How to: Hook Up Your Soundbar With An Optical Cable

[@buffyk-947]

Thank you so much. My husband usually took care of these things, but since he passed away, KZbin videos make things a little easier. Again thank you.

[@ryanishungry7409]

Buffy K-9 so sorry for your loss

[@I-speak-U-shut-it]

My condolences😔🌷🌷🌷🌹

[@I-speak-U-shut-it]

@@deutschmarked WTF

[@xobeenbrown4947]

@@deutschmarked are you serious? Just goes to show the extent of which people are willing to go to seek some attention from complete strangers! Just pathetic.

[@ryanstreeter8294]

Xobeen Brown just reported it and pretty sure the comment got taken down immediately

[@fldragonfly]

I am a 75 year old lady who lives in a separate suite in my daughters house. I accidently knocked over the sound bar. Long story short, with some research on the cable I found your video. I cannot thank you enough for great instructions! I was able to connect it within minutes. It took an hour to find you, but you sure made it easy once I did. lol It is always nice to be able to fix something or do anything for myself without bothering a family member!! Big cyber hug to you for taking the time to make this video! You are my hero and made my day!!!

[@rhaescroggins7850]

L my

[@simondarren35]

The video helped me also

[@EhimareOsezele]

Ààaà​@@rhaescroggins7850

[@MacChungus]

8 months my speakers sat on the floor in my room, all because of a dumb little plastic cap. You’re a lifesaver

[@mrlegend9225]

hope you got it all setted up and working

[@SkKarenOfficial]

Lol brooo!!!

[@hardeepvasir2682]

Hahaha

[@yvonnehoward2046]

The plastic caps might seem obvious to the manufacturers BUT this simple instruction should appear at the FRONT of the instruction manual and in BOLD CAPITALS for all of us who have never used optical cables before 😡.

[@josephcontreras8930]

Don't feel bad friend I think we've all been dumbfounded from time to time....

[@alanbricker8420]

This video was well done. It had no "fat" on it whatsoever. Clear, intelligible and to the point. This is how ALL KZbin videos should be done. THANK you!

[@cindyjones1645]

You are a lifesaver! No where on the instructions does it tell you there are little plastic things on the cable that need to be removed! I spent a significant amount of time trying to figure out how to install the cable before watching your video. So grateful I did! Such a stupid little thing but so important and frustrating!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

[@andrewmueller2962]

THANK YOU FOR BEING THE ONLY PERSON TO MENTION THE PLASTIC NUBS. I WAS GOING OUT OF MY TINY MIND.

[@Asgardinho]

I feel so dumb I had to watch a video to figure that out xD

[@tiffany52007]

It also was driving me crazy that it didnt wanna snap in 😂

[@2lobo777]

I know that feeling bro

[@dions07]

lol, I won't tell you how long these cables have been being used for in entry level HT setups then (although if the sales clerk didn't mention the nubs at the time, I would have thrown everything out the window trying to hook it all up haha)

[@merllinesk]

Ditto!!

[@thomasnievar2614]

Thank you!! God Bless You! We just purchased a sound bar from Amazon and connected it with RCA cables and it didn't work. I followed your video connecting it with the optical cables, which were included with the sound bar we purchased. I changed the TV settings to external speakers and put sound bar in optical mode like you instructed and it works great. I'm so thankful that you have a video for Seniors like me who are not tech savvy. Thanks Again!!

[@JerseyGirl0911]

OMG! The plastic piece remove 🤣🤣 thank you for saying this!! 🤦🏼‍♀️🤷‍♀️ Because of you I set it up. I was like why doesn’t this fit 🙃

[@blizz3777]

It's been so many years that I've been thinking that my optical cable wasn't working (because of this 😭)

[@202One]

Audiophile.. 🎉😂🍾

[@rachelmlesperance9815]

