How to Get Better Sound From Your TV Without a Soundbar

Modern TVs are too thin for decent speakers. The drivers fire downward or backward, dialog gets lost in action scenes, and bass is nonexistent. A soundbar is the obvious fix, but it's not the only one. Here are 6 ways to improve TV audio.

Method 1: Adjust Your TV's Audio Settings (Free)

Before buying anything, optimize what you have:

Enable Dialog Enhancement

Most TVs have a dialog enhancement or "clear voice" setting buried in the audio menu. This boosts the frequency range of human speech (300 Hz - 3 kHz), making conversations clearer without increasing overall volume.

• Samsung: Settings → Sound → Sound Mode → Amplify
• LG: Settings → Sound → Sound Mode → Clear Voice
• Sony: Settings → Sound → Sound Customization → Dialog Enhancement
• TCL/Hisense: Settings → Sound → Dialog Enhancement → On

Adjust Equalizer Settings

If your TV has an equalizer:

• Boost 1-3 kHz for clearer dialog
• Reduce 80-200 Hz to minimize boomy resonance from thin speaker enclosures
• Slightly boost 3-8 kHz for more detail and presence

Disable Audio Processing

Surround sound simulation, "virtual surround," and spatial audio processing on TV speakers often make audio worse, not better. These effects spread thin audio across simulated channels, reducing clarity. Set audio mode to "Standard" or "Stereo."

Night Mode / Dynamic Range Compression

Night Mode compresses the difference between loud and quiet sounds. Action scenes are quieter, and dialog is louder. This makes content dramatically more watchable at lower volumes, especially in apartments. It's labeled Night Mode, Dynamic Range Compression, or Audio Leveling depending on the brand.

Method 2: Reposition the TV (Free)

If your TV sits flat on a table with speakers firing downward, the sound bounces off the surface and arrives at your ears distorted.

Fix: Elevate the TV on a stand or wall-mount it at ear height. The Amazon Basics TV Wall Mount ($30) positions the TV at optimal listening height and frees floor space. Simply moving the TV from a low entertainment center to ear height improves perceived audio quality.

If wall mounting isn't possible, angling the TV slightly downward so its speakers project toward the listening position helps.

Method 3: Use Existing Speakers (Free-$30)

Bluetooth Speaker as TV Audio

If your TV has Bluetooth output (most 2020+ TVs do), pair an existing Bluetooth speaker. Even a $30 portable speaker like the JBL Flip 6 sounds dramatically better than built-in TV speakers. Place it below or in front of the TV, centered.

Note: Bluetooth audio has 100-200ms latency. Your TV may have an audio delay setting to compensate (see audio settings). Some TVs handle this automatically.

Old Computer Speakers

If you have powered computer speakers gathering dust, connect them via the TV's 3.5mm headphone output (if available) or via a Bluetooth audio receiver ($16). Even basic 2.0 computer speakers with a 3-inch driver outperform TV speakers.

Method 4: HomePod or Echo as TV Speaker ($30-100)

Apple HomePod Mini (Pair)

Two Apple HomePod Mini speakers ($99 each) paired as a stereo set work as Apple TV speakers. AirPlay 2 keeps audio in sync. For Apple TV users, this provides excellent stereo sound with zero visible cables.

Amazon Echo as TV Speaker

The Amazon Echo (4th Gen) can be paired as a Fire TV speaker. Set up in the Alexa app under Home Theater. Audio quality is surprisingly good for a smart speaker, and you gain Alexa voice control for the TV.

Read our TV audio setup guide →

Method 5: Use Headphones for Personal Viewing ($0-200)

For nighttime viewing when you can't disturb others, wireless headphones connected to the TV provide better audio than any TV speaker or soundbar.

Most TVs support Bluetooth headphone output. The Sony WH-1000XM5 connected to your TV delivers cinema-quality audio with noise cancellation — you hear every detail without waking anyone.

If your TV doesn't support Bluetooth audio output, a Bluetooth transmitter plugged into the optical or 3.5mm output solves that.

Method 6: Acoustic Treatment (Free-$50)

Where you watch TV affects how the audio sounds as much as the speakers themselves:

• Hard walls directly behind the TV reflect sound and create echo. A bookshelf, tapestry, or acoustic panel behind the TV absorbs reflections.
• Bare floors reflect sound. A rug between the TV and couch absorbs reflections and improves clarity.
• Open floor plans dissipate sound. If your TV faces into a large open space, sound energy is lost. Positioning the couch closer to the TV helps.

These adjustments are free (you probably already have a rug and bookshelf) and they improve audio quality regardless of what speakers you use.

When You Actually Need a Soundbar

If you've tried all the above and still can't hear dialog clearly, or if you want bass that shakes the couch, a soundbar is the right investment. But now you'll be adding it to an optimized environment — you'll get more out of the soundbar because the room acoustics and TV settings are already dialed in.

The Vizio M-Series 5.1 ($200) with included subwoofer and satellite speakers is excellent value for a full surround setup.

Read our soundbar buying guide →

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