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Moving speakers around the room change how well they sound. So, getting the best height for a soundbar will give an optimum experience. I did some research into the best height for a soundbar and wrote this helpful article to explain it.
So, what is the best height for a soundbar? The recommendation from all soundbar manufacturers is to place them in front of the TV, just below the bottom of the TV. The TV should be at a height that is centered at the height of your face when sitting.
Now, there are many places to put a soundbar. So, below I will discuss the different places where you could mount a soundbar and if these are good or not.
How High Should I Mount My Soundbar?
You should mount your sidebar just below the TV, and just in front of it. I have included a helpful image below to show you the optimum placement.
This is recommended by manufacturers of soundbars, who have undergone rigorous testing. You can find the specific manual for your soundbar on their websites such as Sony.com and Samsung.com. You should search for them for by the specific model.
The aim of soundbars and surround sound systems is to envelope you with the sound, making you feel a part of the experience. This is best achieved by positioning in the optimum location.
To find the optimum location for your soundbar it depends on who will be watching the TV. If people are all around the same height then you can use one measurement, but if you are a family and have different heights then you should take an average.
You start by measuring using your couch, or desk chair if you are setting it up for your PC. You want the TV to be at eye level or slightly below when you are sitting on the couch or desk chair you will be sitting on. Some people like the front rows where the screen is slightly above, whereas others like it up the back. You then move the TV or screen to be at a comfortable height. Think about your favorite place to sit in a cinema.
Once you have found the ideal height for your TV, you will then place your soundbar directly under your TV. So that the long part of the speaker runs along the bottom of the TV. This is the ideal height to mount your soundbar.
A Wall Mounted TV
Some people will mount their TV to the wall. Your soundbar will need to be mounted to the wall as well. There are special brackets that may come included with the TV or soundbar. If not, there are good options available. One of the ones we recommend are the Mounting Dream Soundbar Mount ( on Amazon), they can mount Soundbar above or Under TV and Fits Most of Sound Bars Up to 22 Lbs.
A benefit of using the brackets for mounting the soundbar to the TV is you can move your TV around the house and the soundbar goes with it. Your TV will be resting on a cabinet, sometimes called an entertainment unit on its stand. In this case, the soundbar should be placed underneath the TV in front of the stand. The TV should be resting on the cabinet not on the soundbar.
Should a soundbar go above or below a TV?
A soundbar works best when put below a TV. This is the recommendation of soundbar manufacturers who have done research into how to create the best sound experience. The center of the TV should be at about the same height as your head when you are sitting in the chair you would sit in to watch your TV. This is usually the most comfortable height for watching Netflix, and movies.
If you put your soundbar above your TV it won’t produce the immersive sound experience. Imagine you are trying to create a more free and expansive VR headset. You should put the sound where it will feel the most real, and involve you in the story. When you place a soundbar above the TV a lot of the sound goes above your head and rebounds. So, you are getting the sound a fraction of a second late. But, your brain can tell the difference and it isn’t as immersive.
The reason you should place them exactly to specification is that the home audio system is to make:
| Special effects come from the right places | This is the case for sounds such as gunfire which can be coming from behind you and to the left. |
| A sound profile which sounds spacious | This makes the room feel bigger than it is when watching scenes in large open spaces. |
| Smooth transitions in motion | When people on screen are moving through an area at the pace the sound travels across all the channels. |
| 3D effect | Making the 2d screen appear as a 3d world is a direct result of speaker placement. |
Can you put a soundbar on the floor?
You can put a soundbar on the floor, but it wont sound as good as it should. If you do put it on the floor put it as close to the bottom of the TV as you can. A soundbar should be placed at the bottom of the TV just below the bottom of it.
This way it gives you the best sound quality. When this happens you will enjoy your TV shows and movies more. This is because it immerses you in the program. You get immersed in the program by the sound feeling like it is real. It will also feel like sounds are coming from the scene in the movie and that you are in the scene.
The soundbar is configured so that the sound which comes from the movie or TV series comes from different places. This is what home theater systems do. The soundbar is also specifically designed to be placed at about waist height. So, it can work if your TV is placed on the floor as well. As long as the soundbar is directly below the TV it will give you the best sound.
Conclusion
The best height for a soundbar is just below the TV. This is recommended by the manufacturers of home theatre systems. You should look through the manual of your soundbar to see the optimum placement. It will also show you how to connect it to your TV if you are wall mounting it. Some soundbars and TVs come with wall mounts already.
Soundbars should only be placed on the floor if your TV is also on the floor. This is because the soundbar should be placed under the TV. If you place a soundbar on the floor but have your TV on a cabinet the sound quality won’t be as good.
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