How to Connect a Samsung Soundbar to a TV (Any Brand, Any Year)

If you’re working out how to connect a Samsung soundbar to a TV, run one HDMI cable from the TV’s HDMI port marked ARC or eARC to the bar’s HDMI TO TV (eARC/ARC) port, and the bar’s display should read TV ARC within seconds.

Plug into any other HDMI port and, as Samsung’s own manuals warn, the TV’s sound may never come out of the bar.

Get the port right and Anynet+, Samsung’s name for HDMI-CEC, hands the bar’s power and volume to the TV remote.

Samsung has moved these TV menus between model years, so every path below comes from its own e-Manuals, soundbar manuals and help pages, model by model.

Start with the HDMI steps, find your TV’s year in the menu table, then use optical, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi if HDMI isn’t an option.

How to Connect a Samsung Soundbar to a TV With HDMI eARC or ARC

That one HDMI cable is the connection Samsung’s help pages call the best way to connect a soundbar, and its US buying guide says eARC’s higher bandwidth carries formats such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. To connect a Samsung soundbar to a TV with HDMI, follow these six steps from Samsung’s HW-Q990D, HW-Q60C and HW-B550 manuals:

The port’s name changes by bar: HDMI TO TV (eARC/ARC) on the HW-Q990D, HW-Q800D and HW-Q60C, HDMI (eARC) on the HW-S60D and HW-S800D, HDMI TO TV (ARC) on the HW-B550, HDMI (ARC) on the HW-B400F, and HDMI OUT (TV-ARC) on older bars such as the HW-K450. Some bars, such as the HW-C450 and HW-T450, have no HDMI port at all, so skip to the optical steps if you own one.

The HW-Q990D and HW-S800D manuals recommend “an HDMI cable certified by HDMI.org,” the HW-B550, HW-B400F and HW-Q60C manuals a High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet. All prefer a coreless cable, or a cored one under 14 mm across, and ARC won’t work over a cable that doesn’t support it.

Samsung’s UK manuals for the HW-Q990D, HW-S60D and HW-B400F mark the HDMI cable “not supplied,” while its US guides for the HW-Q990D and HW-S60D, like the HW-Q60C’s, list one in the box. If your bar came without one, Silkland’s 3.3 ft HDMI eARC/ARC cable shows the HDMI Ultra High Speed certification label in its listing photos.

Silkland’s 3.3 ft HDMI eARC/ARC cable

Type: HDMI 2.1, per the listing

Length: 3.3 ft

ARC: eARC and ARC

✓ Sold as an HDMI ARC/eARC cable for soundbars, per the listing✓ Ultra High Speed certification label in the listing photos✗ Only 3.3 ft long, so measure the run first

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For a longer run, our HDMI cable guide for soundbars covers the lengths and labels that matter. A console can also plug into a bar’s HDMI input, on models that have one, such as the HW-Q990D’s HDMI 1 and HDMI 2.

Which Samsung TV Menu Turns On Anynet+ and HDMI-eARC Mode?

Steps 5 and 6 are where your TV’s year matters, because Samsung has moved these menus more than once. On 2022 to 2025 TVs the sound settings sit under Settings > All Settings > Sound and on 2017 to 2021 TVs under Settings > Sound, while Anynet+ lives in External Device Manager, which has moved from General to Connection to General & Privacy:

From the Home screen, 2022 sets open Menu first, and 2024 and 2025 sets reach Settings with the left directional button, per those years’ e-Manuals. The years and platforms come from Samsung Developers’ TV model groups, which list the QN90F and U8000F under 2025 and the QN90D and DU8000 under 2024, so the model name tells you which row is yours.

Two cautions apply. Samsung gives TVs from 2023 on up to seven years of Tizen OS upgrades, and the e-Manual it now publishes for the 2023 QN90C already files Anynet+ under General & Privacy, so a 2023 set on current software follows the 2025 row.

Samsung’s Australian Anynet+ page also lists General & Privacy for 2022 sets, where the 2022 e-Manual says Connection, so look in both. The same page gives Menu > System > Anynet+ for 2014 and 2015 sets.

Anynet+ is usually on already, Samsung’s Canada page notes, and the TV can take up to 2 minutes to finish linking a newly connected device.

What Does a Samsung Soundbar Show When It’s Connected?

