How to Connect a Soundbar to a TV: HDMI ARC, Optical or Bluetooth

Use HDMI eARC or ARC if both the TV and the soundbar have it; it carries surround sound and lets the TV remote control the volume. If the TV has no ARC port, use an optical cable. Bluetooth works without any cable but can add a delay, and a 3.5mm or RCA analog lead is the last resort for older sets. The sections below cover each method and the settings that make it work.

Check the ports first

Look at the back of the TV and the soundbar before buying any cable. The labels decide which route is open to you:

If the difference between the two HDMI options is unclear, the explainer on what HDMI ARC and eARC are sets out which formats each can carry.

Method 1: HDMI ARC or eARC

1. Plug one end of an HDMI cable into the TV's ARC or eARC port and the other into the soundbar's HDMI OUT (TV ARC) socket.
2. Turn on the TV's HDMI control setting. The guide to HDMI-CEC and its menu names helps if your TV hides it under a trade name.
3. In the TV's sound settings, change the output from TV speakers to the external audio or HDMI ARC option.
4. Set the digital audio output to auto or bitstream so the soundbar can decode surround tracks.
5. Switch the soundbar to its TV or ARC input, then play something and check the display on the soundbar for a format indicator.

If the soundbar has HDMI inputs as well, you can plug a console or player into the soundbar and let it pass the picture to the TV. That route can deliver better sound from the device, but check that the soundbar passes through the video formats your source uses, or the picture may be limited.

Method 2: Optical cable

An optical cable for a soundbar is thin, light and inexpensive, and almost every TV made in the last decade has the socket.

1. Remove the small plastic caps from both cable ends. They are easy to miss and block the light completely.
2. Push the plug into the TV's optical output until it clicks; the shaped end only fits one way.
3. Connect the other end to the soundbar's optical input.
4. Set the TV's sound output to optical or external speaker.
5. If you hear nothing or only clicks, change the TV's digital audio format from bitstream to PCM.
6. Select the optical input on the soundbar.

Avoid bending optical cables sharply or squashing them behind furniture. The light inside travels through a fiber that can crack.

Method 3: Bluetooth

1. Put the soundbar into pairing mode, usually by holding its Bluetooth or source button.
2. On the TV, open sound output or Bluetooth device settings and search for new devices.
3. Select the soundbar and confirm the pairing.
4. Play a clip with clear speech and watch for any delay between lips and voice.

Bluetooth is handy when cables are not practical, but the connection compresses the audio and can lag behind the picture. Some TVs and soundbars compensate; many do not.

Method 4: Analog cable

On older sets, a 3.5mm headphone output or red and white RCA sockets can feed a soundbar's analog input. Set the TV's headphone or audio-out volume to a fixed level if it offers that option, then control volume on the soundbar. Expect stereo only.

After it is connected

• Turn off the TV speakers so sound does not come from two places.
• Adjust lip sync in the soundbar's AV sync or audio delay setting if voices lead or trail.
• Try a voice or dialogue mode for news and drama, and a night mode for late viewing.
• Update the soundbar firmware through its app or USB port if it has one; updates often fix ARC handshake issues.
• Tidy the leads once everything works. The guide on hiding TV wires covers raceways, clips and in-wall kits.

Troubleshooting silence

The soundbar shows the right input but plays nothing

Change the TV's digital output to PCM. If sound returns, the soundbar does not support the format the TV was sending.

ARC worked yesterday and not today

Switch both devices off, unplug them for a minute, then power up the soundbar first and the TV second.

Sound comes from apps but not from a connected console

Some TVs do not pass multichannel audio from their HDMI inputs out through ARC or optical. Set the console to output stereo or PCM, or connect it through the soundbar's own HDMI input if it has one.

Still deciding whether a soundbar is the right choice at all? The comparison of soundbars and separate speakers weighs the two setups by room, budget and listening habits.