When you connect Soundbar to Samsung TV via optical cable, it helps to boost up your TV audio which will improve your home entertainment experience. However, this connection cannot be successful without the aid of appropriate cables and connectors that bring the best out of your kit.
How do you know which cable is best for your device? Well, this and many other questions on how to connect Soundbar to Samsung TV via optical cable will be unveiled to you in this article!
There are two main procedures involved when connecting your Soundbar to your Samsung TV, they include using Soundbar as a hub and passing several devices through it which implies that you will only need to run one cable to your Samsung TV, or set up your Soundbar as a speaker and connect your other devices to the TV and then connect the TV to the Soundbar.
Although these options depend on the Soundbar itself and whether your Samsung TV is ‘ARC’ compatible or not. We will walk you through how to connect Soundbar to Samsung TV via optical cable and HDMI to give you the best audio quality.
Can you Connect a Soundbar with just an Optical Cable?
Yes, you can connect a Soundbar with just one optical cable by plugging one end of the digital cable into the optical digital out port of your TV. Then, you can plug the other end of the optical digital cable into the optical digital in the port of your Soundbar. That’s it!
How to get Samsung TV to Recognize your Soundbar?
Generally, most smart TVs automatically recognize your connected Soundbar TV and the output audio without any changes required from you. However, it may not occur automatically like this at times. In case you connect your Soundbar and your Samsung TV doesn’t recognize it, you can get it recognized b following the few steps below.
Although this process is not the same for all smart TVs, most TVs have corresponding interfaces. Your particular TV interface may differ, but the steps similar to those outlined below will work for all users. Just some specific Menus and Settings may have slightly different names.
You must ensure that you connect the output on the TV to the input of the Soundbar before you can get your Samsung TV to recognize a Soundbar. Then, you can change the audio output settings on your Samsung TV to match.
If you are still wondering how you can get your Samsung TV to recognize your soundbar, then simply follow the steps below:
- Using the button on your Samsung TV or remote, go to Home >> Settings >> Sound(Audio) >> Sound Output, and then choose Bluetooth Speaker List.
- Choose your Soundbar from the list.
- Ensure your Soundbar is set as your default Audio device.
- Once your Samsung TV detects a nearby Soundbar, a message that says “Need Pairing or Paired” will appear in the TV’s Bluetooth device list.
- Now, play any content on your Samsung TV to see if everything is working as it should.
That’s it! Now, your Samsung TV should be able to recognize your Soundbar. However, you can connect the Samsung TV and Soundbar via HDMI ARC, AUX, a digital optical cable, or by using Bluetooth if you have the feature available on your device.
Is it better to connect Soundbar with HDMI or Optical Cable?
Well, from research it is said that the HDMI cable is the best way to connect your Soundbar up to your TV. Having said that, the major difference between the HDMI and optical cable is that HDMI can pass higher-resolution audio which includes the formats found on Blu-ray (DTS HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD).
Although, these formats can’t get transferred across optical. In other words, HDMI also passes video signals. However, if your TV does not have an HDMI connector, the best option is to use the digital optical cable which is capable of sending digital audio up to 5.1 surround sound.
Characteristics of the Optical Cable
Before you connect Soundbar to Samsung TV via optical cable, you need to be familiar with the cable itself and know its functions and characteristics. The following are the characteristics of the optical cable:
- The optical cable has a square connector and it’s capable of converting the electrical signal to optical light to transfer it down the cable, and then convert it back to an electrical signal at the second end.
- With the optical cable, you will get less electrical interference.
- An optical cable can send a high-quality digital signal.
- An optical cable (Tos-Link) is another means to connect your Soundbar to your smart TV.
- The optical cable is similar to an HDMI cable and it transmits digital sound, which enables you to hear every detail properly.
- You can as well connect your devices (such as cable boxes, video game systems, and Blu-ray players) to the smart TV, and have the sound output from the TV to the Soundbar.
Read on how to connect Soundbar to Samsung TV via optical cable. 
How to Connect Soundbar to Samsung TV via Optical Cable
Connecting Soundbar to Samsung TV via optical cable is similar to an HDMI connection in the sense that it offers digital sound, enabling you to hear every detail in the music or movie.
Using the optical cable, you can connect your gadgets to the smart TVs (Blu-ray players, cable boxes, and video game systems) with the sound output from the TV being dispelled to the Soundbar. Follow the steps below to connect Soundbar to Samsung TV via optical cable:
- Ensure the Samsung TV and Soundbar are turned on.
- Connect one end of the digital optical cable to the Optical Out port on the Samsung TV.