That link shows up on the bar itself, as text on bars with a display and as lights on bars without one. A Samsung soundbar playing the TV shows TV ARC or TV eARC over HDMI, D.IN over optical and BT over Bluetooth, while the HW-S60D and HW-B400F, which have no text display, flash a white light as the input changes:

On the HW-B550 and HW-Q60C the HDMI link sits under D.IN, which converts to TV ARC on its own, and that’s why Samsung’s help pages tell you to choose D.IN for HDMI as well as optical. The HW-Q990D lists TV ARC as its own input instead, ahead of HDMI 1, HDMI 2, Wi-Fi, BT and D.IN.

The display reads TV eARC only when the TV’s eARC function is on, the HW-Q60C manual notes. BT READY isn’t a fault either: it reconnects a TV or device used before, while BT PAIRING is the mode for a new one.

Most of these bars switch themselves off after 18 minutes without an audio signal, and the HW-B550 after 20, so a dark bar after a long pause isn’t necessarily faulty.

How Do You Connect a Samsung Soundbar With an Optical Cable?

D.IN is also the optical input, and optical is the cable to use when the TV has no ARC port or the bar has no HDMI. To connect a Samsung soundbar with an optical cable, run it from the TV’s OPTICAL OUT port to the bar’s DIGITAL AUDIO IN (OPTICAL) port, set the bar to D.IN, and choose Receiver (Optical) under the TV’s Sound Output.

If the cable’s ends have protective covers, pull them off first. If both cables are connected, the bar plays the HDMI signal first, and Samsung’s 2022 and 2024 TV guides warn that HDMI may be selected even if you pick Optical.

The TV’s wording depends on its year: Receiver (Optical) on 2024 and 2025 sets, Audio Out/Optical on 2017 and 2018 sets, and Select Speaker set to Audio Out/Optical on 2016 sets. On 2024 and 2025 sets the TV switches to the bar by itself if the bar is on before you plug in the cable.

The years in between, and the format and delay settings that go with each, are in our year-by-year steps for connecting a soundbar to a Samsung TV with an optical cable.

On 2022 and newer TVs, Samsung’s Canada page on soundbar connections says to check Simultaneous Optical Output under Settings > All Settings > Sound > Expert Settings if the optical link stays silent. The e-Manual describes it as the device connected via optical always outputting sound.

The HW-C450 and HW-T450 come with an optical cable in the box, but the HW-Q990D, HW-S60D, HW-Q60C and HW-B400F manuals mark it “not supplied.” For those, KabelDirekt’s 6 ft TOSLINK cable fits the DIGITAL AUDIO IN (OPTICAL) port.

KabelDirekt’s 6 ft TOSLINK cable

Type: TOSLINK optical

Length: 6 ft

Plugs: Male to male

✓ TOSLINK plugs at both ends, 6 ft long, per the listing✓ Gold-plated connectors, per the listing✗ No Dolby Atmos over optical, per Samsung's manuals

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What optical can’t do is Dolby Atmos. Samsung’s TV guides offer Dolby Digital+ output only over HDMI, and the HW-S60D manual lists Dolby Atmos in its TV ARC, eARC and Wi-Fi modes only.

The TV remote still works over optical: Samsung’s US page on TV-remote control says a Samsung TV’s remote sets the bar’s volume and mute over optical or HDMI ARC, and Auto Power Link, on by default for optical, turns the bar on and off with the TV. For other brands’ bars and TVs, see how a soundbar connects through any TV’s optical port.

How Do You Pair a Samsung Soundbar to a TV With Bluetooth?

If no cable reaches, Bluetooth needs none, and Samsung’s steps start on the bar. To pair a Samsung soundbar to a TV with Bluetooth, press PAIR on the bar’s remote until the display reads BT PAIRING, then select the bar on the TV under Sound Output > Bluetooth Speaker List.

Without the remote, press Source or Multi Function on the bar until it shows BT, and if it reads BT READY, hold the Mic On/Off button (HW-Q990D) or the Source button (HW-B550, HW-C450) for more than 5 seconds. The bar appears on the TV as Soundbar Q-Series (HW-Q990D), S-Series Soundbar (HW-S60D), [AV] Soundbar B5-Series (HW-B550) or Soundbar Q6C-Series (HW-Q60C), marked Need Pairing or Paired.

Once it connects, a text-display bar shows the TV’s name and then BT, and later connections go through BT READY. Bluetooth carries stereo to one TV at a time, and a new device pairs within 1 m (about 3 ft) of the bar, with PIN 0000 if the TV asks for one.

