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How To Connect JBL Soundbar To TV

Have you recently bought a JBL Soundbar, and are looking to set it up at home?

You’ve come to the right place.

Here we offer quick guides on how to set up a JBL Soundbar with HDMI, optical cables, and Bluetooth, depending on your television set and preference. Whether you have a JBL 5.0 MultiBeam, a JBL Bar 5.1 Surround model, or a different model, these instructions will work for any JBL soundbar system. If you can’t find your answer here, please refer to the user manual that came with the soundbar, or get in touch with the friendly team where you bought it.

Connecting JBL Soundbar to TV with HDMI

HDMI is the best option to connect your JBL Soundbar to your television. For TVs that support HMDI ARC (Audio Return Channel), you will only need a single High-Speed HDMI cable – there is no need for additional audio or optical cables in this scenario.

Simply connect your HDMI cable to the Soundbar (look for the HDMI OUT (ARC) slot on the bar) to the HDMI slot on your television.

You will also need to double-check that the HDMI CEC function on your television is switched on.

Note: You will need to use this HDMI connection if you intend to connect other video devices to your soundbar inputs to display on your TV.

Connecting JBL Soundbar to TV with Optical Cable

An optical cable is another good option for connecting your JBL Soundbar to your TV and is usually best when all of your video devices are connected straight to your television (rather than through the soundbar HDMI inputs).
To make this connection, you’ll need an optical cable – this has a square input at each end. Look for the square ‘optical in’ plug roughly in the middle of the back of your soundbar, and on your TV.

You may also need to ensure that your television audio settings are set to support external speakers. This will disable your built-in television speakers and ensure that sound comes through the soundbar instead.

Connecting JBL Soundbar to TV with Bluetooth

JBL Soundbars all have Bluetooth connectivity, making it easy to set up a wireless sound system for your TV at home.

To set up your JBL Soundbar to your TV with Bluetooth, use the soundbar remote control and press the Bluetooth button (usually on the top left). Then in your television settings, enter your Bluetooth settings and select the ‘JBL’ device. The device will depend on which model you have. This should establish a connection between the soundbar and your television.

If the sound is still coming out of your television's in-built speakers, you may need to enter your TV settings and ensure that sound output is set to ‘External speaker’.

If you are still having issues, it may be that the soundbar is already connected to another Bluetooth device. Press and hold the Bluetooth button on the remote control to disconnect it, then try again. Another possibility is that the connection is poor because the soundbar is too far away from the television – try moving it closer together to establish and maintain a good connection.

Extra tip: If you’d like to pair your soundbar with another device such as your mobile phone, press and hold the Bluetooth button on your remote for three seconds to complete this process again.

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