How to Connect Bose Speaker to TV

You can connect most Bose speakers to a TV using an HDMI or other compatible cable. For Bose wireless speakers, you can use Bluetooth connections with your TV. The Bluetooth process will be similar to other types of these devices. 

My name is Donovan, and I’m an avid musician and producer. I’m also an all-around audio enthusiast who has used many different types of speakers over the years, including Bose. I know through first-hand experience how to connect these to a TV. 

This post will show you how to connect your Bose speaker to a TV. I’ll walk you through the steps of making this happen, either with a cable for wired speakers or through a Bluetooth connection. I aim to help you get things set up quickly and easily. 

Let’s get started. 

Key Takeaways

• You can connect most Bose speakers directly to your TV with a compatible cable, such as HDMI, optical, or AUX. 
• You can connect a Bose wireless speaker to your TV using Bluetooth capabilities. Both your speaker and TV need to be Bluetooth-enabled for this to work. 
• Most Bose wireless speakers with Bluetooth can also be hard-wired to your TV. This is a better option for increased audio quality. 
• Always check that your speaker and TV have the features and functions you want or need to work together before purchasing them. 

How to Connect Bose Speaker to TV

There are two ways you can go about connecting a Bose speaker to your TV – wired or wireless. I’ll walk you through both in the sections below, but I wanted to touch on something important about audio quality before I do. 

Even though many of you likely have a wireless speaker setup, you should know that using a wired connection will give you better audio quality. Many Bose TV speakers can be used both wirelessly or through standard cables. 

If you want superior sound quality, run a cable from your TV to the speakers rather than using Bluetooth or other wireless technology. You might not think this is a big deal, but I highly recommend it if you are going for a home-theater type of setting. 

Although not everyone will notice a big difference between the audio quality of wired versus wireless speaker connections, I recently made a side-by-side comparison to see what my discerning ears thought. 

And I’ll tell you right now that the wired connection was much better. There was an easily apparent crispness and clarity on both ends of the frequency range with a wired connection that got lost when I switched my speakers to a Bluetooth setup.

Since TV speakers don’t need to be portable, using a cable shouldn’t be a big deal. You won’t ever really need to move or walk around with your speakers. Even though Bluetooth or wireless connections are convenient, they still don’t sound as great.  

How to Connect Bose Wireless Speaker to TV

If you didn’t listen to my disclaimer about using wired instead of wireless connectivity for your Bose speaker and TV, this is the section for you. Just remember you won’t get as good of audio quality this way. 

But that doesn’t mean you’ll get poor audio quality at all – it just won’t be up to audiophile standards. Also, keep in mind that you need a TV that has Bluetooth capabilities or some type of Bluetooth receiver plugged into your TV to make this work. 

You also obviously need a Bose speaker with wireless connection capabilities. Not every Bose speaker has this, so don’t just assume yours does before purchasing. 

Follow these steps to connect a Bose wireless speaker to a TV: 

1. Make sure your Bose speaker and TV are powered on and within range of each other. 

2. Press the Bluetooth or Pairing button on your Bose speaker to turn it into discoverable mode. Depending on which model you have, this button will have the standard Bluetooth button or could be a dual-use button. 

If you have a remote for your Bose speaker, the Bluetooth/Pairing button might be on that as well. Refer to your user’s manual if you can’t find this button easily. 

3. Go to the audio settings on your TV. Accessing the settings menu or app will vary depending on your TV type. But it should be easy to find from the main menu or accessible through your remote. 

4. Select your Bose speaker from the list of available devices. 

5. Select connect or pair or any other instructions prompted by your TV. 

6. Play something from your TV to check that the audio is playing through your speaker. 

How to Connect Bose Speaker to TV with Cables

Using a wired connection is my recommended method for setting up a home theater with your Bose speakers. This will give you superior audio quality compared to a Bluetooth or other wireless connection. 

The modern type of cable you’ll use for this is an HDMI, but there are other options to explore as well. You just need to have the proper inputs and outputs on your TV and speaker. So match that accordingly before you attempt to connect. 

HDMI will give you the ideal audio quality for most TV shows and movies. And most TVs and Bose speakers will have this as an available input. If you have the option, I recommend going with an HDMI cable. 

