RM Series Replacement Remote Control for Polaroid TB301

Product Information

When it comes to LG TVs, there are a few different ways of connecting to soundbars, and LG TVs come with the LG Magic Remote. You can connect your soundbar to your LG TV through Sound Sync via Bluetooth, a digital optical connection, or an HDMI ARC connection. Unlike most of the options on this list, the Groov-e Soundbar 75 doesn’t have an HDMI port, so you’ll be hooking it up to your TV using the optical cable that comes in the box. Bluetooth is supported too, allowing you to stream audio to the bar from your phone, while RCA, USB-A, and 3.5mm ports provide further connectivity options. The least powerful bar on this list, the Roku Streambar, is able to fill a reasonably sized room with sound. What’s the best way to connect a soundbar? Of the three EQ modes, Movie mode proved our go-to for pretty much everything as it delivered the best-balanced audio and widest soundstage and articulated mid-range frequencies most cleanly. By contrast, the News mode sounded overly congested and did little to enhance dialogue, while the bass reproduction of the Music mode was a little woolly. Even budget soundbars offer a range of connectivity options and, generally speaking, the more ports present, the better.

While the instructions above are a general way to go about connecting and controlling your soundbar with your TV, many TV manufacturers (and computer makers – our guide) have slightly different ways of going about it. Based on your TV manufacturer, find your listed brand and follow the instructions below. Samsung Whatever the problem, fixing your soundbar will almost certainly be cheaper – and more environmentally friendly – than replacing it. When utilizing HDMI ARC to connect to your Hitachi Roku TV remote, you’ll want to head to TV settings > Audio > Audio Preferences. Then, set the ‘Audio Mode’ to ‘Auto (DTS)’ to connect to your soundbar automatically. Also, select ‘Auto-detect’ in the S/PDIF and ARC settings. It’s got a maximum power output of 75W which is more than loud enough to fill reasonably sized rooms and offers three EQ modes: Music, Movie and Voice. Movie is the best balanced for most content, but if you don’t find it to your taste, you can boost bass and treble as you see fit using the included remote.The bar is small but perfectly formed and a big step up from your TV’s audio output when it comes to detail, mid-range positivity and crisp articulation of higher frequencies. The accompanying subwoofer, which can be positioned vertically or horizontally, delivers a hearty low-end punch while remaining controlled and rhythmically astute. Dialogue is particularly well-handled, with voices proving characterful and nuanced even during the most hectic on-screen action. Connectivity is decent too, with Bluetooth support in addition to a pleasing number of physical options, including HDMI (ARC). You want to find a range that allows you to use the TV remote for the volume most of the time, and this usually means setting the soundbar at somewhere between 50-80% of its maximum volume output.

Although it’s a 2.0 bar, Roku says it performs like one with a central channel thanks to “multi-channel decoding capabilities”. We were certainly impressed by how it sounds. For its size, the Streambar gets very loud and is able to deliver a wide soundstage that’s full-bodied and rich in detail. And if the default sound profile isn’t to your liking, the Roku OS offers a few different presets to play around with. Start by turning the volume of the soundbar all the way down, using your soundbar remote. Then play around with the volume settings to find the optimal volumes on each device to produce the best sound for your system.

Most TCL TVs come with HDMI ARC, so this should be your preferred connection for connecting and controlling your soundbar with a TCL TV remote. Make sure to use a high-speed HDMI cable that supports ARC and CEC control. The Sharp HT-SBW460 is one of a limited number of budget soundbars to support Dolby’s surround-sound technology, Atmos, and it delivers surprisingly effective virtual height effects given its price. The bar uses four front-firing drivers to successfully convince your brain that certain sounds are coming from above you, and also does a great job of positioning effects to the left and right of the soundstage.

Try to keep the cable clear of other connectors (especially power) in the tangle of wires behind your TV. Simply moving the 3.5mm cable can sometimes solve this issue.If you don’t have that information to hand, use trial and error to find an output format that works. The digital optical and HDMI ARC connections are made just like the instructions above. You’ll use the Sound > Sound Out area to change the output to HDMI or optical. With an HDMI ARC connection, your soundbar’s source will automatically change to TV ARC, then you can use the TV remote’s right direction on the direction pad to activate/deactivate Anynet+, which only works with an HDMI ARC connection.