Level Up The Sound Game: Learn How To Connect Soundbar To Roku TV

If you have been following me for a while, you’d know that the most challenging task for me is nothing related to my work. It is to convince my parents to give up on the old technology and adapt to the new. But last weekend was a little different as my parents finally took a plunge and bought a new TV. They invested in a Roku TV and have been impressed with its latest technology. My father is happy with its picture quality, and I am delighted that he won’t have to kick the TV at a specific spot to turn it on like he had to with the older one, occasionally,

To my surprise, when the salesperson recommended my father to buy a soundbar to go with the TV, instead of saying, ‘No, thank you!’, he discussed it with me and bought it. He then looked at me and said, ‘What’s the fun in watching TV without great sound!’ Trust me, I wasn’t in shock; I was astonished! I took a few minutes to process my father’s changed behavior and started researching how to connect the soundbar to Roku TV. Interestingly, I found out that there are more than one ways to connect the soundbar to Roku TV and the methods work for soundbars from most brands, like Onn, Samsung, Vizio, etc. Hence, I decided to write an article.

You may connect a soundbar to your Roku TV using more than one method. These include connection by an HDMI cable, AV cable, optical cable, Bluetooth, or WiFi. While Bluetooth is a more common way to connect a soundbar to Roku TV, HDMI cables offer the most consistent and best audio experience.
This article will discuss how to hook up Roku TV to the soundbar using different methods. But before that, let us understand what a soundbar is and why it is becoming so popular.

What Is A Sound Bar And Why Is It Becoming Popular?

A soundbar is a bar-shaped box containing several speakers designed to work with your TV. The soundbar sits below the screen to give your TV an audio boost. These speakers are easy-to-install and work great in replacing the TV’s built-in speaker system.

As a matter of fact, most TVs are not built for sound. The modern, sleek designs make it all the more difficult for the manufacturers to add a robust sound to the TV. To level up the sound game of your TV, the only option is to connect a better external speaker. To avoid the nightmare of tons of extra cables with the speaker, most people these days prefer a soundbar as it eliminates the need for extra cables. While it does not match up with the experience of a surround sound system, they are still a great alternative because of their price, size, and ease of installation.

Different Methods To Connect SoundBar To Roku TV

Investing in a soundbar is an excellent investment as it significantly heightens your Roku Tv’s sound game. However, once you have made the purchase, it is obvious to look for how to connect the external speakers to Roku TV. This step can frustrate you as not much literature about the same is available on the internet. This fact prompted me to write an article about the same.

There are several ways to connect your soundbar from Vizio, Onn, Samsung, etc., to Roku TV. I will discuss these methods in detail in this section of the article.

How To Connect Soundbar To Your Roku TV Using An HDMI Cable?

If you have brought home a Soundbar to heighten the big-screen experience on your Roku TV, you have made a great decision. Regardless of the brand, the soundbar can be easily and reliably connected to the Roku TV using an HDMI cable, even if you are new to operating a soundbar or a Roku TV. All you need is a soundbar, a Roku TV, and an HDMI cable, and you are good to go. HDMI cables have become standard and often come included with your TVs and sound systems. They are also available at almost every store that has electronic cables.

Let’s take a closer look at how to set up a soundbar on Roku TV without any further ado.

• Step 1: Ensure that your Roku TV and soundbar are HDMI compatible. You can do so by locating the HDMI port at the back of both your devices.
• Step 2: Take one end of the HDMI cable and insert it into the Roku TV HDMI port.
• Step 3: Insert the other end of your HDMI cable into the soundbar HDMI port.
• Step 4: Turn on both your devices.
• Step 5: Set your TV’s audio output to HDMI or external speakers.
• Step 6. Wait for your Roku TV to detect the soundbar. When your TV detects the soundbar, it automatically initiates the setup process.
• Step 7: Follow the simple on-screen instructions to finish connecting the Roku Soundbar setup.

Once you have connected your Roku TV with the soundbar, you can stream your favorite music or series on your TV and enjoy it with a better sound experience. If you need assistance in changing your Roku TV’s mode to HDMI, read one of my articles about it.

How to Connect the Soundbar to the Roku TV Using Bluetooth?

It is no surprise that most people these days prefer to go wireless. While connecting the soundbar to your  Roku TV using an HDMI cable is the most common way and provides the most consistent connection and audio experience, if you are looking for how to connect the soundbar to Roku TV without HDMI, I’ve got you covered as I am listing the procedure in detail below. Thankfully, most of the latest soundbars and Roku TVs support Bluetooth and allow you to connect your speaker with the TV within minutes.

Let’s learn how to connect the Bluetooth soundbar to the Roku TV.

• Step 1: Set your Soundbar to Bluetooth mode and ensure it is discoverable. You can do so by pressing the Bluetooth button on your Samsung, Onn, or Vizio soundbar or using the sound bar remote to turn the feature on.
• Step 2: Once the Bluetooth is turned on, press the pair button on your Soundbar remote to bring your soundbar into pairing mode.
• Step 3: Turn on your Roku TV and move on to its Bluetooth settings to turn on the feature on your TV. 
• Step 4: Press Home on your Roku remote.
• Step 5: Scroll and select the Settings option.
• Step 6: Select Remotes & devices.
• Step 7: Select the Pair Bluetooth device option.
• Step 8: Navigate your soundbar’s name and use the Roku TV remote to select ‘Pair and Connect’.

Once your soundbar is paired with the Roku TV, check the success of the connection by playing any video on your TV and see if the audio comes from the soundbar. If the audio still comes from your TV, check the audio output setting on your Roku TV and ensure it is set to Bluetooth. If you do not have the Bluetooth feature on your Roku TV, you may use Bluetooth adapters to enable the connection between your Roku TV and the soundbar.

