Connecting a soundbar to a home theater system is an easy way to improve the audio quality of your home entertainment setup. In addition to providing better sound, connecting a soundbar to your home theater system also lets you access the audio from your Blu-Ray or DVD player, streaming devices, and gaming consoles.
What You Will Need
- Soundbar with built-in or external subwoofer
- HDMI cable or optical digital audio cable
- (Optional) Auxiliary cable for connecting to existing components
Step 1: Connect Your Soundbar Using HDMI
The most common way to connect a soundbar to your home theater system is by using an HDMI cable. If your soundbar has multiple HDMI inputs, either plug the HDMI cable into the “HDMI ARC” (Audio Return Channel) port or select one of the other ports that’s labeled “HDMI IN”. The HDMI ARC port allows the soundbar to receive audio and video signals from compatible devices connected to it.
Step 2: Connect Your Soundbar Using an Optical Digital Audio Cable
If you don’t have an HDMI port on your soundbar or don’t want to use one, you can connect it using an optical digital audio cable (also known as a TOSLINK cable). Plug one end of the optical digital audio cable into the “Optical Audio IN” port on your soundbar and plug the other end into the “Optical Audio OUT” port on your TV or home theater receiver.
Step 3: Connect Your Existing Components (Optional)
If you want to connect other components like DVD players, streaming devices, gaming consoles, etc., use auxiliary cables. Connect one end of each auxiliary cable into the corresponding input on your soundbar and plug the other end into each device. Most modern TVs come with multiple auxiliary ports but if yours doesn’t have enough ports for all of your devices, you can use a switch box.
Conclusion:
Connecting a soundbar to your home theater system is easy when you follow these steps. With just a few cables and connections, you can upgrade your audio setup and enjoy better quality sound while watching movies and playing games.