How to Connect a Bose Soundbar to Your TV
How to connect a Bose soundbar to a TV: run an HDMI cable from the soundbar’s HDMI ARC jack to the TV’s HDMI port labeled ARC or eARC, then finish setup in the Bose app or switch the TV’s sound output to the soundbar.
That one cable carries the TV’s sound and lets the TV remote control the bar.
Plug it into any other HDMI port, though, and the bar sits silent while the TV keeps talking through its own speakers.
The exact steps depend on which Bose you own: the app-based smart soundbars set up differently from the simpler Bose TV Speaker.
Below you’ll find both, the optical fallback for TVs without ARC, and Bose’s own checklist for a bar that stays silent.
Which Bose Soundbar Do You Have?
That difference between models decides where you start. Bose’s current bars fall into two groups:
| Bose model | How you set it up | TV connection |
|---|---|---|
| Smart Soundbar, Smart Soundbar Ultra and other smart models | The Bose app, over Wi-Fi | HDMI ARC or eARC, or optical |
| Bose TV Speaker and Solo models | No app: plug in and switch the TV’s audio output | HDMI ARC or optical |
The smart models can stream music over Wi-Fi and work with voice assistants, which is why they need the app. The TV Speaker is a simpler all-in-one bar, and our guide to choosing between Bose soundbars compares the range.
How to Connect a Bose Soundbar to a TV With the Bose App
The smart soundbars do their setup in the app, and the TV connection is one step in the middle. Bose’s steps for the Smart Soundbar (Bose):
- Install the Bose app on your phone, and turn on the phone’s Bluetooth.
- Plug the soundbar into power. The light bar blinks for about 30 seconds, then glows amber when it’s ready for setup.
- Open the Bose app and allow its location, local network and Bluetooth permissions, or it can’t find the bar.
- Add the soundbar, choose your Wi-Fi network, enter the password and name the bar.
- When the app asks, connect an HDMI cable from the soundbar’s HDMI ARC jack to the TV’s HDMI ARC or eARC jack, then tap Next.
- Connect any Bose bass module or surround speakers, or tap Do It Later, then tap Get Started.
If the light bar isn’t amber, put the bar into setup mode: on the Bose remote, press and hold Mute and the Bose Music button together for five seconds.
What if the Bose app can’t find the soundbar?
Bose lists a few fixes, in order. Check the phone’s Bluetooth is on, keep the phone close to the bar, and on an iPhone turn off Wi-Fi Assist.
If it still can’t see the bar, switch the phone’s Wi-Fi off and on, then reboot the phone and your router. For a Wi-Fi problem that outlasts setup, our guide to getting a Bose soundbar onto Wi-Fi goes further.
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That app process doesn’t apply to the Bose TV Speaker, which needs only a cable and one TV setting. Bose says it works with almost any TV that has either an optical output, using the optical cable included in the box, or an HDMI ARC port, using an HDMI cable you buy separately (Bose).
For HDMI, the cable must go into the TV port labeled HDMI ARC or HDMI eARC, because only that port can send the TV’s sound out. For optical, plug the cable into the TV port labeled Output or OUT, not Input.
Then open the TV’s settings, find the speaker option, and turn off the TV speakers or turn on the optical output, so the sound plays only through the Bose. With HDMI on a TV that supports HDMI-CEC, Bose notes you can keep using your TV remote for the volume.
Since the TV Speaker doesn’t come with an HDMI cable, a short eARC-rated one like the Silkland 8K HDMI eARC cable is worth adding to the order.
Silkland 8K HDMI eARC cable
Can You Connect a Bose Soundbar With an Optical Cable?
Yes, and for a TV without an ARC port it’s the answer. Bose says the sound is identical over optical, because both cables carry the audio formats its soundbars support.
What you lose is control. HDMI carries CEC, the signal that lets the TV remote run the bar’s volume and power, and optical doesn’t; Bose suggests turning on Auto-wake in the app so the bar still switches on with the TV.
Run the optical cable from the TV’s optical output to the soundbar’s optical input. If your TV didn’t come with one, a standard cable like the KabelDirekt 6 ft optical cable fits.
KabelDirekt 6 ft optical cable
Does a Bose Soundbar Work With Any TV?
That HDMI-or-optical choice covers almost every TV made in the last decade, whatever the brand. The only catch is the name each maker gives to CEC in its TV menus, which Bose flags in its support pages.
Samsung calls it Anynet+, Sony calls it BRAVIA Sync, and LG calls it SIMPLINK. Turn that setting on, and the TV and Bose bar can switch on together and share a remote.
If you’d rather use the Bose remote only, or the bar won’t respond to the TV remote, the Bose app has an Advanced CEC setting with several options, including Off.
Why Is There No Sound From the Bose Soundbar?
Even with the right cable, a bar can stay silent, and Bose’s troubleshooting steps for the Smart Soundbar work through the causes in order (Bose):
- Test another source. Play music over Bluetooth or a streaming service. If that works, the problem is the TV connection, not the bar.
- Check the cable. Reseat it at both ends, and confirm it’s in the TV’s ARC or eARC port.
- Turn on ARC and CEC. Look in the TV’s menu, and in any cable box or player connected along the way.
- Set the TV’s audio format to PCM. Some formats the TV sends can leave a bar silent.
- Reset the HDMI connection. Turn off and unplug the bar, the TV and any source device; reseat the HDMI cables; plug everything back in; turn on the TV and source first, then the Bose.
- Try optical instead. Bose notes that CEC and ARC don’t always work between brands, and optical sidesteps them.
- Try a different High-Speed HDMI cable. A cable can fail with no visible damage.
If none of that works, a factory reset and a fresh setup is Bose’s last step, and our walkthrough on resetting a Bose soundbar lists the buttons for each model.
How Do You Control a Bose Soundbar With the TV Remote?
Once the sound works over HDMI, the TV remote can usually run the volume too, through that same CEC setting. If it doesn’t, check CEC is on in the TV’s menu and try a different Advanced CEC option in the Bose app.
Over optical, there’s no CEC, so the volume comes from the Bose remote or the Bose app. If the remote goes missing, our guide to turning on a Bose soundbar without its remote covers the app and CEC routes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which HDMI port do I use for a Bose soundbar?
Use the TV’s HDMI port labeled ARC or eARC, and the soundbar’s HDMI ARC jack. Other HDMI ports on the TV can’t send its sound out to the bar.
Do I need the Bose app to connect a Bose soundbar?
For the smart soundbars, yes: Bose’s setup runs through the app. The Bose TV Speaker needs no app, only a cable and the TV’s audio setting.
Does the Bose TV Speaker come with an HDMI cable?
No. Bose includes an optical cable, and the HDMI cable is sold separately.
Is optical as good as HDMI for a Bose soundbar?
Bose says the sound is identical, since both carry the formats its soundbars support. HDMI adds CEC, which lets the TV remote control the bar.
Why won’t my Bose soundbar turn on with the TV?
Over HDMI, turn on the TV’s CEC setting. Over optical, there’s no CEC, so turn on Auto-wake in the Bose app instead.
