As we know, just the TV’s built-in speakers are not quite enough, as they may not offer the finest audio quality. Just as the TV’s build quality started to improve in terms of the sleekest designs, the audio quality hasn’t evolved at a parallel pace.
Thus, users adapt themselves to a home theatre or just a compact soundbar that transforms their experience of watching the television to an exceptional level.
In the article below, you will know every detail on how and why your soundbox’s distance from the TV matters the most. You will also find tips and tricks on TV and Soundbar installation, how to get the best sound experience and all you need to start off for the best audio experience!
Selection of the right place for your Soundbar
A soundbar is often a much cheaper solution, as you don’t have to build and dedicate a separate room and acoustic features, like for home theaters. Also, they adequately serve the purpose and offer value for money.
Placing the soundbar in the right place and orientation in order to experience its best features is of prime importance. This majorly depends on where you place your TV – whether you place the TV on a cabinet, hang it on the wall, or place the soundbar itself on a shelf. Follow the given tips for each case to improve efficiency.
TV on table or cabinet with Soundbar beneath
It is ideal to centrally align the soundbar right below the TV with a slight gap if you are placing the TV on any table or a cabinet. This balances the whole setup and ensures that the direction of the sound faces you. Hence the soundbar will project the sound in a better propagating direction.
Also, it does not block the view of the TV. You must also consider the dimensions of your soundbar and the place left beneath the table or cabinet so as to fit the soundbar and not disturb the space that the TV occupies.
TV and Soundbar mounted on the wall
Placing the TV on the wall is by far the best location that you can have saves space, and provides a better view from almost anywhere in the drawing-room.
But, if this is the case, make sure you mount the soundbar on the wall too. This ensures that the picture and the sound arrive from the same point and converge towards the viewer.
A few soundbars come with the hardware to mount them on the wall while a few don’t. So make sure you get additional hardware to place your soundbar. Leave a gap of at least 10 to 15 cms between the TV and the soundbar to ensure proper control and connectivity of the wires of both the TV and the soundbar.
You can also create a small groove for placing the remote. Placing the soundbar beneath the TV is better than placing it above it as the sound will get directed to the listener’s ears.
Soundbar inside a shelf TV on the wall
Mounting the TV on a wall with the soundbar placed inside a shelf of a decent cabinet would also serve the purpose well. This setup would provide multiple reverbs and hence amplify the sound.
The shelf is again recommended to be beneath the TV as this would give a simple yet stylish look to the entire setup. Soundbars that have DTS Virtual: X, DTS: X, Dolby Atmos, and audio capability will function the best when placed in these cabinets.
Distance between the user and the setup
The best distance for a perfect audio-visual treat is by placing the TV soundbar set up at a distance of about 3 to 7 meters from the user. Make sure that you place your couch or bed at this distance for the best sound.
If you own a bigger room, you can still place the couch at the desired distance from the soundbar as most of them are powerful enough to produce a very precise and in-depth base that reflects back from the walls.
Additional Factors
Make sure you leave a gap of at least 1 meter between the sidewalls and the soundbar so that the sound disperses and reverbs back in a symmetrical way, thus ensuring a balanced hearing.
Soundbars are usually placed beneath the TV as this would provide the best sync with the sound and the visuals from the TV and equipoise the experience. Different objects in the room such as the curtains, carpets, couches, tables, etc., absorb the noise and smoothen the echoes. This also adds to the betterment of the sound quality.
The speakers and subwoofers are capable of producing better sound quality in an open environment. So make sure that you do not place the soundbar in a closed shelf or compartment.
If you are planning on having separate subwoofers, place them at a distance of 1 meter from the main setup and also leave about 10 cm distance from the walls. This helps the sound to revert back bouncing the wall and later concentrate towards the listener.
A few soundbars have digital sound projection which produces immersive surround sound without extra speakers. These types of soundbars have different setup processes which will generally be given in that particular soundbar module. They are believed to work better in an enclosed room.
If you are a gamer you can go with a wireless soundbar, which would work the best as you can easily place it anywhere you want. This will elevate your gaming experience to another level.
Final words
Having a good soundbar is just not enough to get the best quality and depth of hearing. It also depends greatly on the distance between the TV and the soundbar.
You might hear an improved sound quality if you add a soundbar along with your normal television but in order to get the exact emotion conveyed by the sound, you will have to follow the brief guide mentioned above. Of course, you’ll have to experiment a bit to find what works best for you.