How to Connect the Soundbar to the Roku TV with an AV Cable?

Another way you can easily connect the soundbar to your Roku TV is using an AV cable. An  AV cable or Audio Visual cable makes your televisions, speakers, and more come to life for entertainment. These cables have been a part of our homes for a long time but now many newer TVs do not have a port for them. If your Roku TV has a port for AV cable, you can connect the soundbar to the TV using the same.

Here’s how

• Step 1: Plug in the stereo end of your AV cable into the AV input at the back of your Roku TV. Following this, connect the composite RCA connectors to your soundbar to establish the connection.
• Step 2: Connect the RCA connectors to your soundbar AV Out port to establish the connection.
• Step 3: Turn on both your devices.
• Step 4: Set your TV’s audio output to external speakers.
• Step 5. Wait for your Roku TV to detect the soundbar. 
• Step 6:  Follow the simple on-screen instructions to finish connecting the Roku Soundbar setup.

If your TV does not support the AV connection, you can even use an HDMI-to-AV adaptor to make the connection with your soundbar using an AV cable. After a successful connection is made, you can play the videos on your TV and hear the sound on your soundbar.

How to Connect the Soundbar to the Roku TV Using an Optical Cable?

Another excellent way to connect your soundbar to your Roku TV is using an optical cable. An optic cable gives your TV a new sound experience. The cable connector has a hexagonal shape and the connector is covered by a plastic cover. However, it must be noted that an optical cable doesn’t support HD audio formats such as DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD.

Follow the given steps to find how to hook up the Roku TV to the soundbar with an optical cable.

• Step 1: Plug one end of the optical cable into the Optical Out port of your Roku TV 
• Step 2: Take the other end of the optical cable and insert it into the soundbar.
• Step 3: Turn on both your devices. 
• Step 4: Set your TV’s audio output to external speakers.
• Step 5. Wait for your Roku TV to detect the soundbar. 
• Step 6: Follow the simple on-screen instructions to finish connecting the Roku Soundbar setup.

How to Connect the Soundbar to the Roku TV Through WiFi?

If you are looking for how to set up a soundbar on Roku TV wirelessly and are looking for an alternate to Bluetooth, your WiFi may come to your rescue. Fortunately, Roku TV can be connected to a WiFi-compatible soundbar through your WiFi connection which means you can avoid an entwined heap of cables. 

The steps of how to connect external speakers to Roku TV using WiFi are quite simple and mentioned below.

• Step 1: Connect your Roku TV and soundbar to the same WiFi network.
• Step 2: Use your smartphone or laptop to add the soundbar to your Smart Home System.
• Step 3: Open the Settings on your Roku TV.
• Step 4: Navigate to Control Other Devices and add the soundbar as a recognized device on your TV.
• Step 5: Adjust your TV’s audio settings to set the soundbar as your preferred audio output. 

The above steps are straightforward and easily let you connect your Roku TV to the soundbar through a shared WiFi connection. However, you may only be able to make the above connection if your soundbar is WiFi-compatible.

The Best Method For Roku Soundbar Set Up

As mentioned in the article, you can connect your soundbar to the Roku Tv using more than one method. In this case, it is obvious for a user to wonder which is the best way to make the connection. While all the methods promise a high-quality sound output, I recommend my family, friends, and readers to prefer HDMI cable while connecting your TV to the sound system.

Here’s why

• Almost all new models of TVs have an HDMI port.

• Using an HDMI cable to make the connection, you can also connect your Blu-ray player, game console, etc., with your Roku TV and enjoy a better sound experience with the connected devices.

• HDMI cable connection supports most audio formats ranging from 2.1 to 7.1. The case may not be the same with other wired connections and is definitely not the same with wireless connections.

• An HDMI connection between your Roku TV and soundbar allows you to control your soundbar using the Roku TV remote. If your Roku TV remote is lost or damaged, you can control the volume of your Roku TV without a remote. You may also use a universal remote for your Roku TV.

• Connecting your soundbar to the Roku TV provides a seamless connection without any hiccups or pairing issues that may occur in the case of Bluetooth or WiFi connection.

FAQs

Q1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Bluetooth to connect your Roku TV with a soundbar?

Answer – Bluetooth allows you to connect your Roku TV to the soundbar without the hassle of managing cables. It also allows you the freedom of moving your soundbar as per your choice. However, Bluetooth does not offer the best quality audio output, and the connection can easily be disturbed by the presence of any radio device, which may be frustrating to deal with.

Q2. If I have a Roku TV, is it necessary to buy a Roku soundbar only? Do other brands’ soundbars work with a Roku TV?

Answer – Roku TV users necessarily do not need to purchase a Roku soundbar only. Soundbars from most brands like Onn, Vizio, Samsung, etc., work well with a Roku TV.

Q3. What is a soundbar’s advantage compared to the surround sound system?

Answer – A soundbar is a small box composed of several speakers to enhance your sound experience. It is not fair to compare a soundbar to a surround sound system on the functionality part as the latter provides a 3D sound experience. However, a soundbar is relatively cost-efficient compared to the surround sound system.

Conclusion

A soundbar is an excellent addition to your home entertainment tribe if you are as crazy about a great sound experience as I am. When my parents invested in a soundbar, it gave me a reason to spend more time at their place. If you are a Roku TV user who invested in a soundbar to heighten the sound game of your TV and are looking for how to connect the soundbar to Roku TV, this article must have been helpful for you. All the methods given in the article are tried and tested by me and work perfectly to connect the soundbars from most brands to your Roku TV.

In case you have any more queries about connecting a soundbar to Roku TV, write to me in the comment section.