COURTESY OF SONOS

Feel the sound

How to get the most out of a soundbar

by CHRISTINE PERSAUD

Nothing beats a fully immersive home theatre experience including both video and audio. You don’t typically think of a single soundbar 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:

Active or passive. You’ll need to choose between an active or passive soundbar. An active soundbar has a built-in amplifier and connects directly to your TV, eliminating potential lag and sync issues. A passive soundbar connects to an amplifier or receiver. If you aren’t adding more speakers, an all-in-one active soundbar solution is simple and effective.

Audio support. For an immersive, three-dimensional experience from 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.

Play matchmaker. Consider matching the brand of your soundbar with the brand of your TV. Some TV manufacturers make soundbars with integration features. LG’s latest soundbars include slide-in mounting systems to fit seamlessly beneath its newest TVs. LG’s WOW Orchestra technology and technologies like Samsung’s Q Symphony combine the manufacturer’s TV speakers and soundbar to improve immersive sound and eliminate lip sync (when audio and mouth movements aren’t lining up) and distortion.

Turn off the TV’s speakers. Combining the TV’s built-in speakers with a soundbar (without special features like WOW Orchestra or Q Symphony) can be distracting. Either disable the TV’s internal speakers (if there’s a settings option) or mute the TV volume and turn up the soundbar volume.

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