THANK YOU for this video!! I bought this onn soundbar at a yard sale a few days ago and I had NO idea how to connect this cord to my TV!! I had it connected to my cell phone for KZbin, it worked SO AWESOME, but I really NEED this speaker connected to my TV - so I don't blow the tv speakers! lol I play KZbin on my Xbox360, mostly strong/deep bass and Dubstep, on my TV and I blew the speakers on the other TV, I had for like 7 years :( So I recently bought a TV at Walmart, Roku, ugh....And I'm still learning the thing... :) But then, I got this onn soundbar, and I was lost...It didn't come with instructions, just the soundbar and remote...So, I had to come to KZbin, to learn and I found your video!!! My cord never came with the plastic thing on the end of the cord cuz I didn't get it new, so no worries there! :) Does the soundbar actually shut the TV speakers off? Cuz it's not, it just adds the boost, but when I turn the onn soundbar down, my TV speakers are still on! Am I doing something wrong? I've never had a soundbar before! I'm new to this...I need HELP!!! NEVERMIND...I figured it out on my Roku TV! >>> Answer to my own questions, if anyone also wants to know:

[@gordonwieland2133]

"It's important to remember that there are tiny little covers on each end of the cable that need to be removed before you make the connection." That's all I needed. The instructions didn't mention it. Thank you!

[@timgalway9960]

Plastic caps.....PLASTIC CAPS!!!!!!.....I thought I was going crazy!. Thank you!

[@chrismoore9681]

Me too lmao

[@ChristenMarkayla]

Same!!! This comment saved me.

[@ricardomilos3341]

Comment saved me

[@mrlegend9225]

me too 😁

[@youngkilogram9014]

Same I didn’t know about the caps I was already getting mad 😂

[@russw7266]

You saved the day. Didn't know about the little covers on the optical cable. (1st time using one) Thanks!

[@jncomstate]

Finally, I got someone who shows in DETAILS how to hookup soundbar to tv in detail.

[@abtelectronics]

Hello K Kang! Glad we could help. Thanks for watching!

[@munozfamily762]

You are awesome! I bought a sound bar and couldn’t figure out how to hook up. I went to Walmart and they were like here you need an optical cable. I must of shoved that cable in to both units with that little rubber cap 100 times before it popped off and I was like oh okay it’s a cap or I broke this. The. I still couldn’t figure out how to set up. I watch like 5 videos before yours and you clearly showed the way. Thank you 🙏

[@jenniferc6865]

Thank you! The cable definitely fits better when you remove the covers that are on the ends. We had given up on using this cable and went back to the red/white audio ones..... hahaha something so silly..

[@abtelectronics]

Hi jennifer c! Happy to help. Thanks for watching!

[@randymontano8803]

I was having trouble getting sound through the sound bar until I watched this video and came to realize that I needed to change the sound bar to optical! Thank you for posting your informational videos. They are very helpful!

[@allawy]

Thanks, just plugged my optical cable instead of hdmi. I know hdmi provides a bit better quality, especially with Atmos content, but it's a pain to configure correctly. I couldn't fix lip sync issues using hdmi.

[@KizzyVEVO]

Many thanks. You solved my problem just 1:06 into your video. Brilliant stuff.

[@jerryrpettus1926]

I agree with a comment below: This is the only video I saw that mentioned the plastic nubs on the optical cable. It solved my problem. Thank you!

[@aprilherbel6707]

Thank you!!! Your video is the only one that fixed my problem. My optical cable wasn’t working. I had no clue you had to take the plastic covers off of the ends. One would think the instructions would tell you that. I’m subscribing.

[@sharon3310]

But I still can’t get the cable all the way in. Ughhh

[@petetinsley5388]

Just had the same issue as previous comment, never used optical before didn't know about the plastic caps on the plug and its now working cheers 👍

[@terlytip]

OMG! this was the best video after an hour of looking at others on KZbin. So glad I found you. thank you

[@wc353]

One thing about fibre optics: always hook up the source second, for safety. Sound bar first, TV second. Then you won't accidentally look at the live end while you're plugging in the sound bar.

