How Do Amazon Fire Stick Controls Connect To A Soundbar?

Think of it like two different languages your remote can use to tell the speaker what to do: one is HDMI-CEC (a polite whisper through the HDMI cable) and the other is IR or Bluetooth (more like a direct shout at the soundbar). When your Fire Stick is plugged into the TV and the TV is hooked to the soundbar via HDMI ARC/eARC, the Fire Stick usually uses HDMI-CEC to tell the TV to change volume and power, and the TV then passes that to the soundbar. That’s the cleanest setup because one press of the remote controls everything.

If your soundbar is connected optically or directly to the Fire Stick via Bluetooth, things shift. Optical doesn't carry CEC, so the Fire TV remote will often fall back to IR codes (if the remote has an IR blaster) or to a learned equipment code you set under the Fire TV’s Equipment Control. Bluetooth pairing is possible for audio output and sometimes the remote can control volume over Bluetooth (depending on the soundbar's AVRCP support). In practice I toggle HDMI-CEC on in both TV and Fire TV settings, and if volume still misbehaves I go into Equipment Control to program the remote for the soundbar—usually a minute of fiddling and then it’s blissful harmony.

Shortly: the Fire Stick talks to speakers through HDMI-CEC, IR, or Bluetooth depending on how everything is wired. If the Fire Stick is plugged into your TV and the soundbar is hooked to the TV via HDMI ARC/eARC, enabling HDMI-CEC usually lets the Fire remote control the soundbar volume indirectly through the TV. If the soundbar is connected by optical, CEC won’t work and you’ll need the Fire remote to send IR codes or set it up under Equipment Control so it learns the soundbar’s volume commands.

You can also pair a Bluetooth soundbar directly with the Fire Stick under the Bluetooth devices menu; volume control then depends on what the soundbar supports. When I troubleshoot, I toggle CEC, check Equipment Control, and try a direct Bluetooth pairing—one of those paths usually restores smooth volume control.

I like explaining this as a few practical scenarios because that’s how I troubleshoot when my living room refuses to cooperate. First scenario: Fire Stick -> TV HDMI; TV -> Soundbar HDMI ARC. This is the most seamless. Enable HDMI-CEC on TV and the Fire TV (sometimes called CEC, Anynet+, Bravia Sync, etc.), and the Fire remote controls volume and power through the TV which forwards it to the soundbar via ARC/eARC.

Second scenario: Fire Stick -> TV HDMI; TV -> Soundbar optical. Optical carries audio only and doesn’t support CEC, so the Fire remote can’t talk to the soundbar through the HDMI chain. You either program the Fire remote to send IR to the soundbar (via Equipment Control) or keep the soundbar’s remote handy. Third scenario: Fire Stick paired directly to a Bluetooth soundbar. This can work well; pair under Settings > Controllers & Bluetooth Devices > Other Bluetooth Devices. Volume control over Bluetooth depends on the soundbar’s AVRCP implementation; sometimes the Fire remote adjusts it, sometimes you need the soundbar’s native control.

If you have a Fire TV Cube or a remote with an IR blaster, those can directly send IR commands to a soundbar too. I usually try CEC first, fall back to programming the remote next, and use Bluetooth pairing as a last resort or when I want a wireless path. Small tip: firmware and TV vendor names matter—if something’s stubborn, search for how that TV labels CEC in its menu.

I get a kick out of the little choreography required when different devices meet. On my setup the Fire Stick tries HDMI-CEC first: plug it into the TV, plug the soundbar into the TV’s HDMI ARC port, enable CEC on both devices, and the Fire remote will happily change the soundbar volume via the TV. If the soundbar is older and only has optical, CEC won’t help because optical is audio-only; then the Fire remote needs to use IR or you need to teach it codes through Equipment Control in settings.

There’s also Bluetooth: you can pair the Fire Stick to a Bluetooth-capable soundbar or receiver and route audio that way. When paired, volume control behavior depends on the soundbar’s Bluetooth support—some accept volume commands while others require you to use the soundbar’s remote or its app. If something’s acting up, I flip HDMI-CEC off and on, check the Fire TV’s Equipment Control to reprogram the remote, and make sure TVs and soundbars have latest firmware. Little tweaks usually fix the rest.