- Now, connect the other end to the Digital Audio In (Optical) port on the Soundbar.
- Click on Source on the remote or Soundbar, and set the Soundbar to the D.IN. setting.
- Set the speaker output on your Samsung TV to external speakers.
- Go to Settings, and then click on Up on the navigation arrows to highlight Quick settings.
- Tap on the right directional arrow to highlight TV Speaker and click on Select to change it to Optical (external speakers).
- The Samsung TV’s sound will begin to play from the Soundbar.
In case these steps don’t work on your smart TV, or you don’t have a Samsung TV, you can check out the Soundbar’s or specific TV’s user manual. This is all about how to connect Soundbar to Samsung TV via optical cable.
How to Connect Soundbar to Samsung TV via HDMI
In case you have an HDMI cable instead of an optical cable and you want to connect your Soundbar to your Samsung TV, well it is possible. You must ensure that your TV is “HDMI-ARC” supported. ARC stands for ‘Audio Return Channel’ which implies that the audio can travel in both directions along the cable.
Once you are sure that your TV supports ARC connections, it means you can go ahead to connect all your kit (such as set-top boxes, games consoles, etc.) to your Soundbar, then use a single HDMI cable to connect your Soundbar to your Samsung TV.
- Once you connect from the HDMI-ARC on your Samsung TV, ensure to use either the HDMI-ARC or the HDMI Out on the Soundbar.
- Note that you only use the HDMI In for connecting other kits to the Soundbar like Blu-ray players, or games consoles.
- Although not all Soundbars come with an HDMI connector you will only find HDMI on mid to high-end kits.
In case your TV doesn’t have the HDMI option, then you get the digital audio experience via the optical cable as explained in the previous section above.
How to Connect your Samsung Soundbar with an AUX Cable
Connecting Soundbar to your Samsung TV via AUX cable is one of the easiest and old ways. Although you may not have the perfect sound output from the Soundbar, it’s worth the try. Follow the steps below to connect Samsung Soundbar with an AUX cable:
- Power on your Samsung TV and Soundbar and connect one end of the audio cable to the AUX In jack on the bottom of the Soundbar.
- Connect the other end to the Audio Out jack on the external device.
- Now, click on the Source button on the Soundbar and the TV’s remote.
- Set the Soundbar to AUX mode.
- Finally, you will be able to listen to the audio from your Soundbar.
This is all about connecting your Samsung Soundbar with an AUX Cable.
How To Connect Samsung Soundbar To TV via Bluetooth
If you would like to connect Soundbar to Samsung TV without HDMI or similar cable, then using Bluetooth is a great option. This procedure is easy because Samsung provides a Bluetooth Soundbar that can connect wirelessly.
To pair your Samsung Soundbar, follow the steps below:
- Click on the “Source” button on your Samsung Soundbar.
- Now, set the Source to the “BT setting” and wait till it goes into pairing mode.
- Once the Soundbar displays “BT READY” hold the Source button for another 5 seconds.
- Wait until it says “BT PAIRING”.
- Navigate to your TV’s Settings.
- Tap on “Sound” >> “Sound Output”.
- Select “Bluetooth Speaker List”.
- Select the name of your Soundbar.
- Click on “Pair” and then “Connect”.
- Subsequently, your Soundbar and Samsung TV should be linked.
With Bluetooth, you don’t need any wires or cables to enjoy high-quality audio. However, Bluetooth sometimes experiences slight latency problems.
If you have a TV brand that is not Samsung, the process varies slightly from the steps above. However, the basic idea is the same.
Can’t Connect Soundbar to Samsung TV? Try these Fixes!
If your Samsung Soundbar won’t work properly, you can try the following troubleshooting steps to fix it:
- Make sure that the Soundbar is properly connected to the wall socket and that the power line is tightly attached to the Soundbar if it does not come up.
- To start, disconnect the power line from the wall outlet.
- Then, inspect the connection point that joins the two components of your charger carefully
- Ensure that they are firmly attached.
- You may go ahead to use a multimeter to check the wall socket voltage to make sure that it is the right voltage for your audio system, so far the wires are in perfect condition.
- Another to fix this issue is to check the operation of the wall socket by connecting to another device.
- If your system does not still turn on, then, it could be that there’s a short in your wall socket.
- You can also connect your Soundbar to another outlet and check whether it turns on.
Any of the fixes above should fix the can’t connect Soundbar to Samsung TV via optical cable issues. However, with this concise post, I want to believe that you have been able to connect Soundbar to Samsung TV via optical cable and other means. Remember to drop your comments in the section below.