Use HDMI ARC or eARC if both the television and the bar support it; use optical if they do not, and accept that it cannot carry Atmos or lossless formats.
What each connection can do
HDMI eARC: every format, including lossless and object-based audio, plus one-remote volume control through HDMI CEC. HDMI ARC: compressed surround, including streamed Atmos, plus the same remote control behaviour. Optical (Toslink): stereo PCM and compressed 5.1. That is the ceiling of the standard, not of any particular cable.
The practical difference in daily use
HDMI carries control as well as audio, so the television remote adjusts the bar’s volume and everything powers up together. Optical carries audio only, which usually means a second remote.
Where optical still wins
Ground loops. An electrical connection between two mains-powered devices can carry hum; light cannot. If a system hums and nothing else has fixed it, an optical link between the two boxes will.
The setting to check first
The television’s audio output format. A television set to PCM will send two channels down either connection, and the fix is a menu entry rather than a purchase.
Questions people actually ask
Why does my optical connection only give stereo?
Usually a television setting rather than the cable: an audio output set to PCM sends two channels. Set it to bitstream, or to the format the soundbar supports, and the multi-channel signal appears. This single setting accounts for most of the complaints on this shelf.
Is optical ever the better choice?
Yes — when there is a ground loop. Toslink carries light, so it cannot conduct the hum that an electrical connection can. On an older television with no ARC, it is also the only reasonable option.
Last reviewed 4 September 2026