Sound clarity is a significant issue in a large room and leads to a poor home entertainment experience due to echoes caused by the large space. This is worsened by poor dialogue clarity in some TV shows and movies. As such, TV speakers will not cut it in this scenario, forcing you to invest in external speakers if you are to enjoy your favorite show or watch a movie.
For this, you will need a speaker designed to carry sound efficiently, even in large spaces. While most soundbars are okay for standard-sized living rooms, you will need to find a top of the line soundbar with features suited to a large room. Here are the best soundbars for large rooms.
Top 4 soundbars for a large room
Here is a detailed look at the different high-powered soundbars you can use in a large living room without worrying about loudness and sound quality.
Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra 9.2.4 Ch
A bigger house needs more oomph. Nothing does it better than the Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra with its two subwoofers. The two subwoofers will help you eliminate any bass inconsistencies giving you smooth heart thumping effects no matter where you are in the room.
The ample speaker distribution across the soundbar and the four rear surround effects speakers guarantees you eloquent mids and intriguing highs across the room even if you don’t crank the volume to the max.
It is replacing our former top pick, the Nakamichi Shockwafe Pro 7.1.4, thanks to the increased channels, bigger 10” subwoofers instead of the outgoing 8-inch units, and bumped-up power output. As for connectivity, you are well covered by a slew of options like the main HDMI eARC, 3 extra HDMI ports with Dolby Vision and 4H HDR passthrough, and aptX HD audio streaming, Bluetooth 5.0, optical audio input, coaxial inputs, and a traditional 3.5mm aux input.
Why we love it
- Effortlessly fills a large living room with an open kitchen design with high-quality sound
- It packs a good number of speakers into a sleek and compact design
- The dual 10” subwoofers go very low. Surprisingly low
- A wide range of connectivity options makes it the perfect hub between old classic technology and newer standards
What we don’t like
- The surround effects speakers plug into the subwoofers. This limits subwoofer placement to the rear of the room regardless of whether it is the perfect spot for them after the legendary subwoofer crawl trick or not.
Yamaha Audio YAS-209BL Sound Bar
This Yamaha soundbar is one of the easiest to set up in the market. You can connect audio or video media via HDMI, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or optical cable.
The wireless subwoofer produces deep bass and flexible placement. It also produces a clear voice for enhanced dialogue clarity.
The soundbar has built-in Alexa built-in voice control, convenient for playing music, listening to the news, setting alarms and timers, asking questions, controlling smart home devices, and more. Additionally, the soundbar is also equipped with DTS Virtual: X virtual 3D surround sound. You can also play music and podcasts through Spotify Connect, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
Features
- Connections: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, HDMI
- Dimensions: 7-1/2 × 16-1/2 × 16 inches
- Enhanced dialogue clarity
- DTS Virtual: X virtual 3D surround sound
- Sound Bar Controller App
Pros
- Easy to setup
- Play music via Spotify Connect, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth
- Alexa built-in voice control
Cons
- Poor Alexa integration
Klipsch Bar 48
Klipsch has a reputation for building highly efficient speakers. That experience comes to bear in this compact 3.1 soundbar that is a perfect solution for someone looking to fill their bigger rooms with quality sound but don’t want the look of extra surround speakers.
The Klipsch Bar 48 has 3 soft dome tweeters and 4 oval fiber composite cones packed into a 2.8-inch high bar handling the mid and high range and a compact 8-inch wireless subwoofer taking care of the deeper notes.
At a mere 2.8 inches high, the main unit can easily fit under any TV and blend into the surroundings. This makes it a perfect solution for minimalist living rooms.
Anyone who feels the Klipsch bar 48 isn’t enough can add an optional 3 surround speakers for an even more mind-blowing experience (not a bad tradeoff).
What we love
- Impressive high-quality sound (after doing the firmware update)
- The sleek and compact design makes it blend into any decor
- True left, right, and center channel speakers for a purist listening experience
- Freedom to plug in a bigger subwoofer since the soundbar has RCA sub outputs (you really don’t have to unless you are a hard-core basshead)
- An intuitive well built remote with backlit buttons that come on when you pick it up
What we don’t like
- The firmware version it ships with tends to overpower the center channel in dialog and music scenes. It also doesn’t let the subwoofer shine. Updating before using it the first time will give you the perfect experience
Polk Audio Signa S2 Ultra-Slim TV Sound Bar
Polk Audio Signa is a perfect soundbar for high ceilings. It features five powerful full-range drivers that deliver beautiful rich sound with intense bass. This ultra-slim soundbar is equipped with Polk’s exclusive voice to adjust technology and Dolby Digital Decoding to maximize sound clarity and reduce voice delays.
You can wirelessly stream music from your favorite streaming apps like Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, and others directly from your smartphone, tablet, or other compatible devices through the built-in Bluetooth technology. You can also plug in any audio source via HDMI ARC, optical input, and AUX.
Features
- Item Weight: 3.9 Pounds
- Dolby Digital Decoding
- Connection: Bluetooth, HDMI ARC, optical input, and AUX
- Leverage Polk Adjust Technology
Pros
- Compatible with streaming apps like Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn
- Works with 4K and HD TVs
- Built-in Bluetooth technology
Cons
- Not compatible with some TVs
Do soundbars work in large rooms?
Yes. Soundbars can work in a large room as long as you get one with features designed to produce high definition sound. Ideally, any soundbar with a built-in subwoofer should be able to deliver in a large room.
Nonetheless, a soundbar that will fill a large room sufficiently might be bulky with multiple speakers hence negating the sleek advantage they have over stand-alone speakers. Powered bookshelves or a complete surround system is ultimately the best choice for large rooms.
Check this too: What is the Thinnest Soundbar?
Here are the key features to consider when shopping for a soundbar for a large room;
Audio Channels
Go for a soundbar with 5-7 channels to increase the number of sound emission points. This will go a long way in ensuring that you get the same sound quality no matter where you are in the room.
A Subwoofer
Another thing that subwoofers might fall short in when used in a large room is the bass. Going for a model with a dedicated subwoofer will make it easier to create a high quality enveloping sound without pushing the speakers beyond their capabilities.
How big should my soundbar be?
The general rule of thumb is to get a soundbar that matches your TV width. But this is not to say that you cannot do with a smaller or larger soundbar. That said, getting a soundbar that is too small may not produce enough sound, especially if you are going for a theater movie experience.
Since TVs are measured diagonally, you will need to use the Pythagoras theory to calculate the TV’s actual width. So for a 55-inch TV, you should get a soundbar that is 40-50 inches. Ideally, the soundbar should cover the TV base.
Conclusion
The best soundbar for large rooms should be able to deliver outstanding sound with deep bass. It should also be able to connect to a wide variety of smart devices. Additionally, it should be easy to set up and mount. Lastly, it should be able to control wirelessly for convenience.