What is the best size soundbar for your TV?

You’re finally convinced that you can no longer live with the soulless sound produced by your TV speakers. Luckily, you can spend a few hundred dollars to upgrade your audio with one of the best soundbars, and most even come with a wireless subwoofer for extra bass. But is there a certain soundbar size you should look for when your TV has a specific screen size? Not necessarily, but what you don’t do it What we want is a completely incompatible TV soundbar setup, where one piece of hardware is much larger or smaller than the other.

Ideally, you’re aiming for a balanced look, which usually means investing in a soundbar that’s as wide as your TV, or a few inches shorter. For screens 65 inches or larger, a 44-55 inch bar should work just fine. If your TV is only 50 inches, you can probably get away with a 37 to 43 inch bar. That said, if you’re working with a larger viewing space, you may need a larger, wider soundbar to properly project sound.

You’ll also want to make sure your soundbar isn’t blocking any part of your TV screen. If placed on a stand, it should be a few inches below the bottom of the panel. Most soundbars can also be wall-mounted, which bodes well for those of us with a floating TV. You can mount the bar directly below or above your TV, and most systems only require a single HDMI or digital optical cable.

Choosing the right size soundbar based on your TV size and viewing space ultimately comes down to personal preference. Still, it’s worth being aware of the size of the room your bar will live in. A massive system with multiple speakers and a wireless subwoofer may be too loud for a bedroom, while a small soundbar might struggle to deliver enough audio if placed in a larger room. That’s why it’s important to be able to hear your soundbar in action before it moves permanently into your home.

Buying a soundbar shouldn’t be difficult, but there are many audio manufacturers on the market and most brands make more than one soundbar. It’s also easy to make common mistakes when purchasing a soundbar. Fortunately, it’s hard to go wrong with reliable companies like Bose and Sonos, and both brands offer a variety of soundbar models (and sizes) to choose from. While Samsung, Sony and LG may be best known for their TVs, all three AV brands also make solid soundbars. Samsung and LG even make soundbars that can pair wirelessly with a compatible Samsung or LG TV.

Being reasonable about room size is the best thing you can do for your home theater. Of course, you can always return a soundbar that’s not up to par (provided it’s still within its return window), but we want to avoid buyer’s remorse as much as possible. That’s why it’s important to measure more than once, read reviews, and look at user feedback on sites like Amazon and Best Buy.