Many dollars were spent on a high-quality soundbar, and you’re hoping it will give you the best music experience in your leisure area. A speaker can make watching TV more enjoyable.
There is one thing, though, that many people forget to think about: where the soundbar speaker is placed. This is more important than you think because it affects the sound quality when it gets to the listener. Should I put soundbar above or below TV?
Let Audiosk look at the best places to put the soundbar and the accessories that go with it so that it looks good when it’s placed right here in this post!
Where To Place The Soundbar Correctly?
Each person’s unique taste in style and available room will determine whether they hang the TV and soundbar on the wall or put them on the table.
Deciding where to place a soundbar, either above or below the TV, is crucial for optimal audio. Typically, placing the soundbar below the TV is ideal, as it aligns with ear level for direct sound projection. If placing it above the TV is more practical due to space constraints, ensure it’s slightly tilted towards the listening area. Whether above or below, the right placement of the soundbar significantly enhances your audio-visual experience.
Putting TVs and soundbars on the wall is a great way to make things safer. Putting big TVs on stands can make them heavy, but hanging them on the wall makes them safer because they won’t fall over. With a wall mount, you can also put the TV exactly where you want it without being limited by the height of a desk or closet.
Why Should The Soundbar Be Placed Below the TV?
This is the most common ways to place Soundbar, that is below the TV. This is a widely recommended setup for several key reasons:
For Easier Installation
Physically speaking, installing a soundbar under your TV is usually as simple as placing it there and plugging it in. Usually, under the TV, designers will install a table so that the user can place the audio speaker system on it. Keeping your device below your TV also means less wrestling with cables since they’re closer to the ground and easier to hide.
In general, soundbars come with a number of ways to connect, such as HDMI, which is used to connect to a TV. This choice is much easier to use than installing above the screen. Even though this design is small and won’t get in the way, you will still have to do some work to make it work instead of just putting the speaker on your entertainment unit.
To Enhance the Soundbar Design
Most soundbars project sound forward, meaning that having them at eye level to the listener with no obstructions provides the best audio quality. By placing the soundbar below the TV, the audio aligns more closely with the visuals, creating a more immersive and natural experience.
Sound waves can bounce around the room before reaching the listener if these devices are placed on the ground or above eye level. When sound goes the long way around, it can mess with the sound and make it echo or sound delayed.
Better Overall Appearance and Aesthetic
Your soundbar looks amazing beneath your TV! Soundbars are sleek and slim, designed to complement modern TVs.
Many TV cabinets and entertainment stations also contain various cubbies and alcoves to house your device below the television. This setup creates a clean, organized look in your entertainment area, as both the soundbar and the TV align smoothly.
Remote Connectivity
One of the most important factors to consider is easy to overlook during set-up: signal connection from your soundbar remote.
Remotes need a clear path to send infrared beams to your device that tell it what to do. Your soundbar should have little trouble receiving signals from your remote if it is beneath your television and unobtrusive. Mounting a soundbar above the TV means you may have to hold your remote above your head for it to work.
When Should The Soundbar Be Mounted Above The TV?
In certain situations, placing your soundbar above takes your audio and viewing to the next level.
Room Layout and Space Constraints
For instance, if the TV is positioned above a fireplace or in a small room where furniture occupies most of the floor space, mounting the soundbar above the TV can be a practical solution.
The most compelling reason to mount a soundbar above the TV is due to space limitations or unique room layouts. In some living spaces, furniture placement or room architecture might not allow for the traditional below-the-TV setup.
If You Buy Upward-Firing Speakers
The effectiveness of upward-firing speakers greatly depends on your room’s acoustics, particularly the ceiling. Some soundbars utilize upward-firing speakers, which bounce sound waves off your ceiling instead of directly to you. These speakers should be positioned at ear level and angled correctly to maximize the reflection of sound off the ceiling.
The effect creates a sort of audio dome that envelops the listener in surround sound. These upward-firing sound systems, typically utilizing Dolby Atmos technology, can be specifically designed for placement above the TV.
Even if designed to go above your TV, make sure they are not too close to your ceiling as speakers that are too elevated will produce a limited acoustic performance since the soundwaves won’t disperse properly.
Family Have Children or Pets
You might have younger kids around who tend to leave a path of destruction behind them. In that case, elevating your soundbar could save you from buying a replacement.
Naughty pets or human might push your soundbar off its stand while puppies tend to chew on electrical wires. Placing your device above your TV helps make your set-up more pet-friendly by mitigating those hazards.
In either case, you should consider elevating your soundbar if the room it is in sees a lot of traffic from younger kids or pets.
How Many Soundbar Speaker Layouts Are There?
Here are our top selected speaker layouts and discover the perfect soundscape for your home.
Place the movie soundbar with the flat clamp
To place the soundbar when watching movies, using a flat clamp is a smart choice. This mount is very useful when you want to hang the TV at a specific height without having to change the viewing angle.
However, using a flat mount can limit the space behind the TV, leaving no room for additional devices such as a Firestick, Apple TV® or HDMI® balun.
Placement of in-wall soundbar speakers
It’s not easy to decide to put the TV on the wall, which makes the fitting process more difficult. You will need to put in a wall-articulating arm in order to do this. Before you do that, you need to make a wall box that is far enough away from the wall to fit the soundbar speaker without leaving any holes or empty space.
This process needs careful attention to detail and a lot of skill, but the end result is a great place to put the speaker that looks great and sounds great.
Use inclined clamps
If you want to install genuine speakers in a higher position, the tilt clamp is a suitable choice. This mount allows you to tilt the speaker downward, the sound spreads evenly to the listener’s position.
Arrange the soundbar to watch movies with a stand
Using a stand to position the soundbar while watching movies provides flexibility, being able to pull the TV out from the wall for easy maintenance or adjusting the TV’s settings.
The ability to flexibly change the viewing angle adds to the cinematic experience. For example, you may simply adjust the viewing angle to fit your location, which is useful if you need to watch the TV from different spots in the room.
Final Thought
Location of the soundbar affects viewing experience. A soundbar improves audio quality. How this sound system is put up makes sound more vivid and lifelike.
The user may feel terrible if the speakers are misaligned and distort and disseminate sound.
Speaker placement is difficult for many. The most difficult question is “Should I put my soundbar above or below the TV?“. Audiosk provided a complete solution to assist with installation. This post should have taught you how to maximise your speaker.
