Think about what size soundbar suits your television setup best. You’ll want to make sure it fits in your AV cabinet and slots neatly in front of or under your TV without obstructing your view or getting in the way of any infrared sensor your telly may have. While each TV brand’s method of connecting to and controlling your soundbar is slightly different, it’s fairly straightforward to connect the two. Here’s a breakdown of what you need to do to control a soundbar with your TV remote. Find the Optical or HDMI ARC Connection on both the Soundbar and TV When connecting through ARC, your TV may automatically recognize your connection after inserting the cable. Otherwise, use the menu on your VIZIO remote and go to System > CEC, then change the setting to ‘Disabled’, ‘Enabled’, or ‘ARC only’, based on your needs.

While the instructions above are a general way to go about connecting and controlling your soundbar with your TV, many TV manufacturers (and computer makers – our guide) have slightly different ways of going about it. Based on your TV manufacturer, find your listed brand and follow the instructions below. Samsung As you can see, controlling your soundbar with your TV remote is a fairly straightforward process. You only need to make the connection to your TV and adjust your settings and sound as necessary. This is more common when you’re watching TV using a set-top box such as a Sky or Freeview box. Even if your set-top box is connected to your TV and your TV to your soundbar, you may find the audio only gets to your TV's speakers. Unlike most of the options on this list, the Groov-e Soundbar 75 doesn’t have an HDMI port, so you’ll be hooking it up to your TV using the optical cable that comes in the box. Bluetooth is supported too, allowing you to stream audio to the bar from your phone, while RCA, USB-A, and 3.5mm ports provide further connectivity options. With an HDMI ARC connection, your soundbar’s source will automatically change to TV ARC, then you can use the TV remote’s right direction on the direction pad to activate/deactivate Anynet+, which only works with an HDMI ARC connection.If you need help setting up your soundbar to work properly with your TV, read our guide on how to set up a soundbar with your TV My soundbar or subwoofer is quiet or sounds unnatural One complaint you might see frequently, even on top-end soundbars, is that they don’t sound any better than the TV they’re supposed to be connected to. The number of channels present in a soundbar is represented by two digits separated by a full stop. The first digit reflects the number of primary channels, while the second indicates the presence of a subwoofer to handle low-end frequencies. So, a 2.0 soundbar possesses two audio channels – left and right – while 2.1 bars add a third via a subwoofer. If your soundbar has an accompanying app for your smartphone or tablet, you could use this as an alternative to the remote, at least on a temporary basis. Some brands also let you buy replacement remotes separately, which is worth trying if you suspect your remote control is faulty (for example, if it stopped working after you dropped it). My soundbar or subwoofer isn’t working at all When using an optical cable, there’s a small chance that the Television will know to use the soundbar automatically, but it’s more likely that you’ll have to go find the Televisions speaker selection menu and change it as described above.

We’ll go through all of its different connectivity options – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI, stereo, optical etc. – and then proceed with assessing its sound quality across each supported method, across whatever channel configurations are possible, using a range of audio sources. While we weren’t blown away by the HTB490’s overall sonic performance, its wireless subwoofer delivers the best bass response of any cheap soundbar we’ve tested. Low-end frequencies are handled with precision and there’s plenty of power too, with the sub putting out 160W in addition to the 80W amplification for each of the soundbar’s full-range drivers. Cinematic action sequences benefit tremendously from the subwoofer’s impressive impact and this is particularly evident at higher volumes, at which the HTB490 is very capable of filling a medium-sized room. READ NEXT: Our favourite TVs to pair with your soundbar Other things to consider before buying a budget soundbar Most manufacturers state the peak and average (Root Mean Squared or RMS) output of their soundbars in watts (W). Larger soundbars with more speaker drivers are capable of outputting bigger sound than their compact competitors but don’t worry too much about finding a bar with massive audio output. Although it’s a 2.0 bar, Roku says it performs like one with a central channel thanks to “multi-channel decoding capabilities”. We were certainly impressed by how it sounds. For its size, the Streambar gets very loud and is able to deliver a wide soundstage that’s full-bodied and rich in detail. And if the default sound profile isn’t to your liking, the Roku OS offers a few different presets to play around with.If you’re using a 3.5mm aux cable to connect to your soundbar, this is likely the culprit. First, ensure both ends of the cable are fully and securely inserted into your TV and soundbar. It’s got a maximum power output of 75W which is more than loud enough to fill reasonably sized rooms and offers three EQ modes: Music, Movie and Voice. Movie is the best balanced for most content, but if you don’t find it to your taste, you can boost bass and treble as you see fit using the included remote. The best budget soundbars to buy in 2023 1. Creative Stage V2: Best budget soundbar with a subwoofer Even budget soundbars offer a range of connectivity options and, generally speaking, the more ports present, the better. So, if you don’t mind a bit of audio DIY, the Sharp HT-SBW460 is an attractive choice, but if you’d rather not tinker, you’re better off losing the extra audio channel and buying the Creative Stage 360 instead.