But you can also use Optical cables, RCA, or even speaker wire running to a receiver for any old-school setups out there. The process is basically the same for all of these. You’ll just need to change the type of cable you use. 

Follow these steps to connect your Bose speaker to TV with cables:

1. Make sure you have the proper cables to run from your TV to Bose speaker. 

2. Plug one end of the HDMI cable (or other type) into the appropriate audio output on your TV. This is typically located on the back or side of the TV. 

3. Plug the other end of the cable into the appropriate input on your Bose speaker. 

4. Turn your TV and speaker on. 

5. Change any audio settings on your TV to reflect the audio output you have. Your TV might do this automatically, but you also might need to make some changes in the audio settings menu. 

6. Play something on your TV to check for sound. 

Pro Tip: If you have an old-school type of Bose speaker setup and are using speakers wired to a receiver. You’ll need to connect your TV to the receiver rather than the speakers themselves. Then select the correct input for the TV to be the source through your system. 

Why Isn’t My Bose Speaker Working for My TV?

Connecting your Bose speaker to your TV is pretty straightforward, but that doesn’t mean you won’t encounter any possible issues. This section will provide a handful of troubleshooting tips to help you connect your speaker and TV if that happens.

The first thing to double-check is that you have a TV and speaker that can connect to one another in the first place. If you are trying to connect wirelessly, both need to have Bluetooth capabilities. 

If you are using a wired connection, you might be dealing with a bad cable. You can switch out the HDMI cable for another one. Also, check that you have the correct audio output selected on your TV. No audio will playback through the speaker if you have the wrong one. 

Another common issue with wireless setups is that your speaker might automatically connect to another Bluetooth device rather than your TV. You might need to turn off the Bluetooth on your phone or computer to allow the speaker to recognize your TV. 

This one sounds very basic, but it’s happened to me before, so it’s worth exploring. Check that the volume is turned up and the mute is off on your TV and/or speaker. If you don’t have things turned up, you obviously won’t get any sound.  

If you are using a small portable Bose wireless speaker, ensure it has enough battery charged or is plugged into a power source. It won’t be able to connect or playback audio if it has a very weak or dead battery. 

You also might need to update the software on your speaker or TV. If you can’t get things to connect, it could be a compatibility issue. Check for any available updates on both devices and then try to connect again. 

A worst-case issue would be that you are dealing with a faulty or broken product. If none of these troubleshooting tips helped, contact customer support for Bose or your TV brand to see if they can help you out. 

FAQs

Here are a few quick answers to some of the most commonly asked questions related to connecting a Bose speaker to a TV. 

Can I connect Bose Bluetooth speaker to my smart TV? 

As long as you have a TV equipped with Bluetooth capabilities, you should be able to connect it to your TV. The process for doing this will vary depending on what type of TV you have, but it should be easy to do with the remote or through the settings menu. 

Can Bose SoundLink be used with TV? 

If you have a TV with Bluetooth capabilities, you can connect the Bose SoundLink speaker to it. If your TV doesn’t have Bluetooth, you’ll need to use a speaker that can be directly wired to the TV. The SoundLink can only connect to other devices through Bluetooth. 

How do I pair my Bose speaker? 

To pair your Bose speaker to a Bluetooth TV or any other Bluetooth-enabled device, you need to power the speaker on and press the Bluetooth or Pairing button. You can then select the speaker from the device you want to pair with. 

Does my Bose speaker have Bluetooth? 

Many Bose speaker models have Bluetooth, but not all of them. If you see a Bluetooth button on the speaker, then you’re all set. If you don’t see this button, you should check your user’s manual to see if your model has the feature. 

Final Thoughts

Connecting your Bose speaker to a TV is pretty simple, and you can do this through a wired or wireless connection. If you want to go wireless, be sure that both your TV and speaker have Bluetooth functionality. 

I always like to set up my TV and speakers with a wired connection. This will give you better overall audio quality to help your home theater experience sound as best as possible. You can get by with wireless, but wired is always better with audio concerns in mind. 

What type of TV and Bose speaker do you have? Do you prefer a wired or wireless connection? Let me know in the comments below.