TV soundbars can really enhance your watching tv experience. Soundbars are great surround sound devices that you can purchase for a reasonable price. There is also a home theater that is even better surround sound systems but they come at a painful price, so yeah tv soundbars remain a great alternative pick to a home theater set up.
However, I am not going to lie if you have the money and the love for it I would recommend going for a home theater set up, just know that your room will be filled with wires and your bank will hurt.
A soundbar is not a lengthy speaker by itself, it is an advanced sound system that comes as multiple speakers that are arranged side by side in the bar, producing stereo or immersive sound.
A soundbar may also include satellite speakers, subwoofers, and other speakers.
The soundbar placement depends on personal eye pleasure. I’m sure you have noticed all advertisements about the sound bars are represented below the TV. A soundbar usually goes down the TV, but can you switch it up a little bit?
First of all, the thumb rule is to place or arrange a soundbar in a straight line to your ears. This way you get the maximum audio experience out of the speakers.
Your TV is going to tell you where to place it. When I say TV, some of them don’t have enough space for a soundbar due to their foot construction. In that case of no choice, yes, you can locate the soundbar above the TV and it’s ok.
Now we go back to the question of mounting style. Mount your sound bar however you desire. It goes well both ways. Here’s the thing.
Some soundbars tend to lose quality when it’s placed above. If the quality of the sound hasn’t changed a bit, then go ahead you do you.
Where Exactly Should You Mount a Soundbar?
The TV and a soundbar need balance. You can’t separate them as you hear noises from a distance while your eyes are locked straightly forward.
Placing a Soundbar Below the TV
The best mounting for a soundbar is to be located below the TV. Do you want to know why? First of all, is…
Aesthetically satisfying
The chances to get impressed more by a soundbar is when the advertisements are made by placing the soundbar below the TV. The visuals aren’t everything, but they do play half of the role.
Provides Better Sound Quality
When you place the soundbar below it offers superior audio performance. The closer the soundbar is, the more details you catch from any low-frequented sound you hear. You get direct contact with the coming sounds.
No Wire Trouble
If a soundbar is located down the TV, you most likely have a chance to hide the wires. The connectors mostly come close to the TV bottom. This shows that the soundbars are intended to function below the TV.
Yes, you have a wired and wireless option. The wireless connection wouldn’t be a big deal, but the wired ones cause trouble. The cables tend to be 33 feet, and some of them constructed with glass fiber can be even longer.
No Wall Mounting
Imagine you are not very skilled and you want to wall mount your soundbar. Terrible choice folks. You better get away from mounting because we need no harm on our expensive stuff that is hard to replace.
Plus, it’s much safer for soundbars to stand below the TV in case some unexpected disaster happens.
A tv stand mounting soundbars above the television can also do the trick in this case.
Placing a Soundbar Above the TV
There are some scenarios that which mounting your sound bar above the TV is the best choice. Let’s see when:
You Own Upward Firing Speakers
Soundbars that are upward firing speakers are best placed up the TV to take the superior performance of the room’s acoustics. These soundbars need to be set up in a specific way to project sound back from the ceiling.
Upward Firing Soundbars, or upward firing speakers in general, are created by making practical and effective use of the physical space’s walls and ceilings to create a far more immersive sound system, so yeah as the name implies sound waves go upward.
Dolby Atmos Technology makes sound come three-dimensional by expanding the sounds. The sounds reach the ceiling and come back, therefore placing it very close to the ceiling will cause a loss of sound quality.
The Soundbar Won’t Block TV Remote Sensors
Placing your soundbar under your TV might cause remote sensor blocking issues, so yeah. If you place a soundbar above the TV, say goodbye to the remote sensor blockage. Some TVs because of their body construction especially feet, are way down than normal. This causes to block the sensor which is near the bottom bezel.
Pretty much the same goes for remote control, it can also block the sensor that comes from remote to the tv.
Safe and Careless
When I say safe and careless, I mean safe from kids and pets. Instead of teaching your kid or pet not to touch it and cause damage to the soundbar, place it above the TV which is nearly impossible to reach. This way you will care less whether or not they harmed the soundbar.
Placing the Soundbar Vertically
This might be the worst idea for a soundbar placement. As I said previously, you can place however you want, but will you get the same experience is the question. You can certainly not if you position vertically. There are always exceptions but the general rule is not to place the soundbar vertically if the instructions don’t say so.
You always have to position the soundbar horizontally because what’s the point of voices coming from a ceiling and the floor. It’s like someone is calling you from upstairs or downstairs. Soundbars are meant to ensure we have the greatest sound experience. Don’t be ridiculous, place it horizontally.
Why the Placement of the Soundbar is so Important?
When we purchase a soundbar, we seek to get the best audio quality. If the positioning is not right, the sound will come out weird and dissatisfying like something about it doesn’t add up.
When you mistake the placement of a soundbar, it is causing the sounds to move in a wrong circle round. The sound should bounce from the ceiling back and forth to reach a satisfying ear level.
If you plan to create a home cinema experience, read what the manufacturer says about the placement. Not all soundbars fit into one position.
Final Thoughts
Locating the soundbar can be tricky, that is there’s a misconception about whether to place it above and below the TV has started. The thing is that you can place however you want, but will you get the same sound experience. At the end of the day, it’s more about getting a cinematic experience at home.
When you see advertisements, the manufacturer prefers to locate them at the bottom of the TV. This is where usually is preferred. But sometimes things don’t go the way they planned. Maybe your TV or the table unit doesn’t fit somehow.
Play around with the soundbar until you reach the peak point. Do not place it vertically unless the manufacturer mentions anything about placement.
Further Reading
Further Reading
Since the placement of the soundbar is done, now is the time to get a brand new one. Consider JBL 9.1 and Sonos Arc as a great examples.
If you have a Bose soundbar and struggle to connect it, you can read our guide on connecting your bose soundbar to the TV.
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Composer & Audio Engineer
I’m a composer and audio engineer crafting sonic magic. Combining my skills in rhythm, harmony, and sound synthesis to create the ultimate auditory experience.
