Nova s90 Fine Tuning Needed

[Nathan Grimmer]

Hello I have just got my Nova S90
I have noticed a few issues and was wondering if a newer firmware update would make this soundbar better.

The problems
Subwoofer at low volume produces a rumbling noise matched to speech, even if the sub is turned down to minus 6. It's annoying.
Rear up firing speakers have interference sounds at low levels, mostly non atmos content, have to turn up firing to - 3 to remove this noise.
Subwoofer could do with more power sent to it, compared to other systems there is not enough power, this is a 8 inch sub and should handle more power.

I am using the new firmware version 180

Also Netflix content doesn't show atmos anymore using this sound bar when using my Sky Glass TV using the native Netflix installed app.
Atmos does show if I play the same content through my xbox though

Anyone else get these issues?
Thanks

 

[Leongino]

Hi Nathan,
Possible solutions to the issues reported (until the next firmware update):

1. Subwoofer rumble at low volume

• Reducing the subwoofer level to –6 is correct, but if it still rumbles, also try lowering the bass from the general EQ.
• If it continues, this is a firmware-related. The recommendation is to wait for the next update.

2. Rear speakers interference at low volume

• Setting the rear speakers to –3, as you did, eliminates most of the noise.
• This is also related to signal management at low volumes and will be fixed in a future firmware update.

1. Subwoofer lacking power (despite being 8”)

• Currently, the factory calibration limits output to prioritize clarity.
• A temporary solution is to increase the bass level on the soundbar and keep the sub at 0 or +1, instead of –6.
• In the long term, a firmware adjustment is expected to improve power.

1. Netflix on Sky Glass without Atmos

• This is not an issue with the soundbar, but with the native Netflix app on Sky Glass, which doesn’t pass Atmos to external devices.
• Solution: use an external device such as Xbox (as you’ve already tested), Fire Stick, or Apple TV so Atmos can be enabled correctly.

These are possible temporary solutions until a new firmware version is released to optimize the system’s performance.


Hope this works for you

 

[Nathan Grimmer]

Thanks for your detailed reply.
The subwoofer there is no other EQ to control the bass only the bassmx up and down. It's like the sub frequency is not correct at low volumes, other systems turn the sub off at low volumes to get round this.

Thanks for the other info around Netflix, I did suspect this, even though on my other Sony soundbar the Nova has replaced the atmos was detected fine with no issues, I will contact sky along to see if they can update the app though

Hopefully there's a firmware update soon as with some tweaks this system could be ok

Nathan

 

[Leongino]

Thanks for your detailed reply.
The subwoofer there is no other EQ to control the bass only the bassmx up and down. It's like the sub frequency is not correct at low volumes, other systems turn the sub off at low volumes to get round this.

Thanks for the other info around Netflix, I did suspect this, even though on my other Sony soundbar the Nova has replaced the atmos was detected fine with no issues, I will contact sky along to see if they can update the app though

Hopefully there's a firmware update soon as with some tweaks this system could be ok

Nathan

“Thanks to you for sharing the issues you’ve found here. This really helps the ULTIMEA support team respond as quickly as possible and address these kinds of cases. I try to help as much as I can, but always from a user’s point of view, not in a professional capacity.”

 

[Ultimea Team]

Hello I have just got my Nova S90
I have noticed a few issues and was wondering if a newer firmware update would make this soundbar better.

The problems
Subwoofer at low volume produces a rumbling noise matched to speech, even if the sub is turned down to minus 6. It's annoying.
Rear up firing speakers have interference sounds at low levels, mostly non atmos content, have to turn up firing to - 3 to remove this noise.
Subwoofer could do with more power sent to it, compared to other systems there is not enough power, this is a 8 inch sub and should handle more power.

I am using the new firmware version 180

Also Netflix content doesn't show atmos anymore using this sound bar when using my Sky Glass TV using the native Netflix installed app.
Atmos does show if I play the same content through my xbox though

Anyone else get these issues?
Thanks

Thank you very much for your detailed feedback on your Nova S90 experience. We take the issues you described very seriously.

