Five ways to make your TV audio clearer

Struggling to understand what's being said in the latest TV drama? You're not alone. In a recent YouGov survey, more than a quarter of respondents (28%) said that they prefer to have subtitles on when watching shows in their native language. There’s no need to put up with it, though. We reveal the different ways you can improve on your TV's sound quality.

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.

Best soundbars for 2023 Discover which soundbars aces all our lab tests

1. Adjust your TV sound settings

Don’t assume you need to buy extra tech to improve your TV audio. First, make sure your TV is set to prioritise dialogue.

Using your TV 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.

Many modern TVs have lots of audio modes to choose from. For example, most Samsung TVs, Sony TVs and LG TVs have a dedicated 'clear voice' or similarly named setting. This mode makes voices more prominent in the spread of the sound compared to background sounds, making them easier to follow without having to make any change to the overall volume.

Looking for a new TV? See the best TVs for 2023 according to our in-depth lab tests

2. 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).

After a new set of headphones? Check out all our over-ear wireless headphone reviews.

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 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 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). 

We test all soundbars in our labs as well as with our professional listening panel, allowing us to deliver a definitive verdict for each. We've listed a couple of models below, but be sure to click through to the full reviews and check out our pick of the best soundbars for 2023 before purchasing.

Denon DHT-S217 (typical price, £249)

This is a simple and relatively cheap 2.1 soundbar that 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.

Click through to our Denon DHT-S217 review to see if it delivers.

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.

See how it performed in all our lab tests by reading our full Samsung HW-Q600B review.

4. Get dedicated TV headphones

Dedicated TV headphones are a convenient option if you plan to use them regularly or like to watch long films.

They charge automatically when you put them back on their dock, 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 the 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 its own dock and claims strong battery life of around 35 hours. 

Read our expert Avantree Opera review to find out if it delivers.

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 Sennheiser RS 175 review.

Not quite what you're after? Check out all our TV headphone reviews.

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 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 first-look Sony LSR-200 review back in 2017), but it's still available to buy. 

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