If pairing fails, delete the bar’s old entry from the TV’s list and start again. Microwaves and wireless LAN devices can interfere, and Samsung’s 2025 TV guide recommends HDMI or optical if the sound keeps cutting out.

Phone pairing and stubborn pairing faults are covered in our guide on how to connect Bluetooth on a Samsung soundbar.

Can You Connect a Samsung Soundbar to a Samsung TV Over Wi-Fi?

That stereo limit is what Wi-Fi gets around, on the bars that have it. Yes, a Wi-Fi Samsung soundbar such as the HW-Q990D, HW-S60D or HW-S800D connects to a Samsung TV over Wi-Fi: add the bar to the SmartThings app on the TV’s network, then pick it under the TV’s Sound Output, where the HW-Q990D appears as Soundbar Q-Series (Wi-Fi).

Samsung’s conditions are strict: the Wi-Fi link works only with a Samsung TV, both must share one network, a router on a DFS channel blocks it, and the HW-Q990D doesn’t support Wi-Fi 6. The HW-Q60C, HW-B550, HW-C450 and HW-B400F have no Wi-Fi in their manuals, so Bluetooth is their only wireless option.

In SmartThings, follow the pop-up that offers to add the bar, or tap Devices, then Add (+), then Add device and Scan. Samsung’s US page adds that the TV may drop off Wi-Fi during setup, so reconnect it from the TV menu if it does.

Wi-Fi can carry Dolby Atmos on some pairings: the HW-Q990D manual calls the Wi-Fi Dolby Atmos connection available in some Samsung TVs and some soundbar models. Tap Sound is the phone version of this link, connecting a Samsung phone running Android 8.1 or later over Bluetooth when you tap it on the bar, once Tap View, Tap Sound is on in SmartThings.

What Is Q-Symphony, and How Do You Turn It On?

That Wi-Fi link, or an HDMI or optical cable, is also what Q-Symphony runs over on a Samsung TV. Q-Symphony plays the sound through the TV’s speakers and the soundbar at the same time, and once a supported bar is connected, a Q-Symphony option such as TV + [AV] Soundbar series name (HDMI) appears under the TV’s Sound Output.

Samsung’s 2020 and 2021 TV guides limit it to HDMI or optical and to some TVs and bars from those years, and the 2022 guide adds Wi-Fi. On 2024 and 2025 sets, Settings > All Settings > Sound > Q-Symphony Setup chooses wired or wireless symphony, though not both at once.

It works to the codec the TV supports, and Samsung calls it available in some Samsung TVs and some soundbar models. The HW-Q60C, which lacks Wi-Fi, runs it over HDMI or optical only.

Once the bar is playing, picking its sound mode is a separate job, and our page on Samsung soundbar sound modes and EQ settings covers it.

How Do the Samsung Subwoofer and Rear Speakers Connect?

Q-Symphony adds the TV’s speakers, but the subwoofer and rear speakers pair with the bar, not the TV. Samsung’s wireless subwoofer and rear speakers connect to the soundbar automatically: plug in the subwoofer and rear speakers before the bar, and when the bar turns on, the LINK light on each turns solid blue.

If one doesn’t link, the HW-Q990D’s manual ID SET goes like this: turn the bar off, hold ID SET on the back of the speaker for 5 seconds until its blue light blinks fast, then hold Up on the remote for 5 seconds until ID SET shows. Model-by-model steps and light codes are on our page about pairing the Samsung subwoofer.

The wireless range is about 10 m (33 ft), and a steel-concrete or metal wall between the bar and a speaker can stop the link altogether.

Bars sold without rear speakers take Samsung’s kits: the HW-S60D works with the SWA-9200S rear kit and SWA-W510 subwoofer, the HW-C450 and HW-Q60C with the SWA-9200S, the HW-B550 with the SWA-9100S and the HW-S800D with the SWA-9500S. Our page on the rear speaker kits each Samsung bar takes covers what each adds.

Can You Connect a Samsung Soundbar to an LG, Sony or Other TV?

None of that pairing involves the TV, which is why the TV’s brand matters less than it seems. Yes, a Samsung soundbar connects to an LG, Sony, Vizio or other TV over HDMI ARC or eARC, optical or Bluetooth, and only the Wi-Fi link and Q-Symphony need a Samsung TV.

On another brand’s TV, use the HDMI port marked ARC or eARC, turn on the TV’s CEC setting as Samsung’s manuals put it, and set the TV’s speaker to External Speaker. The manuals add that a TV maker may use different words for Dolby Digital and PCM.

