I changed 3 settings on my Sonos soundbar to instantly improve audio performance

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a favorite source On Google.

ZDNET Highlights

• The layout of your listening room has a huge impact on your soundbar’s Dolby Atmos performance.
• There are many audio features that can help improve dialogue clarity.
• Building your own Sonos home theater can help with audio clarity and strength.

Sonos’ webpages and popular reviews are full of specifications, but many real-life factors affect your soundbar’s performance more than you might think. Factors such as placement, the audio format of your content, and the size of your room and furniture affect your soundbar’s output.

I use my Sonos Arc and Arc Ultra soundbars, Era 300 speakers, Sub 4 subwoofer, and Ace headphones daily, but it takes some adjustment to achieve complete satisfaction. I’m finally ready to share the secret.

Also: Your TV’s USB port has hidden superpowers: 4 benefits you’re not taking advantage of

Start with the placement of your soundbar. Whether you have the flagship Arc or Arc Ultra, or the smaller Beam or Ray, space matters. Make sure your soundbar is as close to eye level as possible and centered on your TV. If you can help it, keep your soundbar out of the cabinet; You want the sound to spread throughout the room rather than being limited to one spot.

1. Problem: Dolby Atmos doesn’t look great

Reason: lack of height

Dolby Atmos is an object-based spatial audio format. However, movie theaters get it right because they have speakers mounted in the ceiling, which add height and create an immersive experience that mimics the sounds coming from above you. You don’t have ceiling speakers, but your Arc or Arc Ultra has upfiring speakers to create this illusion at home.

Solution: Increase the volume of the height channel

This is the most difficult. If you have vaulted ceilings or your soundbar setup doesn’t allow much space between the soundbar and your TV, your upfiring speakers will struggle. However, you can increase the volume of your Arc or Arc Ultra’s height channels to make them louder and more noticeable.

A set of rear speakers can help significantly expand the horizontal plane of your Dolby Atmos experience, and the Era 300 has an upfiring tweeter for added height effect, if your space can accommodate it.

Also: 5 ways to use your Chromecast TV beyond streaming shows (including smart home hacks)

Neither the Sonos Ray nor the Beam (Gen 2) have dedicated upfiring speakers, but their forward and side-facing channels help expand the soundstage of your content. Either compact soundbar is an upgrade from your TV’s slim speakers, but the Beam (Gen 2) is the best compact option from Sonos (when it’s on sale).

2. Problem: Communication is not clear

Cause: Toggle speech enhancement, night mode, or loudness

There are several ways to solve this problem by playing with some audio features. Starting small, you can turn on Speech Enhancement, which reduces bass and boosts mids, which is usually where dialogue resides. You can also turn on Speech Enhancement as well as Night Sounds to further reduce bass.

Make sure your soundbar’s loudness feature is turned off, as this can amplify non-dialogue sounds as well. If you’re still not hearing as clearly as you’d like, you can reduce the soundbar’s bass response in its EQ settings. You can find all these features in the Sonos app.

In my experience, rear speakers and a sub, especially a subwoofer, completely alleviate this problem, as the extra audio channels allow the soundbar to focus on the mids and the sub to handle the bass.

Also: 5 Easy Ways to Dramatically Improve Your Soundbar’s Sound (And They Cost Nothing)

If you’re that deep into the Sonos ecosystem and want to watch TV without disturbing your housemates or neighbors, consider purchasing the Sonos Ace headphones. They are compatible with the Sonos Arc, Arc Ultra, Beam, and Ray, and play the same audio formats as the soundbar’s output.

3. Problem: Something just feels ‘unpleasant’

Solution: Recalibrate TruePlay

TruePlay is Sonos’ acoustic tuning feature that helps your speakers perform best by taking into account the size, furniture, and layout of your room. If you’re like me, your rooms aren’t perfect squares with minimal furniture like the model rooms on the Sonos website.

You’ll want to tune your speakers with TruePlay taking into account the walls near your soundbar and the sectional size obstruction in your listening area. If you ever rearrange your listening area, whether it’s speakers or furniture, run a new TruePlay calibration.