When was it possible to turn on your television, adjust the level only once, and hear everything clearly? However, viewing anything has become into an aural rollercoaster for which you didn’t purchase a ticket since displays have grown flatter and thinner.

A music swell or explosion can almost knock you off your feet, yet the dialogue is often so quiet and muffled that you need subtitles to follow along. Not only is the outcome irritating, but it turns what ought to be a soothing experience into a never-ending game of remote control whack-a-mole as you fumble to adjust the volume up, down, and up again.

The obvious solution when this starts to happen often is to take the plunge and go for the greatest surround sound system or soundbar to enhance your experience. However, before you do, we advise you to check your TV’s settings and placement, as well as the feeds in and out, since they might have a noticeable impact.

With advice from Panasonic TV and Home AV expert Michael Price, we’ve created a list of tips and tactics that could just generate flawless TV audio without the need for additional equipment. and more money was wasted.

1. Place your TV properly

The placement of your screen inside a room may significantly affect the sound quality, which is mostly determined by the arrangement of the internal speakers. “Instead of or in addition to front-facing speakers, many of the newest flatscreen TVs have speakers that fire from the back or down from the TV,” Michael notes.

Because the audio is being directed directly back into a hard surface, “if you hang a TV with rear-firing speakers on a wall and the speakers are configured incorrectly, they can create a muffled or distant, echoey sound.”

The same is true if the screen is resting on a console or seat and your internal TV speakers are pointing straight down. The easiest thing to do is to position your television appropriately.

Therefore, provide a sufficient distance between the back of the screen and the wall if the majority of your speakers face backward. Additionally, if they are front-facing, be sure that nothing is blocking them and that they are properly aligned toward your seat.

2. Verify that Store Mode is not selected.

There is a slight possibility that your TV was inadvertently placed in “Store Mode,” depending on where you purchased it and how it was configured. This mode, which is often referred to as “Demo” or “Retail Mode,” is intended to make your TV stand out by enhancing the brightness and dynamic quality of the screen and amplifying the bass.

This is all well and good if you want to stand out on the Best Buy or Costco shelves, but it’s not very attractive for someone lounging in a small living room with just the cat around.

Therefore, go into the settings and make sure your TV is on “Home” or “User” mode if it sounds too loud and ostentatious. If not, make the modification. You may then begin additional optimization.

3. Make use of the spatial setup of a TV

Higher-end screens often include AI settings that effectively “read the room” and modify the sound appropriately, however not all TVs will have this functionality. “TVs that have Panasonic’s Space Tune feature can transmit test signals to the microphone on your TV remote control from the built-in speakers,” Michael says. This gives the TV a broad idea of the room’s acoustics and allows it to determine its distance from each wall, floor, and ceiling. Depending on whether the left or right wall is further away, it will then automatically modify the speaker outputs, frequencies, and delays.

To get the most out of this feature, sit on the sofa where you usually do, make sure the room is silent (perhaps wait till the loud roommates, kids, or pets are asleep), and hold the remote control at ear level.

To aid in the setup process, Panasonic offers you the choice to pre-select whether your TV is wall mounted, next to the wall, or in a corner.

4. Is there a sound wizard on your TV?

Not everyone will be patient enough or confident enough to tinker with equalization settings. A “wizard” function of some kind could be the solution if that describes you.

For instance, the Personalized Sound Wizard function is available on LG’s most recent OLED TVs. Each sound option, including Vocal Tone, Base-Treble Balance, and Spatial Sound, will have a number of profiles. You will be prompted to choose one or two of your favorites. Consider it similar to an eye exam in which your optician repeatedly asks, “Better or worse?” while flipping lenses.

As you go, you’ll see that the categories are blended, for example, Vocal Tone and Preferred Spatial Sound, until you arrive to the conclusion, when the TV determines your ideal sound profile.

To help you perceive the change, it even provides a before and after. This is an excellent approach to acquire your Goldilocks-style sound profile in a few minutes if you’re not comfortable adjusting the bass, treble, etc. separately.

5. Return to the fundamentals

You checked, and you don’t have access to any advanced spatial or AI modes. However, you probably have at least a few choices, such as “Cinematic Mode” or “Sports.”

And it’s a simple decision whether you spend whole Sundays huddled in front of NFL RedZone or if every night is Christopher Nolan movie night. Otherwise, however, would you really bother switching the sound profile on your TV each time you switch channels? Most likely not.

