If your TV and sound bar both have an HDMI jack marked ARC (for audio return channel), a single HDMI cable (version 1.4 or higher) is all youll need. If your TV doesnt have an HDMI/ARC input, youll need both optical and HDMI connections between the TV and the sound bar. You may have to activate ARC on your TV.

What cables do you need for a soundbar?

To connect your soundbar to your TV, plug one end of your HDMI cable into the ARC or eARC port on your TV and the end into the OUT port on your soundbar. Make sure that you have an HDMI 1.4 cable for an ARC connection or an HDMI 2.1 cable for an eARC connection.

Does a soundbar have to be connected to a TV?

As long as your soundbar has more input options than just HDMI, you can use a soundbar without a TV. Most soundbars feature multiple input types which can be used to connect a number of devices to your speaker.