Connecting your new Samsung soundbar to enhance your TV’s audio sounds complicated, but it’s actually quite simple. With just an HDMI cable and a few quick settings adjustments, you can be enjoying a theater-quality home entertainment system in no time.
Why Connect a Soundbar to Your TV?
The visual experience of modern high definition and 4K TVs is stunning, but most lack in the audio department. Their slim profiles simply don’t allow for decent built-in speakers.
This is where adding an external soundbar truly completes your system. Soundbars offer many advantages over standard TV speakers.
Benefits of connecting a Samsung soundbar:
- Immersive theater-style audio: Soundbars feature multiple dedicated drivers for heart-pounding bass, pristine dialogue, and impressive surround sound that built-in TV speakers can’t match.
- Better clarity: No more straining to understand what characters are saying in shows and movies. You’ll hear every soundtrack detail clearly.
- Universal compatibility: Samsung soundbars work seamlessly with any modern smart TV from Samsung, LG, Sony, Vizio or other brands. You can even connect a Vizio soundbar to an LG TV.
- Flexible placement: Place on a credenza below your wall mounted TV, mount directly to the wall, or integrate into your media console. Here’s how to avoid blocking your TV’s IR sensor with your soundbar.
- Expandable: Add wireless surround speakers and a subwoofer for an even more impressive 5.1 or 7.1 home theater setup.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Connecting Your Samsung Soundbar
Follow these steps to easily connect your soundbar using the included HDMI cable.
If your devices don’t have HDMI ports, don’t worry – the steps are very similar for optical or analog audio connections too. You can connect a soundbar to your TV even without an optical cable.
What You’ll Need
- Samsung soundbar
- TV
- Included HDMI cable
- Soundbar power cord
Step 1: Position Your Soundbar
Place your soundbar centered below your mounted TV or on your media console. Leave about 2″ of breathing room above if placing on a shelf.
Make sure your devices are within reach of each other based on HDMI cable length.
Step 2: Connect Power
Plug both your TV and soundbar power cords into working outlets.
- Use a surge protector if available to prevent electrical damage from storms or faults.
- Make sure remote batteries are installed.
Step 3: Connect HDMI Cable
Connect one end of the HDMI cable to your TV’s ARC port. This is a special port for sending audio back and forth.
If your TV doesn’t have ARC, use a regular HDMI port instead. Functionality will be limited compared to ARC, but it will transmit audio just fine.
Next, connect the other end of the HDMI cable to the HDMI Out (TV ARC) port on your soundbar.
Step 4: Connect to Power and Select Input
Turn on your soundbar and TV using the power buttons or remotes.
Switch your soundbar input to HDMI mode by pressing the Input button on the remote and selecting HDMI or HDMI ARC from the menu.
The soundbar display should read “TV ARC” or something similar when the connection is active.
Step 5: Enable External Speakers
Using your TV remote, go to Audio Settings in the menu and:
- Select sound output and choose your connected soundbar
- Turn off built-in TV speakers
- Adjust audio delay if lipsync is off between devices
Step 6: Enjoy Your Enhanced Entertainment System!
Start streaming your favorite show and enjoy a greatly enhanced listening experience!
Fine tune bass, treble, and audio modes on your soundbar for movies, music and more.
Consider adding rear wireless speakers and a subwoofer in the future to create a truly immersive home theater.
Troubleshooting Tips
If you encounter issues getting sound from your Samsung soundbar, don’t panic. Here are some quick troubleshooting tips.
No sound:
- Check cable connections at both ends
- Make sure soundbar input matches connection
- Verify TV audio output settings enabled soundbar
- Try a different cable if issues persist
Audio plays from TV too:
- Disable built-in TV speakers in the audio menu
- Ensure TV input matches soundbar connection
Audio and video don’t sync:
- Enable audio sync settings and add a brief delay
- Connect directly to TV ARC port if using Standard HDMI
Distorted, muted, or cutting out sound:
- Rescan for wireless interference from other devices
- Update TV and soundbar firmware
- Move devices away from potential interference
- Rule out HDMI cable damage by swapping with new cable
Expert Tips for Seamless Soundbar Integration
Follow these pro tips for clean cable management and optimal soundbar performance:
Use Cable Raceways
Run HDMI inside paintable cord channel raceways to completely hide connections. Raceways are inexpensive, easy to install, and much cleaner looking than dangling cables.
Enable HDMI-CEC
Allow your devices to communicate for advanced control by enabling HDMI-Consumer Electronics Control (HDMI-CEC) in your TV and soundbar settings.
Then use one remote to power everything on or change volumes.
Mount Your Soundbar
Get soundbar legs or wall mount brackets for a clean floating visual directly under your TV. This also improves sound clarity compared to placing on a shelf or table.
Add Rear Surround Speakers
Transform sound quality from good to extraordinary by adding wireless surround speakers. Place them at ear level to the sides of your viewing position.
Enable Voice Assistant Integration
New Samsung soundbars feature built-in Amazon Alexa or Bixby support. Use your voice to adjust volumes, switch inputs, stream music and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions about easily integrating your new soundbar with your Samsung TV? Here are answers to some commonly asked questions.
Q: Why won’t my soundbar connect to the TV?
A: Double check that cables are securely inserted into ports on both devices. Make sure your TV output is set to external speakers and the soundbar input matches the physical connection port.
Q: How do I connect the soundbar to the TV wirelessly?
A: If your model supports it, you can pair over an ad-hoc Bluetooth connection. Just put the soundbar into Bluetooth pairing mode and select it from your TV Bluetooth settings to connect. Learn more about using a soundbar vs Bluetooth speaker for your TV.
Q: Do I need HDMI ARC for my Samsung soundbar?
A: No, ARC is ideal for seamless operation but isn’t required. Standard HDMI connections will also transmit audio from your TV to soundbar just fine.
Q: Why is my audio still playing from my TV speakers?
A: You will also need to change your TV sound settings to disable the built-in speakers when using an external soundbar system. The internal speakers will play audio alongside the soundbar otherwise.
Q: How do I control soundbar volume with my TV remote?
A: By connecting devices via HDMI-ARC, your TV remote will automatically control volume up/down when paired. For Bluetooth or other connections, your existing TV remote may not be able to adjust levels.
Get Theater Quality Sound From Your Samsung TV Today
And that covers everything you need to know to easily connect your Samsung soundbar for a massively upgraded entertainment experience!
From step-by-step connection instructions to troubleshooting and expert tips, this guide shares all the details to transform sound from your new TV.
No matter which models or configuration you choose, integrating a Samsung soundbar is a simple process that delivers instantly noticeable improvements for movies, sports, music and more.
