Question on soundbar/receiver for friend.

M

moreira85

Audioholic Chief
Buddy of mine is dead set on a soundbar.
Basically he wants a receiver/DVD/ cable box hidden in the closet. An hdmi running from the receiver to the tv. Now he wants to throw a soundbar into the mix. Honestly I am not familiar with soundbars. I though you just plug them into the tv to get sound. How will I get sound when watching DVD?

My question is will we be able to get sound from the soundbar off the receiver when watching cable/ DVD by just running an optical out from the tv to the soundbar?
 
Cos

Cos

Audioholic Samurai
Depends on your equipment:

If he is actually using a receiver, then it makes no sense to use a optical cable or HDMI w/ARC to go directly from the TV to the Speaker as the receiver serves no purpose

A majority of Soundbars have internal amps, so the need for a receiver is not necessary. In that case you can run an optical cable from the TV to the Soundbar at at least eliminate one piece of equipment.

If you want to go a more on the higher end, something like the SuperCinema 3D Array by Golden Ear, then it works differently. The Golden Ear is passive and uses the receivers power for sound. In this case the optical or HDMI w/ARC cable goes directly from the TV to the receiver. Three speakers wires would go into soundbar (FR - Center - FL) from the receiver

Please note that the HDMI w/ARC must be equipped on both the TV and the Receiver. I just started using this with my new LG 47LN5700 TV and Integra 30.5 in my bedroom which is great, because it actually powers on the receiver for me when I turn on the TV.

So, depending on which Soundbar he uses will determine how he connects with the TV. The powered soundbar is the most common.
 
M

moreira85

Audioholic Chief
Thank you for the reply. I understand what you are saying. I am not a fan of soundbars. I'm pretty sure he would get the powered soundbar that would power itself and connect to the TV. The reason we wanted a receiver was because the components will be in the closet and I simply wanted to have all these components connect to the TV with one hdmi run from receiver hdmi out to TV. Without a receiver wouldn't I need multiple runs from closet to TV?
 
Cos

Cos

Audioholic Samurai
Yes, w/o a receiver you would need an HDMI for each device (i.e. cable box/Blu Ray) and Optical from TV to Soundbar (3 Total Cables)
vs
Reciever (two cables - all devices plug into the receiver 1 HDMI out + Optical from TV to Sound bar)
 
M

moreira85

Audioholic Chief
Yes, w/o a receiver you would need an HDMI for each device (i.e. cable box/Blu Ray) and Optical from TV to Soundbar (3 Total Cables)
vs
Reciever (two cables - all devices plug into the receiver 1 HDMI out + Optical from TV to Sound bar)

You got it. That was my question. I want to be sure if I run all components to the receiver then 1 hdmi to the TV, then optical out from TV to soundbar if the soundbar would get sound from all the components.
 
G

Grador

Audioholic Field Marshall
Many sound bars support HDMI now. I think the best bet would be receiver->soundbar->tv and forget about the optical. Many (most?) tv's don't play nice with audio output and it may not work under many circumstances.
 
Cos

Cos

Audioholic Samurai
Many sound bars support HDMI now. I think the best bet would be receiver->soundbar->tv and forget about the optical. Many (most?) tv's don't play nice with audio output and it may not work under many circumstances.
I have never had any problems with the audio output of the TVs I have used. That includes an older 40" Sharp TV to soundbar for my parents. My current HT setup I have audio out of my TV --> DHC 80.3 (Now switched to HDMI via ARC) My LG TV worked fine either way.

On a separate note, unless your TV and receiver have HDMI both have ARC, your only option to get sound from SMART TV apps like Amazon, Hulu etc is to run the optical out from the TV to either your Sound bar or receiver.
 
M

moreira85

Audioholic Chief
I have never had any problems with the audio output of the TVs I have used. That includes an older 40" Sharp TV to soundbar for my parents. My current HT setup I have audio out of my TV --> DHC 80.3 (Now switched to HDMI via ARC) My LG TV worked fine either way.

On a separate note, unless your TV and receiver have HDMI both have ARC, your only option to get sound from SMART TV apps like Amazon, Hulu etc is to run the optical out from the TV to either your Sound bar or receiver.
I know he has a sharp TV that it will be connected to.
 

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