I have a Bose 700 SoundTouch/sub setup. I am trying to set this up with my Onkyo TX-RZ1100 using one of the ARC outputs, but I am getting no sound. Getting sound from all of the ceiling mounted speakers that are connected but not the SoundTouch. Thoughts?
wrote:I have a Bose 700 SoundTouch/sub setup. I am trying to set this up with my Onkyo TX-RZ1100 using one of the ARC outputs, but I am getting no sound. Getting sound from all of the ceiling mounted speakers that are connected but not the SoundTouch. Thoughts?
This question does come up from time to time, but know that:
- Receivers are designed to be used with speakers that are powered by the receivers and are not designed to be used with SoundBars.
- SoundBars are designed specifically to be self powered and used with TV's and not receivers.
Read the whole message as there are two solutions, but it's a bit complicated as Receivers are not designed to work with SoundBars and vice versa.
I will also point out there there is a VERY good chance that there will be audio delay issues between the SoundBar and the Receiver's speakers. Also if you go for the suggestions below, you would require you to use two remotes to control the volume on both the speakers powered by the Receiver and the SoundBar.
So this is a workaround that I believe will cause more headaches than it is worth. So I will say do not go for the recommendations I will suggest below. A SoundBar should be a self contained system and a Receiver should be a self contained system. If you want a subwoofer and rear speakers for the 700, they are already options you can purchase.
Now if you still want to go ahead, lets see what your options are.
The SoundBar 700 has two audio inputs an Optical input and an eARC/ARC input. I go over different options on how you can connect the SoundBar 700 to devices in this guide. This doesn't go over your specific setup, but I thought I should share so you can see and know about what audio formats it supports.
So the first thing you should know is that you will never get ARC from your Receiver, as you are connecting an "ARC in" on the Receiver to an "ARC in" on the SoundBar. At the moment, only TV's or a specialised adapter (which wont work for your setup) have ARC out's.
Option 1. Connecting any SoundBar to a Receiver:
Knowing that your Receiver is not designed to work with SoundBars and the SoundBar 700 is designed to work on its own without a receiver, lets see what we can do. Your Receiver does not have Optical outs (those are optical ins) or an HDMI eARC/ARC out (only an HDMI eARC/ARC audio in from the TV as most receivers have).
Onkyo TX-RZ1100
Now your Receiver does have some RCA outputs. So you might be able to find a stereo RCA to Optical converter, but I have not found a 5.1 or 7.1, 6 or 8 RCA to Optical converter out there, only an Optical in to 6 RCA out. So unless you can find a 6 or 8 RCA input to Optical output, you will only ever get stereo sound from the SoundBar 700 using the stereo Optical adapter.
This setup and would require you to use two remotes to control the volume on both the speakers powered by the Receiver and the SoundBar.
Option 2. Connecting a SoundBar & a Receiver to a TV:
I mentioned that you cannot get Sound from the Receivers ARC/eARC port and it must come from your TV's ARC/eARC port. You Receiver, unlike some others, also can send sound via HDMI to your TV. Inside your settings there is an option called "Audio TV Out".
You would want to enable this setting on your Receiver, connect your Receiver to a regular HDMI input on your TV, and then connect your SoundBar 700 to the eARC/ARC port.
If you wish to listen to built in apps on your TV through the Receiver then you should try and see if your TV will allow you to use both Optical from the TV to the Receiver and eARC/ARC from the TV to the SoundBar 700.
This setup and would require you to use two remotes to control the volume on both the speakers powered by the Receiver and the SoundBar.
I hope that this helps answer your question. Let us know how it works out for you 🙂