[@MeMe-rs1fg]

Thank you so much 😊. I was struggling because I didn't know that I had to take off those little tips. I'm all set now thanks to you. ❤

[@tutubito08]

Same happened to me LOL 🙈

[@Ricovette]

Thank you so much! After spending two hours attempting to setup my Polk soundbar with an optical cable to no avail, I realized, thanks to you, that I had not inserted the optical cable properly. Once inserted properly, it sounds AMAZING! Thumbs up and a sub from me for an AWESOME upload... Stay safe... Rico

[@DylanZ1201]

I switched to optical when I was having many problems with HDMI EARC dropping audio for 15 seconds or so every half hour regardless of changing the HDMI cable. Optical just straight up works better I’ve found, and shields any digital interference from a modem, router etc.

[@superniger4822]

That’s a bizarre problem, I’ve never heard of that happening. What kind of sound setup are you working with?

[@DylanZ1201]

@@superniger4822 Samsung B650 soundbar, with an additional subwoofer. Could potentially be a bad port issue with the soundbar itself, or the TV itself but since changing to Optical, I haven’t had any issues the last few days.

[@BathroomGamers]

I had no idea about the plastic covers new cables come with and I feel ridiculously silly. Thank you!

[@estrada263]

Hey I fumbled with my cords for like 30 minutes. Looked up KZbin and found out about the dang caps after 46 seconds haha 😂

[@sandysciales9336]

Thank you after working on our sound bar for two hours your video made us aware that we never removed the covers for the optical output cable so thank you so much I feel very foolish merry Christmas!!

[@susanarsenault1461]

If you wouldn't of mentioned the little plastic covers on the ends of the optical cable I don't think I would have figured it out. 🤣 thanks so much you were a huge help just the littlest thing can help. P.S i subscribed

[@louisawatts3157]

Plastic nibs, oh what a drama, trying to fit them so complicated, caused man to give up, irritated!

[@mikekenworthy]

Thank you, you have saved me a fortune in wires. On soundbar is the Optical slot, problem is these slots are covered over, due to your video I finally found the correct hole. This problem has arisen in other areas of my life too :)

[@edh6062]

Ha!!

[@common_apology]

Thank you!!! My JBL bar 1000 manual barely had any words, just pictures and you helped me get it going

[@at1970]

Well, that helped. The instructions didn’t mention taking the little caps off the ends of the cable. Works way better now. Thanks

[@mamabear154]

Thanks dude! I was afraid to push on it and a little confused on how to plug it.. mission accomplished 👏

[@swissb00m96]

Thanks. I have to switch to optical cable for my computer system and was not sure how to do it. now i feel confident even if it might just be such a small thing :) Thanks!

[@johnroberts4425]

Many thanks. I'll try that soon. My problem is that my Panasonic sound bar doesn't work when a HD programme is on . When I bought my 43" Sony Bravia, I put the soundbar directly to the Virigin TV box. I'll now try to put the cable directly at the back of the TV and see if that solves the problem.

[@dmatmor]

On the first few seconds of this video, it all cleared out why my Optical was not producing sound... the clear covers were still on. Dummy.... Thank you so much...

[@abtelectronics]

@dmatmor Glad we were able to help! Thanks for watching!

[@nf3126]

Thank you for providing such an easy-to-follow video that is clear with not a lot of mumbo-jumbo in between. Direct, to the point; I love it ....now time to shop for a speaker...

[@farrenzoroqueez]

You saved me! I swear I thought I could never get this stupid cable to work when after watching the video and saw you removed the plastic cover! I feel like such a moron!

[@GameSlayer41781]

Me too man. My comment is very similar lol

[@GameSlayer41781]

Thank you so much. This really helped i couldn't get mine to work. I'm an idiot, i had no idea to take off the white bubbly ends b4 connecting lol, it works great! Thank you!

[@tomstrickland4686]

Well thank you very much. Picked up a new TV and hooked up the soundbar using the optical cable. No sound? It worked fine on our other TV and the settings were correct. Except for on the soundbar setting. It was on AUX. As soon as you said to have the soundbar to OC a light went on! Thank you.

[@abtelectronics]

Hi Tom. I'm glad the video helped! Thanks for watching! -Carl

[@IsaacCruz]

THANK YOU! I didn’t know I had to put a little bit of more pressure to fully plug in the optical cable! Worked immediately

[@princessC051]

Thank You so muuuch, I've had my sound bar for weeks and couldn't find a video that helped me or gave specific instructions so this was highly appreciated 🤓🙌🏾

[@abtelectronics]

@La_Belle89. We're glad it helped! Thanks for watching!

