How to Connect a Soundbar to a Receiver (Should You Do It?)
How to Connect a Soundbar to a Receiver (Should You Do It?)
There are a few different reasons that someone may want to connect a soundbar to a receiver. I explain exactly how to connect the soundbar to an audio/video receiver and what the pros and cons may be.
In general, it’s not the best idea to connect an active soundbar to a receiver because it’s just not meant to do this. Most soundbars (active soundbars) are meant to connect directly to the TV. Only passive soundbars should be connected to an A/V receiver.
Mini Stereo Mixer (on Amazon):
https://geni.us/kC2b4x
For more information on the differences between passive and active soundbars:
How to Properly Connect any Soundbar to a TV:
Soundbar Channel Numbers Explained: 2.1, 3.1, 5.1, 7.1, etc.:
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Those who cannot afford to buy receiver, buy soundbar. For those have receiver, buy a decent 5.1 speakers system.A way to start.Not complicated.
Thanks a lot. Great video. You helped me to make up my mind. It just doesn’t make any sense to connect them. I wont do it.
So you can’t run a soundbar through a receiver instead of separate speakers.
So if I wanted to run a system without earc ..7.2.4 shockwafe through a denon x4700h 11.2 channel….that’s not good? Well I’m not running to the tv because it’s not earc and most TV’s don’t pass through dts x and have tons of earc problems. Can you give some clarification on this? As I’m trying to figure out which way to go.
The best bet would probably be to wait for Nakamichi to include earc in their next model, possibly, because for the price…most soundbar systems just don’t compare.
I like soundbar better for sound but would like receiver’s for Rido. How I put my sonos and receiver together for Radio. ?
Can tv simultaneous provide music to EARC connected sound bar and optically connected stero speakers? Or we can use EARC 1X2 HDMI Splitter to give one input to sound bar and other to bookshelf setup and fire them simultaneously. Why this is required as soundbar has limited length and sperate stereo at distance can give better sound..
Hey, Jonah. Glad I found your channel. Just subscribed to it. So I just purchased a Sony HT-RC40 home theater system, it’s a 5.1 as it comes with 2 tower speakers. They say I can only get Dolby Digital quality with it when it’s connected to my tv via hdmi arc.
I guess my question is that if I want to have "Dolby Atmos", would I be able to get an AV receiver with DA and hook up the sound bar to it? Thanks for looking into this. I’d appreciate it.
Hey condescending Youngn’… how about I want to utilize the various enhancement effects the receiver offers that the soundbar, on its own, doesn’t offer? THAT is what I would want to use an AVR w/ the SoundBar for. Can I do that, and how?
Here’s my scenario. I have a nice receiver and 5.1 setup; however, I move fairly often to new apartments and am tired of always having to fix the holes in the wall and wiring speakers around the room. Also I’m tired of looking at exposed wires as it’s not easy to hide in a removable manner for apartment life. So I was thinking about getting a soundbar to replace my 5.1 system ( I understand the sound quality will not be as good) for the ease of it. The problem with this is that I have multiple sources and only one input on the tv that can accept 4k video and none of the soundbars I’ve seen accept multiple hdmi inputs. The receiver solves this by having passthrough of 4k video through all of its hdmi ports. What would you suggest to run a soundbar with multiple 4k hdmi sources? Thanks in advance!
One other reason is to use their existing home theatre system. Recently bought a Bose soundbar 700 and wanted to plug it in to my existing Bose surround and subwoofer system with a pioneer receiver.
Howdy Jonah
I fall into the category of the final reason you mention in the video (at 4:17). My scenario is that my TV wont pass through Dolby Atmos, and I am looking to upgrade to a Atmos capable 5.1.4 setup (46in soundbar with wireless sub/rear speakers). If i did this without a receiver, I could only pass 1 device through as Atmos, and that would be directly through the Soundbar HDMI In. What I was imagining is Xbox/PS4/Switch/NVIDIA Shield >> AVR >> SoundBar HDMI IN >> TV HMDI ARC channel (although I may not even need to use ARC i think since I don’t plan on utilizing any Apps from the TV). Does this sound like it would work? I am effectively using the AVR as HDMI switch that supports Atmos and can allow me in the future to upgrade to a non A.I.O. soundbar setup.
As a result, it is bad.
