Can You Use a Vizio Soundbar with a Samsung TV? (Plus Alternatives)

By Benny Kounlavouth,

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A Vizio soundbar is a popular choice for expanding your home theater system. It enhances your viewing experience, whether watching a movie or playing video games. But if you have a Samsung TV at home, you might wonder if a Vizio soundbar will work with your TV.

You can use a Vizio soundbar with a Samsung TV. To get the most out of this setup, connect the two devices using an optical or HDMI cable. Avoid using analog cables, such as RCA cables, if possible, because they don’t support high-quality digital audio.

With sound quality in mind, it’s best to know your set-up options.

How To Connect Vizio Soundbar To Samsung TV Via HDMI

The preferred way to connect a Vizio soundbar to a Samsung TV is using an HDMI cable.

An HDMI cable is designed for carrying digital audio signals. It provides the highest sound quality with the lowest latency.

Your Vizio soundbar and Samsung TV should support HDMI ARC, which stands for Audio Return Channel. This means that the digital audio signal travels in two directions. Aside from premium sound quality, you can control the soundbar using the Samsung TV remote.

There are two parts to connecting a Vizio soundbar with a Samsung TV using an HDMI ARC connection. The first part involves setting up the soundbar:

Connect one end of the HDMI cable to the HDMI OUT (ARC) port on the Vizio soundbar.
Connect the other end to the HDMI IN (ARC) port on your Samsung TV.
Power both devices on.
Press the Input button on your Vizio soundbar and select the HDMI option.

Next, you need to set up your Samsung TV to recognize the soundbar:

Press the Home button on your TV remote.
Navigate to “Settings” > “Sound”
Select “Sound Output” and select your soundbar.

Play something on your TV to test whether audio plays on the soundbar. That’s all there is to it. If your TV and soundbar don’t have HDMI ARC ports, proceed to the next section to learn how to use an optical cable.

Troubleshooting Your HDMI Connection

If you’ve followed the steps above but cannot hear sound from your Vizio soundbar, here are a few things to check:

A common cause for sound issues with a Vizio soundbar is that it is not receiving power. A clear indication that your soundbar is not powered on is if there is no indicator light on the left side of the device.
If you can’t hear sound from the Vizio soundbar, switch the Digital Output Audio Format to PCM. Access this from the “Expert Settings” option in the Sound menu.
Another reason your Vizio soundbar may not play audio is a faulty HDMI cable. So just replace your old one with a new HDMI cable.
Dust or debris in either HDMI port can cause interference with the audio signal, resulting in poor sound quality.

Connecting Vizio Soundbar to Samsung TV Using an Optical Cable

If you don’t have an HDMI cable or any ports left, use an optical cable to connect your Vizio soundbar to a Samsung TV.

An optical cable (fiber optic or Toslink cable) will give you better results than an analog cable. Follow these steps to connect your devices using an optical cable:

Connect each end of the optical cable to the optical ports on the soundbar and TV. These ports often feature plastic covers to protect them from dust. Make sure the cable is properly secured on both ends.
Turn the TV and soundbar on.
Press the Input button on your Vizio soundbar and select Optical.
On your Samsung TV, go to “Settings” > “Sound”
Select “Optical”

Now, your Vizio soundbar is connected via an optical cable.

Troubleshooting Your Optical Connection

If you encounter problems playing audio from a Samsung TV through your Vizio soundbar using an optical cable, follow these steps:

Switch the Digital Audio Output Format to PCM in the “Expert Settings.”
Verify that your optical cable is damage-free.
Check the optical ports for dust or debris.

Connecting Vizio Soundbar to Samsung TV Wirelessly

If you cannot connect your Vizio soundbar to a Samsung TV using an HDMI cable or an optical cable, you can go the wireless route.

This will require pairing these devices using Bluetooth technology. So make sure that your TV and soundbar are Bluetooth-compatible.

Here’s how to connect a Vizio soundbar to a Samsung TV using Bluetooth:

On the soundbar, press and hold the Bluetooth button for five seconds to initiate pairing mode. You can also press the Bluetooth/Pairing button on your soundbar remote.
On your Samsung TV, go to Settings > “Sound”
Select “Sound Output” (on older models, this will be Expert Settings followed by Wireless Speaker Manager) and then “Bluetooth Speaker List.”
Locate your Vizio soundbar and select it.
Tap Pair and Connect.

Troubleshooting Your Bluetooth Connection

Occasionally, things can go wrong with a Bluetooth connection between a Vizio soundbar and a Samsung TV. If your Vizio soundbar won’t play audio or stay paired, there are a few things you can try to resolve this problem.

Power cycle your soundbar to perform a soft reset. If this doesn’t work, do the same for your TV.
You can also perform a hard reset, restoring your soundbar’s original factory settings.
Open the Bluetooth Speaker List and delete each device. Then, re-connect your Vizio speaker using the steps above.