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How to Use a Vizio Soundbar With a Roku TV

I’m an owner of a Vizio soundbar and a Roku TV, and I’ve been having some trouble getting them to work together. After a few frustrating attempts, I decided to do some research and figure out how to make it work. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing some tips and tricks I’ve learned for using a Vizio soundbar with a Roku TV, as well as other solutions I’ve discovered through my research. Hopefully, this post will help other frustrated Vizio and Roku users get their soundbars and TVs working together.

Key Takeaways
You can connect your Vizio Soundbar to your Roku TV using an HDMI ARC cable, an optical cable, or Bluetooth.
HDMI ARC supports high-quality audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, but not all Vizio Soundbars have an HDMI input.
Optical cables are outdated and won’t support high-quality audio formats, but the connection is more stable than Bluetooth.
Bluetooth is an option for those without HDMI ARC, but Roku TVs only connect via Bluetooth to other Roku products.
To connect your devices using an HDMI ARC cable, connect the cable to the HDMI output on your Roku TV and to the HDMI ARC input on your Vizio Soundbar, then select HDMI ARC/eARC in your TV’s audio output settings.
To connect your devices using an optical cable, connect the cable to the optical cable port on both your Roku TV and Vizio Soundbar, then select Optical or TOSLINK or SPDIF in your TV’s audio output settings.
To connect your devices using Bluetooth, connect your Vizio Soundbar to your smartphone via Bluetooth and your Roku TV and smartphone to the same Wi-Fi network, then use the Roku mobile app and select Private Listening.
HDMI ARC offers the best connection quality and stability, but it may not be available for all Vizio Soundbars.

How to Connect a Vizio Soundbar to a Roku TV 

Connecting any sound system to a TV can either be done using a cable or using a wireless connection like Bluetooth. This shouldn’t be any different when you’re connecting a Vizio soundbar to a Roku TV.

Let’s go over each option in detail:

Connecting a Vizio Soundbar to a Roku TV Using an HDMI ARC Cable

The first option you have when setting up your home theater is to use cables for everything. 

Regular HDMI cables are actually capable of transmitting audio through an HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) connection. That makes it our first (and most recommended) option!

If you’re used to HDMI only being a video transmission option, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised that it can actually transmit audio, as well. If your Vizio Soundbar has an HDMI ARC input option, then you can use it to connect to your Roku TV.

Aside from the ease of use and convenience, HDMI ARC has the great benefit of supporting high-quality audio formats, such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X from your TV to your Soundbar.

Unfortunately, though, this isn’t available for all Vizio Soundbars, so if you have a model that doesn’t have an HDMI input, it won’t work.

As for what you’ll need, just a regular, good-quality HDMI cable can do the job perfectly. Follow these steps to connect the soundbar to your TV:

  1. Turn on the TV and the soundbar
  2. Connect the cable to the HDMI output in your Roku TV 
  3. Connect the cable to the HDMI ARC input in the Vizio Soundbar
  4. On your Roku TV remote, press the Menu button
  5. Select Settings
  6. Select Audio
  7. Select Audio Output
  8. Select HDMI ARC/eARC

Once it’s all set up, you’re good to go!

Connecting a Vizio Soundbar to a Roku TV Using an Optical Cable

If your Vizio Soundbar is an older model, it’s likely it won’t support the HDMI ARC protocol. In this case, you can connect it to the TV using an optical cable, also known as a TOSLINK or SPDIF connection.

Now, this is a step down from the previous option, mostly because optical cable technology is a bit outdated. That’s why you won’t get the same crisp audio using this method, and certainly won’t have support for higher-quality audio formats.

That said, it’s not a bad compromise regarding how stable the connection is vs. wireless connection methods. 

Here’s how to connect your Roku TV to a Vizio Soundbar using an optical cable:

  1. Turn on the TV and the soundbar
  2. Connect the cable to the optical cable port in your Roku TV 
  3. Connect the cable to the optical cable port in the Vizio Soundbar
  4. On your Roku TV remote, press the Menu button
  5. Select Settings
  6. Select Audio
  7. Select Audio Output
  8. Select Optical or TOSLINK or SPDIF

Connecting a Vizio Soundbar to a Roku TV Using Bluetooth

If you’d rather connect the soundbar to your TV wirelessly, you can connect them via Bluetooth. Just keep in mind that Roku TVs only connect via Bluetooth to other Roku products, so you’ll have to go about it a different way.

You’ll have to download the Roku mobile app on your smartphone and connect the Soundbar to your smartphone to your phone via Bluetooth. Here are the detailed steps:

  1. Connect the Vizio Soundbar to your phone via Bluetooth
  2. Connect the Roku TV and your smartphone to the same Wi-Fi network.
  3. Download and open the Roku mobile app.
  4. Add the Roku TV to your app and tap on it
  5. Go to Control
  6. Tap Private Listening
  7. Since your phone is connected to the soundbar via Bluetooth, the audio should come out of the soundbar.

Pros

  • High-quality audio formats, such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, are supported.
  • HDMI ARC offers the best connection quality and stability.
  • Connecting via Bluetooth is another option for those without HDMI ARC.

Cons

  • HDMI ARC isn’t available for all Vizio Soundbars.
  • Using an optical cable is an outdated option and won’t support high-quality audio formats.
  • Using Bluetooth is not as stable as an HDMI connection.

Conclusion

Using a Vizio Soundbar with a Roku TV to get the best audio-visual experience isn’t such a tall order! You can connect both devices, either via HDMI ARC connection, an optical cable, or via Bluetooth.

It’s preferable to connect your Roku TV via an HDMI cable, since it offers the best connection quality and stability. Of course, this depends on the mode of connection available for your Vizio Soundbar, since older models don’t have an HDMI ARC input.

All in all, you should have a better listening experience than on regular TV speakers.