Direct answer
For the Bose Smart Soundbar 600, output routing, volume/mute, app, Bluetooth profile and cable/HDMI path should be separated. First, select the device explicitly and play a system test tone.
What this covers
- Bose Smart Soundbar 600 (873973)
- Bose product; Bluetooth multipoint, app generation, wired input and spatial/ANC features vary.
- The specific fault this record addresses: connects but has no sound
What it does not cover
- ×The same symptom on a different Bose product line, which has its own record and its own cited source
- ×An on-screen error code whose meaning has not been checked against this exact model's manual
- ×Live electrical, gas, sealed-system, internal battery-cell or structural repair — a technician boundary, not a self-service step
Differential
What actually causes this, and how to tell them apart
These are ordered by how often each one is the answer, not by how easy it is to try. The point of the middle column is that two causes producing the same headline symptom rarely produce the same detail — that detail is what tells you which one you have before you change anything.
- 1
Audio is routed elsewhere
What separates it The accessory shows as connected while sound plays from the phone or another device.
How to confirm Connection and audio routing are separate. Select the accessory explicitly as the output.
- 2
The volume is at zero on one of several controls
What separates it Silence with the volume apparently up, where the accessory has its own volume separate from the source.
How to confirm Many accessories keep an independent volume level. Raise both.
- 3
The wrong source is selected on a soundbar
What separates it Silence with the soundbar powered and connected.
How to confirm A soundbar has multiple inputs — ARC, optical, Bluetooth, HDMI — and will sit silent on an input carrying nothing.
- 4
The TV is not sending audio to the soundbar
What separates it Silence from the soundbar with the TV's own speakers working.
How to confirm The television's audio output must be set to the external device, and ARC requires the correct port and HDMI-CEC enabled at both ends.
- 5
The audio format is not supported
What separates it Silence on specific content only, typically Dolby Atmos or DTS.
How to confirm Set the source's output to PCM or stereo as a test. If sound returns, the format was the problem.
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
Every item below stops existing the moment a reset, re-pair or settings change is made. Written down first, they are what separates the causes above; recovered afterwards, they are guesswork.
- Whether the accessory is selected as the audio output, as opposed to merely being connected.
- Whether silence affects everything or only specific content, which points at audio format.
- Which input a soundbar is set to.
- Whether a call application is running.
Select the accessory explicitly as the audio output
ReversibleConnection and routing are separate; a paired device can sit silent while audio goes elsewhere.
Raise the volume on both the source and the accessory
ReversibleMany accessories keep an independent volume level from the device driving them.
Check which input the soundbar is on
ReversibleIt will sit silent on an input carrying no signal, which looks exactly like a fault.
Set the source's audio output format to PCM or stereo as a test
ReversibleIf sound returns, a surround format was being sent that the accessory cannot decode.
Test with a different source device
ReversibleThis separates the accessory from the phone, computer or television driving it.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
Generic advice for the product line fails here. Each item below is a property of this specific model family that changes which of the steps above apply to you.
- Model scope
- 873973. Bose product; Bluetooth multipoint, app generation, wired input and spatial/ANC features vary.
- Type — compact Atmos soundbar (WiFi + eARC)
- A compact Dolby Atmos soundbar with up-firing drivers, connecting by HDMI eARC and WiFi. 'No TV sound' is the eARC/HDMI-CEC link; streaming/app is WiFi. Smaller than the Smart Ultra but with real Atmos height drivers.
- Voice & app
- Built-in voice assistants and Bose Music app setup; pairs with Bose surrounds and the Bass Module wirelessly for fuller sound.
- eARC + CEC
- Use the eARC/ARC port and enable HDMI-CEC; power-cycle both to fix a lost handshake.
- Symptom boundary
- This record covers Bose Smart Soundbar 600 when it connects but has no sound. A different symptom on the same hardware, or this symptom on a different Bose product line, has its own record with its own causes and its own cited source.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
Continuing past any one of these costs more than the repair saves — in safety, in warranty, or in evidence a technician needs.
- !Stop for distortion accompanied by heat, or any burning smell.
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Visible sources support the visible claims. Home Product Support records the publisher, the fact used and the review date; community reports can suggest an issue but do not become a published fact on their own.
Where the manufacturer's article stops. Bose Support publishes this as "Product support". Official Bose product support; this key exists so smart-soundbar-600 cites its OWN articles — Bose publishes one per symptom per product. What that article does not carry is the model boundary — it is written for a product line, and 873973 is the scope applied here. Where a control label, terminal, indicator pattern or reset sequence differs on your unit, the manual for that exact model is the authority, not this page and not the article.
Exact questions
Common follow-ups
Should I add a subwoofer to my Bose Smart Soundbar 600?+
The 600 is a compact Atmos bar, so its deep bass is limited by size — if you want more low end, it pairs wirelessly with the Bose Bass Module (such as the Bass Module 700), which is the intended way to add bass. That is a design characteristic, not a fault. For dialogue clarity without a sub, the soundbar's dialogue mode helps. Add Bose surrounds and a bass module through the Bose Music app for a fuller system.
It says connected but there's no sound.+
Connecting and being selected as the output are two different things, and a device can be connected while audio continues to play elsewhere. Open the sound output settings and select the accessory explicitly. If that is already right, set the source's audio format to PCM or stereo as a test — silence on specific content only is almost always a surround format the accessory cannot decode.
Does this answer apply to every Bose model?+
No. It is scoped to 873973. Bose product; Bluetooth multipoint, app generation, wired input and spatial/ANC features vary.
What should I record before troubleshooting no sound or connected?+
Record the complete model identifier, exact message or indicator, software/firmware where visible, the operating stage and what still works.
Why is a factory reset not the first step?+
A reset can erase accounts, networks, maps, schedules or preferences without distinguishing no sound, connected. The ordered checks preserve that evidence.
When should I stop and use qualified service?+
Stop for electrical noise, heat, sparks or severe distortion.
Answer for the exact device and software version shown above.