Having a sound bar means you have an awesome opportunity to make your movie nights more immersive without the expensive demands of a full home theater package.
However, you’ll need to choose the right one for you from a list of several brands and models. You may have to consider the sound bar that will fit your space as well as the features and functions you’ll be needing from it.
If you’ve already purchased a sound bar and are looking for the best set-up for it to deliver efficiently, then this article is just for you.
How to Set Up Your Sound bar for The Best Sound
Positioning
Most sound bars are specifically designed to give you an idea of how best to position them. With some bit of luck though, you should be able to start the set-up quickly following the instructions in the owner’s manual.
Typically, you’ll want your sound bar to have some good space so it can do its job optimally. This is true for those sound bars that have upward or side-firing drivers. This means tucking it too far inside a shelf or TV cabinet will limit its audio projection.
In addition, try to confirm if your sound bar comes with rear speakers that are designed to bounce sound off your back wall. Its instruction manual should give you an idea of how best to position it for the best effect.
Several sound bars come with wall-mounting and surface placement options. So, be flexible and try to play around with their positioning before you begin the drilling process.
Keep it steady
Every speaker needs a leveled footing to perform efficiently. Speakers on unbalanced surfaces will cause the drivers to continuously shift backward and forward, thus resulting in a distorted audio delivery.
So, be sure to use a level tool to accurately confirm that the surface you’re placing the sound bar on is well-balanced. As a side note, it is best to utilize whatever wall fixings that come with the sound bar.
Keep it away from the TV screen
Most people would rather set up their sound bar at the feet of their TV. This is not a bad idea as the closer the sound device is to your TV screen, the more seamless the picture and sound go together.
However, if your sound bar is quite tall and your TV screen comes down really low, then you’ll be obstructing some good parts of your display.
So, before you step outside to buy a new sound system, be sure to confirm if your TV’s stand is dynamic or can be used in multiple positions.
In some cases, you might discover that your sound bar fits perfectly without obscuring the TV screen but still blocks the Infrared (IR) sensor on the TV. This will make it impossible for the TV to receive signals from its remote control.
You should check to see if your sound bar comes with an IR repeater feature before deciding to move the bar altogether.
Connect with HDMI
When it comes to choosing ports to connect to your TV, many sound bars will offer you a choice of options.
Generally, we believe the HDMI connection is the easiest and best way of achieving that connection from sound bar to TV.
The HDMI ARC bounces the need for an optical cable while allowing you to send audio ‘downstream’ from your TV to your sound bar.
This way, any other source connected to your TV such as a Blu-ray player or a game console, will also send their audio to your sound bar.
The HDMI ARC should work automatically for most TVs. However, if yours doesn’t, you will have to take your remote control and make a few adjustments to your TV settings.
This can include switching off your TV’s built-in speakers and enabling it to push audio out to an amp or external speaker.
Also, it makes sense to enable HDMI CEC which basically lets you control the volume on your sound bar using your TV’s remote. Watch out for any unusual side effects when you do this, though.
Lastly, be sure you’re using an HDMI cable that is certified to the standard you are leveraging.
Calibration
Many sound bars come with multiple audio presets to pick from. That’s why it is imperative to examine them and select the one that best suits your space.
They often include presets dedicated to varying options like music, movies, dialogue clarity, or sound effects. However, each of them comes with its pros and cons.
In most cases, the music setting is the one to pick when listening to music however, it’s a matter of try-it-and-see when it comes down to AV sound.
Furthermore, certain sound bars allow you to tweak the equalizers (EQ). Some high-grade models often try to make the calibration process simpler by playing sound into your space.
Then using its AI features, it tries to select the best EQ settings based on the acoustics it picks up via its built-in microphones.
If your sound bar has this, then it is an awesome starting point as you try to set it up. However, selecting Surround mode or Movie mode or any other similar feature is the right way to go. You should not be scared to experiment and try out new dynamics.
Add more speakers
If the bass is not up to your taste, take a look at your sound bar or TV for a sub-out socket. Here you can plug in an external subwoofer to the sound system. If both your TV and sound bar sport the sub-out socket, we advise you to connect it to your sound bar to reduce the chances of developing sync issues.
In most cases, any decent subwoofer should work with your sound bar. However, we do recommend purchasing a sound bar that comes with its own dedicated subwoofer to avoid any connection issues that may develop.
Sync your sound
If after connecting your sound bar to your TV and you discover that the audio emanating from your sound system is not aligning properly to the TV’s picture, then you have a synchronization issue on your hands.
Fortunately, this can be resolved in a few ways. Firstly, try a different method of connecting your sound bar to your TV.
HDMI ARCs should come with built-in auto lip-sync corrections so give it a try. Secondly, check sockets on your TV and sound bar and be sure they’re up-to-date with their firmware. You should also consider checking the cables.
You should also try downgrading from the HDMI cable to an optical cable connection. You should probably continue using it this way if it resolves the sync issue.
If all fails to work, then try to use the audio delay feature on your sound bar or TV or both. You can use the feature to manually bring the display and picture on the same sync.
Final Words
Sound bars have been proven to be a nice addition to any home’s entertainment system. However, some things need to be considered before choosing to buy the one that works for you.
After purchasing your sound bar, you also need to set it up for the best sound following instructions from this article to make those movie nights truly memorable.
