Odds are pretty high that if you recently bought a Soundbar and set it up in your home theater space, you were hoping for a high-quality sound performance by this device.
If you are finding that your Soundbar’s performance is quieter than you expected, you might need to get creative.
How to make a Soundbar louder?
Making a Soundbar louder depends on the model that you have, but there are a few options. You can choose a Soundbar with adequate speaker channels for your space, adjust the acoustics in your media room, ensure the TV settings are correctly programmed, or add more speakers to your sound system.
With that said, there are some ideas that will work directly with the Soundbar as it functions independently as a piece of sound equipment paired with your TV.
Other ideas have more to do with optimizing your home media space to permit the Soundbar that you chose to reach its full potential. Continue reading to take a closer look at a few ideas to make your Soundbar louder.
Also read: How to Connect a Soundbar to a TV Wirelessly
What to Do to Make Your Soundbar Louder?
It is probably not surprising that many people experience their greatest pet peeve as not being able to hear the audio on a movie or show because someone else is talking above the sound of the movie.
There is nothing that can drive people away faster from inviting you over for family and friend movie night than if you are a distraction from the purpose of the gathering (watching the movie).
But, even if you are the host and you have a desire to continue inviting guests who are a bit more rambunctious during the movie, you are not limited in your options for adjusting this scenario and creating a focused movie watching space in your home.
One of the best ways that you can remedy this issue is by enhancing the sound quality in your home theater.
If you have a Soundbar installed, for example, you will want to ensure that it is performing at its best to be able to achieve the output you were expecting it to when you originally purchased it.
In this case, you might want to think of a few solutions to maximize the potential of this piece of audio equipment.
So, what do you do to make your Soundbar louder? Consider these options:
1. Choose a Soundbar with Adequate Speaker Channels
Before you get to the stage of needing to adjust the Soundbar in your home media space, it is important that you do your research and purchase the right Soundbar for your audio needs in the first place. Choosing a Soundbar that has an adequate number of speaker channels, for example, is critical to this process.
Different Soundbar options will have different numbers of speaker channels which will affect the overall sound quality.
Typically speaking, the more speaker channels that your sound system has, the more powerful the audio being streamed can be. As the various speakers will “focus” on particular strains of audio, they can produce a higher quality sound production than a singular speaker that is streaming all of the audio combined.
This said, it is important to pay attention to the specifications of your Soundbar. You will find that the number of speaker channels is listed as the first number, and the second number after the “.” refers to the number of subwoofer speakers that the Soundbar has.
For example, a 2.0 Soundbar has just 2 channels (left and right) and zero subwoofers. Alternatively, a 5.1 Soundbar has 5 speaker channels and 1 subwoofer.
The Soundbar with the greatest number of speaker channels in this scenario will be far more powerful (and therefore louder) in your home theater space.
So, when choosing the right Soundbar for your home theater space, be sure to consider how many speaker channels you will need to produce clear audio. This will impact the overall sound quality and loudness of your Soundbar in your speaker system.
If you are setting up your home theater in a smaller room with limited seating, then you might not need as high a capacity.
But, if you are wanting your Soundbar to be the sole speaker system in which you use in a larger home media space, then it is worth investing in a higher quality model.
2. Adjust the Acoustics in Your Media Room
Another option to help your Soundbar to reach its full potential in sound quality and loudness is to adjust the acoustics in your media room. This has less to do with the Soundbar itself and more to do with optimizing your space so that the Soundbar can truly shine.
To do this, you can consider the types of rugs and flooring, the type of furniture, style of your room and home acoustics, and any soundproofing equipment that you have installed.
Simply put, if your room has terrible acoustics, then you cannot expect to hear wonderful quality audio from your Soundbar.
But, if you take the time to adjust the acoustics in your space, then this can allow the Soundbar to reach its full potential.
So, add in those acoustic squares, consider a decorative rug, or install another piece of furniture to help create the perfect setup for your Soundbar to be heard as loudly (and with as few echoes) as possible.
3. Ensure the TV Settings are Correctly Programmed
Adjusting the TV settings is going to be one of the most important things that you can do when working with your Soundbar and the audio that it streams.
Incorrectly programmed TV audio settings can mean that your TV is still using the general TV speakers by default, or it has not calibrated this device or other pieces of paired equipment.
So, to ensure that the TV settings are correctly programmed, go to the Audio settings and select the Soundbar as your preferred speaker option.
If you are connecting your Soundbar with an HDMI cable, then you will need to select the port in which the Soundbar is connected (ex. HDMI 3).
Alternatively, if you are connecting your Soundbar via WiFi or Bluetooth, then be sure that the device is received under “Control Devices” or something similar.
You may find that an HDMI connection promotes higher quality sound, so be sure to test out both options if the Soundbar model you are using is compatible and you are able to do so.
4. Add More Speakers to Your Sound System
Another way to make your Soundbar louder is to add more speakers to your home theater sound system. Now, this will not only work to improve the quality of your overall system, but it will help to take some of the “load” off of the Soundbar, too.
For example, maybe you are using a Soundbar that has 1 subwoofer. While it might be performing relatively well, adding in an additional subwoofer could do extraordinary things to raise the sound of the deep bass tones that are streaming through your sound system.
Not only would you receive the experience of audio streaming from this speaker, but your Soundbar would mesh with this and sound even louder.
As stated above, you can also choose to purchase a Soundbar that has more speaker channels in the first place. The distribution of sound to various speakers will allow for a more robust sound experience, thus heightening the overall quality of audio that is streaming from your device.
So, whether you choose to add more speakers to your sound system, or you choose to purchase a Soundbar that has more speaker channels in the first place, either option should leave you with a higher quality sound experience in your home theater.
Why is My Soundbar Not Very Loud?
As you begin troubleshooting the issues that could be occurring with the sound quality coming from your Soundbar, it is going to be important to understand why the Soundbar might not be streaming very loudly in the first place.
Of course, robust sound quality is not limited to volume, but this does play a pretty important role in your perception of the sound.
So, why is your soundbar not very loud?
There are a few reasons that this could be the case including that your Soundbar has too few speaker channels, it is not large enough for your home theater space, the acoustics in the room are not supportive, the connection between the Soundbar and your TV is limited, and more.
One of the best ways to determine which of these reasons is accurate for your Soundbar is to perform a trial and error test.
As you review the various options, you are sure to find one that can be helpful in determining how to resolve the issue with a solution listed in the section above.
Check out my recommended soundbars.
Jason is a home theater expert with over 10 years of experience in setting up home cinema rooms and systems. What started out as a hobby soon transformed him into an authority in the audio-visual field. He is passionate about providing readers with accurate and up-to-date information on the latest audiovisual technologies and their applications for home theaters. Read more about Jason.