The dirty secret of the modern TV industry is that picture quality has never been better and audio quality has arguably never been worse. As displays have gotten impossibly thin and engineering resources have poured into panel technology and processing, the speakers have gotten smaller, weaker and increasingly pointed away from the person trying to watch. The result is breathtaking visuals paired with audio that can make dialogue hard to follow and action sequences sound like they’re happening in another room. The good news is that a few settings adjustments can help, and every one of them is free.
There’s no setting that will magically transform your TV’s audio into movie theater sound. Physics is at play, and the tiny speakers in skinny modern TVs just can’t create quality audio. However, there are some settings and other tricks that might help.
TV settings for better sound
TV manufacturers know that bad sound is one of the biggest complaints people have about modern TVs. They’ve added audio processing features — some good, some bad — to many TVs. Again, there’s only so much they can do, but they can help.
Sound mode: Some TVs have different sound modes that adjust to accentuate or attenuate different frequencies to sound better with different content. These should have names that are fairly obvious once you find the setting, like Clear Voice or Speech Mode.
Dialog enhancers: Some TVs have separate features that enhance the sound frequencies most common for voices. These have names like Speech Boost, Dialogue Enhancement, Speech Clarity and similar.
EQ: Some TVs have an equalizer, or EQ, feature. This will let you adjust the relative volume of high and low frequencies, treble and bass, respectively. Try reducing the bass a few notches first, then increasing the treble. If there’s a separate midrange control, turning that up is another option to try. The difference should be noticeable, but you might need to play around with it a bit to get it to sound better than flat (aka no EQ at all).
Counterintuitively, with some TVs, you might experiment with turning both bass and treble down slightly. In some cases, this might result in boosting the midrange, where most voices are. Depending on how the EQ is designed, this might not work, however.
Automatic volume control: Some TVs have the ability to lower loud sounds and boost quiet ones. If you’ve ever been watching a movie, having turned up the volume to understand the dialogue, only to be blasted out of the room when the action starts (or the commercials come on), look for this setting. It might also be labeled “compression.” This can result in the volume “pulsing” as it gets louder and softer during different scenes, but that might be a better option depending on how annoyed you were without this feature on.
Stereo vs. surround sound (source settings)
If you’re using an external source, like a streaming device, cable/satellite box or gaming console, check the settings in those devices. They’ll often default to sending surround sound, expecting your TV to decode that even though it doesn’t have any surround sound capabilities. Switching these to stereo or PCM stereo will result in your TV getting simpler two-channel sound. In some cases, this might be an entirely different mix of the show, movie or game’s audio. The result could be an easier-to-understand dialogue, since the creators will mix it differently.
It’s also worth checking the menus of the streaming service you’re using. For instance, some Amazon Prime shows have a built-in dialogue boost mode called, conveniently, Dialogue Boost.
Move the TV
This TV is going to sound terrible, but at least it’s not as high above the fireplace as it could be.
This is probably the most difficult solution on this entire list. I know many of you probably can’t move the TV from where it is. I have seen some TV setups that have a significantly negative impact on sound quality, and if you have one of these, you might want to consider either moving the TV or one of the Not Free options below.
- TV inside a cabinet or shelf
- TV on a stand with no wall behind it
- TV in a corner (especially near the ceiling)
TVs are designed with the expectation that they’ll be sitting on or near a flat wall. The sound, in most cases, will bounce off this wall. If it’s in a cabinet, between shelves or if there’s no wall behind it, the sound can be muffled or hard to hear from where you’re sitting. If moving the TV isn’t an option, consider what you can do to “free the sound” from its prison.
If your TV is on a regular TV stand, experiment with moving it closer to or farther from the wall. The sound will change, but depending on your room, it might be better (or worse).
And if all else fails… some not free options
Even a basic soundbar will likely be a vast improvement over the TV’s speakers.
If you’ve tried all the above and you’re still not satisfied with your TV’s sound quality, there are two options. These aren’t specifically about making the sound louder, though they can; they’re about making the sound better. In most cases, you can listen at lower volumes and hear the dialogue better compared to the TV’s built-in speakers.
The cheaper solution is a soundbar. There are inexpensive soundbars that sound surprisingly good — significantly better than any TV speakers. Setup is typically just a single wire from your TV and power to the bar and, usually, a wireless subwoofer that can go anywhere in your room. Soundbars can transform your experience watching shows and movies. Most can double as Bluetooth speakers for music when you’re not watching TV. They’re a great addition to any room with a TV.
The next step up is a receiver with separate speakers. This can be as simple as two bookshelf speakers, or as elaborate as a seven-speaker system with one or more subwoofers. Generally, these will sound far better than a soundbar, with more convincing and engaging surround sound, but the cost and installation effort are much higher. Setup isn’t difficult, but it will take longer than the plug-and-play aspect of most soundbars.
Somewhere between these options are soundbars that include surround speakers, some of which are wireless, making installation a bit easier. Any of these options will greatly improve the sound in your room. If you struggle to understand dialogue or just want a more cinema-like experience at home, they’re worth the cost.
About the author: In addition to covering audio and display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000-mile road trips and more.
Also, check out Budget Travel for Dummies, his book, and his bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines. You can follow him on Instagram and YouTube.