Hook up sound bar with cable box and reciver.

[bccb.arrington]

OK, I have a samsung smart TV hooked up to a sony reciever and cable box (so I can record shows). I cant figure out how to hook up a samsung 3.1 5 series sound bar and woofer. I am NOT technically inclined. Do I still need the reciever??

 

[jsmithepa]

Soundbars are really meant to be stand-along with TV, no receiver. Receivers are meant to use separate, discrete speakers not soundbars.

Soundbars are one-task accessories, meaning for application where user finds TV built-in speakers not good enough, a budget solution, slap-on soundbar and BAM! but DON'T TRY TO hookup anything else to it, like a dvd player u maybe thinking of. Receivers on the other hand are designed to be the central console so you can hookup many different sources to it, good for long term.

OK, after all that jibber jabber, you still want to keep the soundbar. This is how to hookup SB, no receiver needed:

1. Cable box ----> TV.
2. TV ----> SB.

1. Cable box connection most likely a HDMI connection unless u have a very old TV.
2. TV to SB connection can be HDMI (both pieces must support ARC), or optical/toslink, or headphone-to-line_In. Obvious both pieces must have the same connector. The headphone solution may take the form of 3.5mm plug to two RCA (coax) cable.