Apple TV is a high-performance device at a premium price tag. It comes with many useful features and the UI is very smooth to navigate. Being an Apple product means you can get some tight integration with many other Apple devices.
However, it is not a speaker, so it won’t have the best audio ever to pair with high-quality content you can get on the Apple TV, like 4K, HDR. A soundbar will give you better sound with surround sound support.
How to connect Apple TV to a soundbar?
You can connect both of the devices together in 2 ways: wired and wirelessly. Both methods can be done in minutes, even seconds. The requirement you may need is some more cables only.
Pair a soundbar to Apple TV using an AV wire
What do you need to prepare beforehand?
You don’t have to prepare many things while doing this method, here are the lists:
- A TV screen with HDMI and AV connection
- An Apple TV with HDMI and AV connection
- A soundbar with AV connection
- An HDMI wire
- An AV wire
How to connect?
Now just perform some simple connection and you are good to go, here are the steps:
- Step 1: Connect your Apple TV to the TV by first plugging in one end of the HDMI cable to the back of the Apple TV, then another end at the back of the TV
- Step 2a: Grab the optical cable, then plug one of its end to the back of the Apple TV (again, if your Apple TV has an optical port), then the other end to the back of the soundbar
- Step 2b: or, you can plug one of its end to the back of the TV screen, then the other end to the back of the soundbar
How to connect an Apple TV to a soundbar and get Dolby Atmos
4K watching is lame if the audio is bad. Your Apple TV needs a good-sounding system to take advantage of what the device and the content allow you to do. That’s when a good soundbar with Dolby Atmos support kicks in.
Here are the steps to connect your Apple TV with a Dolby Atmos compatible soundbar or AV Receiver using cables:
- Step 1: Connect your Apple TV to the HDMI port of your soundbar or AV Receiver using an HDMI cable since most TV doesn’t support Dolby Atmos pass-through to most soundbars
- Step 2: Grab an HDMI cable, and plug 1 of its ends to the HDMI port on your TV, then plug the other end on the HDMI port on your soundbar
Keep in mind that while done soundbars support Dolby Atmos, they might not support HDR10 or Dolby Vision video format, so here is something you can do:
- Plug your Apple TV into the soundbar or AV Receiver directly to get Dolby Atmos sound
- Plug your Apple TV into the TV to get HDR and Dolby Vision content.
- If you want to do both, get yourself a TV or a soundbar that supports both Dolby Atmos and 4K, HDR, etc. format. You won’t be able to get Dolby Atmos with just a simple ARC connection with Apple TV devices.
Check if Dolby Atmos is enabled
Here are the steps:
- Step 1: Go to Settings on your Apple TV, then head to Video and Audio, and then choose Audio Format.
- Step 2: You can now check if Dolby Atmos is on under the Immersive Audio
When Dolby Atmos is on, the supported content may show the Dolby Atmos logo in its info, and here is how to check it:
- On Apple TV plus: Grab the remote and press Menu, and then find the Doggy Dolby Atmos logo
- On the iTunes Movies app or other equivalent apps: Use your remote and Swipe down on the Touch-sensitive part. You will see the info with the Dolby Atmos logo
If the Quick Start option is turned off, you can’t play sound in Dolby Atmos format. So head to Settings, then Apps, then iTunes Movies and TV Shows, and then QuickStart to check if the option is on.
Connect your Apple TV to a soundbar wirelessly
Connect
Alternatively, you can connect your soundbar to your Apple TV via Bluetooth just like many other Bluetooth speakers or devices in general.
Here are the steps:
- Step 1: Get your soundbar ready to connect through Bluetooth, you can use the instructions that came with the device to do so
- Step 2: On your Apple TV, head to Settings, then Remotes and Devices, and then Bluetooth.
Your Apple TV will start searching for nearby Bluetooth devices, in this case, it is your soundbar.
Wait until you see your soundbar name shows up on the list, and then connect it.
Disconnect
Here is how to disconnect your soundbar from your Apple TV device:
- Step 1: Just head back to Settings, then Remotes and Devices, and then Bluetooth.
- Step 2: Now choose your accessory, and then hit Unpair Device.
Final thoughts
So, how to connect apple tv to a soundbar? It is very simple, requires only a few extra cables, and can take up in minutes, or even seconds. There are 2 ways to do so: wired and wirelessly.
For wired, just grab your HDMI cable or even AV cable and start connecting them to your soundbar, your Apple TV, and your TV screen. There are many configurations that you can try as mentioned above.
The right configuration gets you Don’t Atmos support so you can enjoy your favorite content in all of its glory with 4K, HDR, and Dolby Atmos. You can also connect wirelessly via Bluetooth.
