Can A Bose Wave System Be Connected To A TV?

Thinking of connecting your Bose Wave system to your TV? Dive in as we detail the how-to and benefits of this audio setup to enhance your viewing experience.

Can A Bose Wave System Be Connected To A TV?

A Bose Wave Sound System can be connected to a TV using an HDMI (ARC) cable, optical cable, auxiliary cable, or through Bluetooth. HDMI and optical cable connections are the best options and they provide the highest quality sound, but aux and Bluetooth still offer a connection option.

There are a few ways to connect your TV to your speakers; some are better than others. Read below to learn how to set up your TV and speaker system and some tips for troubleshooting. 

While researching Bose Wave systems, be sure to save this article for future reading: Can You Use The Bose Wave Without A Remote?

Connecting the Bose Wave System through HDMI

The best route to connect the Bose Wave to a TV is to connect it through an HDMI cable. 

Using an HDMI connection will give you a great connection and, thus a great-quality sound. Using an HDMI cable is the most common practice for connecting a speaker to a TV. 

Most speakers that connect to a TV will be connected via HDMI cable.  This type of hookup is very easy and doesn’t take much know-how.

Just find the HDMI jack on the back of your TV and connect it to the HDMI jack on your Soundwave System. 

Make sure your speaker is turned off as you connect the cables. Once everything is connected, turn on both devices and test it out. 

If you have any issues with audio, look for tips in the troubleshooting section below. 

Connecting the Bose Wave System Through an Optical Cable

Another option is an optical cable, which offers a high-quality sound that will give you a great movie-watching experience. 

An optical cable is typically used to connect data-transferring devices, like a game console or DVD player. 

Optical cables can be a bit more pricey than other types of cables, but they offer a great connection that produces an excellent sound. 

Using an optical cable is an easy option for linking the Soundwave System to your TV. 

Ensure that your speaker is off as you connect the optical cable.

The optical cable input is labeled “Digital Audio In (Optical)” on most TVs.

Connect this to the speaker’s optical jack and turn on your devices to test them out. 

Connecting the Bose Wave System Through an Auxiliary Cord

While it isn’t ideal, you may also use an auxiliary cable to connect the system. 

Because the aux cable supplies a more simple type of connection, the sound quality and connection are reduced. 

If you are using an old Soundwave system, it may not have a variety of connection types to choose from, so you may have to settle with the auxiliary connection. 

To connect your speaker via auxiliary, just insert your aux cord into the aux jack on the TV and the speaker and everything should be connected.

Most TVs that have an aux output will have the standard 3.5 mm size jack, so you will likely be able to use a standard aux cable to connect your speaker to your TV. 

Connecting the Bose Wave System through Bluetooth

The Bose Soundwave System also has Bluetooth connection capability. 

If you have a newer TV or a smart TV, it may be capable of connecting via Bluetooth. 

If your TV has Bluetooth capability, follow the steps below to connect your devices. 

• Press the Bluetooth pairing button on the Bose speaker or speaker remote
• Open the menu on your TV
• Open “Sources”
• Select “Connection Guide”
• Find your Bose Soundwave and select it to connect your device

The steps above may vary based on the TV you are using, but the process is the same. 

Find Bluetooth in your settings and enable it. 

Once enabled, search for your speaker and select it. 

On some TVs, you may use Bluetooth to connect several devices at a time, so you can still connect your phone for video content while your speaker is connected.  

The Bluetooth connection is a lower quality connection than the physical cable hookup, so it’s less ideal, but it offers a quick and easy setup. 

Audio Lag

While there isn’t a very serious effect and you may not even notice it, a poor connection can cause lag in the audio. 

If you decide to set up using Bluetooth or through a regular aux cable, you might expect a delay in the audio.

While these may create lag, you may also experience other connection issues or audio quality issues as you use these connection types. 

If you experience audio lag, the best remedy is to try another type of connection. 

If you are connected via Bluetooth, try using an HDMI cable to connect your Soundwave System to your TV. 

Another thing to check is the number of devices you have connected to the TV through Bluetooth. 

If you have a lot of devices connected via Bluetooth, your lag may increase, giving you a poorer quality of audio and less of a sync up with video and audio.

If you are using an auxiliary cable and experience lag, the best thing to do is switch to an HDMI or optical cable.

Using either of these cables is easy enough once you have the cables and can locate the jacks on your TV and your Wave speaker. 

Troubleshooting Audio Issues

If you are trying to connect via HDMI cable, and you are experiencing issues with sound or connection, you may want to ensure your HDMI connection is enabled and recognizable to your TV. 

Some TVs require that you designate HDMI as the audio output.

To do this, go into the menu and choose to enable ARC and CEC. 

While ARC and CEC are pretty standard and most TVs will recognize it easily, you may still need to designate and enable it in your settings. 

Ensure your Soundwave system is turned off when connecting cables and setting up your TV and speaker system. 

If you have trouble with the audio, try again, ensuring all the devices are turned off during connection. 

If you experience issues connecting Bluetooth or audio after Bluetooth has been connected, there are a couple of things to check.

First, ensure that you have selected the correct speaker and that your TV is trying to connect to the correct Bose Wave System. 

If you can’t locate your speaker in the options, ensure that you have pressed the pairing button on your Wave speaker.

If your speaker isn’t looking for a pair, it won’t show on the TV Bluetooth menu. 

If you are still experiencing trouble with any option, unplug and replug all of your cables to ensure they have been plugged in fully and correctly. 

After you have done this, if you are still experiencing issues, you may contact customer support for your TV brand or the Bose support team for additional help.