On an LG, that CEC setting is SIMPLINK and the speaker setting is Sound Out, and our guide shows where each of those settings sits on an LG from 2022 to 2025.

Without HDMI-CEC, the bar can follow the TV’s own IR remote instead. With the bar off, hold the remote’s WOOFER button up for 5 seconds to step from OFF-TV REMOTE, the default, to SAMSUNG-TV REMOTE and then ALL-TV REMOTE for other brands; Samsung lists VIZIO, LG, Sony, Sharp, Philips, Panasonic, Toshiba, Hisense and RCA, and Bluetooth remotes don’t work.

The same ports and settings appear in our guide to connecting a soundbar to any TV, which also covers other brands’ bars.

Does a Polk or Other Soundbar Connect to a Samsung TV the Same Way?

The reverse works through the same port, because Anynet+ is Samsung’s name for HDMI-CEC and any bar that supports HDMI-CEC can use it. Yes, a Polk or other soundbar connects to a Samsung TV through the TV’s HDMI (eARC/ARC) port with Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) on, and Polk’s Signa S4 manual, for example, connects the bar to the TV with one HDMI cable and asks you to enable the TV’s HDMI control.

Samsung’s e-Manual sets the limits: Anynet+ works only with HDMI-CEC devices that are on or in standby, some HDMI cables don’t support it, and it controls up to 12 devices but only one home theater system. Optical and Bluetooth work the same way for any brand, through Receiver (Optical) or the Bluetooth Speaker List, though Samsung’s 2025 guide warns that volume control over optical may not work, depending on the device.

Why Is There No Sound After You Connect the Soundbar?

When a connection still won’t play, Samsung’s manuals work through a short list before any reset. A connected Samsung soundbar stays silent when its volume, the TV’s Sound Output, the HDMI port, Anynet+ or the TV’s audio format is wrong, and Samsung’s HW-Q990D troubleshooting table and 2025 TV guide check them in this order:

Power sync has one quirk: switch the bar off while you’re watching and it stops following the TV until you turn the TV off first.

Initializing the HW-Q990D (both volume buttons on the bar for at least 5 seconds, until INIT shows) clears every setting, so treat it as the last step, and see resetting a Samsung soundbar, model by model for the others. If the bar still won’t play, our Samsung soundbar troubleshooting guide walks through firmware updates and the faults left over.

The Bottom Line

Once the cable is in, a Samsung soundbar plays the TV whenever three things agree: the cable sits in the right HDMI port, the bar shows its TV input, and the TV’s Sound Output points at the bar. HDMI-eARC Mode, Wi-Fi and Q-Symphony all refine a link that already works.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which HDMI port on a Samsung TV do I use for a soundbar?

Use the port labeled ARC or eARC, which Samsung’s soundbar manuals call the TV’s HDMI IN (ARC) or HDMI IN (eARC). Samsung’s 2025 TV guide adds that an eARC connection needs the TV’s eARC-dedicated HDMI port and a bar that supports eARC, and the soundbar manuals warn that through any other port the TV sound may not be output.

Where is the pairing button on a Samsung soundbar?

It’s on the remote: the PAIR button puts the bar into BT PAIRING mode. On the bar itself, press Multi Function or Source until BT shows, then hold Mic On/Off (HW-Q990D) or Source (HW-B550, HW-C450) for more than 5 seconds while the display reads BT READY.

How do you sync a Samsung soundbar with the TV remote?

Over HDMI, turn on Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) on the TV, and the TV remote’s volume buttons run the bar. Samsung’s US help page says a Samsung TV’s remote also works over optical, and for other TVs the bar can respond to their IR remotes: hold WOOFER up for 5 seconds with the bar off and step through to ALL-TV REMOTE.

Can you connect a Samsung soundbar with an AUX cable?

Only if the bar has an AUX IN jack, as older models such as the HW-K450 do; the HW-Q990D, HW-S60D and HW-B550 don’t list one. Samsung’s US guide connects the device’s audio output to AUX IN and sets the bar to AUX mode, but warns that the analog link won’t sound as good as HDMI or optical.

Does an optical cable carry Dolby Atmos to a Samsung soundbar?

No. Samsung’s TV guides offer Dolby Digital+ output only over HDMI, and the HW-S60D manual lists Dolby Atmos in its TV ARC, eARC and Wi-Fi modes only, so Atmos needs HDMI or, on models that support it, Wi-Fi.