Can You Connect Two Soundbars Together? What Each Brand Allows
You can connect two soundbars together when a maker has built the link, such as Multi Connect on a 2022 or newer Samsung TV, room grouping in the Sonos app or Bose’s SimpleSync.
Without that link, the TV’s HDMI sound leaves through the one port marked ARC or eARC, so a second bar gets nothing, and even Samsung warns that Bluetooth audio can slip out of lip sync.
Use the feature your brand supports and both bars play the same music in sync, and some systems carry the same TV show into a second room.
Here’s what Samsung, Sonos, Bose, Roku, TCL and Vizio document, with the menu steps, the sync settings and the limits each one admits.
Start with the brand table below, then jump to the route that matches the bars and the TV you already own.
Which Soundbars Can You Connect Together?
That answer depends on the brand, and this table sorts what each maker documents. Samsung, Sonos, Bose, TCL and Vizio each describe a way to get two soundbars playing together, while Roku says a TV pairs with only one Roku TV Wireless Soundbar.
| Brand | What the maker documents | TV sound on both bars? | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung | Multi Connect: two Bluetooth soundbars or speakers at once | Yes, though Samsung warns lip-sync errors may occur | A Samsung Smart TV made in 2022 or later |
| Sonos | Grouping rooms in the Sonos app | Yes, with a Group Audio Delay setting | Sonos bars on the same Sonos system |
| Bose | Grouping smart soundbars in the Bose app, or SimpleSync to a Bose TV Speaker or Solo 5 | Music when grouped; SimpleSync with a possible slight delay during video | Bose smart soundbars, or a Bose speaker on the SimpleSync list |
| Roku | One Roku TV Wireless Soundbar per TV | No | A Roku TV |
| TCL | Two bars in separate rooms, streamed from a phone with dual audio | Phone audio only | A phone that supports dual audio |
| Vizio | Google Home audio groups of SmartCast sound bars, in its 2017 SB3651-E6 guide | Music only | SmartCast sound bars with Chromecast built-in |
| AirPlay 2 (Apple) | An iPhone or iPad playing to several AirPlay speakers at once | Audio from the iPhone or iPad | AirPlay bars on the same network as the iPhone or iPad |
Read the third column first, because most of these links were built for music. Only Samsung’s Multi Connect, Sonos grouping and Bose’s SimpleSync put the TV’s own sound on a second bar, and each maker warns about delay in its own words.
JBL and LG soundbars aren’t in the table because their makers’ help pages couldn’t be read for this guide. If your bar lists Google Cast (Chromecast built-in) or AirPlay 2, the cross-brand groups in the Wi-Fi section apply to it.
If you came here to plug several HDMI devices into one soundbar, that’s a different job, and it starts at the TV rather than at a second bar.
Why Can’t One TV Send HDMI Sound to Two Soundbars?
That table leaves out the obvious route, one cable from the TV to each bar, because HDMI sound leaves a TV through just one port. Samsung’s help says HDMI-ARC works only through the specific port labeled ARC on the TV or One Connect Box, and HDMI Licensing describes eARC as sending the TV’s sound to a soundbar or receiver over a single HDMI cable.
Think of that port as a one-lane exit: one cable fits, so one bar gets the TV’s sound by HDMI. A regular HDMI port on the bar takes audio from a source while the ARC/eARC port returns audio from the TV, which is why a bar you hook up to any other HDMI input on the TV doesn’t get that sound back.
The TV’s optical output is the other wired path, and Roku says every Roku TV has one, limited to two channels of PCM or 5.1 channels of compressed Dolby Digital or DTS. No TV maker page read for this guide describes running one bar from ARC and a second from the optical port at the same time, and Bose’s FAQ for its Smart Ultra Soundbar asks for a single HDMI or optical connection from the TV.
Roku’s own wireless soundbar works the same way, since a Roku TV turns off its built-in speakers and all its audio outputs except headphones once a Roku wireless audio device is set up. None of the makers’ pages read for this guide shows an optical or HDMI splitter feeding two bars, so this guide doesn’t give splitter steps.
If your first bar isn’t connected yet, the brand-neutral HDMI ARC, optical, and Bluetooth setup paths get it working before you add anything.
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No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.How Do You Connect Two Soundbars to One TV With Bluetooth?
Bluetooth skips that single port, and Samsung is the one TV maker in this guide that documents two Bluetooth audio outputs at once. On a Samsung Smart TV made in 2022 or later, pair both soundbars in the Bluetooth Speaker List and choose Multi Connect for the second one, and the TV plays through both at once (Samsung).
Here are Samsung’s steps, as its US help page gives them:
- Put both soundbars into Bluetooth pairing mode, using each bar’s own instructions.
