To connect Fire TV Cube to an AV receiver, run a single HDMI cable from the Cube’s HDMI output directly into an available HDMI input on the receiver, this is the primary path for getting surround sound from your streaming apps. From there, a second HDMI cable carries the video from the receiver to your TV, and a quick audio setting change on the Cube locks everything in.
Step 1: Connect the Fire TV Cube to the AV receiver
Take one end of an HDMI cable and plug it into the HDMI output port on the back of the Fire TV Cube. Plug the other end into any open HDMI input on your AV receiver, labels like “BD,” “CBL,” or “AUX” all work, as long as the receiver treats it as a source input. This direct HDMI connection is what lets the receiver decode the audio formats from your streaming content instead of relying on the TV’s speakers. If your setup lacks an AV receiver, you can connect Fire TV to my av receiver using an optical cable from your TV instead.
Step 2: Connect the AV receiver to the television
Use a second HDMI cable to link the receiver to your TV. On the receiver, find the output port, usually marked “Monitor Out,” “ARC,” or “eARC”, and connect that to any HDMI input on the television. This second cable is what sends the video signal from the receiver to the screen, so the TV only needs to display the picture while the receiver handles all sound processing. If your TV supports ARC or eARC, using that labeled input on the TV is fine, but a standard HDMI input also works because the receiver is doing the audio work.
Step 3: Configure the Fire TV Cube audio settings
On the Fire TV Cube, go to “Settings” > “Display & Sounds” > “Audio.” Here you’ll see the basic audio output options. If your receiver supports Dolby Atmos, you can select that format in the “Dolby Atmos” submenu, but only if your receiver explicitly lists it as supported. For most setups, the default works fine, and you don’t need to change anything else in this menu unless you run into problems.
Step 4: Fix no sound by turning Dolby Digital Plus off
If you hear no audio after connecting everything, the most common culprit is the Dolby Digital Plus setting on the Fire TV Cube. Navigate back to “Settings” > “Display & Sounds” > “Audio” and find the “Dolby Digital Plus” toggle. Set it to “OFF.” This forces the Cube to output standard Dolby Digital or PCM, which older or less compatible AV receivers handle without issue. Many receivers fail to lock onto Dolby Digital Plus over HDMI, resulting in silence even though the video plays perfectly. Turning it off resolves that mismatch instantly, and you’ll still get surround sound in the formats your receiver actually supports, just without the Plus encoding layer. If you’re using a simpler audio setup, you might instead connect a Fire Stick to a surround sound system for a different approach to multi-channel audio.
Once you’ve made that change, test playback with any streaming title. If sound comes through the receiver’s speakers, you’re done. If it’s still silent, check that the receiver’s input is set to the HDMI port you used in Step 1, and confirm the TV is set to the input you used in Step 2. Also verify the receiver isn’t muted or set to a different audio zone. For anyone already comfortable with setting up a Firestick, the Cube follows the same HDMI handshake logic, but the receiver’s input selection and the Dolby Digital Plus toggle are the two places where most connection issues actually start.
