Soundbar Basics

I purchased a Monoprice SB-500 5.1 soundbar system based largely on the strength of Leslie Shapiro’s review of it in the October/november 2021 issue. I was hoping to connect it to my (older) Toshiba TV through my Yamaha receiver. The soundbar connects to my TV just fine using the set’s optical digital output but will not connect through the receiver. Since the only way I can access my disc player and Amazon Fire TV Stick is through the receiver, the soundbar is useless for anything but direct TV sound. Your reviewer states that they watched a movie on Amazon Prime, so I am assuming they were using a smart TV that has that app built in. Monoprice offered to refund my purchase price, which is very nice, but I wish either your article or their website had mentioned that this unit is only set up to connect directly to a TV set and not a receiver. Other than that, I do enjoy your magazine, and have for many years.

Phil E. Vanswoll / Columbia, Calif

Soundbar systems like the Monoprice SB-500 aren’t necessarily meant to be used with an A/ V receiver. In fact, they are designed as a simplified alternative to using a receiver and separate speaker system, with all necessary surround processing and amplification built-in. You stated that the only way you can access your disc player and Amazon Fire TV Stick streamer is through the Yamaha receiver, but the SB-500 provides multiple HDMI inputs to connect those devices directly, along with an HDMI ARC output that accepts sound streamed back from a TV’S built-in tuner or apps. For her evaluation, Leslie did connect the soundbar to a TV via its HDMI ARC port, which is how this system would typically be used. Thanks for being a long-time reader. We’ll try to better detail soundbar setup steps in future reviews.