- On the TV, select Menu, then Settings > All Settings > Sound > Sound Output > Bluetooth Speaker List.
- Highlight the first soundbar when it appears and select Pair and Connect.
- Repeat for the second soundbar, and when the TV offers Multi Connect or replace, choose Multi Connect.
Samsung calls the feature Dual Audio on its other help pages and limits it to Smart TVs manufactured from 2022, to Bluetooth audio devices such as soundbars, speakers and headphones, and to devices that use the standard A2DP profile. It also warns that lip-sync errors may occur with Bluetooth audio, and that a Bluetooth device sharing a frequency band with your Wi-Fi may disconnect and reconnect during use.
Without Multi Connect, Samsung’s US page says, you can pair more than one Bluetooth audio device at a time, but only one can output audio.
Samsung doesn’t say how it lines up two bars that each add their own processing delay, so treat Multi Connect as a way to fill two rooms, or to give one listener earbuds, and run the sync test further down before trusting it for movies. If a bar won’t appear in that list, Burton’s walkthrough on how to connect Bluetooth on a Samsung soundbar covers pairing mode on Samsung’s own bars.
Roku TVs go the other way: Roku says you can pair only one Roku TV Wireless Soundbar to a TV, and swapping bars means factory resetting the paired one first (Roku). For other TV brands, check the manual for a two-device Bluetooth option before buying a second bar, because this guide found one documented only by Samsung.
Can a Phone Stream to Two Soundbars at Once?
That TV feature has a phone version, and it’s the one TCL points to when your two bars sit in separate rooms. Yes, if the phone supports dual audio: TCL says its soundbars work with Bluetooth devices that support it, and Samsung’s Galaxy phones send the same music to two Bluetooth devices at once.
On a Galaxy phone with One UI 2 or later, pair both bars, swipe down to Quick settings, tap Media and check both devices. The volume keys then move both bars together, and the Media panel keeps a separate slider for each.
Samsung caps Dual audio at two devices, and connecting a third disconnects one of the first two. TCL leaves the phone side to the phone’s maker, so check your phone’s own help for a dual audio setting before counting on it.
Picture one playlist on a kitchen soundbar and a patio soundbar: that’s the two-room setup TCL describes, and the volume keys keep both in hand.
How Do You Connect Two Soundbars Together Over Wi-Fi?
Those phone links stop at two devices, but Wi-Fi grouping lets the maker’s app run two bars or more from one place. Open the app and add the second bar to a group: Sonos calls it grouping rooms, Bose puts a Group button under the volume slider, and AirPlay 2 and Google Cast groups do the same job across brands for music.
In the Sonos app, select the Grouping icon in the Now Playing bar, check the room with the other soundbar and select Apply, and Sonos says grouped products play the same content in sync. You can also press and hold Play/Pause on one Sonos product to add it to a room that’s already playing, and the app’s volume slider then sets the whole group or each room.
Bose’s FAQ for the Smart Ultra Soundbar says it groups with the Smart Soundbar 700, 600 and 300, the Soundbar 500 and Bose’s smart speakers in the Bose Music app, playing the same music in sync or different music in each room. In the Bose app, select one smart soundbar, tap Group (the two overlapping circles under the volume slider), tap + next to the other bar, and use the Group Volume slider to move both.
AirPlay 2 crosses brands: Apple says an iPhone or iPad can play the same audio on several AirPlay speakers or TVs in perfect sync, and Sonos lists the Arc, Arc Ultra, Beam and Ray among its AirPlay products. Bose lists AirPlay 2 and Chromecast for the Smart Ultra Soundbar as well.
Bars with Google Cast built in can join a speaker group in the Google Home app, and Vizio’s 2017 guide for its SB3651-E6 SmartCast Wireless Sound Bar walks through exactly that. Vizio’s steps end at Save Group, and it notes that only SmartCast audio devices can be put into its groups.
Can Two Soundbars Play the Same TV Show?
Those music groups line up two bars with each other, but a TV show also has to line up with the picture. Sonos and Bose both document it, each with a delay caveat: Sonos lets grouped rooms play its home theater bar’s TV audio, and Bose’s SimpleSync carries a smart soundbar’s sound to a Bose TV Speaker or Solo 5 TV sound system (Bose).
Sonos’s Group Audio Delay setting adds a delay between the home theater bar and the grouped rooms while they play TV audio, which Sonos says reduces audio problems where sync with the video isn’t critical (Sonos). Find it in the Sonos app under Settings, then your home theater product, then Group Audio Delay.
Bose says there may be a slight audio delay while watching video when a SimpleSync speaker is connected to one of its smart soundbars. Samsung’s Multi Connect is the third route, and its lip-sync warning from the Bluetooth section matters most here.
