Soundbar, as the name implies, is a bar that outputs a sound when connected to different components like TV, Blue-ray disk player, cable setup-box, game consoles, etc. The reason we prefer soundbars these days is that they consume less space, are easy to set up, look elegant and last but not the least the soundbars do not create any kind of wire clutter. Depending on the type and model, you can setup soundbars in a number of ways. Apart from the setup-instructions, in this article, you are also going to learn about different types of soundbars and their usage.
Soundbar connections
There are a number of ways to connect a soundbar to TV and other components. The basic soundbar model comes with only optical, coaxial and analog stereo connections. The latest and the advanced models of soundbars come with multiple connection types as explained in the rest of the part of this guide on soundbars.
HDMI
To extract high definition audio from the soundbar, you need to use HDMI ports on the soundbar and TV. Normally you will see two or three number of HDMI ports. The common type of HDMI ports include HDMI –IN and HDMI-ARC. The HDMI-ARC ( audio return channel) is used to connect the soundbar to the TV while you can connect other peripheral components like DVD player or cable box to HDMI-IN ports.
On the TV, you need to connect the HDMI cable from soundbar to HDMI-OUT or HDMI-ARC port. If you do not have these two types of HDMI connections on the TV, you can turn ON the ARC feature on the audio settings from the TV menu.
Subwoofer Output
As you can see in the image, there is a subwoofer out port on the back of the sound-bar. The soundbars may come with inbuilt subwoofers or not. You can always boost the sound quality by adding additional subwoofers through this port.
Ethernet Port
Some soundbars come with LAN ports. By connecting one end of the ethernet cable to the soundbar and the other end to the internet router, you can set up a multi-room audio system and this network also helps in streaming music through the internet.
Other Types of Soundbars
Soundbars with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
With these wireless soundbars, you can easily play music files directly from your smartphones. Just like Ethernet network, you can create a multi-room audio setup through Wi-Fi connectivity without creating any wiring clutter.
Soundbars with surround sound speakers
You can also get the soundbars that come with surround sound speakers along with subwoofer. In most brands, the subwoofer connects wirelessly to the soundbar whereas the surround sound speakers are connected to the subwoofer with wires. You may also get the complete WiFi surround speakers in models from some brands like JBL, Sony and more.
Final Words
Large home theater setups are now being replaced by compact soundbars as the users like the space-saving, clutter-free setup and their reasonable price. While purchasing soundbars, do check the available connectivity options and the compatibility with your TV and other peripherals carefully.
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