How to Setup Bose TV Speakers for Best Performance

How to Setup Bose TV Speakers for Best Performance

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Bose is well-known for making high-performance sound systems. When you need a major tv speaker upgrade, Bose TV speakers are guaranteed to deliver better TV sound. 

The Bose TV speaker has a small soundbar design with Bluetooth, an Optical port, and HDMI ARC connectivity. 

The Bose TV speaker has a small soundbar design

This Bose Bluetooth speaker is engineered specifically for TV sound. It has balanced mid-range tones and dialogue enhancement for clearer vocals. The bass level is lower by default, but adjustable so you can personalize your tv sound profile. Smart soundbar features let you listen to anything you can stream through your tv, including music, podcasts, and audiobooks. 

Because it has several different connectivity options, set up for a Bose smart soundbar can get a little confusing. Don’t worry – if you follow these instructions, you’ll have it connected to your tv sounds system in no time. 

Read to the end for tips on how to get the best performance out of your tv speaker.

Setup Steps 

You want to set up your Bose TV speaker so it will deliver the best possible audio performance. It’s not a surround sound speaker system, but there are some installation tips you can use to get clear and full sound from any part of the room. 

1. First, decide where you are going to place the Bose soundbar. Speaker placement and positioning are important to the overall quality of sound. Where a speaker is set up must work well within the listening area. Here are some suggestions for deciding on tv speaker placement. 

Option 1: Have the Bose soundbar set right in front of the TV with the grille of the speaker facing out into the room where you will be watching TV. It is important to make sure that the Bose soundbar sits at the front of the furniture it is placed on, and that it is not confined or blocked in any way. If it is blocked in, then the quality of sound will be reduced or muffled. Make sure never to rest the TV on top of a sound bar either, as it has the potential to damage it in addition to blocking the sound. 

Option 2: Wall mounting is another way to make sure you get the best sound possible from your Bose soundbar. If you decide to use this option, make sure the wall bracket is sturdy and made to hold speakers. Bose can tell you what will work best to keep the speakers safe and allow them to offer optimal performance. 

2. Make sure the product is close to an electrical outlet when you choose positioning. If you need to use a power bar, then make sure it is one that can protect the speakers from power surges should they happen. Once you have a placement set and a power source nearby, connect the power cord from the product to the AC outlet. 

Bose TV Speaker

3. Now it’s time to connect your sound bar. Once again there are two options depending on whether you are using an HDMI (ARC) jack or an optical cable. 

Option 1Connecting TV’s that have an HDMI jack

Start by connecting an HDMI cable to the HDMI jack on the TV and then to the Bose TV speaker. Then, connect any other devices such as the cable unit or DVD players to the inputs that are still available on the TV. 

Once everything is hooked up then go to the menu on the TV and make sure the ARC and CEC are on. Some TVs use a different name for the CEC, while others may default to it automatically. 

Option 2: Connecting TVs without an HDMI jack

Begin by connecting one end of an optical cable to the “Optical In” jackthat is on the Bose speaker, and the opposite end to the “Optical Out” jack on the TV. This could be labeled in different ways. It could say “Digital Out”, “Optical Output”, or possibly “S/PDIF”. 

If the TV doesn’t have an optical output, then connect the “AUX In” jack on the speaker to the 1/8″ (3.55mm) or the dual-RCA output jacks on the TV. This can also be labeled differently on various TV’s. It could say “Audio Out”, or possibly “Headphones”. If you are going to connect to the red and white dual-RCA jacks that are found on the television, a stereo RCA to 1/8″ adapter will work well.

Once everything is connected go to the menu on the TV and find the audio and sound settings. Find and select the option to disable the integrated TV speakers. 

When the speakers on the TV are turned off, navigate to Audio Output settings. Once you find it, set it to”Fixed”. If that option is not available, then put the volume as high as possible on the TV.

You can also connect multiple devices to your Bose TV speakers. If needed, these speakers can deal with up to three devices. You can use the HDMI, Optical In, and AUX-In jacks that are found on the speaker. If you are using this set up, then simply hit the TV button found on the remote and press power on the device that you would like to use. If there are two or more that are on at the same time, then the speaker will pick the device it finds first. 

The Bose soundbar comes with a remote, so you can adjust volume directly with the Bose remote, or indirectly with your tv volume controls.

Final Comments

If you decide to purchase external speakers for your TV, then your goal is probably to upgrade your sound. You do not want to put out extra money for high-end TV speakers and then have the sound less than spectacular. Knowing how to set up the Bose TV speakers for better performance makes it all worthwhile. Proper set up gives you the satisfaction of top-of-the-line sound. Knowing where to put the speakers and how to connect them to your TV means you are going to have a great tv sound system.

A passion for writing and ongoing research projects gives Catherine an incredibly broad knowledge of all things. She has authored an incredible number of articles and can be found in the wilderness when not attached to technology or listening to podcasts.


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