How-To Geek on MSN: Optical audio is killing your soundbar's best features—switch to HDMI instead HDMI cables might not sound as fancy as optical audio cables, but they're they're superior in every way. The optical audio port on the back of a TV with other cables plugged into other ports - Toa55/Shutterstock You've got a nice new TV and a slick, high-end soundbar (such as the Sonos Beam, which we ... Popular Science: How to connect a soundbar to a TV: HDMI ARC vs optical How to connect a soundbar to a TV: HDMI ARC vs optical Last November I bought an HP 42" LCD TV, but I can't get the optical audio out to work on it.

Understanding the Context

I'm trying to hook my cable box up to my television's HDMI in and my TV's optical out to my receiver's ... I just replaced my trusty but ancient NAD preamp after something in the output stage blew. I'm now hooking up a shiny new C658. I would like to get sound from my TV as an input and it only has one ...

Key Insights

MSN: You’re using the wrong cable for your soundbar (and it’s killing the audio quality)