I have samsung tv non smart.
I have soundbar optical to the tv.
I have 2 bose 301s i want to connect. What do i need to do this? Thanks for your input. And yes i do subscribe and like your vids.
I want to hook receiver to the TV which already has a sound bar connected. I should be able to use RCA cables audio out from the receiver to audio in on the TV, right ?
I have an Optoma uhd51avl projector and Vizio dolby atmos soundbar. If I get a receiver with hdmi inputs and hdmi-arc out, can I go straight to the soundbar hdmi-arc connection and bypass the projector? Video would go to the projector from the receiver, right?
Hey Jonah, I just bought a new TV and a soundbar. I previously had the old TV hooked up to a receiver with a surround system. I wanted to upgrade so I went with the sound bar. My issue is that I have 2 rear built in speaker right above my couch. Is there a way I can use those 2 speakers thru the receiver while still having the soundbar in place.
Thanks
Hai bro , I was using sony ht500rf 5.1 soundbar , it has only option for controlling sound of woofer and surround speaker only, how to control sound of the front and center ? Is there any way?
Hi I just bought a jbl 3.1, but I dont get any sound from my center channel from bluetooth/ usb or TV , I did turn on surround sound on remote but still no luck , any help will be appreciated
I just got the new sonos arc but my TV doesnt support ATMOS. Is there an external device I can use between the TV and sound bar that supports the better sound? I hate to buy a new TV just to have the better audio.
Hello. My soundbar only have hdmi/optical then i want to connect receiver which only have red/yellow audio input/output. Is a hdmi converter is the solution to connecting these two devices? Will this process works? I want this for karaoke purpose. Thanks
You can’t go optical from soundbar to reciever then hdmi arc from reciever to tv?
Hey Jonah need your help. My Samsung Q60T Soundbar didn’t sync with the audio on the tv it’s off by maybe half a second. Last night the Soundbar acted as a "receiver" somehow according to my tv and it solved that problem…
NOW it’s back saying AV Soundbar Samsung Q60T and it’s not syncing with the audio. Any help to have it act as a receiver and stay that way? Thanks
Thanks for these videos. Pretty interesting trying to make it work or see how it works. Not sure if I misunderstood your last reason. But You didn’t mention if the connection is through hdmi arc of these 2 devices or even adding a tv also hdmi arc. In order of powering tower speakers with the receiver and been able to listen through all 3 soundbar and towers. Any experiences or ideas with this escenario? Thanks
Ello! I have an old(er) Sony BDV-N790W Home Theater System connected to a Samsung QN82Q60RAF TV. Sound is sometimes distorted in that reverberations, guns (shots), thunder, etc. are way too loud and actually scare our (otherwise mean, tough and worldly) dogs. These freakish, over-the-top sounds don’t scare me, mind you; nor do I jump. Really. Ahem …. Anyway, the VOICES, however, are WAY too low to hear them. I was gifted this set by a friend, and it came with no calibration mic and no remote. I just now purchased, and am waiting on a replacement remote, but have not invested a mic., as I am going to check around and see who I can borrow one from instead of investing $20+ for one. 🙂 Surprisingly, though, the Samsung remote actually allows me to operate MOST (92%?) of the functions on the Sony receiver, so I have played around with the sound/speaker levels (decibels), distance, etc., to no avail. Well, to little avail. My eardrums have stopped bleeding. The thing is, that I read that sometimes adding a Soundbar fixes this problem.
My question is, how? Not how does it fix it, but how do I connect one? Do I add it to my Home Theater System. (I like typing that and saying that I have a Home Theater System, so hopefully I don’t have to re-gift it to anyone). Do I do so by connecting it to the receiver, or to the TV?
How?
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
(Found your article: https://thehometheaterdiy.com/soundbar-to-a-receiver/ and left you virtually the same question there. Please reply in stereo. Thank you.).
I’ve got 2 soundbars, 1 under the tv and 1 at the back of the room. I tried using a hdmi splitter, but it didn’t work so I’ve got one connected by hdmi and the other by toslink and it sounds great.
make more videos on nakamichi shockwafe
Yep I wanted to use my receiver as a HDMI control so your advice to just hook my sound bar directly to my TV using the optical input was the best advice
Hey,
Is there a way to use Soundbar like Sonos Arc to connect to avr?
