I found 7 low-cost ways to make my TV sound a lot better (even without a soundbar)

When it comes to enhancing your TV's audio, you don't need to shell out for expensive speakers or soundbars. In fact, some of the biggest upgrades to TV audio come from treating your room, not buying pricey equipment. The good news is that you can make a noticeable difference without professional acoustic treatments or a big budget.

Many of the biggest upgrades to TV audio come from treating your room, not buying expensive speakers or soundbars. Simple changes using items you already own -- or can pick up inexpensively -- can help your TV sound better. Your TV may also have a few overlooked settings that can further improve audio quality.

Sound waves love to bounce off hard surfaces like walls, floors, and ceilings. This can cause annoying echoes, tinny-sounding music and dialogue, and generally muddled audio as sound waves move around the room and collide. Thankfully, you can easily combat this simply by filling the room with your favorite furniture and decorations -- preferably made of soft materials.

Cloth, leather, and other fabrics absorb sound, rather than reflect it, helping reduce the number of sound waves bouncing around the room. Couches, rugs, throw pillows, and blankets can all play a vital role in the acoustics of your home theater or living room. Even canvas art on the walls can help absorb sound.

With just a little rearranging in your house or apartment, you can massively improve your TV audio for free. If your living room or home theater isn't the problem, noise from outside your home can seriously affect how your TV sounds. If it has to compete with traffic or loud neighbors, even the most expensive OLED could sound terrible.

Sound-deadening curtains are an affordable way to help block at least some of the noise coming from the outside. Made from layers of heavy materials, they won't completely eliminate outside noise, but they'll at least reduce it to a more manageable level. Sound treatment options like acoustic foam have become much more affordable.

You can pick up packs of foam tiles or a pair of corner bass traps for fairly cheap on sites like Amazon to help create strategic reflection and absorption points in your home theater, for perfectly tailored sound while streaming, watching live sports, or console gaming. Many new smart TVs let you set up specific sound configurations for wall mounting and for use with a TV stand. Since many TVs are built with rear- and downward-firing speakers, it's essential to tell the screen which ones to prioritize while producing sound.

For instance, if you have a Samsung TV with adaptive audio, SpaceFit activates the built-in sensor that automatically monitors ambient sound and adjusts settings and volume for the best listening experience. Similarly, if your Sony TV uses the Acoustic Surface Audio+ system, toggling on the auto-calibration system will activate the built-in sensors to monitor ambient noise levels and how well sound reflects from surfaces behind or beneath the TV.