Analysis and suggestions for your feedback:
1. Subwoofer low-frequency noise and rear surround interference

Suggestion: Go to the soundbar settings and try disabling "Night Mode" or "Dynamic Range Compression" (DRC) (if enabled). These features emphasize low frequencies at low volumes and may cause unexpected noise.

2. Subwoofer lacks power

This is a very important feedback. The perceived power depends on the subwoofer gain curve and crossover frequency settings preset in the firmware.

Suggestion: Find the "Bass Level" option in the settings and try increasing it (for example, from 0 to +3 or +4) to see if the subjective listening experience improves.

Your feedback that "it should be able to handle more power" is very valuable information. We will provide this directly to the product team for future firmware optimization of the subwoofer's performance.

3. Netflix Atmos Compatibility Issue (Sky Glass TV vs. Xbox)
This is a typical "inter-device compatibility" issue, rooted in your Sky Glass TV's Netflix app or its audio output settings.

Solution:
Go to your Sky Glass TV's audio settings and ensure the output format is set to "Bitstream" or "Dolby Digital Plus," and enable "Dolby Atmos" support.

We hope the above information helps. If this doesn't resolve the issue, please contact us again!

 

[Nathan Grimmer]

Thank you very much for your detailed feedback on your Nova S90 experience. We take the issues you described very seriously.

Analysis and suggestions for your feedback:
1. Subwoofer low-frequency noise and rear surround interference

Suggestion: Go to the soundbar settings and try disabling "Night Mode" or "Dynamic Range Compression" (DRC) (if enabled). These features emphasize low frequencies at low volumes and may cause unexpected noise.

2. Subwoofer lacks power

This is a very important feedback. The perceived power depends on the subwoofer gain curve and crossover frequency settings preset in the firmware.

Suggestion: Find the "Bass Level" option in the settings and try increasing it (for example, from 0 to +3 or +4) to see if the subjective listening experience improves.

Your feedback that "it should be able to handle more power" is very valuable information. We will provide this directly to the product team for future firmware optimization of the subwoofer's performance.

3. Netflix Atmos Compatibility Issue (Sky Glass TV vs. Xbox)
This is a typical "inter-device compatibility" issue, rooted in your Sky Glass TV's Netflix app or its audio output settings.

Solution:
Go to your Sky Glass TV's audio settings and ensure the output format is set to "Bitstream" or "Dolby Digital Plus," and enable "Dolby Atmos" support.

We hope the above information helps. If this doesn't resolve the issue, please contact us again!

Thanks
No settings improve the low muffled sound coming from subwoofer at low levels, the only other way I can describe it is, sounds like the sub woofer is trying to produce a full range sound, it shouldn't really be making any noise just on TV with voice, at low volume, the get round this I have found the volume level has to be above 15 so you can't hear it. It's only a minor tweak but would make a big difference at low level.

The Netflix issue, I do have the sky glass set to Passthrough and tried Auto but still no atmos, I re plugged in my Sony atmos soundbar gt700 for a test and atmos re appears, so either sky/Netflix are not recognising the capability of the Nova Soundbar

 

[Ultimea Team]

Thanks
No settings improve the low muffled sound coming from subwoofer at low levels, the only other way I can describe it is, sounds like the sub woofer is trying to produce a full range sound, it shouldn't really be making any noise just on TV with voice, at low volume, the get round this I have found the volume level has to be above 15 so you can't hear it. It's only a minor tweak but would make a big difference at low level.

The Netflix issue, I do have the sky glass set to Passthrough and tried Auto but still no atmos, I re plugged in my Sony atmos soundbar gt700 for a test and atmos re appears, so either sky/Netflix are not recognising the capability of the Nova Soundbar

Rest assured, our technical team is actively researching solutions to the above issues. Once a working test firmware or clear resolution path is available, we will contact you immediately and provide guidance on the next steps.

