HDMI VS Bluetooth for Soundbar | Which one is Better?

If you think of getting a soundbar for accomplishing your musical desires with the best quality of output sound, then sometimes you might have got an idea of using a cable type connector or a wireless connection to connect the soundbar with any external speaker or any other device.

This dilemma between a variety of options puts you in the midst of a situation where you end up confusing yourself to choose between the one that best fits your soundbar! 

The most common type of wired connection that is used by many for connecting a soundbar with other devices is-HDMI and if we talk about wireless connection than Bluetooth technology is widely used, nowadays.

So here in this article you will get to know the differences between HDMI and Bluetooth connection, that will surely help you to reach a conclusion in order to make a choice between the two.

HDMI VS Bluetooth for Soundbar

Lets discuss all the terms in detail.

1. Sound quality

Although both types of connections are good sound producers but HDMI outshines Bluetooth in this case. This is due to the fact that HDMI supports higher bitstreams as compared to Bluetooth and can be used for higher quality sound transmission.

2. Media Support

HDMI cables can be used to play high end music and videos. You just need to plug in the wire and play, that’s it. Bluetooth, on the other hand can be used to play only simple YouTube videos and music.

3. Infrastructure

HDMI cables are not influenced by any outside disturbances while Bluetooth gets easily interfered by microwaves, routers, radio waves and internet traffic. Sometimes the problem which arises is that it supports stereo only which makes it prone to disturbances.

4. Connectivity 

A Bluetooth connection requires a pairing to be set up between the devices for data exchange, which sometimes includes complicated steps, while the ease with HDMI is that you just need to find its slot on your Soundbar and just plug it in and just play your sound.

Some soundbars support both HDMI and Bluetooth connections but you need to conceptualize your mind first in order to reach a conclusion that lends you to choose among the two.

Sometimes, the point comes out that Bluetooth makes your Soundbar system look clean while wire connections may result into some confusion and disorder. But remember that if your Bluetooth range is too long then your connection is sure to get influenced by external signals.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is it better to connect soundbar with Bluetooth or optical?

Optical wired connection is better than Bluetooth connection as a Bluetooth connection

is bound to get disturbed by external agencies and the output sound is not upto the quality mark as expected by a listener.

Why does Bluetooth sound worse than AUX?

AUX is a type of wired connection that is compatible with most of the soundbars while Bluetooth is a wireless type of connection. It is considered inferior to other connection because it requires compression and decompression of sound at the receiving and output giving end respectively.

CONCLUSION

So be careful while connecting your soundbar to any external device as the cost you may put in might be lost if you discover later that the technique you used was not compatible with your soundbar.

Also, try to use wired connections, especially HDMI-ARC cables in place of wireless connections to connect your soundbar as wired connections are easy to set up and require less financial investment too. While on the other hand Bluetooth technology or any other wireless connection requires technical assistance as well as fiscal investment.