How To Link Sony Subwoofer To Soundbar Easily?

Sony soundbars are marvelous because of all the audio features offered.

However, adding a subwoofer to the mix can make the sound experience even more remarkable. But how to link Sony subwoofer to soundbar?

You can usually connect a wireless Sony subwoofer to a soundbar through the remote’s commands, the devices’ buttons, or the Music Center app. When trying to connect a wired system, you will need a soundbar with compatible RCA output, or you must get crafty and work an audio split solution.

The simplest methods are the wireless ones, which are easy to perform in a few minutes.

The wired options, however, will require more work and knowledge, but we will also guide you through them to ensure everything functions fine.

How To Link Sony Subwoofer To Soundbar

Below we will discuss all the different approaches you can use to connect your Sony subwoofer to a soundbar.

Note that most subwoofers, especially the wireless ones, can only connect to Sony soundbars because the connection is software built-in.

Method #1: Wireless Connection 

The Sony subwoofer is a wonderful wireless subwoofer. It connects with any Sony soundbar that you wish.

When pairing them, you must ensure the subwoofer is on and then grab the soundbar’s remote. 

Prepare The Pairing

How to connect Sony soundbar to the subwoofer? The soundbar must be connected to a TV.

That way, you can navigate the visual menu easily.

Then here is what you need to do:

1. Press the “Home” button;
2. Select “Setup” and “Advanced Settings”;
3. Choose “Speaker Settings”;
4. Head to “Wireless Speaker Settings”;
5. Choose “Start manual linking”;

Finish The Pairing

Now you have to press the “LINK” button on the subwoofer. You should see a LED blink twice in green.

Back to the remote:

1. Press “Start”;
2. The TV must display that the connection is ongoing;
3. Wait to see “Connected” on the subwoofer;
4. Select “Finish.”
5. Press “Enter.”

Once the process is completed, the light on the subwoofer must remain green.

Ensure A Stable Connection

Suppose you have too many wireless devices in your home, and you can notice that the transmission between the soundbar and subwoofer is unstable.

Perhaps the sound is not good, or it is flickering.

Then here is what you must do:

1. Press “Home” on the soundbar’s remote;
2. Select “Setup” and “Advanced Settings”;
3. Choose “Speaker Settings”;
4. Head to “Wireless Speaker Settings”;
5. Choose “RF Channel.”

Once in this menu, you will have two options:

• On (default): Pick this most of the time. The system chooses the best channel for transmission on its own. It is the strongest setting to deal with wireless interference;
• Off: The system chooses a channel from the limited frequency band. If sound dropping happens when “ON” is chosen, you might be able to fix it by choosing “OFF.”

If you switch from OFF to ON, it can take between 1 minute until the system reconnects and gets ready for use.

Method #2: How To Connect Without Remote

How to link Sony subwoofer to soundbar without remote?

Linking a Sony subwoofer to a soundbar is only possible when you can find a Bluetooth button on the soundbar. 

If your soundbar does have a Bluetooth button, do the following:

1. Hold the Bluetooth and Volume Up (+) buttons on the soundbar for 5 seconds;
2. You will see “Secure Link” show up;
3. “LINK” will flash on the front panel display;
4. Press the LINK button on the subwoofer;
5. The subwoofer’s power indicator will flash amber while pairing;
6. Once finished, “DONE” will show up on display.

Sometimes you will get the “ERROR” message on display. That might be caused by not pressing the correct buttons at the right time.

Then, all you have to do is try the procedure again.

Note: Pairing through this method will not use the soundbar’s Bluetooth slot! Suppose you are using a Sony soundbar along with a Sony subwoofer. In that case, you can still connect the soundbar to your TV via Bluetooth.

Method #3: Use The Music Center App

Let’s say you don’t have your remote at hand, and your soundbar also doesn’t possess a Bluetooth button.

In that case, you can use the Sony Music Center app. But first, you will need to pair each device individually.

Connect On Android Devices With NFC

Here is how to add your Sony subwoofer and soundbar to your NFC-ready Android phone:

1. Enable NFC on your phone;
2. Open the app;
3. Tap the + button;
4. Select “Connect by NFC”;
5. Bring the NFC mark on the phone and soundbar/subwoofer together.

Connect On Android Devices Without NFC

Android users without access to NFC must do the following:

1. Open the app;
2. Tap the + button;
3. Select the option to connect through Bluetooth;
4. Put your sound device into pairing mode;
5. Follow the prompts on the app;
6. Select your device when it shows up.

How To Connect On iOS

Curiously, Music Center on iOS only supports Bluetooth.

Here is how to connect your soundbar/subwoofer:

1. Open the app;
2. Tap the + button;
3. Select the option to connect through Bluetooth;
4. Put your sound device into pairing mode;
5. Go to the iOS settings;
6. Select Bluetooth;
7. Choose the sound device;
8. Go back to the Sony app.

Use The Wireless Multi-Room Feature

Once you have all your sound devices added to the Sony Music Center, you can start using the Wireless Multi-Room.

It is very easy:

1. Open the app;
2. Find “Speaker & Group”;
3. Tap one of the devices;
4. Click on “Group with other speakers”;
5. Select “Wireless Multi-Room”;
6. Choose the devices that will participate;
7. Choose the audio source.

Method #4: Connect Via Cable

Sony still sells some wired subwoofers. Because of that, it is safe to assume a few soundbars will be compatible.

Therefore, you will only need to research and find the perfect model that fits all the necessary specs.

The wired models with the Sony label connect via RCA, so you also need a soundbar with RCA output.

Then here is what you are going to do:

1. Connect the RCA cable on the subwoofer’s input;
2. Connect the same cable to the soundbar’s output;
3. Turn both devices on;
4. Test to see if the sound comes out of the subwoofer.

Configure The Soundbar’s Output

Let’s say that the sound is not coming out of the subwoofer. In that case, you must find the soundbar’s settings.

Usually, soundbars are connected to the TV via HDMI and have a control you can use to navigate their configurations:

1. Use the remote to access the soundbar’s settings;
2. Find the output configurations;
3. Set it to RCA;
4. If there is any configuration regarding the “subwoofer,” check what is possible to adjust, so you ensure maximum power.

Method #5: Split Audio From The TV

Suppose you have a wired subwoofer, but your soundbar doesn’t feature a compatible output, only an input of the same sort.

In that case, you can use an audio splitter with additional cables to make an improvised link between the TV, subwoofer, and soundbar. 

You will need the following:

• An audio splitter;
• A cable to connect the TV to the audio splitter;
• Two other cables connect from the splitter to each sound device.

Some audio splitters mix different sound connectivities.

So you could potentially transmit from HDMI to RCA, but you will have to look at the gadget you are buying to ensure it is the correct piece.

1. Connect the first cable to the TV’s port;
2. Connect its other end to the audio splitter’s input;
3. Now plug the two additional cables into the splitter’s output;
4. Plug the end of each cable into the respective audio device.

Finally, turn the TV on and adjust the audio output on the audio settings.

After that, audio should come through the subwoofer and soundbar in sync.

What We Learned

How to link Sony subwoofer to soundbar easily? How easy it is will truly depend on which Sony subwoofer you have in your hands.

As you’ve seen in the guide above, wired systems require a bit more work, especially when there is some incompatibility you must overcome.