We apologize again for the continued inconvenience. Thank you for your patience and exceptional assistance; you are a valuable partner in improving our product quality.

 

[Nathan Grimmer]

Rest assured, our technical team is actively researching solutions to the above issues. Once a working test firmware or clear resolution path is available, we will contact you immediately and provide guidance on the next steps.

We apologize again for the continued inconvenience. Thank you for your patience and exceptional assistance; you are a valuable partner in improving our product quality.

Thanks
Happy with trying any firmware testing and provide feedback on the system.

 

[Ultimea Team]

Thanks
Happy with trying any firmware testing and provide feedback on the system.

Thank you for your patience and detailed feedback. We value your user experience. Below are specific explanations and suggestions for the three issues you encountered:

❶ "Rumbling" sound from the subwoofer at low volume levels
The subwoofer sound you described, which occurs simultaneously with voice, has been confirmed to be a design feature of system notification sounds (such as those for power on and mode switching). These notification sounds are emitted by the subwoofer unit and have a fixed volume that cannot be changed by adjusting the subwoofer volume (-6) or the master volume.
Solution:
To reduce this interference, we recommend enabling "Night Mode" at night or in quiet environments. This mode significantly reduces the volume of system notification sounds.

❷ Noise Issue with Rear Height Channel Speakers
The "interference" from the height channel speakers with non-Atmos content you mentioned is low-frequency noise caused by hardware tuning limitations. This noise is more noticeable at low volumes but is unrelated to the audio content.
Solution:
After adjusting the height channel volume individually to -3, the noise still exists, but due to the reduced output volume, it is less noticeable. We recommend adjusting the volume of this channel based on your listening experience for the best experience.

❸ Netflix Dolby Atmos Unable to Trigger
You confirmed the issue by replacing your Sony soundbar (which can trigger Atmos) with a Sky Glass TV and Netflix app with the Nova S90's audio capabilities. This is due to compatibility certification limitations between the Nova S90 and the Sky TV platform.
Solution:
Due to compatibility issues, playing Atmos content through an Xbox external device is currently the most stable solution to minimize user experience.

We understand these issues have impacted your user experience and apologize for this. While the Nova S90 cannot resolve the aforementioned compatibility or noise floor issues through software updates, we are happy to provide the following support:

If you are dissatisfied with the device, please contact our after-sales team to discuss other solutions.
In future product designs, we will implement stricter hardware tuning and platform compatibility testing.

Please feel free to contact us with any further questions. Thank you for your understanding and support!

 

[Nathan Grimmer]

Thank you for your patience and detailed feedback. We value your user experience. Below are specific explanations and suggestions for the three issues you encountered:

❶ "Rumbling" sound from the subwoofer at low volume levels
The subwoofer sound you described, which occurs simultaneously with voice, has been confirmed to be a design feature of system notification sounds (such as those for power on and mode switching). These notification sounds are emitted by the subwoofer unit and have a fixed volume that cannot be changed by adjusting the subwoofer volume (-6) or the master volume.
Solution:
To reduce this interference, we recommend enabling "Night Mode" at night or in quiet environments. This mode significantly reduces the volume of system notification sounds.

❷ Noise Issue with Rear Height Channel Speakers
The "interference" from the height channel speakers with non-Atmos content you mentioned is low-frequency noise caused by hardware tuning limitations. This noise is more noticeable at low volumes but is unrelated to the audio content.
Solution:
After adjusting the height channel volume individually to -3, the noise still exists, but due to the reduced output volume, it is less noticeable. We recommend adjusting the volume of this channel based on your listening experience for the best experience.

❸ Netflix Dolby Atmos Unable to Trigger
You confirmed the issue by replacing your Sony soundbar (which can trigger Atmos) with a Sky Glass TV and Netflix app with the Nova S90's audio capabilities. This is due to compatibility certification limitations between the Nova S90 and the Sky TV platform.
Solution:
Due to compatibility issues, playing Atmos content through an Xbox external device is currently the most stable solution to minimize user experience.

