Set up your Samsung Soundbar

Soundbar sitting on a table in front of a mounted Samsung TV

Your soundbar amps up your TV by providing awesome sound quality. It's also extremely versatile and easy to set up - there are several ways you can connect the soundbar to your TV, so you can customize your movie watching experience. Although they all have their benefits, certain setups provide better sound quality than others. If you aren't sure which one works best for you, we have some tips for you.

Connect your soundbar using Wi-Fi

There are multiple benefits to connecting your soundbar to your TV via a Wi-Fi network. For instance, this way gives you a wider range to connect compared to Bluetooth. It also allows for multiple connections, as long as they are on the same network. Before you begin this process, make sure that you have the SmartThings app downloaded on your mobile device.

  1. Click Source on the soundbar remote, or on the soundbar itself, until you see Wi-Fi mode.

  2. Open your SmartThings app on your mobile device and tap the + icon, then Device, then AV.

  3. After selecting AV, choose the brand of soundbar that you are using

  4. Tap Start and select the location and the room. Then, your mobile device will search for the soundbar and connect.

    5. Note: When connecting your soundbar via Wi-Fi, your TV may get disconnected from the Wi-Fi. If this happens, connect to your network again using the TV menu.

Connect your soundbar using HDMI

Connecting your soundbar to a TV through HDMI will give you the best audio because HDMI cables transmit sound digitally. There are 2 ways to connect your soundbar with HDMI: you can connect a device to your soundbar (like a Blu-ray player) and then connect the soundbar to the TV, or you can use ARC (Audio Return Channel). The first method will give you the best possible sound from external devices you regularly use. ARC is the way to go if you want great sound from streaming apps on your TV and a soundbar.

Connect your soundbar and a device using HDMI

  1. Turn off the TV, soundbar, and external device. Then, connect one end of an HDMI cable to an HDMI port on your TV (make a note of which one).

  2. Connect the other end to the HDMI OUT port on your soundbar.

  3. Connect a second HDMI cable to the HDMI OUT port on your external device. Connect the other end the HDMI IN port on your soundbar.

  4. Turn on the external device and the soundbar. Press the Source button on the soundbar until "HDMI" appears on the display.

  5. Turn the TV on and change its source to the HDMI port where the soundbar is connected.

  6. Your TV will display images from the external device, and audio will play from the soundbar.

Instruction on where to connect the HDMI IN cable

Everything should be working now, but let's take it a step further and make this setup the best it can be.

  • Turn on Anynet + on your soundbar by pressing the Right navigation button on the soundbar's remote. This will make the soundbar turn on automatically when you turn on the connected external device.

    Note: Some soundbars have a button labeled Anynet+ on the remote. If neither of these methods work, check out the user manual for your Samsung soundbar.

  • Make sure Anynet + (HDMI-CEC) is enabled on your TV. This will make the TV turn on when the device and soundbar are turned on. If you have a Samsung TV, navigate to Settings, and then select General. Select External Device Manager, and then select Anynet + (HDMI-CEC). Check the user manual for your TV if these instructions don't match, or if you don't have a Samsung TV.

  • Lastly, you should enable HDMI-CEC settings on your external device and set up universal control on your TV. To set up the HDMI-CEC settings on your external device, you will need to check out the user manual for your device. For universal control, check out our guide.

Note: If your external device is 4K-compatible, you need to make sure the soundbar supports 4K pass-thru. Samsung 2017 650 series or above all support 4K pass-thru, so you should be good to go if you have this model.

Connect your soundbar with HDMI ARC

HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) lets certain TVs and soundbars transfer audio back and forth using one HDMI cable. In other words, you can use the HDMI port as both an input and audio output.

The only downside is that your soundbar is going to take up a port on your TV that would normally connect an external device.

HDMI ARC port

To set up HDMI ARC, power on your TV and soundbar. 

  1. Next, connect one end of an HDMI cable into the HDMI IN (ARC) port on your TV.

  2. Connect the other end into the HDMI OUT (TV-ARC) port on your soundbar.

  3. Next, change the source on your soundbar to the D.IN. setting.

  4. After a few seconds, "TV ARC" will appear on the soundbar's display, and the TV will transfer audio through the soundbar.

Connect your soundbar using an optical cable

An optical cable (Tos-Link) is also another way to connect your soundbar to your TV. This type of cable is similar to an HDMI cable and transmits digital sound, so you can hear every detail. You can also connect your devices (cable boxes, video game systems, and Blu-ray players) to the TV, and have the sound output from the TV to the soundbar.

  1. With the TV and soundbar turned on, connect one end of a digital optical cable to the OPTICAL OUT port on the TV.

  2. Then, connect the other end to the DIGITAL AUDIO IN (OPTICAL) port on the soundbar.

  3. Press Source on the remote or soundbar, and then set the soundbar to the D.IN. setting.

  4. Finally, on the TV, you need to set the speaker output to external speakers.

  5. Navigate to Settings, and then press Up on the navigation arrows to highlight Quick settings.

  6. Press the right directional arrow to highlight TV Speaker and press select to change it to Optical (external speakers). The TV's sound will now play from the soundbar.

Note: If these steps don't work on your TV, or you do not have a Samsung TV, check out the soundbar's or TV's user manual.

Connect your soundbar using an Aux cable or Bluetooth

Connect your soundbar with an aux cable

If you want to kick it old-school, you can use an auxiliary cable to connect the soundbar to your TV or external devices. You'll still enjoy first-rate sound quality from your soundbar; however, aux cables use an analog connection, so the sound won't be as good as if you were using an HDMI or optical cable.

  1. Power on your TV and soundbar. Connect one end of the audio cable to the AUX IN jack on the bottom of the soundbar.

  2. Then, connect the other end of the audio cable to the AUDIO OUT jack on the external device.

  3. To change the mode, press the Source button on the soundbar or on the remote.

  4. Set the soundbar to AUX mode. Now sound from the TV will be played through your soundbar.

Instruction on where to connect the AUX cable


Connect your soundbar with Bluetooth

It doesn't have the same sound quality as HDMI, but everyone loves the convenience of Bluetooth since you don't have to worry about any cables. The main challenge with Bluetooth is that connections can disconnect or become unstable if there's some kind of disruption, like a power outage. Bluetooth is still a nice and easy option to have, though.

  1. To change the soundbar's source, press the Pair button on the soundbar's remote control. The display will show "BT" when its source is set to Bluetooth.

  2. If you don't have the soundbar remote, just press the Source button on the soundbar until the display says "BT."

  3. After a few seconds, the display will change to "BT Pairing" and it will look for a Bluetooth device to connect to.

Connecting a soundbar with Bluetooth

Once the soundbar is in pairing mode, use your TV remote to navigate to Source, and then select Connection Guide. Select Audio Device, and then select Bluetooth. Press Right on the TV remote, and go through the tutorial if desired. Select the device type you would like to pair, and follow the on-screen instructions to connect it via Bluetooth.

You can also navigate to Settings, and then select Sound. Next, select Sound Output, and then select Bluetooth Speaker List or Bluetooth Audio Device, depending on your TV model. Finally, select your soundbar. Now sound from the TV will be played through your soundbar.

Not getting any sound after connecting?

If you are not getting sound from the soundbar after connecting, check out our guide.

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