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Soundbar size and placement for your TV: width, height and the gaps that matter

By the SoundScreen Store editorial team · November 12, 2026

The size on a TV’s box is its diagonal. Soundbars are sold by their width. To match the two you need the TV’s real width, and then a few measurements for height and clearance that decide whether the bar sounds as good on your wall or cabinet as it did in the shop. This guide works them out.

1. Find your TV’s real width

For a 16:9 screen the picture width is 0.8716 × the diagonal and the picture height is 0.4903 × the diagonal. The TV’s frame adds a little to both; check the overall width in the TV’s specification sheet.

TV size Picture width Picture height
43 in 95 cm (37.5 in) 54 cm (21.1 in)
50 in 111 cm (43.6 in) 62 cm (24.5 in)
55 in 122 cm (47.9 in) 68 cm (27.0 in)
65 in 144 cm (56.7 in) 81 cm (31.9 in)
75 in 166 cm (65.4 in) 93 cm (36.8 in)
85 in 188 cm (74.1 in) 106 cm (41.7 in)

2. Choose a bar width that suits it

There is no technical rule here, but there is a practical one: a bar about as wide as the TV, or a little narrower, looks right and keeps the sound lined up with the picture. A bar much wider than the TV overhangs the stand or the wall bracket; a very short bar under a large TV makes the stereo spread feel small for the picture.

What matters more for sound than the width:

  • A dedicated center channel (a 3.1 bar or larger) for clear dialogue across the room.
  • A separate subwoofer for low bass, which no slim bar produces on its own.

3. Set the height: TV first, then the bar

Mount the TV for your eyes, then put the bar directly below it. Yamaha’s figure for seated eye height is 42.5 in (108 cm), and its rule for the TV’s bottom edge is 42.5 − (TV height ÷ 2) inches. For a 65-inch TV about 33 in tall including the frame, that puts the bottom edge at about 26 in (66 cm) from the floor. Yamaha also says the soundbar belongs at the height closest to 42.5 in, which in almost all rooms means just below the TV.

On a wall mount, leave a small gap between the TV’s bottom edge and the top of the bar so the bar does not cover the TV’s infrared sensor or its light sensor. On a cabinet, check before buying that the bar is lower than the gap between the cabinet top and the bottom of the screen, or it will cover the bottom of the picture.

4. On a shelf or in a cabinet: bring it to the front

A bar pushed to the back of an open shelf fires its sound into the shelf’s sides and roof first, which muddies dialogue. Bring the front of the bar level with the front edge of the shelf. If the bar has side-firing drivers, keep the ends clear as well.

5. Atmos up-firing bars: look up before you buy

Bars with up-firing drivers bounce sound off the ceiling to create height effects. Dolby’s installation guidelines for Atmos enabled speakers ask for:

  • a flat, acoustically reflective ceiling;
  • an ideal ceiling height of 2.3–3.66 m (7.5–12 ft), and no more than 4.27 m (14 ft);
  • the up-firing speaker at or slightly above seated ear height, and no higher than half the wall height;
  • a distance of at least 0.9 m (3 ft) from the listening position, ideally 1.5 m (5 ft) or more.

So: nothing directly above the bar (no shelf, no TV overhang, no cabinet roof), and if your ceiling is sloped, beamed or very high, a bar without up-firing drivers but with a better center and subwoofer is the better buy.

6. Subwoofer and rear speakers

  • Subwoofer: start at the front of the room, near the TV, then try a few positions along the front wall while listening from the sofa. Avoid a corner if the bass booms.
  • Wireless rears: beside or slightly behind the sofa, at about ear height. They are wireless for the signal only; each one still needs a power socket.

Quick checklist

  1. TV width = 0.8716 × diagonal; bar about that wide or a little narrower.
  2. TV bottom edge = 42.5 − (TV height ÷ 2) inches; bar just below.
  3. Bar clear of the IR sensor and below the picture.
  4. On a shelf: bar at the front edge.
  5. Atmos bars: flat reflective ceiling 2.3–3.66 m, nothing above the bar.

Sources