VLC with Macbook Pro and HDMI to HDTV Sound Issues

[JiveTurkey1234]

Hey all,

Been using VLC a ton but the audio seems to be an ongoing issue here.

Current Setup:
MacBook Pro M1 Max
HDTV: LG 65UH615A: 4K UHD w/HDR Pro
Samsung Harman Kardon 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos Soundbar HW-Q80R
25 ft HDMI 2.0 cable AmazonBasics

Right now I connect my 25ft HDMI cable from my macbook to my HDTV and typically play 4K videos with atmos. Some of the videos are 5.1 audio, some are 7.1 audio. I also choose the following settings in VLC

Audio > Audio Device > HDMI (Encoded Output)
Audio > Stereo Audio Mode > Stereo
VLC preferences > Audio > Stereo Audio Output Mode > Dolby Surround

For some reason, most videos that I play have the sound sounding like high treble and not clear sound. Dialogue can sometimes be hard to hear clearly and loud action sequences also sound pretty bad. Its just the overall audio quality is lacking, especially since I feel like I have a solid soundbar. When I watch on my regular Spectrum cable, the sound is fine, so I feel like it has something to do with my settings. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!