Place a Bluetooth speaker in different spots and it can sound radically different, even if the volume never changes. I discovered this the hard way while testing speakers in various rooms throughout my house. A track that sounded thin when I placed a speaker on a table suddenly increased its bass and clarity as I moved the speaker closer to a wall, then turned boomy when it was pushed into a corner. Placement is free, immediate, and frequently more effective than spending time hunting for a “better” EQ.
This guide details easy, repeatable placement effects to benefit Bluetooth speaker sound in real rooms, as well as when those effects blow up and what to do instead.
How Sound Can Change When You Move a Bluetooth Speaker
The sound isn’t only coming out of your Bluetooth speaker. It is also bouncing off the floors, walls and ceiling around you and off the furniture as well, so that part of the sound arrives at your ears a little bit later. Those reflections can amplify some frequencies, cancel others and modify the overall wide or focused sound of music.
Room reflections and bass buildup
Low frequencies are long waves. They build up particularly in corners and against walls; they can indeed make the bass louder, but less well controlled.
Speaker direction and ear level
Most portable speakers are engineered to sound best when they point at you. There’s muffledness in detail and vocals if the driver is pushing air at your knees, or into a couch cushion.
Hard versus soft surfaces
Sound bounces off hard surfaces and you get additional brightness. Soft materials soak up higher frequencies and have been known to suck the life out of a Bluetooth speaker.
Here Are the Best Tricks for Bluetooth Speaker Placement
These are purely functional exercises you can try with a known song in just 60 seconds.
Begin with the “open space” level
- Place this Bluetooth speaker on a stable flat surface in open space no less than an arm’s length away from a wall. This leaves you with an impartial baseline so that you can hear what, if any, changes are actually improving things.
Go against a wall for richer sound, not into a corner
If your Bluetooth speaker is too thin, place it 6 to 12 inches from a wall behind it. This can often add warmth and perceived low end without it all sounding like mud.
If you’d like it to be more bottom-heavy, scooch a little closer to the wall. If it sounds boomy, back off again. Why? Well, corners are usually bass-pumped and clarity-reducing so treat them as a final resort.
Boost the speaker to get clear sound
A simple upgrade is height. Place the Bluetooth speaker on a bookshelf, side table, or desk so the sound has a more direct path to your ears. This can often enhance voicing and stereo-bubble effects, particularly for little speakers that may not excel with detail.
If you have a cylinder-shaped speaker, spin the cylindrical object and try to listen for where your voice sounds most natural in the immediate area around it. Some designs spread sound around uniformly, some do not.
Just keep it off the floor unless you want bass devices
Floor position can add bass with boundary reinforcement, but it also muddies midrange and steals some sparkle. If your Bluetooth speaker is lacking in bass, placing it on the floor might be a temporary fix. If you prefer separation and clean vocals, move it up.
Stay away from “soft traps” such as beds or couches
Place a Bluetooth speaker on a bed, heavy couch or stack of clothes and you’ll lose high-frequency detail. Its surface decelerates treble and it can obstruct ports or passive radiators.
Just set it on a book, tray or solid plate under the speaker and you can regain clear sound even if the only spot to put it down is a soft place.
Allow rear ports and passive radiators space to breathe
A common approach to enhance bass in many Bluetooth speakers is to dispense with passive radiators and rear ports. You will choke airflow and generate distorted or lumpy bass if you directly press the speaker into a wall or slam it in a tight shelf.
When you can, leave some room between and around the speaker, even if it’s a couple of centimetres.
Only use them in corners for quiet listening periods
Corner placement can be handy if you play your music at low volumes and like a bit more bass, but even then it’s not worth too much of the trouble. The compromise is that the sound tends to be less accurate and often has a “one-note” bass quality to it. If you employ this trick, position the Bluetooth speaker off-center a bit to get your clarity back.
Placement Tips for Common Rooms
Bedroom
Bedrooms offer soft acoustics, which can be good in terms of reducing harshness, but it can also soften the sound. Place the Bluetooth speaker on a dresser or a bedside table — not your bed. If the vocals are being muddied, keep it away from heavy curtains.
Living room
Living rooms are often surrounded by hard walls and tend to be large open spaces. Begin with a shelf or side table near where you’ll be listening. If the sound is tinny, try moving the Bluetooth speaker further from hard walls or distance it from windows.
Kitchen
Kitchens are reflective and you can make treble aggressive. A Bluetooth speaker has its optimal sound on a counter, aimed away from the backsplash if it gets too loud. If you perceive glare, slide it a bit forward, minimizing reflections from tile and glass.
Outdoor patio
Outside, bass goes away because there are fewer waves that bounce back. If your Bluetooth speaker sounds thin when you’re outside, bring it close to a wall or railing for a bit of backing. If you want clearer mids, keep it off the floor.
Simple Tests to Quickly Determine the Arena of Interest
Grab a track you know well and loop a short section.
The three-move method
- First, listen in open space.
- Second, move the Bluetooth speaker near a wall.
- Third, raise it higher.
It tends to be one of these that gives you the biggest improvement overall. Add only moves that visibly aid.
The “walk-around” check
Play a voice-heavy track and move around the room. If vocals disappear in some places and jump out in others, room interaction is present. You’ll want to make sure that room configuration is also helpful here. If it’s not, eschew the corner and instead look for something closer to the center.
The Most Likely Reasons Your Bluetooth Speaker Sucking Sound And How To Fix It
The Bluetooth speaker, when placed in a bookshelf cutout of the cabinet, can result in echo and boomy bass.
Aim it flat at a hard wall. Hard reflections can increase.
Sealing ports or passive rads can reduce output levels and create high levels of distortion.
Cranking the volume to “fix” sad bass only makes the speaker compress and sound worse.
Conclusion
A Bluetooth speaker is only as good as the room you put it in. But for most people, the key wins are avoiding corners and getting that speaker up closer to ear level, and using a wall a short distance away if you want warmth but without a boom. When you land on a space that has clear vocals and controlled bass, you will realize your speaker is sounding louder, cleaner and more expensive without spending anything.
FAQs
The optimum place to put a Bluetooth speaker for best sound?
The best setup for a Bluetooth speaker is on a stable surface near ear level in open space, with about a foot of room behind it. It’s usually a good compromise, offering both clarity and bass without boominess.
Why does my Bluetooth speaker sound good when it’s near a wall?
A wall can amplify low frequencies, which is why something like a Bluetooth speaker might seem more full when placed against one. The trick is not painting it into a corner, as corners can overboost bass and take away detail.
Does it make sense to have a Bluetooth speaker sitting on the ground?
The floor position can add bass, but usually at the expense of clarity, and vocals are less defined. For cleaner sound, raise the Bluetooth speaker up on a table or shelf.
How can I make the bass less boomy on a Bluetooth speaker?
Put the Bluetooth speaker under the pedestal and increase distance from the wall or take it up more. If you can, keep it away from deep shelves that tend to trap bass.
How can I increase the volume of my Bluetooth speaker without sacrificing sound quality?