muted volume
- Wrong source/input device
- Software bugs or changes in the settings
- Hardware failure in the TV speakers
Will a factory reset fix the sound issue?
It can. However, only if the issue was caused by the OS/firmware. Therefore, the proper procedure is to troubleshoot the minor causes first before moving on to a hard reset.
As soon as the audio fails, users would jump out of their seats and perform a factory reset. Fortunately, the issue might have been solved just by increasing the volume.
Performing factory resets all the time is not healthy for the device. On top of that, you will always have to deal with the initialization setup every time, and you will also lose pre-configured settings and user account information.
How do I know the TV speakers are broken?
The best method to confirm that the TV speakers are defective is to connect an external speaker and listen to the audio through it. If it works, you can be confident that the in-built speakers of the Vizio TV are indeed defective.
The Verdict
It’s never easy trying to figure out why a TV has no sound. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to fix a Vizio TV that has no sound. These fixes often take just a few seconds and don’t require any expert training. It simply just could be a matter of changing the volume or playing around with the audio settings.
Occasionally, you may need to perform a hard reset or replace the speakers. Regardless of what solution you try though, it isn’t difficult to fix no sound on Vizio TV and enjoy your favorite show again within minutes.