That’s why every one of these setups suits a second room better than a second bar under the same screen. A kitchen picking up the game from the living room can live with a small delay, while two bars facing one couch need the picture and both bars in step.
Will Two Soundbars Stay in Sync?
Each of those delay warnings comes back to processing time, which differs from one soundbar to the next. Not by default: Google’s help for Cast speaker groups puts the inherent delay of soundbars at 0 to 80 milliseconds, against 0 to 40 for ordinary speakers, so two different bars can start the same note tens of milliseconds apart (Google).
Google’s fix doubles as a test for any two grouped bars: play music to both, stand between them, set their volumes so you hear each at about the same level, then raise the delay on the bar that plays last until the two line up. In the Google Home app, that’s the bar’s Settings, then Audio, then Group delay correction, and Google says the setting changes group playback only.
Sonos has two dials for the same job: Group Audio Delay for grouped rooms during TV audio, and TV Dialog Sync, which delays a home theater bar’s own audio when it runs ahead of the picture. The TV Dialog Sync slider sits in that bar’s Home Theater section of the Sonos app, and moving it right adds delay.
Then switch from music to a talk show and listen from your usual seat. If speech still sounds doubled after you’ve used those settings, the two bars belong in different rooms.
Can Two Soundbars Make Surround Sound?
Even in sync, two grouped bars play the same sound, and that’s why surround works differently. No soundbar maker whose pages were read for this guide sets up a second soundbar as rear speakers today; their surround routes add matched rear speakers to one bar.
Samsung’s Wireless Rear Speaker Kits are each matched to specific bars, and Samsung says to get the kit that matches your model because other kits may not be compatible. Its SWA-9500S, for example, lists the HW-Q900A, Q800B, Q800A, Q700B, Q700A and S800B.
Samsung did once have a Wi-Fi Speaker Surround Setup that built stereo or surround systems from wireless soundbars and speakers, but only from multi-room models released until 2017, and it has removed the feature. Its replacement, Q-Symphony, plays a soundbar together with the TV’s own speakers, and on 2024-2025 TVs it adds two devices at most: two Music Frames, or one Music Frame and one 2024 or newer soundbar.
Sonos’s rule is two Sonos speakers of the same model as surrounds, such as two Ones, and Roku’s surround setup on its Plus and Pro Series TVs is the Roku TV Wireless Soundbar with two Roku Wireless Speakers at the back. The real surround upgrade path uses same-brand wireless rears that share processing and timing with the main bar, and that guide covers which bars accept them.
For Samsung owners, Burton Acoustix’s guide to Samsung’s rear speaker kits matches each kit to its bars. A 2.1, 3.1, 5.1, or Atmos layout describes how processing splits the source across drivers, not how many physical boxes are in the room, and Samsung makes the same point: a bar with 2.0 processing still plays the rear speakers’ sound on the bar itself.
If you’re still choosing a first bar, compare 2.1 vs 5.1 soundbars, and Atmos object audio versus 5.1 channel-based mixing shows which format your room benefits from.
When Do Two Soundbars Make Sense?
Surround is the one job no maker here gives a second bar, but separate rooms are another matter. Two soundbars make sense when they’re in different rooms or under different screens: TCL’s own answer assumes two bars in two rooms, and Sonos describes its group delay for grouped rooms where sync with the picture isn’t critical.
A living room bar and a bedroom bar on their own TVs need no link at all, and grouping them only matters when you want the same music or game in both. For a party, Bose’s guide suggests grouping its speakers, soundbars included, so the music keeps going between rooms, with one Group Volume slider for all of them.
An open-plan room is the gray area: one big space, two bars, and every delay from the last two sections in earshot of the same couch.
Which Second Soundbar Links to the First One?
Those two-room setups only work when the second bar belongs to the same system as the first, which narrows the shopping list. Match the second bar to the first: a Sonos Ray groups with other Sonos rooms, a Bose TV Speaker pairs with a Bose smart soundbar through SimpleSync, and an Arc Ultra starts a Sonos system that can share TV sound.
Each pick had at least 4.0 stars and 50 reviews on Amazon and was in stock on 8 October 2026, and no prices appear because they change often.
For a Second Sonos Room
For a second room on a Sonos system, Sonos Ray is the compact bar that joins the group.
Sonos Ray
Sonos says the Ray needs a TV with a digital optical output, unlike its HDMI ARC bars, so check that TV’s back panel before buying. Grouped with an Arc or Beam playing TV sound, it falls under the Group Audio Delay setting from earlier.
For a Bose Smart Soundbar
For a second spot in a Bose smart soundbar’s system, Bose TV Speaker is the bar Bose lists for SimpleSync.
Bose TV Speaker
Bose lists the TV Speaker among the Bluetooth speakers that play in sync with its smart soundbars, with a possible slight audio delay during video. Set it up from the smart soundbar’s page in the Bose app with the Group button, where the app shows the Bluetooth devices that can join.
