Simply whacking up the volume isn’t always the best way to get clearer sound from your TV. Not only is it a pain to constantly raise the volume, but it also risks longer-term damage to your hearing and is likely to irritate other people in your household (possibly even your neighbours).
Thankfully, there are now plenty of ways to improve your TV’s sound - particularly dialogue - including some that won't cost you a penny.
1. Adjust your TV's sound settings
Don’t assume you need to buy extra tech to improve your TV's audio. First, make sure your TV is set to prioritise dialogue.
Using your TV's remote, head to the settings menu to find out what sound adjustments your TV offers.
Some TVs default to 'movie' modes for audio. Although this is great for action movies (making explosions sound more impressive, for example), it can also drown out dialogue, making it hard to hear what people are saying.
Looking for a new TV? See the according to our in-depth lab tests2. Use Bluetooth headphones with your TV
If you already have a pair of wireless headphones, consider using them with your TV (most modern TVs support Bluetooth). Although the quality of the audio will depend on your headphones, they'll help block out nearby sounds, which should make dialogue easier to understand.
If you find your TV doesn't support Bluetooth, you can use wired headphones with many older TVs, but the better option would be to consider dedicated TV headphones (as we'll explain in a moment).
3. Get a Best Buy soundbar
TV speakers need to be small to fit in the thin frames favoured by modern TVs. Consequently, sound quality often suffers.
If you’ve tried adjusting your sound settings and aren’t getting the improvement you're after, it could be that your TV's speakers simply aren't good enough. The answer could be to buy a soundbar.
If improving dialogue is your sole focus, a good quality 2.1 soundbar (the '2.1' means it offers stereo sound and has a dedicated subwoofer for more bass) should be more than enough.
To get immersive audio along with improved dialogue, consider a soundbar with more speakers. These are designed to offer a more surround sound-style effect with audio coming from multiple directions. They also often offer a more powerful, rumbly deep bass (though this can adversely impact dialogue, so use it sparingly).
Denon DHT-S217 (typical price - £249)
This is a simple and relatively cheap 2.1 soundbar aims to improve the standard of dialogue over your TV’s own sound. It also supports Dolby Atmos, which aims to provide a home cinema experience.
Samsung HW-Q600B (typical price - £379)
If you’re looking for much-improved all-round sound, this could be the ideal model to choose. It’s a 3.1 soundbar (meaning the main soundbar has three speakers, plus a separate subwoofer), so there’s an added centre channel speaker specifically for dialogue.
4. Get some dedicated TV headphones
Dedicated TV headphones are a convenient option if you plan to use them regularly or like watching long films.
They charge automatically whenever you put them back on their docks, and are always connected to your TV and ready to use. They also often have well padded ear cushions for extra comfort (essential for long listening sessions).
You need to choose a pair that matches the connections on the back of your TV – for modern TVs that’s usually a digital optical socket, while older TVs use aux-in socket.
We’ve highlighted a couple of pairs below – click through to our reviews to see which are the best to buy.
Avantree Opera (typical price - £130)
This competitively-priced set of TV headphones come with their own dock and claim strong battery life of around 35 hours.
Sennheiser RS 175 (typical price - £179)
Sennheiser is a specialist in TV headphones, and this is one of its most popular pairs. Sennheiser claims they can operate over a range of up to 100m (though you're unlikely to see the TV particularly well from that distance).
Find out how well they handle dialogue in our full .5. Silence the volume wars
Everyone hears things slightly differently, which often means people battling over how high to set the volume. The Sony Wireless Handy TV Speaker LSR-200 (typical price - £135) aims to solve this.
Whoever wants the volume higher simply places this speaker on a side table aimed only at them - the idea is that they'll get a personal boost to the sound in addition to the TV’s speakers that everyone else is listening to.
It has its own independent volume control, and even a Voice Zoom function to accentuate voices from the rest of the sound.
The Wireless Handy Speaker LSR-200 isn't new (we published our back in 2017), but it's still available to buy. undefinedsource https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/five-ways-to-make-your-tvs-audio-clearer-aQtqk0h2hWFj