An Introduction to Soundbars
Modern flat-screen TVs are marvels of visual engineering, but their razor-thin designs create a physical limitation. Internal space is often limited for large speakers that need to move air and create impactful sound. This typically results in thin audio, where dialogue is buried under background music. Whilst some TVs have helpful Sound AI modes to boost frequencies at lower volumes, a sound bar for a television is still the most effective solution. Offering a significant acoustic upgrade without the footprint of a traditional multi-speaker system.
Understanding Soundbar Technology
A soundbar houses an array of drivers, often including dedicated “tweeters” for crisp high frequencies and “mid-range” drivers for clear vocals. Unlike most TV speakers, these drivers are front-facing to project sound directly into the room.
These units use digital signal processing (DSP) to widen the soundstage beyond the physical width of the bar. Advanced models provide a sound bar for a surround sound effect by using up-firing and/or side-firing drivers. These bounce audio off your walls and ceiling, using the boundaries of your room to create an immersive virtual “sweet spot” in your living area. Check out our TV size buying guide for expert advice and to make sure you have the right TV size for your space.
Philips TAB8200
Finding the Perfect Soundbar for Your Room
Your soundbar should harmonise with your television and your room. Striking a balance is key to an immersive experience. We recommend looking for a soundbar that is slightly narrower than, or equal to, the width of your TV to maintain a balanced look in your living area.
Matching Width to Your Screen
For small to medium TV sets between 32 and 43 inches, we recommend aiming for a compact soundbar width to avoid overpowering the screen. A great option here would be something like the Sonos Ray, which offers punchy sound without taking up too much space.
Larger TVs between 50 and 55 inches often find their best fit with a mid-sized bar. For these screens, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 or the Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus provide a brilliant balance of size and performance, filling your room with detailed audio that matches the scale of your display.
For cinematic screens of 65 inches and above, we recommend a larger soundbar to ensure the soundstage is wide enough to match the scale of the image. The Sonos Arc Ultra or Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Max are ideal partners for these sets, delivering a truly immersive, cinema-like experience right in your living room.
Considering Your Room Size and Ceiling Height
In small rooms and bedrooms, a compact, all-in-one soundbar provides a significant upgrade without overwhelming the space. Bigger rooms require a larger soundbar with more internal drivers and a separate subwoofer to move enough air to fill the space effectively. If you choose a model with up-firing Dolby Atmos drivers, flat, reflective ceilings provide the best results for bouncing sound back to your seating position.
Yamaha SR-X50A
Selecting Your Configuration: Standalone vs Subwoofer
The foundation of great audio is balance, and the most critical choice is how the system handles “low-end” frequencies, or bass. Standalone soundbars are perfect for smaller rooms where space is at a premium. They often feature integrated bass ports to provide a full-bodied sound from a single cabinet.
For a more dynamic experience, soundbars with external subwoofers use a specialist speaker designed solely to handle deep, cinematic bass. This provides the physical “rumble” in action movies, music and dialogue that a small bar cannot achieve alone. A brilliant example of this is the Yamaha SR-X50A. It comes with a dedicated wireless subwoofer that adds a layer of depth you can truly feel – perfect for bringing the roar of a stadium or a blockbuster explosion right into your living room.
If you want to dive deeper into how these work, read our subwoofer guide from our in-house experts.
Where to Put a Soundbar Subwoofer
Low-frequency sound waves are omnidirectional; therefore, the human ear struggles to pinpoint exactly where they originate. While this provides great flexibility, professional placement is essential to ensure the bass feels integrated with the action on screen rather than a separate noise in the room.
We recommend positioning your subwoofer directly on the floor along the same wall as your TV, ideally within a couple of metres of the soundbar itself. Placing it on a shelf or inside a closed media unit often leads to “chassis rattle” and muffled audio that muddies the soundstage.
How to Hook Up TV Sound Bar Systems
Connecting a sound bar to a TV is designed to be a simple process. For the best performance, we recommend using HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) or eARC (enhanced ARC). This is the gold standard because it supports HDMI-CEC technology, allowing your existing TV remote to control the soundbar’s power and volume. While standard ARC handles common formats, eARC offers higher bandwidth for uncompressed audio and high-definition formats like Dolby Atmos.
Sonos Beam Gen 2
For older televisions, Optical Digital is a reliable alternative. While limited to 5.1 surround sound and unable to support Atmos, it provides high-quality digital audio. For a wire-free look, many units offer wireless Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Bluetooth is excellent for wirelessly connecting to the TV for streaming or music. Wi-Fi, however, is simply for streaming music through apps like Spotify or Sonos, though you’ll still use an HDMI cable to connect the bar to your TVfor the most stable audio.
Quick Connectivity Checklist
- Check the label: Ensure you are using the specific HDMI port marked ARC or eARC on both your TV and soundbar.
- Settings check: You may need to enter your TV’s audio menu to switch the output to external speakers or optical/HDMI.
- Cable quality: For eARC features, we recommend using a high-speed or ultra-high-speed HDMI cable to ensure enough bandwidth for high-definition sound.
Experience Better TV Sound Today
Choosing the right tech can be complex, but we’re here to help. To find the perfect fit for your home, browse our full soundbar range online or visit one of our 53 stores nationwide for a live demonstration. From bespoke installations to great value deals, our expert team is ready to help you experience better.
