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Many people want to know how far you should sit from a TV but just as may have this same question when it comes to a soundbar.
Luckily, the two are correlated. You should sit at the same distance from a TV as a soundbar, a rough guideline could be 7-12 feet.
Most people who have soundbars have TVs so sitting more than 12 feet away from one would likely cause a negative viewing experience unless you have a 100-inch TV or something.
So that’s why I give a recommendation of 7-12 feet. As the ideal placement of a soundbar is right underneath the TV.
In this blog post I will go over the optimal placement of your soundbar as well as what are the best soundbars to consider if you are actively looking to buy one.
How Far Should You Sit From a Soundbar?
As mentioned before a general rule of thumb is to sit at a distance of 7-12 feet from a soundbar.
While it’s important to find the right distance from your soundbar, it’s even more crucial to sit at the proper distance from your TV.
You can always adjust the volume of your soundbar to suit your needs, but you cannot make your TV bigger. So, make sure you don't sit too far away from your TV, as it can negatively impact your viewing experience.
Additionally, if you want to fully immerse yourself in surround sound, you can always add rear speakers to your soundbar setup.
This will allow you to enjoy a more comprehensive and dynamic audio experience.
You also need to take into consideration the size of the room when accounting for how far you should sit from a soundbar.
For example, If you have a large room with high ceilings, you may need to sit further away from the soundbar to ensure that the sound is evenly distributed throughout the space.
On the other hand, if you have a smaller room, you may be able to sit closer to the soundbar without sacrificing sound quality.
Another factor to consider is the size of your soundbar.
A larger soundbar may be able to produce sound that can fill a larger space, allowing you to sit further away from the soundbar.
Larger soundbars typically have higher wattage outputs.
Conversely, a smaller soundbar may require you to sit closer to it in order to fully appreciate the sound quality.
The Optimal Soundbar Placement
When setting up your soundbar, the placement and positioning are crucial for optimal sound quality.
Here are some things to consider when determining the best placement for your soundbar.
Distance and Angle
The distance and angle of your soundbar can also greatly affect the sound quality.
For example, if you are sitting too close to your soundbar, the sound may be too loud and overwhelming.
On the other hand, if you are sitting too far away, the sound may be too quiet and muffled.
When it comes to the angle, make sure that your soundbar is facing towards your listening area at ear level.
If your soundbar is facing away from your listening area, the sound quality will be greatly reduced.
Also if the soundbar is too low or too high sounds will be distorted or go over your head.
Mounting and Positioning
Mounting your soundbar can be a great option if you have limited space or want to achieve a sleek look.
When mounting your soundbar, ensure that it is at ear level for optimal sound projection.
Additionally, if you are mounting your soundbar on a wall, make sure to use a sturdy wall mount that can support the weight of your soundbar.
I highly recommend doing this. I actually wrote an entire article talking about why you should wall mount your soundbar that you can check out.
I have my Sonos beam (affiliate link) wall-mounted for a lot of the reasons I outline in the article.
Enhancing Your Audio Experience
When it comes to getting the best sound experience from your soundbar, there are a few things you can do to enhance your audio experience.
In this section, we’ll cover some tips to help you get the most out of your soundbar.
Choosing the Right Soundbar
Choosing the right soundbar is essential to getting the best sound experience.
When selecting a soundbar, consider the size of your room and the type of content you’ll be listening to.
If you have a large room, you may want to consider a soundbar with a subwoofer and rear speakers to enhance the bass and create a more immersive experience.
Here are my top recommendations for soundbars
- Enjoy vibrant bass, crystal clear dialogue, and a panoramic soundstage.
- Experience a 3D surround sound effect with Dolby Atmos.
- Stream music, radio, podcasts, and audiobooks from all your favorite services when the TV is off.
- Control with the Sonos app, your TV remote, Apple AirPlay 2, and your voice using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
- Breeze through setup with only two cables, step-by-step guidance from the Sonos app, and smart Trueplay tuning. Easily expand your Sonos system over time to enjoy true surround sound and multi-room listening. Everything connects over WiFi.
- POWERFUL SOUND: Upgrade your TV to Dolby Atmos and DTS:X and experience the cinematic thrills of powerful music and immersive sound enveloping you from every angle
- HEAR EVERY WORD CLEARLY: Polk’s patented VoiceAdjust speech-clarifying technology works synergistically with MagniFi’s integrated center-channel speaker to bring up the level of voices without affecting the rest of the soundtrack
- INCLUDES A PLUG-AND-PLAY WIRELESS SUB: MagniFi’s powerful, next-gen, wireless down-firing subwoofer connects automatically and can be placed anywhere up to nine meters from the sound bar to deliver the deep, effortless bass that Polk is famous for
VIZIO M-Series 5.1.2 Immersive Sound Bar
- America's #1 Sound Bar* - VIZIO has been filling homes with truly immersive audio for over 10 years, and our sound bars just keep getting better.
- 11 High-Performance Speakers - With separate tweeters and woofers, deliver fuller, clearer and more powerful sound.
- Dolby Atmos and DTS:X - Cinematic, life-like 3D surround sound around and above you.
- 2 Upfiring Speakers - Reflect accurate overhead sound off the ceiling for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X content.
- Separate Tweeters and Woofers - True 2-way speaker design delivers pristine clarity and a wider audio range.
- Dynamic and Accurate Sound - The 103dB sound pressure level and 45Hz – 20kHz frequency range deliver high-performance sound.
- Achieve enhanced sound compared to your display's speakers with the JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam 250W Virtual 5-Channel Soundbar. It delivers up to 250W of power to deliver room-filling audio.
- Built-in virtual Dolby Atmos helps provide an immersive and exciting 3D sound experience, while JBL MultiBeam technology creates a wide soundstage by projecting sound to every corner of the room, so you'll hear every detail.
VIZIO V-Series All-in-One 2.1 Home Theater Sound Bar
- Minimal Modern Design A clean, angular, low-profile silhouette seamlessly blends into any environment.
- VIZIO TV Stand Integration In addition to sliding neatly under TVs, V-Series sound bars ingeniously attach to select VIZIO TV stands in both tabletop and wall-mount installations.
- 2.1-Channel Sound Experience a powerful room-filling, true stereo experience ideal for movies, music, and gaming.
- Full-Range Speakers 2 full-range speakers in the sound bar provide coherent sound and brilliant clarity.
- VIZIO Built-In Dual 3'' Subwoofers Enjoy shockingly deep bass down to 60Hz in an all-in-one design
- 11.1.4 CH. TRUE DOLBY ATMOS SOUND: Feel sound all around with 11 front-facing speakers, 1 subwoofer and 4 up-firing channels for a true Dolby Atmos experience; Flood the room with audio from all angles, for sound so real you can almost touch it
- WIRELESS DOLBY ATMOS: Feel surrounded; Cue up Dolby Atmos sound and skip the cumbersome HDMI cables; Feel free to arrange your space exactly how you want without compromising the audio experience**
- SPACEFIT SOUND PRO: Sound amplifies everything; This soundbar reacts accordingly; Get room-filling sound, calibrated to your space, with a soundbar that analyzes your environment and automatically optimizes the audio
- UP / SIDE FIRING REAR SPEAKER KIT INCLUDED: Ready to have your mind blown? Be captivated by dense layers of all-around sound with up/side firing rear speakers
- ADAPTIVE SOUND: Hear voices better, even at low volume, with intelligently optimized audio; Scenes are analyzed in real time to pull out the most important audio based on the type of
