How to Hear Your TV Better

The Klipsch Cinema 800 is a more expensive option at $969, but it comes with several internal speakers, Dolby Atmos 3.1 support, voice-enabled smart assistants — Google and Alexa — plus a wireless subwoofer. It is also ideal for those who may struggle to clearly hear content. This soundbar “has a neutral, balanced sound profile well-suited to many different types of audio content from bass-heavy music genres to dialogue-centric TV shows,” according to Canadian review site Rtings.com, which buys its products for testing.  

Wireless headphones: Can you do Bluetooth?

For more private listening, you could go with headphones that wirelessly connect to the TV.

If your smart television supports it, Bluetooth is the best wireless technology option since you likely won’t need anything other than compatible headphones. Other wireless technologies like RF, which stands for radio-frequency, or IR, infrared, likely require a base that plugs directly into the headphone jack of the television and then transmits to the headphones.

Most of these headphones go over the ears so they can be used with hearing aids. Prices start at less than $30 and can go up to several hundred dollars, depending on the brand.

For Bluetooth-enabled smart TVs, the setup process may vary depending on the manufacturer, but in most cases you’ll open your TV’s Settings or Accessories menu, select Bluetooth options and then set your TV to pairing mode. Then put your Bluetooth headphones into pairing mode, too.

For those who don’t wear hearing aids, Bluetooth earbuds are also a trendy pick, including the Apple AirPods (from $129), Sony’s Truly Wireless In-Ear Headphones (from $100), Samsung Galaxy Buds (from $100) and Beats by Dr. Dre (from $120).

Pro tip: Many smart TVs with Bluetooth support will let you customize the “multi-output audio” options in Audio Settings to toggle between hearing audio only via Bluetooth headphones or Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids or Bluetooth and the TV’s speakers — in case the person you’re with wants to hear sound from the TV itself. 

Hearing aids, loop systems

You probably know that hearing aids are smaller and more powerful than a few years ago. Newer models can also make a big difference with televisions because they have built-in Bluetooth connectivity, which means they are designed to pick up sound from digital devices — usually smartphones for calls.

Unless your smart TV has built-in Bluetooth, what’s required is a small Bluetooth streaming box or adapter, as low as $13, that connects to the TV and acts as a middleman of sorts. Whenever you’re within range of the transmitter, about 33 feet on average, you’ll be able to hear the television in your hearing aids — loud, clear and without any echoes or delays. You can even adjust the TV’s volume independently from others in the room via a small remote or an app on your phone or tablet.

If a call comes in when you’re watching TV, choosing to answer it will switch you from the TV’s audio to that of your smartphone or a Bluetooth cordless phone. When you hang up, the sound switches back to the TV.

Another option is a loop system, sometimes called an audio induction loop, that gets its power from a wireless magnetic field generated by a small hub plugged into the audio output of a television. A loop worn around the listener’s neck, compatible hearing aids or cochlear implant processors then can pick up that audio. It is a different technology from Bluetooth, and a compatible hearing aid needs to have a telecoil (t-coil) to access the sound that a loop system transmits.

Closed captioning: Required since 2006

However you choose to improve your TV’s sound, turning on its closed captioning option can help you catch even more of what’s being said on screen.

Congress has required that all television programs display audio content as text on screen since 2006. Cable operators, satellite distributors and online providers are also required to provide closed captioning.

According to the law, such captions need to be accurate, matching the spoken words and background noises to the greatest extent possible; synchronous, coinciding with the spoken words and sounds to the fullest extent possible; complete, running from the beginning of the program to the end; and properly placed, not blocking other important visual information on screen or running off the edge of the screen.

In other words, these subtitles are supposed to be a pretty complete transcription of what’s being heard on screen. How to enable closed captioning may vary slightly but usually involves pressing Settings on your TV remote and then selecting Closed Captioning in one of the submenus, such as Display.