A soundbar's placement has a surprisingly large impact on how it sounds. The same model can sound significantly better or worse depending on where it's positioned relative to your TV, seating position and room boundaries. Here's how to get the most out of your soundbar wherever you put it.
The simple rule is: directly below your TV, as close to the screen as practical, centred horizontally. The soundbar should project sound toward your seating position without obstruction. Any furniture, cables or objects directly in front of the soundbar will absorb or deflect sound and noticeably reduce clarity.
Ideally, a soundbar should be positioned so that it fires sound roughly at ear height when you're seated. For most people, a TV unit puts the soundbar slightly below ear level — which is perfectly fine. Problems arise when the soundbar is placed very high (such as wall-mounted at picture height) or very low (on the floor).
If you have a Dolby Atmos soundbar with upward-firing drivers, keep at least 30cm of clearance above the unit for sounds to bounce off the ceiling effectively. Avoid placing it under a low overhang or inside a media cabinet.
Wall-mounting your soundbar looks tidy but can reduce Atmos performance if the unit sits inside a wall recess. If in doubt, a TV unit placement gives better acoustic results for Atmos soundbars.
The soundbar should be as close to the TV as possible while still projecting clearly. A gap of 5–10cm is ideal. If the soundbar extends beyond the width of your TV, ensure it doesn't block any IR sensors or the remote receiver on the TV.
Never place a soundbar behind the TV or in a recessed shelf that encloses it on three sides — this kills the soundstage completely and makes vocals sound muddled and distant.
Centre it horizontally with the TV screen. Use included mounting hardware or a TV unit.
Remove anything that sits directly in front of the soundbar — remote controls, cables, books. Even a small obstruction reduces high-frequency clarity noticeably.
If you have a wireless subwoofer, place it within 4–5 metres of the soundbar. Corner placement gives the most bass; on the floor beside the TV unit is a good starting point. Avoid placing it inside closed furniture.
Most premium soundbars (Sonos, Sony, Samsung, Bose) include an automatic room calibration feature via their smartphone app. Always run this after final placement — it measures your room acoustics and adjusts EQ accordingly.
After calibration, fine-tune with the soundbar's app or remote. British living rooms often have thick carpets and soft furnishings that absorb treble — adding +1 to +2dB of treble can help.
Room acoustics affect soundbar performance more than most buyers expect. Hard surfaces (bare floorboards, large glass doors, bare walls) cause reflections that muddy the sound. Soft furnishings — sofas, curtains, thick rugs, bookshelves — absorb reflections and improve clarity.
If you have a very reflective room (open-plan kitchen-diner with tiled floors and no soft furnishings), even the best soundbar will sound somewhat hollow and echoey. Adding a rug under the seating area and curtains or blinds at windows is the single cheapest acoustic improvement you can make.
Read our complete buying guide or contact our team — we're happy to recommend the right soundbar for your room.
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