Sonos Arc can be connected to a TV only through HDMI eARC or optical cable. For the best sound performance, it should be connected through HDMI eARC cable that the soundbar is accompanied with.
But what if your TV doesn’t have the HDMI eARC port? What if your TV is old and does not support HDMI eARC? But before answering these, a few answers for those who are new to all these terms.
Further reading: What is Sonos? Here’s Everything You Need to Know About the Wireless Sound System
What is Sonos ARC?
Sonos ARC is a smart soundbar that can be used to elevate the sound quality of your TV. It features Dolby Atmos and is compatible with voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant.
It is also compatible with Apple Airplay 2. What’s more? You can control it fully without any remote with the help of the Sonos S2 controller app. It supports speech enhancement and can also be used in a surround sound system.
It can provide a cinematic audio experience with the help of its 11 Class D amplifiers, 8 elliptical woofers, 3 silk dome tweezers, far filed microphone array, Trueplay software, and adjustable EQ. It also supports 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, which allows you to connect it to your home network. However, it doesn’t support Bluetooth.
For connectivity, Sonos ARC has a power supply port, HDMI ARC port, optical cable port, and an Ethernet port at the back.
What is HDMI eARC?
An HDMI eARC is the latest connectivity standard proceeded by HDMI ARC. An HDMI ARC or Audio Return Channel enables the audio flow in the opposite direction, as in this case from the TV to the soundbar.
Apart from being multi-directional, HDMI ARC also has greater bandwidth that facilitates high-quality audio. It also is compatible with HDMI CEC (Consumer Electronics Control), a feature found in the latest TV models. This feature allows your TV to adjust the sound when connected to an external device so that they are no time lag between video and audio.
HDMI eARC is one step ahead of HDMI ARC and provides greater bandwidth than HDMI ARC at around 37mbps. HDMI ARC provides a bandwidth of around 1mbps. Another advantage of HDMI eARC is that it is backward compatible with HDMI ARC. This makes it compatible with lower bandwidth connection options present in old devices.
How to Connect Sonos ARC to TV?
Now understanding the answer to the ultimate question would be easier. There are two ways in which Sonos ARC can be connected to the TV:
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1. Through HDMI cable
If your TV has an HDMI eARC or HDMI ARC port at the back, it is easy to connect a Sonos ARC to a TV with the help of an HDMI cable. This HDMI cable comes with Sonos Arc.
Connect one end to the HDMI eARC port of the soundbar and the other end to the HDMI eARC or HDMI ARC port at the back of your TV.
2. Through An Optical Audio Adapter
If your TV doesn’t have an HDMI eARC or HDMI ARC port at the back, you will have to use an optical audio adapter to connect Sonos ARC to the TV. This adapter also comes along with Sonos ARC. Connect one end of this cable to the Sonos ARC optical audio port and the other end to the optical port at the back of the TV.
3. Through A Converter Device
If your TV doesn’t support HDMI ARC as well and you don’t want to use an optical audio adapter, you can use a converter device as a workaround.
This can work as an alternative if your TV supports HDMI only. This arrangement would provide different sorts of sound quality for different Tv models.
To make this work, find a convertor device that can take in HDMI and has an HDMI eARC or HDMI Arc output. You will need two cables to make this arrangement one.
Use an HDMI cable first to connect the TV to the converter device. Now, use another cable out from the convertor device to connect it to the Sonos Arc soundbar. This workaround works best for old TVs that don’t support HDMI eARC or HDMI ARC.
Sonos ARC doesn’t have a regular HDMI input and has a single HDMI eARC port, therefore using a convertor device with more than one port can also be helpful in case of connecting multiple devices to it.
This hit and trial arrangement may or may not provide the audio quality you desire. However, it’s a safer method as you can always return the product (if brought online) if it doesn’t work.
What Sound Quality To Expect When Connecting Sonos ARC To Tv?
The sound quality you get depends on the connection interface and the audio technology the TV supports.
Sonos ARC uses Dolby Atmos, which is a premier audio technology currently in the market. If your TV supports Dolby Atmos or its predecessor Dolby Digital Plus, you can still enjoy the best sound quality i.e., Dolby Atmos, even though the TV doesn’t support HDMI eARC through HDMI ARC.
If your TV supports HDMI eARC, there is no doubt you will be able to experience full quality sound from Sonos ARC that supports Dolby Atmos, subject to exceptions. These exceptions will include streaming services like Netflix or Disney Plus that don’t support Dolby Atmos due to its high bandwidth.
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FAQs
1. How do I connect my Sonos Arc to my Samsung TV?
First, see the port available on the Samsung TV. If there is HDMI eARC or HDMI ARC, use the HDMI cable that came with Sonos Arc to connect Sonos Arc with your TV.
If it only has an HDMI port, use a converter device that supports either HDMI ARC or HDMI eARC.
2. What TVs are compatible with Sonos Arc?
If you want to buy a new TV for your Sonos ARC, any TV with an HDMI eARC port or HDMI ARC will be easily compatible with Sonos ARC.
3. What is better HDMI ARC or optical?
Definitely, HDMI ARC is better than optical when it comes to professional high sound quality.