4 Expert Ways On How To Connect Soundbar To TV Without Optical Cable Or HDMI

If you have an amazing taste in listening then try Soundbars! They can immediately enhance your home theater and listening experience. However, go a step further, and have a  high-quality soundbar as an excellent option.

It can be improved greatly by installing a soundbar with a surround speaker or height speakers to accommodate 3D sounds formats such as DTS-X, Dolby Atmos, Auro 3D, and others.

However, you have done your homework and purchased a Dolby Atmos soundbar, only to discover that connecting via HDMI or Optical cables to your TV is not the greatest solution. You may choose to get a new TV if the old one is broken. The reasons for this are that you have an outdated TV or because of personal choice.

If you don’t want to connect your TV to your soundbar with HDMI or optical cables, here are the steps to do so.

Connecting A Soundbar Without An Optical Cable Or HDMI

How to connect soundbar to TV without optical cable or HDMI by speakerjournal.com

There are numerous methods to connect your soundbar to your TV without using optical or HDMI cables;

  1. Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Connection:
  2. Using RCA Cable
  3. Using an auxiliary cable connection
  4. Using a coaxial adapter

Connect The Soundbar To TV Via Bluetooth Or Wi-Fi Connection

How to connect soundbar to TV without optical cable or HDMI by speakerjournal.com

The easiest approach to connect your TV to your soundbar wirelessly is through its Bluetooth functionality. You won’t have any trouble if you use this method.

If your soundbar has technologies like Dolby Pro logic, you can create a virtual surround sound by doing this. Because the reduced bandwidth cannot support hi-resolution audio (up to 2 Mbps for Bluetooth 5.0), so it can’t match HDMI’s bandwidth (48 Gbps for HDMI 2.1).

However, both your soundbar and TV must be Bluetooth compatible for you to do so. Before purchasing, you may phone the manufacturer’s support or go through the specs to ensure that this is the case.

However, if you already own a TV or soundbar without Bluetooth, a BT adapter is available as an alternative.

Simply pair your Bluetooth-enabled devices if they are.

If your device has an instruction manual, you can find out how to turn it on and link it.

The majority of the Bluetooth problems are resolved for Wi-Fi connections. With lower drop-offs, Wi-Fi can support a higher bandwidth than Bluetooth (up to 2 Gbps for the 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 standard), which is ideal for high-resolution audio codecs like Dolby Atmos.

You may use Wi-Fi to connect to numerous soundbar speakers in a multi-room system.

However, if you want the connection to succeed, both the soundbar and television must be connected over Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi mode) to the same router, with both of them linked to it at the same frequency.

Connect The Soundbar To TV Using RCA Cable

How to connect soundbar to TV without optical cable or HDMI by speakerjournal.com

Another method for connecting your soundbar to TV is by using the RCA cable, which you must purchase separately. 

If you need an RCA audio output on your television and a red and white input on your soundbar. This will work perfectly with any television that has an RCA audio output.

The soundbar will have a red and white input to connect to your television if you need it. You may also use this method with older televisions as well, so it’s worth checking compatibility before making a final purchase decision. Once everything works perfectly, you should see ‘TV Audio Input’ on your soundbar’s display.

Using An Auxiliary 3.5mm Cable Connection

The easiest method to connect your TV speakers with the soundbar is by using an auxiliary (AUX) cable.

This will work perfectly if you need it for any television that has a headphone jack or AUX input, along with one on the soundbar itself.

You may also use this method even without having either of these ports because you’ll have a male-to-male AUX cable.

The AUX cables and female-to-male adapter are available at most electronic stores if you don’t have one.

Once everything works perfectly, you’ll be able to see ‘TV Audio Input’ on your soundbar’s display panel.

Note: Audio signals are transmitted unidirectionally from one source to the speaker via an AUX cable. You should purchase an AUX cable that supports surround sound.

Using A Coaxial Cable Adapter

How to connect soundbar to TV without optical cable or HDMI by speakerjournal.com

In the days before VCR and DVD players, most televisions were connected via a coaxial cable. Coaxial cables have a jack that resembles a raised cylinder with a hole and a small pin protruding from the inside.

If you have a television with built-in speakers, you will need an adapter or a splitter to link it to your soundbar. Depending on the audio input ports on your soundbar, you’ll need a splitter or adapter.

Conclusion

Now you know the three main options for connecting a soundbar to your TV are an optical cable, HDMI, or auxiliary cables. So, if you have a newer television with built-in Bluetooth support, you can also connect wirelessly through this method.

By any chance it is not possible due to compatibility issues on either device’s part, there is always the option to use an RCA cable, As long as you know what type of input your soundbar requires and if it matches up with any ports on your television, then this process should be simple.

Remember: Complications may occur if you do not check the compatibility in advance or trying to connect via Bluetooth when there isn’t one available

FAQ'S

Can a soundbar be connected to a TV without an optical cable?

Provided that your television features either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, you can easily use these methods for connecting the two devices. If not, then you’ll need a red and white RCA cable.

Bluetooth will be able to provide a stronger connection with lower latency.

What type of RCA cable do I need?

There are a few different types of RCA cables, including a coaxial and composite video with stereo audio. The most common that you’ll encounter is red, white AV, or just plain red and white for the purpose of connecting to your television if you need it. You may also use this method with older televisions as well, so it’s worth checking compatibility before making a final purchase decision.

What is an optical cable?

An optical cable has a plug that looks like a triangle and contains two or more tabs inside of the hole instead of one tab in the center. If you have your television connected to speakers or other devices through this port, then optical cables can be used to connect them.

What is HDMI?

HDMI stands for the high-definition multimedia interface, and it’s a way of transmitting data through one single wire instead of multiple cables. You must have matching ports on both devices in order to successfully link them together using this method. Most newer televisions come with at least one or two HDMI ports.

What is an AUX cable?

An auxiliary cable looks like a headphone jack on the end that plugs into your soundbar, and it transmits audio uni-directionally to the device you’re using for playback. This means that there’s only one way for data to flow, which ensures better sound quality.