[@stanleyvo5198]

Thanks you about your explaining to remove optical cap ....finally I did hook up my sound bar speaker , it work pretty good .

[@pervisagee604]

Stanley Vo

[@SimGamerNATION]

I swear soon as he said it .. I died laughing .. Thanks for the vid

[@38MBH]

Yes, the first 45 seconds of the video sorted my issue.

[@carolynweaver5061]

Stanley Vo My TV is Emerson and it do not have an optical connection. What do I do

[@kenhagen5890]

I was able to attach the optical cable to both the soundbar and TV and I switched the audio output on the Sharp TV to variable but I still don't get sound under any setting on the SB. What am I missing?

[@jamessheehy9502]

I pretty much knew what to do but thought I'd check out your video just to be sure. No surprises, but you should be complimented om a clear, concise, easy to follow video! Well done!

[@auscub213]

"clear, concise, easy to follow"---the magic words for youtube 'how-to' videos. Thanks!

[@talkingshadow]

Thanks man that was the first time I connect optical audio cable.. and I'll admit it lol I didn't know I should have removed the plastic cover I thought it was part of it and when it didn't work I checked KZbin and saw you video hahhaha thanks again man lol

[@rohangounder7000]

Omg I love you man. You solved an issue that went on for like 3 years

[@margaretbrown-jones743]

Tried to complete this for 3 days. I watched this and realized I just needed to get those end caps off! 2 minutes and I’m in business. Thanks!

[@frankiegee6135]

Thank you so much for this video, I was getting so frustrated trying to hook this up. You are a life saver, your video taught me how to hook it up!

[@richarddevirgiliis407]

Saved my bacon in 47 seconds. Those are caps on the ends! You'd think the manufacturer would mention that.

[@split5491]

Ah I believe i didnt push the optical cable in hard enough. Thanks for the video! ❤️❤️ My nana is gonna enjoy her soundbar

[@tuxmusicman]

Thank you! I am trying to help my grandpa set up his soundbar and this should help.

[@jamesdimario8359]

Thanks, I couldn't get it to work because, I didn't know about the protective caps....WORKS NOW...T/Y

[@cebby4016]

Thank you so much i was really struggling with connecting my soundbar with tv,this video helped me a lot

[@datchickcookie]

This helped tremendously. I was so close to sending my sound bar back. Thank you so much

[@tomn5880]

If I may ask two questions. We just purchased a Sony 4k ultra HD back lit 55" thin TV and a Bose Solo 5 sound bar. 1. Are we better off to connect the Bose optical audio cable to the Charter cable box or to the TV? We ran both Boston Acoustic and TV speakers at the same time with our old set up and could adjust the sound really well, and turn down the Boston volume when not necessary. 2. Salesman said to connect the Bose to the TV and turn off the TV speakers. He said the sound, if using both TV speakers and sound bar, would sound funny. Any Idea what that would sound like? Thank you for the help and btw, great instructional video.

[@abtelectronics]

Hi Tom. I would say you're best off using just the soundbar for sound. It's going to provide much better sound than the TV speakers and is good at any volume, so I'm not sure there's any benefit in using the TV speakers for anything you'd be watching. Also, my recommendation would be to hook the cable box up to the TV first and then run the optical cable from the TV to the soundbar. Thanks for watching! -Carl

[@tomn5880]

We have both hooked up and working. We use TV speakers for most viewing. We can turn on the Bose for movies or to enhance any talk TV. It turned out better than expected. We balance the volume of both to what we like best. No distortion or phase shift (fuzzy sound) Thank you for your reply

[@loyourobsession]

For days I have been seeking a solution to this issue. Some of it I still had to figure out on my own but this was very informative. thank you!

[@trinataylor278]

Well stated. However, could I use any optical cable because mine is being specific (TS8132) but there's no store that carries that particular cable.

[@cherylspringtime]

I had no idea you remove the piece of plastic lol Thanks for the video!

[@johnnywadd3020]

Is their a male / female end or both the same??