We understand these issues have impacted your user experience and apologize for this. While the Nova S90 cannot resolve the aforementioned compatibility or noise floor issues through software updates, we are happy to provide the following support:

If you are dissatisfied with the device, please contact our after-sales team to discuss other solutions.
In future product designs, we will implement stricter hardware tuning and platform compatibility testing.

Please feel free to contact us with any further questions. Thank you for your understanding and support!

Thanks for the reply.
The subwoofer solution is not viable, you shouldn't have to select Night Mode every time you want to watch the News or general TV, this is a design fault.
The technology should be similar to other systems, cut the subwoofer at low volumes automatically or look at frequency curve it doesn't sound right to me.

The rear height speakers, fair enough I do turn these down to -3 when now watching non atmos content as it's such high pitched it's also annoying.

Again you shouldn't be manually turning speakers down here and there to over come design faults
Sony, Sonus, Samsung don't have this problem.

Also I'd suggest the mid range button on the remote does very little to the sound, it would be better assigned to control the level of the centre speaker volume.

I may think about returning this product then, I purchased via your eBay account last week.

Thanks

 

[Ultimea Team]

Thanks for the reply.
The subwoofer solution is not viable, you shouldn't have to select Night Mode every time you want to watch the News or general TV, this is a design fault.
The technology should be similar to other systems, cut the subwoofer at low volumes automatically or look at frequency curve it doesn't sound right to me.

The rear height speakers, fair enough I do turn these down to -3 when now watching non atmos content as it's such high pitched it's also annoying.

Again you shouldn't be manually turning speakers down here and there to over come design faults
Sony, Sonus, Samsung don't have this problem.

Also I'd suggest the mid range button on the remote does very little to the sound, it would be better assigned to control the level of the centre speaker volume.

I may think about returning this product then, I purchased via your eBay account last week.

Thanks

Thank you again for sharing your candid feedback. We fully understand your frustration with the Nova S90's current user experience and deeply apologize for the inconvenience you've experienced.

You're absolutely right: users shouldn't need to frequently manually adjust to compensate for hardware or audio design limitations. We understand this falls short of your desired "seamless immersive experience."

Based on your pursuit of superior sound quality and a more automated experience, we'd like to recommend a new product that truly addresses these pain points:

Recommended: Skywave X Series
The X Series is our new flagship series, featuring comprehensive upgrades from hardware design to software algorithms:

Intelligent Bass Management:
The X Series supports automatic bass adjustment, dynamically optimizing low-frequency output based on volume, eliminating "rumble" at low volumes without the need to manually switch modes.

Pure Sky Channel Performance:
Utilizing advanced speaker drivers and noise reduction algorithms, it virtually eliminates background noise issues with non-Atmos content, eliminating the need to manually adjust the volume.

Full-Function App Control:
All channel adjustments, EQ settings, and sound field calibration can be performed through the app, offering intuitive operation and rich functionality.

Next Steps
Since you purchased through eBay, you can request a return directly through eBay. Also, if you'd like to give us a chance to provide you with a more satisfactory experience, we'd be happy to arrange an upgrade to the Skywave X Series at a discounted price.

Whatever your decision, we deeply respect your choice. Your feedback is crucial to us; it helps us continuously improve our products and services.
Thank you again for your trust and patience. Happy exploring!

 

[Nathan Grimmer]

Thank you again for sharing your candid feedback. We fully understand your frustration with the Nova S90's current user experience and deeply apologize for the inconvenience you've experienced.

You're absolutely right: users shouldn't need to frequently manually adjust to compensate for hardware or audio design limitations. We understand this falls short of your desired "seamless immersive experience."