Reason : if my TV or projector doesn’t support Dolby True hd lossless pass through i can’t utilize my soundbar. I don’t know if there is any projector with eArc and dolby lossless.
Do you think there is workaround for this to utilize Sonos Arc to fullest without Dolby atmos support in tv or projector?
Thank you for your video. Very informative. My question is, I have connected my devices (TV, 5-CD player, PC, Blu-Ray, DVD) to my Onkyo receiver. I am able to output or hear my TV sound to my Vizio soundbar. However, I can only hear my CD player sound through my Speakers. Is there a way to hear my CD player sound through the soundbar? Thank you.
I thought about adding a receiver as means to setup karaoke. Based on this video it probably won’t work either. I’m having so much trouble figuring it out since my Sony Bravia TV and Sony soundbar only have HDMI outlets and no RCA outlets.
I’m hoping you see this and reply. I have a Samsung sound bar and can’t use it at night because it’s too loud when a noisy scene comes on. If I lower the volume I can’t hear the dialogue. If I connect it to a receiver can the receivers sound controls change the levels on the sound bar?
Can you connect a soundbar to an older receiver unit? Like one from the 80’s?
Excellent video. I do have a question. I’m a bit confused on how to integrate the three devices in my system:
A Samsung 65” smart tv.
A Yamaha TSR-7850 AVR.
A Samsung HW-Q67T sound bar.
The only cable I have connected is the AVR ARC out to the TV ARC in. What do I do to connect to the Sound bar? Would I use the Optical from the TV to the Sound bar?
We have a sound bar that we were happy with and never felt that we needed surround sound. We move into a new house that has ceiling speakers as the back two speakers. Now we’re wondering is it possible to hook up those speakers and the sound bar to the tv? And If so, how? We don’t know too much on home theatre systems
Hi Jack. If you have a 5.1 Samsung HW-Q6CR and a Samsung 2.1 sound bar. Can you connect both up to the same ARC connection (ARC TO 5.1 in and 5.1 out to 2.1 in ) and use the 2.1 for a more clear center channel? Thanks for any advice
Would the soundbar need the same wattage as the receiver?
What if you have the most expensive center that you can buy but average surround sound speakers. Won’t you have the same Timbre issues as using a soundbar center? Also do all the speakers in the soundbar work as the center or do only the center speakers in the soundbar act as a center leaving you with unused speakers?
HiJonah, thanks for your explanation. But what if I want to connect an LCD projector instead of TV. in this case all (hdmi) sources go into the AV receiver, then HDMI output for VIDEO to LCD projector (which obviously does not have ARC or optical out) and Optical output for AUDIO directly into soundbar.
Can you tell the receiver (Denon AVR-1910) to split Audio and Video output over two different connectors or does it output simultaneously.
Thanks very much for your response. Kind regards Mark
How to connect active 5.1 channel system with denon av receiver?
I think I will stick with my 10 year old 5.1 LG home theater system, with a small center speaker 🤷♂️
Here is how you can turn your soundbar, av reciever into surround rears or dolby atmos by using hdmi splitter. Take one end of spliter and connect it to tv as in and 2 outs a1 – one av reciever where you will only turn rears and dolby height channels and hdmi a2 with soundbar. Timber matching will depend upon model to model but in theory you can turn your soundbar into a dedicated dolbt atmos set up.
Thank you. I’m a beginner to home theater systems etc..
Back in November I purchased a Sony STR-DH590 AV receiver as well as a LG 3.1.2 sound bar with Dolby Atmos. After watching your video, I now know that I won’t be needing the receiver for my home theater. Instead I bought the LG SPK8-S 2.0 rear speaker kit. Unfortunately I can not return the receiver. So I guess I can hook up the AV receiver to the TV in my living room or bedroom. I was going to use the receiver for its HDMI inputs for my home theater since my projector only has one hdmi port, but I just purchased a Phillips HDMI switch to plug into projector allowing connection to up to 4 additional hdmi devices. Had I watched your video sooner it would have saved me a couple of hundred dollars. Great video.
What if your sound at doesn’t have aux or rca??
One other scenario. The TV may not have internal speakers… It may be just a monitor, like an older Pioneer plasma TV. Some of them did not have internal speaker. They were meant to be used with a receiver…