[@abtelectronics]

Hi Johnny Chandler! With an optical cable, both sides will have a male end and will be the same. If you have any further questions please feel free to reach us at 800-860-3736 and one of our experts is happy to help! Thanks for watching!

[@paul8926]

Thank you! I just purchased a Sonos sound-bar, and didn’t know how to connect it properly.

[@abtelectronics]

Thanks Pawl! Glad it helped. Thanks for watching! -Carl

[@georgeakhigbe3059]

Thanks... I'm going to connect my Samsung TV to my Sony home theater finally. This is highly informative.

[@marinaortiz2478]

Hi so I want to thank you for your help your video help me a lot . to much trouble to connect my sound bar but I found you and finally I can see and hear my movies and shows 🙏🙏

[@MusicNinjas]

I did not realize those were caps... Thank you so much for pointing that out. I was wondering why it was so hard to get in when I know it shouldn't be.

[@farrenzoroqueez]

MusicNinjas I thought I was the only one!

[@MusicNinjas]

farrenzoroqueez Thanks god there are others!

[@boydstrcomments1979]

MusicNinjas I don’t understand why manuals are more detailed in what and how.

[@dimakatsomaema8268]

@@farrenzoroqueez lol thought i was the only one

[@Sewlady718]

Thank you so much. I was finally able to reconnect my sound bar after Best Buy screwed up my service request!!!

[@wheelie642]

He speaks so well.

[@oppositetoinstructions4365]

Great video, I bought a soundbar without a cable and was wondering what type I should get, this video shows it clearly. (Male to Male Optical Cable)

[@mankitlee]

Just bought lg smart tv and now hooked up with soundbar via digital optical and I love it

[@letloveguardwellington2180]

Removing the plastic at the front was my concern and you helped me at that.

[@drohoe1]

Is there a way to have the TV speakers and the soundbar running at the same time? Like a use both option. Or do you lose the TV speaker sound once you put on the optical soundbar option on? Reason I ask is im getting a soundbar next week.

[@abtelectronics]

Hi drohoe1. My parents have an LG that allowed both to play at the same time, but I wouldn't recommend it. It doesn't improve the sound at all since the sound coming out of the soundbar is going to be a lot better than what will come out of the TV speakers. I turned their TV speakers off as soon as I heard sound coming out of both. Not only that, but the timing can be a little off as well which doesn't sound good either. Thanks for watching and enjoy your new soundbar! -Carl

[@drohoe1]

Makes sense. Thanks the reply

[@karengoebel3647]

I wasn't sure what wires to use. The RCA, HDMI or OPTICAL. Instructions didn't say. I tried ALL them at th same time and n sound.. So from your video here, all I need to use is the Optical. Then in my TV setting there were all sorts of options to use. That was more confusing, so I boxed it up and was going to return. now I don't have to. Thank you so much for this say explanation

[@DavidGonzalez-js1yv]

Thank you. What I thought was simple. Wasn’t !!!!!! She’s working now. Much appreciated

[@abtelectronics]

Hi David Gonzalez! Glad we could help. Thanks for watching!

[@waquiare]

Excellent video. I've been trying to get my TV to synch with my sound bar for a long time. This got me there with no frustration. Awesome!!!!

[@smwk2017]

I have a Samsung 4k TV and Vizio SB3221n-J6 soundbar connected with optical cable. Through Samsung TV's Universal Remote configuration, I added Vizio as Home Theater->VIZIO->Optical. I can control Vizio soundbar's volume using Samsung TV remote. However, Vizio soundbar does not turn on and off with TV, even though it passes the Power Test during the Universal Remote configuration. Say Samsung TV is on but not Vizio soundbar, pressing the TV remote Volume + button will trigger Vizio soundbar to turn on automatically. This is unique to Vizio soundbar. I configured Vizio soundbar to turn off automatically after 5 min of TV power off via Vizio soundbar's Eco mode configuration.

[@tweety198]

Thank u, i did not understand the instructions that came with the sound bar, your explanation was so easy.

[@fawkes4968]

Thanks worked great TV had the settings and the port for Optical great video!

