In some cases, confusion about where to place a Dolby Atmos soundbar causes many setups to fall short. You shouldn’t have it tucked away under your TV or a shelf, but rather positioned slightly in front of your TV to avoid dampening its effects.
Since they use at least two upward-firing elements to generate audio above the listener, there should be an unobstructed path for those drivers to hit your ceiling and bounce straight back down. That means you should have a flat ceiling with no light fixtures or fans, as these could easily deter sound waves, or, even worse, block the audio path entirely.
For added optimization, your Atmos-enabled soundbar should be placed no more than halfway up the wall, right between the floor and ceiling.
You should also ensure the soundbar is parallel with your couch, as the results are best when it sits as close to ear level as possible. Dolby asserts that if you mount a soundbar off-center, too high, or too low, dialogue and sound effects will feel as though they’re arriving from a whole other room, rather than your movie or show.
If you upped the ante and bought an Atmos-enabled soundbar with side-firing drivers, rearrange your decor as needed so the sound from those speakers and their first reflection off the wall have a clear pathway to your seat, ensuring that no furniture, shelving arrangement, or sound-absorbing materials get in the way.
In contrast, if you live in a smaller space that won’t fully accommodate these arrangements, some compact options, like the Sonos Beam, don’t rely on up-firing drivers, which allows for more seamless placement. These tend to function well in modest apartments or studios, as the sound-coding tech behind virtual Dolby Atmos still delivers a solid three-dimensional listening experience, but bear in mind that they cannot fully mirror the immersion of up-firing drivers.