How to Set Up Budget Speakers for TV | Wired or Wireless

Setting up budget speakers for TV means connecting them to the TV’s audio output via optical, HDMI ARC, Bluetooth, or analog, then selecting that input in the sound settings.

For the full breakdown, see our best Budget Speakers For TV guide.

Getting better TV sound doesn’t take an expensive receiver or a wall of gear. Most budget speakers—whether a $130 soundbar like the Sony HT-SF150 or a pair of powered bookshelf speakers—hook up in minutes once you know which cable matches which port. The single most common mistake is running the wrong cable type to the wrong jack, so the breakdown below starts with the connection that fits your gear.

Pick The Right Connection For Your Speakers

Your choice comes down to what your speakers accept. Crutchfield’s guidance on powered stereo speakers notes that models with HDMI or optical inputs can connect directly to a TV with the matching cable. If your speakers only have analog RCA or 3.5 mm inputs, they will not accept an optical or HDMI signal without an adapter or a receiver in between.

For most budget setups, two connections dominate:

• Optical — a digital audio cable that carries sound from the TV’s Optical Out to a soundbar or speaker’s Digital Audio In. Found on nearly every TV and most budget speakers.
• HDMI ARC/eARC — the more common route for AV receivers and modern soundbar systems, sending audio back through the same HDMI port the TV uses for video sources.

Bluetooth works when a cable won’t, but it compresses the signal and can drift out of sync with the picture. Use it only when your speaker lacks both optical and HDMI inputs.

How To Connect Speakers With An Optical Cable

Samsung’s official setup guide for external speakers says to connect the TV’s Optical Out port to the speaker’s Digital Audio In (Optical) port, then switch the TV’s sound output to Optical. The order of operations matters more than most people think.

1. Power on the external speaker first. Samsung notes the TV may switch its sound output automatically once the optical cable connects, but it only does this cleanly if the speaker is already on.
2. Connect the optical cable from the TV’s Optical Out to the speaker’s Optical In port. Optical cables have a square, slightly tapered plug that clicks into place—push firmly until it seats.
3. Open the TV’s sound settings and select Sound Output, then choose Optical from the list.

When it works, you’ll hear TV audio through the external speakers within a second or two, and the TV’s built-in speakers go silent. If you still get sound from the TV, the output setting didn’t switch—revisit the Sound Output menu and pick Optical manually.

How To Connect Speakers With HDMI ARC Or eARC

HDMI ARC and its newer eARC variant send audio both directions over one cable, so the TV can play sound from its built-in apps through external speakers without a separate audio connection. Samsung’s documentation describes the setup as linking the TV’s HDMI IN (eARC) port to the speaker’s HDMI OUT (TV-ARC/eARC) port.

1. Find the ARC-labeled jack on each device. TVs usually label it “HDMI IN (eARC)” or “ARC”; the speaker labels its output “HDMI OUT (TV-ARC/eARC).” Using a non-ARC HDMI jack will prevent audio from returning to the speaker.
2. Connect an HDMI cable between those two ports.
3. Open the TV’s sound settings and go to Sound > Expert Settings, then set HDMI eARC Mode to Auto.
4. Select the receiver or soundbar as the audio output in the TV’s Sound Output menu.

HDMI ARC handles standard surround formats; eARC adds bandwidth for Dolby Atmos and other high-bitrate audio.

The table below compares the three common hookup methods at a glance.

Connecting Speakers Over Bluetooth

Bluetooth skips cables entirely but demands the speaker be visible to the TV first. Samsung’s Bluetooth instructions call for putting the speaker into pairing mode—usually by holding its Bluetooth button until an LED flashes—then selecting it from the TV’s Bluetooth Speaker List in the Sound Output menu.

The most common failure point is a speaker that never entered discoverable mode. Most budget speakers leave pairing mode after a minute or two of inactivity, so press the button again right before you search on the TV. Note that Samsung distinguishes Bluetooth pairing from Wi-Fi speaker features, which require the TV and speaker on the same wireless network—Bluetooth itself needs no network at all.

One honest trade-off with Bluetooth: audio can lag behind the picture by a fraction of a second, which makes dialogue feel slightly off. For a budget setup where the speakers sit right next to the TV, the optical cable is almost always the better pick.