Samsung soundbars are becoming more and more popular due to their unmatched sound quality and incredible ease of use. But some people choose to purchase these well-known soundbars even if they don't own a Samsung TV. So, can you use a Samsung soundbar with any TV?
Samsung soundbars work with any brand of TV. They have various setup options, including HDMI, HDMI ARC, digital optical, AUX, WiFi, and Bluetooth. HDMI is the preferred choice, but any of these options will work with basically any TV.
So let’s take a look at the various ways you can connect your Samsung soundbar to your TV. We'll also consider which connection method can help you get the best sound out of these amazing devices.
Can I Use My Samsung Soundbar With My Current TV?
Yes, you can use a Samsung soundbar with basically any TV. You have to find compatible ports on the TV and soundbar to connect them together (which is relatively straightforward).
Most Samsung soundbars currently support HDMI ports and other options such as AUX, Bluetooth, and WiFi. With all these options, it's pretty easy to pair your Samsung soundbar with almost every TV out there.
What’s interesting is that Samsung soundbars typically feature older style inputs that help them work with older TVs.
Is It Best To Have a Samsung Soundbar and a Samsung TV?
While it is completely fine to connect Samsung soundbars to any TV, there are a few benefits that come with using a Samsung TV alongside your soundbar. Here are a few of them:
One Remote for the Soundbar and TV
Samsung offers the OneRemote feature with its products, which allows you to use a single remote to access your Samsung TV and the Samsung soundbar. With hassle-free syncing between these devices, it becomes much easier to manage the TV and soundbar.
Note: HDMI CEC is a different technology that works across brands and has very similar funtionality as OneRemote. But you may experience mixed results depending on the age of the TV.
Autopower Link
If you connect Samsung TV with a Samsung soundbar, you won’t need to turn on the audio device every time you switch on the TV.
Instead, with the Autopower Link feature, the soundbar turns on automatically when you power up the TV.
Seamless Compatibility
You can avoid all the ifs and buts if you pair your Samsung soundbar with a Samsung TV. Rather than sifting through the options to ensure your Samsung soundbar connects seamlessly with other TV brands, you can choose just any Samsung TV you like.
Note: The features that are readily available with Samsung brands aren’t limited to the company’s products. In many cases, you can get the same functions of OneRemote and Autopower Link with a different TV brand connected to the Samsung soundbar using HDMI CEC.
Use the Soundbar and TV Speakers at the Same Time (Q-Symphony)
Typically, it's not recommended and usually not possible to use both a soundbar and TV's speakers at the same time.
But if you are using a compatible Samsung soundbar and TV, you can enable a feature called Q-Symphony. This feature allows the Samsung TV and soundbar to play audio together, but it's processed enough that it actually sounds good!
For more information on Q-Symphony, check out Samsung's support page on this feature.
How to Set Up a Samsung Soundbar
As one of the most hassle-free products you can find these days, the Samsung soundbar is quite simple to set up. Here is the step-by-step process you should follow to make your audio device work.
Step 1: Choose the Connection Type
Start by choosing the connection type. Almost all of the latest soundbars have HDMI ARC or HDMI eARC ports and other options. If your TV has similar HDMI ports, this is the best way to go about it.
To confirm if your TV has the necessary HDMI ports, look at the back. If you find ports labeled as ARC or eARC, you're in luck!
HDMI ports offer huge improvements over other connection choices such as optical or coaxial cables (as we have mentioned in this guide) Enabling high-end audio functionalities, including Dolby Atmos, HDMI ARC ports offer a seamless set-up as well.
Alternatively, you can also go with a digital optical cable, AUX, or Bluetooth (if available) connections to set up your Samsung soundbar. Remember that these choices might result in the loss of some audio quality.
Step 2: Connect the Devices
As mentioned, there are a few ways to do this.
HDMI ARC/eARC: When using the HDMI ARC ports on your TV and the soundbar, ensure that the HDMI cable connects to the soundbar’s HDMI OUT/ARC port and the TV’s HDMI input labeled ARC/eARC.
Digital Optical: For a digital optical connection, connect the digital optical cable to the OUT port on the TV and IN port on the soundbar.
AUX: Plug one end into the TV’s AUX out or “Headphones” port and the other into the soundbar’s AUX in port.
Bluetooth: When using the Bluetooth setup, activate the soundbar's pairing mode using the source button on the device’s remote. Use the settings menu on the TV to navigate to the Bluetooth settings and select the name of the soundbar to connect.
Again, HDMI ARC/eARC is the best option here. Digital optical is the second best option, and AUX should be used as a last resort unless you are connecting a mobile device to the soundbar to play music.
Bluetooth will have even lower audio quality than AUX, but it is completely wireless. It's possible you will experience some audio sync issues when using Bluetooth though.
Step 3: Configure the Audio Settings on the TV and Soundbar
If you've chosen the HDMI connection, use the source button on the soundbar’s remote to select the “HDMI ARC” or “TV” option. Go to the sound or audio settings on your TV and make sure it is set to HDMI ARC.
For a digital optical connection, go to the TV’s audio output settings and select digital optical or optical. Then make sure the soundbar is set to the digital optical input, typically labeled “optical” or “D.in”
For an AUX connection, set the soundbar to the AUX input, then set the TV’s audio output setting to AUX or “headphones”.
Similarly, for Bluetooth setup, you must switch the soundbar’s source to ‘BT.’ Then, use the TV’s settings to connect to the soundbar’s Bluetooth.
Step 4: Check the Connection
Once you've completed all these steps, play a video on your TV and see if the sound is coming from your soundbar.
HDMI ARC can be a little difficult to work with sometimes, depending on the brands that you are using. If you are having issues with it, then check out our resource on fixing HDMI ARC issues.
Keep in mind that there are other ways to connect the Samsung Soundbar to your TVs, such as WiFi or an RCA cable. If your soundbar supports any of these connections, you can find the steps for using them in the device’s manual.
Which Samsung Soundbars Are the Best?
Samsung soundbars offer solid design coupled with fantastic sound quality. Their sleek body and flexible connectivity feature make these audio devices are a perfect fit for every house.
When it comes to choosing the best Samsung soundbar, you really can't go wrong, so look for what suits your needs. Samsung offers soundbars to match the specific priorities of users.
For instance, the S60A (on Amazon) is a budget-friendly soundbar offering a room-filling sound experience through its dual-sided horn speakers. Backed by Samsung’s Acoustic Beam technology, the device creates a wider range for sound to fill your space with the best audio quality.
On the other hand, the Samsung Q950A (on Amazon) is among the most expensive audio devices offered by the company. With support for Atmos and DTS:X sound technologies, this soundbar offers a captivating surround sound experience with 11.1.4 channels of audio!
This list is far from complete. There are many other Samsung soundbars you can choose from to suit your need and price.
Should You Get a Samsung Soundbar or Go With Another Brand?
There are several reasons to choose Samsung soundbars over those made by other brands. These audio devices are compatible with almost every TV on the market. And the setup is a breeze.
Moreover, Samsung soundbars often flaunt more than one connection option. This offers excellent flexibility to the users when setting up their devices.
Furthermore, the latest soundbars from Samsung offer great audio features, like support for Atmos and DTS:X.
