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Many of the biggest upgrades to TV audio come from treating your room, not buying expensive speakers or soundbars. The good news is you don't need professional acoustic treatments or a big budget to make a noticeable difference.
Simple changes using items you already own -- or can pick up inexpensively -- can help your TV sound better. Your TV may also have a few overlooked settings that can further improve audio quality.
Also: Why TVs look bright and vibrant in stores, but dull in your living room
To help you curate the best space for creating clean, rich sound, I've put together a list of simple hacks that don't necessarily require you to open your wallet.
Soft materials and surfaces
Sound waves love to bounce off hard surfaces like walls, floors, and ceilings. This can cause annoying echoes, tinny-sounding music and dialogue, and generally muddled audio as sound waves move around the room and collide. Thankfully, you can easily combat this simply by filling the room with your favorite furniture and decorations -- preferably made of soft materials.
Cloth, leather, and other fabrics absorb sound, rather than reflect it, helping reduce the number of sound waves bouncing around the room. Couches, rugs, throw pillows, and blankets can all play a vital role in the acoustics of your home theater or living room. Even canvas art on the walls can help absorb sound.
With just a little rearranging in your house or apartment, you can massively improve your TV audio for free.
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