Sony's best wireless headphones might not work with some Samsung TVs

If you've been thinking about getting the Sony WH-1000XM5, Sony's best noise cancelling headphones, and you have one of the best Samsung TVs you might want to wait for a Samsung software update before you spend any money. Users are reporting serious Bluetooth issues since the most recent software update in late 2022, and it's preventing some headphones – including other models such as the WH-1000XM4 as well as the XM5s – from staying connected.

I've encountered this too. I have the XM5s and a Samsung Mini-LED TV, and while I can pair the Sonys effortlessly they disconnect again as soon as they've paired. You name it, I've tried it. The Sonys simply don't stay connected, whereas rival headphones such as my AirPods Max work flawlessly.

This does appear to be a Samsung thing rather than a Sony thing: while I can find lots of unhappy users with Samsung TVs, I'm not seeing the same kind of posts on other manufacturers' forums.

How to get your Sony headphones to connect to your Samsung TV

The problems appear to have started for some users with the December 2022 update (2111.11), and some customers have said they've found a workaround that's clunky but effective. 

According to users on the Samsung forums, the workaround invites connecting the headphones to your phone and then connecting to your TV via the "multi-out audio" option in the accessibility tab. This isn't a permanent fix, however: you'll need to do it every time you want to connect. As multiple posters have said, this is very annoying but at least it appears to work.

This is the kind of thing you'd expect an imminent software update to fix, but at the time of writing there's no indication if Samsung is working on a fix, let alone when such a fix might be available. So if you've not already bought a set of Sonys it might be wise to consult our best wireless headphones guide to find a different set that'll work with your Samsung.