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ZDNET's key takeaways
Your listening room's layout has a huge impact on your soundbar's Dolby Atmos performance.
There are several audio features that can help improve dialogue clarity.
Building out your Sonos home theater can help with audio clarity and robustness.
Sonos' webpages and popular reviews are full of specs, but several real-life factors affect your soundbar's performance more than you'd think. Factors such as placement, your content's audio format, and your room's size and furniture all affect your soundbar's output.
I use my Sonos Arc and Arc Ultra soundbars, Era 300 speakers, Sub 4 subwoofer, and Ace headphones daily, but achieving complete satisfaction required some adjustments. I'm finally ready to share the secrets.
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Start with your soundbar's placement. Regardless of whether you have a flagship Arc or Arc Ultra, or a smaller Beam or Ray, location matters. Ensure your soundbar is as close to eye level as possible and centered on your TV. If you can help it, keep your soundbar out of a cabinet; you want sound to disperse throughout the room rather than be confined within a space.
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