Connecting a Bose soundbar to a Bose TV or any other TV and soundbar combination is a straightforward operation. The connection utilizes an HDMI cable to connect the HDMI ARC ports of your TV and soundbar for the amazing sound experience Bose products deliver.
There’s nothing quite like having high-definition sound quality delivered to your ears when you connect Bose soundbar to TV.
By the end of the simple steps in this tutorial, you should have the ideal setup for listening to every detail in your shows and movies.
I want to share this experience with as many people as possible because I’m just that passionate about making good audio accessible with simple terms and steps everyone can understand.
Table of Contents
What You Will Need to Follow This Tutorial
Before starting the step-by-step guide, make sure that you have everything you need for a successful installation. Those materials will include:
If you already have a TV or soundbar that you want to use, you should be able to follow the same process, especially if they are on the newer side. Even if you have an older speaker system and TV or smart TV, a different audio cable will still allow you to experience a quality audio output.
I would only recommend connection options like an optical cable or Bluetooth connection if you are restricted in terms of hardware from taking advantage of an HDMI ARC connection for the best audio source possible.
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Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1: Unpack your TV
If your TV is already set up somewhere you like it, you can go ahead and skip this step. If your TV came with an HDMI cable, try to locate it if you’re not currently using it.
Step 2: Unpack your soundbar
Your Bose soundbar should be intact and come with a couple of peripherals or accessories that help you connect Bose soundbars to a device like your TV.
Step 3: Verify you have the correct HDMI port
The back of both the soundbar and TV should have a panel of all the ports for both visual and audio input.
Make sure that both devices have an HDMI ARC port and that it is free for use (you may need to rearrange other devices that are connected as a result).
The port should be labeled with something along the lines of “HDMI ARC”, and it will often be listed as HDMI 1 as well.
Step 4: Turn your TV and soundbar off
While you could plug in a new cable without turning anything off, you have a small risk of electrical problems occurring whenever you do so.
Simply turning off your devices beforehand minimizes or eliminates this risk and is a quick solution.
You can go further and unplug the power cord for your devices but you shouldn’t need to.
Step 5: Connect an HDMI cable to the HDMI input of both the TV and soundbar
Once you have identified the correct HDMI ports, connect the Bose soundbar with an appropriate HDMI cable. Don’t force the end of the HDMI cable into the port because this can cause damage to both the cable and port that can affect your TV audio output.
Step 6: Switch on your devices
Now that your new connection has been formed, you can safely plug in your devices and turn them back on without fear of any damage. This simple step can be achieved with a remote control or with the TV’s power button.
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Step 7: Adjust your TV audio settings
Smart TVs might automatically recognize the new audio device and set it up to be used for all future applications. In case that doesn’t happen, you can still set it up manually with a couple of pages of clicks.
Using the included TV remote, navigate to your audio settings. Every TV menu has an interface that looks different from TVs of other brands but they should have similar options. Find the option to use a connected HDMI device as the TV speaker.
You should now be able to experience high-definition sound from movies and TV shows through your Bose soundbar.
You can go a step further and enable CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) which allows you to use a single remote like the TV remote instead of trying to fight with a bunch of remotes each with a single, specific purpose.
Alternative connections
Some TVs don’t have a slot for connecting Bose soundbars or maybe you don’t have an HDMI cable. There are still solutions that use a different cable and port or can even allow a soundbar to enter Bluetooth pairing mode for a wireless network of connections.
Optical cable
This is one of the most popular options after HDMI that still involves a cable. When connected to a TV’s optical port, you can enjoy high-quality audio at a low latency but not at the same level as something like HDMI that supports Dolby Atmos levels of audio quality.
The process is the same for connecting an optical cable as with HDMI cables, the only difference you need to be aware of is what the optical cable and ports look like.
It is especially important to be gentle with optical audio cable because the tips that are inserted into the ports are fragile and crucial to the proper performance of the cable.
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Conclusion
Hopefully, you were able to complete this tutorial and can enjoy hearing sound you might not usually on a standard set of TV speakers.
If you’re not satisfied with your result, let me know in the comments because I want you to get the most out of your audio systems for an amazing viewing experience.
Share the article if I was able to help you set up your devices correctly so that I can help even more people that might have the same problem!
John Fleming is the senior editor for Audiophilez.com, covering everything from headphones to smart speakers. He is a graduate of Music Production and Technology. Before Audiophilez, John began his career as a staff writer for two different magazines, where he became a skilled storyteller across different mediums. When he isn’t writing, he can be found biking, reading books, and playing the piano.