[@millikenway]

Thanks, but I was hoping to see how to insert the optical cable into the tiny holes and you did it so fast bypassing the details to the first time user. I would suggest you tell details like, are the two ends the same connector, and, to show a huge diagram on the mating connector so we know what to look for inserting it. Without the needed info, at least I am skeptical to plug it in as I might break the tiny light source at the cable ends.

[@vrec777]

I have an optical cable coming from my soundbar but I only have an spdif input in my projector. What are my options?

[@rextetteh6352]

Hey, great video I have a Bose AV18 media Center, a Sony Bravia TV (KDL-48R55xC) manufactured in 2015. I also have a sky Q box . How can I connect the Bose to the TV so all sound transmits from Bose speakers?? Thanks

[@glittery_fairy]

Thank you. I didn't know those tips were protection

[@lolepere2568]

So clear and concise! Thank you

[@kenb3163]

Perfect video for my TV & Soundbar connection.

[@cashmason374]

Thanks. This allowed us to use a Christmas present sound bar that had instructions in broken English, which we could not understand.

[@RichHomieDon]

You're the world's smartest man

[@ladyfn8745]

Thank you, you really helped after struggling for so long!

[@bobmarley6161]

Hi does the optic sound better than rca cables....

[@mikemadzey3639]

you do a real nice job of exlaining tho i still cant get the tv sound to go thru the sound bar the dv d player sound comes thru

[@claudiaaguilar5080]

Finally!!!! Thank you!! I finally connected my sound bar to my TV!

[@androafandi]

Sorry I have some question here. Recently, i’am using Samsung TV Series 4 and i’ve plan to buy Xiaomi Soundbar, but the Xiaomi only give SPDIF Cable on the package. Can you tell me if the SPDIF Cable can actually work with my TV?The tv provides digital audio out (optical) on it.

[@CraigDyer]

It's amazing that after reading the comments below, most people didn't realize the tiny plastic end covers needed to be removed before using the cable...

[@stephencannon3140]

I have a Yamaha HTR receiver not soundbar and I would guess the procedure would be the same. I have two digital optical inputs on the receiver. Does the other end go to the media source directly or to the TV Digital Optical input? My set is 4K DVD, and normal Direct TV receiver. I am thinking source to HTR but want to confirm. Without using the TV speakers I can see not needing the Digital Optical connection on the TV itself.

[@macdaddyb3054]

Can you connect 2 tv’s optically to go thru you music receiver and switch back and forth to listen to both tv’s if there on different shows

[@joshuagonzalez9213]

his information actually helped me install my sound bar and it was not even one of theirs thank you

Great review as always. Nice, slow and easy. Thanks.

[@sallycunningham9608]

Hi I have a Samsung tv what would be 5he best sound bar to get and what digital plug would I need? Thank you

[@miztag3554]

Thanks bro...its working good👍👍👍

[@joyace9674]

Very helpful thank you 👍😬for sharing 😊

[@JayceLyric95]

which is better HDMI or optical cable?

[@abtelectronics]

It really depends on your setup. As far as sound quality goes they both sound great. HDMI offers a little more flexibility in how you hook up your other components to your system so it's a little more versatile. It'll also depend on your soundbar. Some don't offer both options for hookup. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching! -Carl

[@prom8332]

HDMI xbox one lags with optical!

[@AmitysWake]

ive never had that issue on my xbox

[@paul8926]

They both sound great, it’s really hard to tell the difference.

[@florinpandele5205]

I don't think there is a HDMI connection in general for soundbars. But if there is one for your soundbar, I would still prefer the optical cable, there is less of a chance of toasting the soundbar because of faulty TV/PC sound output. Other than that, everything else is the same. EM interference is not a issue for HDMI signals for short distances (unless you wrap the HDMI cable around a electrical transformer or... you are welding nearby: )

[@ziabisoh1156]

Excellent tutorial for me. It helped tremendously. 😁

[@christineveneracion9201]

Hello there! What brand of optical cable do you recommend?

[@Chattanoogaben]

Very helpful! Great voice with excellent delivery....thanks much.....

[@llewellynadams4548]

Thanks this helped tremendously