Using Receiver with HDMI Soundbar Integra DTR-30.2 (1 Viewer)

[MK3520]

Can the Integra DTR-30.2 be used with a sound bar. If so, what's the best way to connect the sound bar?

 

[JohnRice]

There are two main kinds of soundbar. Unpowered, and powered with source switching. The Integra works with the unpowered type, which connect to it just like regular speakers. Using it with a powered/Source switching one wouldn’t make any sense, because it duplicates the functions of the Integra.

There are also other kinds, but I’m trying to keep it simple.

 

[MK3520]

There are two main kinds of soundbar. Unpowered, and powered with source switching. The Integra works with the unpowered type, which connect to it just like regular speakers. Using it with a powered/Source switching one wouldn’t make any sense, because it duplicates the functions of the Integra.

There are also other kinds, but I’m trying to keep it simple.

Thank you John. So I take it the HDMI out going to my sound bar won't pick up audio?

 

[JohnRice]

It would be a huge help and eliminate guessing if you would just provided the brand and model # of the soundbar. But... if it has hdmi, then it's really not designed to be used with a receiver. You may be tempted to try to cram them together, but they're most likely just not designed to be used together and it will be a waste of time and effort. I don't know for certain until I know what the soundbar is.

 

[MK3520]

Okay, sorry about that. I have the Vizio SB3651-E6 Smartcast

 

[JohnRice]

You don’t use that soundbar with a receiver. There’s no way or reason to integrate the two.

 

[MK3520]

Thank you John. There may be no way but I certainly had my reasons....lol.

 

[MK3520]

Thanks again!

 

[Dave Upton]

Mike - do you have any other speakers besides the soundbar? If you want to use your receiver for just HDMI switching, you could ostensibly use an HDMI duplicator to get the best of both worlds.

 

[MK3520]

John - exactly what I'm thinking I have an HDMI 5x1 "switch box", that works fine but it's not "wife user" friendly. I purchased this a couple of weeks ago ($60 I thought was a steal!) Plus I liked the added features, of SAT radio, AM.FM tuner, etc. I just got rid of my 5.1 surround (had a lot of latency) and went to the sound bar with wireless Bluetooth sub and rears. Wife didn't like the wires on the old system, so I didn't actually have the speakers in the rear.
I probably should have checked into it further but still, for $60....and if I can find a way to make this work. It's be awesome.

I am really impressed with the Vizio system, great sound and now I can experience total surround again!

 

[JohnRice]

I don't know what you're trying to accomplish with the receiver. The soundbar you have is intended to be pretty much self-contained. If you want more than 1 hdmi source, then you can use your switcher to accomplish that. What Dave suggested, I'm guessing, is if you want two systems to choose from. A simple one using the soundbar and a better one using the receiver. I'm guessing that's not what you want.

That soundbar just isn't intended to be used with a receiver. It's very simple, but limited.

What sources are you wanting to use... Blu Ray player, streaming devices, etc?

If you tell us what you have and want to do, it would make this all infinitely more simple.

 

[Dave Upton]

Mike,

I looked at the remote for your soundbar. Assuming you want to control video switching from the receiver, here's how you have to do it.

You will need to purchase an HDMI splitter like this: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=15651

This will plug into the HDMI OUT on the back of your Integra. One HDMI cable will run to your TV from the splitter, and one will run to your soundbar.

You will then have to go into the receiver menu, and tell it to pass audio through to the display. This is on page 56 of the manual:

You can then program your remote to adjust volume on the soundbar, but inputs etc on the receiver.

 

[MK3520]

My apologies Dave, I should have looked closer to who was responding.
Okay, I am happy with the sound bar and at least, at this time, I'm not planning on adding another set of speakers. I do realize the Integra is a quite capable unit, which has a lot more to offer than HDMI switching. I had everything working with the sound bar but the HDMI switch box is a "dumb" unit, in that it only has LED's indicating which input channel is active. I did see the Integra had an HDMI out and I thought it would basically do what the HDMI switch box's HDMI output did, connect to the sound bar. The TV HDMI ARC is connected to the sound bar HDMI ARC connection. The switch box was connected to the other HDMI (non-ARC) port. I was hoping the HDMI out of the Integra DTR-30.2 would provide the same function.
So, when I connect all my external devices into the HDMI ports on the Integra, Blu-Ray, Cable box and Roku, I get the video on each channel but no sound. Since the TV is connected to the sound bar on the ARC connection, I know it's passing through the sound bar (video) from the Integra to the TV. No issues there.
My belief was that the HDMI out from the Integra, carried both audio and video. So, I thought it may be a setting on the Integra on the HDMI out port, that needed re-configuring. that's when I posted on this forum, to see if that suspicion was correct.
Apparently, it is not.
Back to the Integra, because you can identify the device that is active, by name (not just an LED) my wife or other users could readily see what device was active. Also, I had hoped I could integrate my other devices better and maybe get rid of one or more of the other remotes.
All of the other possibilities, as mentioned earlier, that the Integra has on board, made any future considerations available...with the radio tuner, SAT tuner, getting my turntable back out, etc, were all extra goodies.
So, bottom line is I wanted to make the system as a whole wife-friendly. Is the Integra overkill, just for that alone, maybe but throw in all the other features and I was excited about the possibilities.....that the HDMI switch box has none, other than switching sources.

Hopefully this explains everything a bit more clearly.
Thanks for all the input. At least I can make a determination based on what you guys are telling me and if I need to go ahead and sell the unit.

Any further insight would be appreciated.
Thanks so much!
Mike

 

[Dave Upton]

Mike - my post above will let you accomplish your goals. By splitting the HDMI output from the receiver to both your display and the soundbar, and enabling HDMI audio out, you will be able to have audio from the soundbar, but switch sources and inputs from your receiver.

 

[MK3520]

Hi Dave,
Just posted my last reply and I see you had another response. That's a great idea......I will head in that direction and see if that does the trick.
Thanks!

 

[MK3520]

Sounds good,
I was looking through the Integra manual, and I saw the menu option to pass through audio. I could not find out where to do this...I feel a bit lame on this...I may need to re-read that section. I'm tach savvy but it was getting late last night, so maybe I missed how to access the menu...

 

[MK3520]

One other thought, If I set the HDMI out from the receiver, to pass through audio, wouldn't running the HDI out from the receiver, to the sound bar, with the HDMI ARC out of the sound bar to the HDMI ARC on the TV, so the same thing as the splutter, essentially? That's how my switch box is connected....and it passes through the audio.

 

[JohnRice]

I guess my question is...

Why go to all this trouble to integrate the receiver and the soundbar rather than just use the receiver to run a 3.0 or 3.1 surround system instead?

I said they can't integrate the two products. I guess what I should have said is why would you want to?

 

[MK3520]

Thanks for outlining that section in the manual....DOH!

 

[MK3520]

Hey John,
I am running 5.1 with the sound bar and I want to continue to run 5.1. Dave had a great suggestion, that may resolve the integration issue.
My sound bar is wireless to the sub/and rears...no wires, which were objectionable to the wife and me too for that matter. Using the 5.1, allows my sound to "breath" again...