For Starting a Sonos System
For a main bar that can send TV sound to other rooms, Sonos Arc Ultra anchors a system that a Ray can join later.
Sonos Arc Ultra
Sonos says the Arc Ultra needs a TV with an HDMI ARC port for CEC and voice control, and HDMI ARC or eARC for Dolby Atmos. Pair it with a Ray in another room and the TV’s sound can follow you there through the group settings covered above.
What Should You Buy Instead of a Second Soundbar?
If none of those systems is yours, a second bar may be solving the wrong problem. Match the purchase to the goal: matched rear speakers for surround, the bar’s own subwoofer for bass, a stronger single bar for volume, or a receiver with separate speakers for full control.
Bose, for one, lets its Smart Ultra Soundbar take two wireless bass modules, as long as both are Bass Module 700s or both are 500s. A full home theater AVR plus discrete speakers can drive timed 5.1 or 7.1 the way a soundbar pair cannot, and that comparison shows when the bigger move pays off.
Sonos and Klipsch allow a second subwoofer too, each with its own matching rule, and adding a second subwoofer to a soundbar lists the pairs each maker accepts.
For a soundbar-first upgrade, the Atmos picks ranked by real up-firing drivers rather than virtual-only height processing are a better next step than a second bar. The soundbar vs receiver comparison covers when a receiver is worth the rack space.
The Bottom Line
That brand table at the top is the whole answer in short form: two soundbars work together only through a feature their maker built. Samsung’s Multi Connect handles TV sound over Bluetooth on 2022 and newer TVs, Sonos and Bose group their own bars over Wi-Fi, and Roku allows one wireless soundbar per TV.
Every route that carries TV sound comes with a delay warning, so test with dialogue and keep the second bar in another room where you can. For surround, add the rear speakers your bar was designed for, and for the wider setup map, start at the soundbar hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you pair two Roku soundbars to one TV?
No. Roku says you can only pair one Roku TV Wireless Soundbar to your TV, and replacing it means factory resetting the paired bar before pairing the new one. Roku’s surround setup adds two Roku Wireless Speakers behind the Wireless Soundbar instead, on its Plus and Pro Series TVs, with an optional Roku Wireless Subwoofer. Roku also says that once a Roku wireless audio device is set up, the TV turns off its built-in speakers and all its audio outputs except headphones, so a second bar on the TV’s optical port won’t play alongside it.
Can you connect two Vizio soundbars together?
Vizio documents it for its SmartCast sound bars with Chromecast built-in. Its 2017 quick start guide for the SB3651-E6 SmartCast Wireless Sound Bar sets up an audio group in the Google Home app: select a sound bar, open its menu, choose Create group, check each sound bar, then name the group and tap Save Group. Vizio says the group can cast the same music or different music to several sound bars, and that only SmartCast audio devices can be grouped. That’s music casting rather than TV sound, and the guide covers that 2017 model, so check your own bar’s manual for Chromecast built-in first.
Can you use a soundbar and the TV speakers at the same time?
On some TVs, yes. Samsung’s Q-Symphony plays a compatible soundbar and the TV’s own speakers together, on the TV and soundbar models Samsung lists, and its Multi-output Audio does the same for the TV speaker and a Bluetooth device made for someone who is deaf or hard of hearing. On a Roku TV with a Roku wireless soundbar or speakers, Roku says choosing TV speakers under Settings > Audio > Audio output turns the built-in speakers back on along with the TV’s other audio outputs, and switches the wireless device off. Other TVs vary, so check the sound output menu in your TV’s manual.
Can you connect two soundbars with an HDMI ARC splitter or an optical splitter?
None of the TV or soundbar makers’ pages read for this guide documents it, so this guide gives no steps for it. What they do document is a single audio connection: Samsung says HDMI-ARC works only through the TV’s specific ARC port, Bose asks for one HDMI or optical connection from the TV to its Smart Ultra Soundbar, and Roku limits a TV’s optical output to two channels of PCM or 5.1 channels of compressed Dolby Digital or DTS. The routes the makers stand behind are Samsung’s Multi Connect, Sonos grouping, Bose’s SimpleSync and app groups, and phone or Wi-Fi groups for music.
Can you add a second subwoofer instead of a second soundbar?
On some systems, that’s the documented way to get more bass. Bose says its Smart Ultra Soundbar can take two wireless bass modules, as long as both are Bass Module 700s or both are Bass Module 500s, and Roku lists the Roku Wireless Subwoofer as compatible with its Wireless Soundbar and Wireless Speakers. Check your own bar’s manual for the subwoofers it accepts, since Bose’s rule shows the pairings can be strict.
