How to pair sound bar to vizio tv

Although some may not realize it, Vizio has been making some excellent soundbars in recent years. Furthermore, the company gives you various ways to connect it to your television to make sure you are not left out. Some ways are simpler and more straightforward than others, but overall, none of them are overly difficult and give great sound quality.

Generally speaking, there are four ways to connect your Vizio soundbar to whichever brand of television you may have. This includes using old RCA cables or a fiber optic cable, along with a few others.

Keep in mind that some of these methods are quicker and easier than others. Also, some provide better sound quality to those that pay close attention. For convenience, they are in order of lowest quality sound to highest. Continue below to discover how to connect your soundbar and which option may be the best choice for you!

Can I Use My Old RCA Cables?

If you’re eyeballing a pile of old cables and hoping you can put them to use… you sure can! As long as there’s an RCA cable in there.

You can certainly use an old RCA cable to connect your Vizio Soundbar to the TV. Just remember, they are one of the older options available and do not provide very good sound quality. But this option is tried and true and is the most cost-effective solution because chances are, you already have them laying around somewhere.

To use this option:

1. Remove both the soundbar and the cables from their packaging.
2. Find the correct output on the back of the television. It will be simply called ‘Audio Out,’ and it is color-coded based on which is left (white) and right (red).
3. Now, plug the other ends into the soundbar. It will either be called ‘Audio In’ or ‘Aux.’
4. Power on both the television and the soundbar.
5. Set the input method on the soundbar to ‘Aux’ using the remote.
6. On your television, go into the audio menu and turn off the speakers on the television.
7. In the menu, change the audio out to ‘Analog’ and either Fixed or Variable.
   1. Variable will let the television raise or lower the volume based on what level the volume on the television is set to
   1. Fixed is only based on what the soundbar itself is set to.

Notice that this setting is analog and, therefore, not the most advanced. The next two options are substantially better.

How About a Fiber Optic Cable?

Even better… if there’s a fiber optic cable in your stash of unused wires from around the house! These cables provide excellent sound quality and are fairly easy to set up.

Using a fiber optic cable is another possibility and an easy one at that! There is only one cable involved. One note regarding fiber optic cables is that they can be slightly brittle, so avoid bending them any more than you need to. They are sometimes referred to as SPDIF cables or even Toslink cables. The setup is very similar to the previous option.

To set one up:

1. Remove both the soundbar and cable from their packaging. The cable will have some sort of protective covering on each side.
2. Find the ‘Optical’ port on the back of the television. Chances are, it will have a small plastic piece covering the port itself. You will have to lift it up to plug the cable in.
3. Now, repeat the step on your soundbar.
4. Power on both the television and the soundbar.
5. Make sure your soundbar input is set to the ‘Optical’ option. It may be called the other two names listed earlier as well.
6. On your television, go into the audio menu and turn off the speakers on the television.
7. Then, you switch the audio out setting to either Dolby or Bitstream, depending on the manufacturer.

HDMI is the Best Option, Correct?

NO RCA cable or fiber optic cable? Then go with the ever-solid, old faithful, tried and true HDMI cable. This is actually an even better option than the previous two types of cables.

An HDMI cable is the best option for connecting your Vizio Soundbar to your TV as far as sound quality goes. It’s also the easiest method of connection.

HDMI cables literally have high definition built into the name! It is also the simplest setup out of the cable options. To set up an HDMI connection:

1. Remove the soundbar and the HDMI from their packaging.
2. Connect the HDMI cable to one of the available plugs on your television.
3. Connect the other end of the cable to the ‘HDMI Out’ on your soundbar.
4. Power both devices on.
5. Using the on-screen menu, select HDMI as the sound input, and you should be all set to go.

HDMI is not only the best sounding but is also the easiest to set up, as you can probably tell by how few steps there are.

What About Bluetooth?

The Bluetooth option is not last on this list because it is the best sounding but more because not all televisions will support this method.

You can connect a Vizio Soundbar to your TV wirelessly via Bluetooth, as long as your TV is set up to allow it. The sound quality is good but does not compare to that of an HDMI connection.

If your television has Bluetooth:

1. Remove the soundbar from the packaging and plug it into a power supply.
2. Hold the Bluetooth button on the soundbar until it begins to blink.
3. Go into your television menu and find the Bluetooth audio option.
4. Now, make sure the television is able to be seen by the soundbar.
5. Find your soundbar from the list that should now pop up

Typically, this is an easy method but not as easy or stable as cable options.

Wrapping Up

Vizio soundbars provide excellent features and sound quality. Furthermore, they provide multiple connection methods which allow the user to easily choose the easiest and best option for their specific application.

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