Feel the sound

How to get the most out of a soundbar

by Christine Persaud

Nothing beats a fully immersive home theater experience including both video and audio. You don’t typically think of a single sounbar for that, but you can get fabulous sound from a premium soundbar. They’re affordable, take up less space and are easy to set up.

Here are some tips to help you get the most out of a soundbar:

Audio support.

For an immersive, three-dimensional experience form a single soundbar, look for Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X or spatial audio support. Confirm that the streaming TV or music service you use supports this, too. Be sure that you are subscribed to the appropriate tier for these features and that you choose supported content. Each service will note if their version of this enhanced audio experience is available in the content description.

Consider connectivity.

Built-in Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth means you can pair a smartphone, tablet, laptop or other wireless-enabled device to the soundbar to listen to music or podcasts, take phone calls and more, without using a TV. Once paired, the soundbar will remember the device so you can automatically connect whenever it is nearby and Bluetooth is on. If the soundbar has AirPlay, you can wirelessly stream audio from an iPhone, iPad or MacBook at a higher quality than Bluetooth as well.

Play matchmaker.

Consider matching the brand of your soundbar with other speakers you have in your home theater. Think of a brand like Sonos with speakers that seamlessly work together to create a more enveloping sound experience in the same room (or a single source in several rooms). Setup will be a breeze and, with these smart speakers, you can control the soundbar with the same app you already use.

Turn off the TV’s speakers.

Combining the TV’s built-in speakers with the soundbar can be distracting unless there’s a specific feature with a soundbar and TV of the same brand designed to eliminate distortion. In most cases, you’ll want to either disable the TV’s internal speakers (if there’s a settings option) or mute the TV volume and turn up the soundbar volume.

All about the bass

Don’t forget to invest in a good set of HDMI cables rated to support the highest quality audio possible that the soundbar and TV can produce. Also, if the soundbar doesn’t come bundled with a subwoofer, consider investing in one to enjoy deeper bass and more booming sound when watching action movies.

Some soundbars have proprietary connectors so verify this before choosing one to make sure it is compatible.

This article originally appeared in the Costco Connection magazine’s November 2023 issue.