5 Of The Worst Places To Put A Soundbar, And Why

Televisions these days are rather remarkable. Between the sterling 4K quality, the high dynamic range, and the sheer size that some of them come in, there is very little else you could possibly want from a TV. Well, there is one thing: better sound. So much technology goes into improving the picture and the smart features that sound is often an afterthought, and glorious TV sets are saddled with tiny speakers that are typically placed on the back of the screen, delivering subpar sound quality and pointing away from where you are sitting. Because of this, a device that has almost become a necessity if you want a modicum of good sound quality for your living room, bedroom, or other space is a soundbar.

With this speaker, typically placed below the TV on a cabinet or mounted on the wall with the TV, you can get pretty dynamic sound. Not only are they directionally oriented towards the TV watcher, but they can often accommodate Dolby Atmos and be tuned to best fill your room with sound. For those who do not have the space or budget for a true-blue surround sound system, a soundbar from one of the major brands like Sonos or JBL is an excellent alternative. Because it is a free-standing speaker, you may be tempted to put it in places where it does not really belong, but you should be cautious about where you place your soundbar. Placing it wrongly can harm it or just won't give you the best sound it can. Here, we are going to look at five places you should avoid placing your soundbar to maximize the quality of your television's audio.

Almost anytime you see a soundbar, you'll notice it is below a television. This could mean it is sitting on top of a media cabinet or other chest, or mounted on the wall right under a TV. This is not done for aesthetic pleasure, though it does look nice. This is the proper positioning for the soundbar to get the best sound projection for your TV watching. The very first place you should not put your soundbar is above your TV.

To get the best results from your soundbar, you want it to be at about the same level as your head when watching TV. This gives you the most direct line from the speaker to your ears possible. Putting the soundbar above your TV distances you further from the sound than necessary. This is especially true if you have your TV mounted fairly high in your room, like above a fireplace in a living room (one of the worst places to mount your TV). Although it is best to have your TV at eye level, this may not be possible in rooms with specific wall spaces and electrical configurations. The last thing you would want to do in a situation like that is hinder your sound. Placing your soundbar below your TV may seem obvious, especially if you have to set it on a surface, but it is an important thing to remember nonetheless.

While people have found it necessary to get a soundbar to get the best sound for their televisions, not everyone likes the look of the soundbar. Having this long, usually black speaker splayed across your media cabinet may not fit your home's decor, or you may be dealing with some unsightly visible wires. These situations may lead someone to try to hide their soundbar in some way — perhaps placing it inside their media cabinet or just placing it behind some kind of glass door to increase its aesthetic appeal ever so slightly. Well, the second place you should never put your soundbar is in an enclosure like this.

The reason for this is simple: it muffles the sound. The effectiveness of a speaker is how direct the line is between the speaker and your ears; if you place glass, wood, or other material between the two, you cut down how much sound can reach your ears. This is precisely why you need a soundbar in the first place: your TV speakers are typically on the back of the set, facing the wall. Unfortunately, if the sight of a soundbar is unseemly to you, that is just something you are going to have to learn to appreciate. There are media cabinets on the market with open slots for devices like soundbars, which can help it blend in with your decor, but otherwise, leave your soundbar out in the open.

Some people like to have an industrial look in their home. They like to be surrounded by furniture that is primarily or exclusively made of metal. It can be a great look if done correctly. This could be a bed frame lined with metal or a metal countertop in their kitchen. People could also get a metal media console or cabinet to place their television and soundbar on top of. While the TV's metal transitioning into the cabinet's metal could be a cool look, this is a horrible place to put a soundbar.

It may seem harmless, but there are sound issues you may not have considered with this soundbar placement. If you are watching something that is quite loud, with a lot of bass in the mix, the speaker will cause whatever surface it is on to vibrate, either a little or a lot. If the speaker is placed on metal, all you will hear is rattling, which will heavily distract you from enjoying whatever movie, show, game, or video is playing on your TV. The sound is not going to get absorbed into the material at all. Not only could you be dealing with the noise of vibrating metal, but the sound could bounce off of the metal surface as well, disrupting the directional sound projection of the speaker. If you are set on having a metal cabinet, it is best to mount your TV and soundbar together on the wall above it. That way, you can seriously cut back on how the sound interacts with the metal.

Not every soundbar is one that you plug directly into the television. Some people prefer wireless sound systems over wired ones, which run on Wi-Fi signals. These same signals can be used to wirelessly connect other speakers to your soundbar to create your own surround sound system. For this to be successful, you need an uninterrupted signal among all these devices at all times. That is why another place you should never put your soundbar is very close to your home's Wi-Fi router.

While it may be convenient to have all your home's main electronic devices clustered in one place, this can cause Wi-Fi signal issues. If you have a high-powered Wi-Fi router, it is best to keep it at least 8 to 10 feet away from your soundbar to reduce the risk of Wi-Fi signals interfering with each other. That is the same distance you should keep the router away from your other auxiliary speakers or subwoofer as well. Keeping your soundbar distanced from other wireless devices is a good idea as well. A distance of one to three feet is good for these devices.

If your soundbar is wired and your other speakers are wired too, then this is not as big an issue. A Wi-Fi signal should not disturb any hardwired connections. This is purely meant for those who like the versatility of wireless sound. If you have other wireless connections around your TV besides sound, it's best to keep your router far away from them, too.

All of the places you should not put your soundbar on this list so far concern how they affect the sound quality and projection of the speaker. This last one concerns preserving the health and functionality of your soundbar. This last place is somewhere you should not only not put a soundbar, but also not place any electronic device. That is in direct heat.

Granted, there are very few places in a home where something will be in the direct path of heat, but they do exist. This could be directly below a vent in a home with central heating, or right next to an old-school radiator in an older house or apartment. These places can get extremely hot, particularly in winter when the heat is running overtime, and if you have a soundbar next to it, you risk damaging it. This could be physical damage to the speaker itself or internal damage that could cause it to stop functioning properly. If you notice your soundbar is overheating, being in a hot space will make it harder to cool down, thereby trapping heat inside the soundbar and causing further issues.

This is a very particular circumstance that will not affect everyone. However, if you find that certain areas of your home get particularly hot, it is important to consider the health of your electronic devices. That includes your TV soundbar.