Based on your pursuit of superior sound quality and a more automated experience, we'd like to recommend a new product that truly addresses these pain points:

Recommended: Skywave X Series
The X Series is our new flagship series, featuring comprehensive upgrades from hardware design to software algorithms:

Intelligent Bass Management:
The X Series supports automatic bass adjustment, dynamically optimizing low-frequency output based on volume, eliminating "rumble" at low volumes without the need to manually switch modes.

Pure Sky Channel Performance:
Utilizing advanced speaker drivers and noise reduction algorithms, it virtually eliminates background noise issues with non-Atmos content, eliminating the need to manually adjust the volume.

Full-Function App Control:
All channel adjustments, EQ settings, and sound field calibration can be performed through the app, offering intuitive operation and rich functionality.

Next Steps
Since you purchased through eBay, you can request a return directly through eBay. Also, if you'd like to give us a chance to provide you with a more satisfactory experience, we'd be happy to arrange an upgrade to the Skywave X Series at a discounted price.

Whatever your decision, we deeply respect your choice. Your feedback is crucial to us; it helps us continuously improve our products and services.
Thank you again for your trust and patience. Happy exploring!

Thanks.
What deal can you do on a similar skywave 7.1.4 or similar to this system.
I paid £390 for this Nova on eBay
Could you send a skywave one out and I'll return this one on the same delivery van? Via Dpd?

Thanks

 

[Ultimea Team]

Thanks.
What deal can you do on a similar skywave 7.1.4 or similar to this system.
I paid £390 for this Nova on eBay
Could you send a skywave one out and I'll return this one on the same delivery van? Via Dpd?

Thanks

We fully understand your desire for a seamless device replacement, but due to restrictions on purchasing channels (eBay and the official store operate under different sales systems), we're unable to directly arrange a "new for old" exchange. However, we can offer the following convenient solutions:

Exchange Process Suggestions:
Purchase the new Skywave series:
We've sent you a link via private message for a special offer (recommending the Skywave X60/X70). Please refer to the discounted price and select your preferred model.
▸ Skywave X60 (7.1.4-channel): Similar in price to the Nova S90, with improved performance across the board;
▸ Skywave X70 (7.1.4-channel): Flagship specifications, enhanced immersion (requires a slightly higher budget).

Returning the Nova S90 separately:
Please contact customer service through the eBay platform or initiate a return request directly. eBay will generate a return label, typically including DPD pickup. Simply hand your device over to the DPD driver, no shipping charges.

Refunds and After-Sales Guarantee:
Nova S90 refunds will be returned to the original eBay address. New Skywave devices come with an official 30-day warranty and worry-free returns and exchanges.

Why do we recommend the X60/X70?
Intelligent Bass Management: Automatically optimizes low frequencies to eliminate muffled low-volume sound.
Sky Channel Noise Cancellation: Eliminates background noise interference, eliminating the need to manually lower the volume.
App-Based Full Control: Supports independent adjustment of the center channel, sound field calibration, and more.
Wireless Design: Completely free from wires.

Happy exploration! Feel free to contact us with any questions!

 

[Nathan1123]

Thanks.
What deal can you do on a similar skywave 7.1.4 or similar to this system.
I paid £390 for this Nova on eBay
Could you send a skywave one out and I'll return this one on the same delivery van? Via Dpd?

Thanks

If purchased from eBay and your going to have to follow eBay's rules and procedures no matter who the seller's account was.

I don't know of any company that would fulfill a request like that...

 

[kito]

Merci.
Quelle offre pouvez-vous faire sur un skywave 7.1.4 similaire ou similaire à ce système.
J'ai payé 390 £ pour cette Nova sur eBay
Pourriez-vous m'envoyer un Skywave et je vous le retournerai dans le même camion ? Par DPD ?

Merci

Salut, je pense que la proposition que la Team Ultimea vous fait est la plus judicieuse, le tarif réduit du Skywave X60 est une bonne solution à votre souhait de remplacement.
Retournez le S90 à votre vendeur eBay et passez votre commande une fois remboursée.
bon courage