Do Soundbars Sound Better Wall-Mounted?

One of the most popular ways people place their soundbar is by having it mounted to the wall.

However Many people do not want to do this as they believe that you have to drill holes in the wall.

Many argue that mounting the soundbar on the wall has it’s benefits, one of it being audio.

So, do soundbars sound better wall-mounted?

Soundbars sound better wall mounted because there is nothing to distort the audio from reaching the listener’s ears.

There are many audio drivers on a soundbar and they can be muddled by devices/furniture/things on a tv stand/cabinet etc. and degrade the sound quality if you do not mount it to a wall.

One of the best ways to wall mount your soundbar is to use a universal soundbar mount

I will go into more detail regarding why you should consider a wall mount as well as it’s benefits in its next section.

The sound will be distorted if you don’t wall mount a soundbar

Often times the placement of a soundbar is in such a position that the listener is getting a distorted version of the audio coming from the soundbar.

Sometimes the soundbar is placed too low and bounces off the furniture before it gets to your ears, sometimes it is placed too high where the sound goes right over your head.

Mounting a soundbar to the wall allows for less distortion and reaches the listener’s ears with no problems. It eliminates echo and deterioration of the sound quality.

You can have phenomenal sound quality but if the acoustics in your room are not good the sound will sound quite bad.

Mounting a soundbar to a TV is also an option but this is more of an eyesore and will affect upward-firing drivers if you have them on your device.

I recommend instead buying a universal wall mount for your soundbar. There are a lot of universal soundbar mounts to choose from, most of them being very affordable, here is one I recommend.

If you want to wall mount your soundbar without drilling I highly recommend reading this article which provides an alternative option to wall mount without drilling holes.

Absolutely wall mount it if it’s a Dolby Atmos Soundbar

Anything with Dolby Atmos you will probably want to mount on the wall but make sure those drivers aren’t being blocked vertically by the TV.

If you have an OLED TV this won’t be a problem at all as the television is so thin and won’t block the upward-firing sound coming from the soundbar.

Make sure your TV is at eye level, a lot of people put their TV too high.

Not related to sound but the placement of your TV will impact your experience watching things as well.

How to mount a soundbar to a wall for dummies

Mounting a soundbar to a wall isn’t easy if you are not a handy person.

If you are intimidated by the installation process then it’s best to seek outside help.

If you bought your soundbar from Best Buy the geek squad will do this for you.

If you did not, you can use an app like Taskrabbit that will put you in contact with people in your area who are willing to do handy tasks for a fee.

However, I should mention apps like these are not as common in rural/non-urban areas.

Mount it yourself

Here is a brief video showing the process of mounting a soundbar to a wall.

You will want to buy a wall mounting kit from whatever manufacturer you bought the soundbar from.

For example, here is the wall mount kit (paid link) that Sonos provides for one of their most popular soundbars the Beam Gen 2. (paid link)

Do not put the soundbar on top of the cabinet!

A popular place where many people put a soundbar is on top of a cabinet, this is not a good idea as the cabinet will absorb the audio coming from upward and sometimes sideways firing drivers resulting in muddled audio.

Ideally, you want nothing blocking the soundbar, mounting it on a wall directly below the TV is your best bet.

Outside of sound quality mounting a soundbar to the wall can add a very sleek look to your home theater setup and looks good aesthetically.

If you do use a cabinet make sure it is open facing and the cabinet is not blocking the upward-firing or side-firing speakers of the soundbar.

Also, make sure your soundbar is getting proper ventilation as it could overheat, this is a big reason why I recommend mounting it to the wall.

It is also a good idea if you do not have a big enough cabinet or piece of furniture to place your soundbar, some soundbars like the Sonos Arc (paid link) are huge and you might struggle to place it on a small cabinet, another reason to consider getting it wall mounted.

How far apart should the TV and soundbar be wall mounted?

Look to place the soundbar about 6 inches below your TV.

Align the soundbar directly under the TV and in the center position.

Make sure the soundbar is directly parallel to where you are sitting for optimal sound quality.

Also, make sure none of the drivers on the soundbar are obstructed or are bouncing off furniture, you want them to bounce off walls and not be absorbed by other materials.

However, make sure your room is not completely vacant and produces an echo noise.

Simply clap your hands and hear if it echoes and if so for how long, this could negatively affect your sound quality.

Conclusion

You will want to get your Soundbar mounted to a wall for optimal sound quality but if you do choose to place it on top of a cabinet make sure none of the drivers on the bar are being obstructed and the device is not overheating.

For Dolby Atmos soundbars specifically look at the TV and if it is blocking the upward-firing drivers.

Remember, you can have the most high-quality audio systems but if the acoustics in the room are not set up properly it won’t matter.