Yes, audio passthrough is highly beneficial, especially for achieving the best sound experience in a home theater setup when playing content with high-quality audio. It is an important feature for anyone looking to connect their television to an external audio system, such as a soundbar or an AV receiver, and enjoy premium sound formats.
What is Audio Passthrough?
Audio passthrough, often referred to as audio pass-through or bitstream passthrough, is a functionality that allows an audio signal to be sent from one device (like a TV or a streaming box) to another (like an AV receiver or soundbar) without the first device processing or decoding the audio. Instead, the raw, unprocessed audio signal – often in a high-quality format like Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, or DTS-HD Master Audio – is "passed through" to the dedicated audio device, which then decodes and renders the sound.
Why is Audio Passthrough Beneficial?
The primary advantage of audio passthrough is that it preserves the original quality of the audio signal, ensuring that your external audio system receives the highest fidelity sound possible. This capability is crucial for an immersive home theater experience, especially when dealing with advanced surround sound formats.
Key benefits include:
- Preservation of Audio Quality: It prevents the TV from downmixing or compressing high-quality audio formats (like uncompressed Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio) to a lower quality, ensuring your sound system receives the original, pristine bitstream.
- Optimal Surround Sound: Passthrough allows your AV receiver or soundbar to decode advanced multi-channel audio formats (e.g., Dolby Atmos, DTS:X) that your TV might not be able to process internally. This results in truly immersive, object-based, or channel-based surround sound.
- Reduced Audio Lag: By avoiding complex processing by the TV, passthrough can sometimes help reduce audio delay or synchronization issues between video and audio.
- Simplified Connectivity: With technologies like HDMI ARC/eARC, passthrough often streamlines your setup by allowing audio to travel back from the TV to the sound system over a single HDMI cable, eliminating the need for separate audio cables.
How Audio Passthrough Works in Your Setup
In a typical home theater setup, content sources (like a Blu-ray player, gaming console, or streaming device) are often connected directly to the TV. When you have an external audio system, audio passthrough enables the TV to send the audio from these sources to your soundbar or AV receiver.
There are several common methods for audio passthrough:
| Method | Description | Ideal Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| HDMI ARC | Audio Return Channel: Sends audio from the TV to a sound system over an HDMI cable. | Good for basic surround sound (e.g., 5.1 compressed), reduces cable clutter. |
| HDMI eARC | Enhanced ARC: Higher bandwidth version of ARC. | Essential for uncompressed, high-bitrate audio formats like Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Atmos, and DTS:X. |
| Optical (TOSLINK) | Digital optical cable connection. | Older audio receivers or soundbars without HDMI ARC; limited to compressed stereo or 5.1 surround. |
For the best experience with high-quality audio formats, HDMI eARC is the preferred connection as it provides the necessary bandwidth for uncompressed audio signals.
Key Considerations for Optimal Audio Passthrough
To ensure you're getting the most out of audio passthrough, consider the following:
- Device Compatibility: Ensure your TV, soundbar, and/or AV receiver all support the specific audio passthrough technologies you intend to use (e.g., HDMI eARC).
- Cable Quality: For HDMI ARC/eARC, use high-speed HDMI cables, especially for eARC to handle the increased bandwidth of uncompressed audio.
- Audio Format Support: Verify that your external audio system (receiver/soundbar) supports the specific high-quality audio formats you want to play (e.g., Dolby Atmos, DTS:X).
- TV Settings: Most TVs have audio output settings where you can select "Passthrough," "Bitstream," or "External Speaker" mode, which must be correctly configured.
- Source Content: Ensure the content you're playing (Blu-ray, streaming service, game) actually contains the high-quality audio track you're trying to pass through.
