How to Connect Soundbar to TV?

A soundbar can give your TV a serious audio boost in terms of fidelity and power. When you use a soundbar to replace your TV’s default speakers, music becomes more immersive, the dialog is more differentiated, and you also get the kick out of low tones.

Fortunately, connecting a soundbar to a television isn’t that hard. Most soundbars are simple to set up, and most TVs will detect when you’ve connected them to a new audio source.

Get to know the ports on the back of your soundbar and TV before you start plugging in cables. If you’re unsure what the different labels mean, check the soundbar’s handbook, and if you don’t have the hard copy, you can download the soft copy from the manufacturer’s website.

You might see labels such as HDMI ARC (audio return channel), which facilitates two-way audio, and HDMI eARC (extended audio return channel). An optical audio port may also be included, which delivers high-fidelity sound, albeit not as good as HDMI ARC or eARC.

Connect Soundbar to the TV using an HDMI Cable.

With HDMI ARC, some TVs and soundbars can send and receive audio via a single HDMI connection. In other words, the HDMI port can be used as both an audio input and an output.

The only downside is that the soundbar will occupy an HDMI port on your TV that would typically be used to connect an external device. To connect your soundbar to TV via HDMI:

Switch on both the soundbar and TV.
Next, connect one end of an HDMI to the HDMI OUT – TV ARC port on the soundbar.

How to Connect Soundbar to TV

3. Attach the other end to the TV’s HDMI IN – ARC port.

4. Now head to the audio settings on your TV and look for ‘CEC.’ Once you find it toggles the switch next to ‘HDMI control’ to allow, the soundbar and TV to communicate.

5. Next, change the audio output on your TV to ‘ARC.’

How to Connect Soundbar to TV

Connect Soundbar to the TV using an Optical Audio Cable

Another option for connecting your soundbar to your TV is to use an optical cable. Like an HDMI cable, this cable carries digital sound, allowing you to hear every detail.

You can also connect your devices, such as Blu-ray players and gaming consoles, to your TV and have the TV’s sound output go to the soundbar.

To connect your soundbar to the TV via optical audio:

1. Start by switching on your TV, then connect one end of the optical cable to the optical audio port on your soundbar.

2. Next, attach the other end of the optical cable to your TV.

3. Then click on the input button on your TV remote to change from HDMI to digital optical because, most of the time, the default is usually HDMI input.

4. Finally, scroll through the audio settings to set the output to external speakers.

This option is convenient because the cable is tiny. However, keep in mind that it won’t allow you to use your TV remote control to adjust the soundbar’s volume.

Connect Soundbar to TV Via Bluetooth

Generally, most soundbars typically have a Bluetooth button on the remote control or the device’s front side. To connect your soundbar to TV via optical audio:

1. Start by tapping the Bluetooth button on the remote or soundbar to commence pairing mode with your TV.

2. To find your TV’s Bluetooth settings, scroll through all settings using the remote.

3. Once you’ve found the settings, the soundbar should appear on your screen.

4. Click on ‘Pair and Connect.’

5. Now your TV name should appear on the soundbar, which means the setup is okay.

Connect Soundbar to TV Via RCA cables

If your TV lacks Bluetooth, HDMI, or Optical connections, RCA cables are the best option to connect to a soundbar.

These are the standard red and white ports seen on older televisions. But most new TVs have better audio options.

To connect your soundbar to the TV via RCA cables:

1. Start by connecting the red and white cables to the audio IN ports on the soundbar.

2. Next, connect the red and white cables to the audio OUT ports on your TV. Make sure you match red to red and white to white for the connection to be successful.

How to Connect Soundbar to TV

Note: If you see more than one HDMI port on the backside of your soundbar, you can use these ports to connect other devices directly to your soundbar, such as a projector, PS5, Xbox, Blu-ray player, etc. This ensures you don’t need to disconnect your TV from the soundbar.

Final Thought

As you can see, there are a couple of ways to connect a soundbar to a TV, depending on the ports available on both the soundbar and TV. Once you’ve established the connection, all that’s left is to enjoy the improved audio quality from your soundbar.