Most TVs look fantastic, and it’s something we pay a lot of attention to while buying one. But the sound coming out of it matters just as much to the overall experience, especially if you aren’t using a soundbar or a speaker system.
Built-in TV speakers usually aren’t great, but they’re not as bad as they sound out of the box. I recently took the time to tweak the sound settings on my TCL Google TV, and the difference was huge.
Choose the right sound mode
The biggest difference maker
Just like picture modes, most TVs also ship with sound modes like Standard, Cinema, Music, Sports, and Game. Standard is tuned to be acceptable on everything, which also means it isn’t great at anything in particular. Cinema mode enhances dialogue and adds more bass. Game mode is built for immersion, while the Sports mode improves the quality of the commentary and the crowd noise.
They’re all pretty self-explanatory, so all you need to do is pick the one that matches what you’re watching. On most TVs, you can find this under Settings > Display and sound > Sound > Sound Preset.
Fine-tune the sound to your liking
Go beyond the presets
Choosing the right sound mode is usually enough, but you don’t have to stop there. Most TVs also include advanced sound settings that let you shape the audio however you like.
Head to Settings > Display and sound > Sound > Sound Customization, and you’ll see sliders for Surround Virtualizer, Bass Enhancer, Dialogue Enhancer, and Definition. You can adjust these to get the sound that works best for you.
Virtualizer makes a TV sound wider than it really is, so it feels like it’s coming from beyond the edges of the screen. Bass Enhancer adds some low-end body, which TV speakers usually lack. Dialogue Enhancer lifts the frequency range where human voices sit, so speech is easier to follow, and you don’t have to keep raising the volume. Definition (sometimes labeled Clarity or Treble) controls how crisp the higher frequencies sound.
Enable Dolby Atmos or DTS Virtual X
Make your speakers sound bigger
Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual X are audio technologies that try to create a more spatial, three-dimensional soundstage. These can make even a basic set of built-in speakers sound good. Neither one will suddenly turn your TV into a home theater, of course, but they’re convincing enough.
Dolby Atmos works great with movies and shows optimized for it. This includes most of the content from Netflix, Disney, Prime Video, and Hulu. DTS Virtual X works on both regular stereo and 5.1 content. It processes the sound into a virtual surround field, so it doesn’t actually depend on the content being mastered in a specific format.
You can find these modes under the Audio Processing section inside Sound settings. There’s no right answer here, so you can try them both and see which one feels better.
Enable automatic volume control
Stop babysitting the remote
Most TVs have a feature that tries to keep the volume steady, so a loud scene doesn’t blast you right after a soft one. It also helps when you’re switching channels and sources. This obviously sounds like something that should be on by default, but it usually isn’t. That means most users are constantly babysitting the volume level while watching something.
The feature goes by different names, like Auto Volume Control, Adaptive Volume, or Volume Leveler. On Google TV, you can find it under Settings > Display and sound > Sound > Acoustic Laboratory > Auto Volume Control.
Let your TV know where it’s mounted
Stand or wall, it matters
This one’s easy to overlook, but where your TV sits changes how it sounds. On a stand, the speakers typically bounce sound off the surface below and fire into the room. On a wall, the sound fires straight with nothing to reflect off.
Most TVs let you specify which setup you’re using, so they can adjust the audio processing to match. It might sound like a small thing, but it does make a difference.
Head to the Sound settings menu and look for TV Placement or a similar option. Set it to Wall Mount or Stand, depending on your setup, and you should notice a difference in the sound quality.
There’s one more thing you can do…
If you’re watching through a streaming box, gaming on a console, using a set-top box, or using any other external device, you can also check the sound settings of those devices. Another thing you can do is try an equalizer app to make the TV sound better.
If the sound still feels thin after all this, the best option is to get a soundbar. You don’t need to spend a lot. Even a budget model can be a real upgrade over your TV’s built-in speakers, and you can snag one for as little as $50 to $100.