Michael suggests starting with the regular or usual setting for anybody who watches a variety of media, including news, comedies, dramas, and the odd game. According to him, “it’s called straight through at times, which indicates the TV isn’t doing any extra processing.” “With no drastic changes, you’re hearing what needs to be heard, therefore it’s your best option for regular watching. From there, you may adjust the sound using the TV’s built-in equalizer.

6. Modify the bass if your TV is wall-mounted.

It’s time to brave your TV’s equalizers when normal isn’t working for you. Keep in mind that low frequencies govern your bass and sub-bass (imagine explosions and rumbles from action movies).

Many musical instruments and conversation may be heard in the mid-range, whereas higher frequencies are associated with more treble, which gives your audio clarity and sharpness. However, if you use the treble too much, the sound will become harsh and strident.

Back to the “bass-ics,” nevertheless. Big bass settings on contemporary TVs might be the most annoying, but a loud subwoofer can add drama to a home viewing of Formula One: The Movie.

Michael adds, “If your TV is placed on or against a wall, that rumbling base might cause some strange sonic side effects.” “In order to avoid such distortions, it is beneficial to modify that base—make it less “full on.”

7. Muffled dialogue? Lean toward greater treble

There are settings for that, so don’t worry if your favorite historical drama sounds like it was shot in a pillow fort.

“How to ensure speech is clear is probably the question I get asked the most about TV sound quality,” Michael adds. “If your TV has one, you may now set it in “Speech Mode.”

Since voices often have a higher pitch than, say, explosions or crowd noise, this will enhance the mid tones and treble of any audio. If that isn’t possible and you’re experiencing issues hearing the conversation, adjust your settings to slightly lower the bass and increase the treble.

Additionally, consider disabling “enhancements” like surround sound, which sometimes drown out conversations with thunderous sound effects.

8. In open-plan areas, a “music” mode is quite effective.

An open-plan kitchen, dining, and living area might be difficult for a TV to operate in, particularly if it has a lot of hard surfaces. For a completely realistic experience, Michael explains, “We definitely want some reflections because they help the audio sound like it’s coming from above and to the side as well as from the front.” “But you’ll get echo if there’s a bit too much bouncing around over hard surfaces.”

Michael says, “If you’ve participated in enough Teams and Zoom calls in the past few years, you’ll know that using a microphone cover produces a softer, warmer tone.” “Obviously, you can’t actually ‘cover’ your TV, but you can absorb the sound instead of reflecting it by adding soft furnishings to the space, such drapes, cushions, and even natural wood furniture. Compared to a kitchen with several floor-to-ceiling windows, work tables, and tile, this will create a warmer atmosphere.

But how can you get rid of the echo in the settings? According to Michael, “your ears will pick up a sharp sound that’s rattling around the room much more than a bass sound, which tends to be more non-directional.”

Therefore, choose Music Mode or reduce the treble in the settings to get rid of that harsh edge. This will highlight the middle tones and steer clear of either extreme, especially the treble, which will be much more erratic at the top end.

9. Benefit from Dolby Atmos

If your TV has a good internal decoder and digital tuner, it should be able to handle high-quality audio sources like Dolby Atmos, which is accessible on Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Max, Paramount+, and Vudu, even if it doesn’t have built-in speakers that blast from all directions.

Even a basic stereo speaker setup is probably going to increase the sound quality, but as Michael notes, you must make sure that your strategy includes the Dolby feed. It is often not available with basic subscriptions; for instance, Netflix requires its Premium Plan ($24.99).

10. Try updating the firmware.

TV manufacturers sometimes provide firmware upgrades, which may enhance features like audio quality in addition to fixing faults. It’s important periodically checking the settings on your TV to see if there have been any modifications. Without paying any money, one single click might provide you with better sound and more clear language.

You may need to purchase a soundbar or surround sound system if none of these adjustments have the desired effect. As Michael notes, it’s important to pick your TV with realism in mind. “The speakers themselves make a big difference, but there are always things you can do in the settings,” he explains.

Choosing the lightest TV feasible is often the source of people’s dissatisfaction with TV sound. However, you will probably receive the tiniest speakers if you choose the narrowest TV available. In essence, sound is the vibration of air. Therefore, it won’t sound very well if it vibrates in a little speaker.

“You can vibrate more tones and produce a wider dynamic range in the music if you have a larger speaker. Therefore, the most important thing to consider is the kind of speakers you will be receiving and adjust your expectations appropriately.