If you are using the same shelf or table the TV is on, you just want to make sure that the soundbar doesn’t block the infra-red port usually on the bottom of the TV that allows your remote control to communicate with it. Most of the time the soundbar is placed directly under the TV, either mounted on the wall if the TV is mounted on the wall, or on the shelf that has the TV on it. Overall a very simple setup that should just take minutes to connect. The only other thing you need to do is plug the subwoofer into a power outlet and turn the power button on. If your soundbar has a separate subwoofer, which I would highly recommend for richer low frequency sound, then it will typically come with a cable that connects the subwoofer directly to the soundbar, and the ports will be clearly marked on the back of both the soundbar and the subwoofer. Depending on what your TV output ports are I would recommend using an optical or HDMI cable to connect the TV to your soundbar. Most soundbars will have multiple ways to connect to your TV, such as an HDMI, RCA, or optical ports. All you need to do is connect the audio output port of the TV to the input port of the soundbar, and plug in the soundbar into a power outlet and away you go. Wired Connection: The simplest audio setup to connect to your TV is with a soundbar. There is some ability to use a basic stereo receiver to augment your TV sound as well and I will describe how that works as well. They can be any number of channels but are most often 5.1, 7.1, or 7.2 (for more description see this post). When I use the term “receiver,” I am referring to home theatre receivers that are essentially surround sound systems rather than a simpler stereo receiver. All of these content sources simultaneously provide both video and audio signals for your TV viewing pleasure. Other content sources include media streaming devices like Apple TV or Roku, game consoles like XBOX or Playstation, BlueRay or other DVD players, and even a computer. Content source can be a variety of devices but are most typically your cable or satellite box. One term I am going to use is “content source.” Fundamentally this refers to the source of content that you want to view on your TV.
I will touch on some of the more common exceptions at the end so you will get an idea of some different configurations.īefore getting into the various TV audio configurations, let’s start with a couple of definitions or descriptions of what I am talking about. You should be able to find a configuration that will work extremely well with your system. However, there are some unique pieces of audio equipment that may provide alternate solutions, but I won’t be describing all those optional configurations. What I am going to describe covers well over 95% of how home entertainment systems are connected today.
Here’s a primer on how to connect various types of audio systems to your TV-receivers or soundbars with wired or wireless speakers. If you have a big flat screen with a beautiful picture, augmenting it with a better audio system can really enhance your viewing experience. In fact, I am amazed how good some TVs sound given the constrained space. Squished tiny speakers with not much room for accompanying audio electronics just can’t do the trick. Flat screen TVs keep getting thinner and thinner, which creates a great aesthetic, but it does make getting really good sound to go along with that fantastic picture extremely difficult.