For those looking to create a top-tier sound system, there’s no denying HDMI eARC is superior to digital optical when it comes time to hook everything up.
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You’ve spent thousands of dollars on your home theater system, with much of the upfront cost going toward your brand-new 4K TV and Dolby Atmos-ready soundbar. Conveniently, that soundbar you purchased also has HDMI switching, so you won’t have to worry about connecting a bunch of wires to your wall-mounted TV. But now it’s time to connect that Atmos soundbar to your TV, and there are two connections to choose from: HDMI and digital optical.
Which should your sound system use, you may be wondering? The answer is HDMI — all day, every day. Ever since the rollout of HDMI ARC on smart TVs, soundbars, and AV receivers, HDMI has become an end-all-be-all solution for sending and receiving audio data between a host device and AV components. This isn’t to say that optical is obsolete: For those of us with older home theater equipment, it may even be the only connection you can use.
