Soundbars are especially valued for their portability and multifunctionality. They also can work as a good upgrade of your TV speakers. A high-quality soundbar can substitute the whole audio system in your home theater, being connected to your TV, gaming console, computer, etc.
However, is it possible to achieve great dialogue clarity that is usually provided by front and rear speakers with the help of just one soundbar? The answer may surprise you, but yes, it’s possible. Despite their portable dimensions, some soundbars do have some special technologies to ensure the clarity of dialogue. Such a soundbar will be a great option for those who have issues understanding voices in TV shows, movies, podcasts or audiobooks. They are also vital for people with hearing issues.
At the same time, not all soundbars make the voices clearer. Some models, on the contrary, make voices sound muddy and cluttered. So, how do you choose the right model for voice clarity?
In this article, we will give you some tips on how to find the proper soundbar for this purpose (you also can visit HelpToChoose to find your best soundbar for dialogue).
Thus, choosing the best soundbar for dialogue, check if it can offer such features:
The dialogue clarity speech enhancement technology
Look for this feature when choosing a soundbar for dialogue. It’s common for many soundbars in different price ranges. It uses advanced algorithms to improve the speech clarity, separating the voices from background sounds which makes it easier to hear every word at any volume level when watching a movie or video on YouTube.
Voice-enhancing modes and presets
Many modern soundbars go equipped with special modes that adapt the sound for different scenarios. Some of them include a voice-enhancing mode, designed specifically for making voices clearer and crisper. The included EQ presets also allow you to make voices louder and adjust the sound to match the audio content.
Dolby Atmos and DTS
The multidimensional, surround sound effects, obviously, contribute to the dialogue clearness as well. Nowadays, Dolby Atmos and DTS are considered as the most advanced and the most popular surround sound technologies as they are used in movie theaters. Different soundbars may include such decoders as DTS Virtual: X, DTS Studio Sound, Dolby Digital, DTS TruSurround, DTS TruVolume, etc.
Balanced sound
Some soundbars tend to highlight highs, making lows less hearable, or vice versa. This way, if the sound that comes from a soundar isn’t properly balanced, the voices may appear to be “drowned” by other sounds. That is why you should make sure that a soundbar has a well-balanced frequency response.
Center channel
Some soundbars come with a dedicated center channel, designed specifically for voice enhancement. Such models work excellents with dialogue-heavy content, providing clearer and more accurate voice reproduction than the soundbars that have voices coming out of all 3 speakers.
Bigger dimensions
Almost all soundbars have compact dimensions (at least much more compact than full audio systems or tower speakers). However, some of them are bigger than the others. When choosing a model for improved voice clarity, it’s better to go for a bigger one. Thus, you have more chances to get what you want as bigger soundbars are more powerful and sound louder.
Extra speakers
Minimally, the soundbar has at least two built-in speakers (left and right). However, if we talk about soundbars for dialogue, it’s better to have some external speakers. The 5.1 and 7.1 systems have at least two external speakers that ensure a high-quality, room-filling, cinema-like sound. Such a system will be much more helpful for people who struggle to hear dialogues in movies than 2.0 or 3.1 soundbars.