Consider the Effect of Room Size on Sound Quality
Bluetooth speakers are portable devices. That small size gives them lesser powers of amplification than their bigger cousins. Sound is a form of energy, and it follows the inverse square law, which states the intensity of sound decreases by approximately six decibels for each doubling of distance from the sound source. The effect is the opposite when you bring the source of sound closer. A Bluetooth speaker in a larger room or an open space will sound different from a speaker in a tiny room. Sound dissipates with distance, so the quality of sound will depend on the room’s size and other variables like the material of the walls and floors. Avoid using a lesser-powered Bluetooth speaker in a large room or open spaces. There are Bluetooth performance speakers like Soundboks and the Bose S1 Pro suited for outdoor parties. Yours may not be one of them.
Place the Bluetooth Speaker at the Right Spot
The room size also determines the precise spot for placement. Check for obstructions like a chair or a vase between the speaker and the listeners. Speakers have three fundamental sound drivers: tweeters, midrange drivers, and woofers. Obstructions don’t affect woofers and subwoofers as lower frequencies are omnidirectional and can bend around objects in the room. Higher frequency sounds from tweeters are directional and work best when pointed towards your ears. Any obstacle hampers the full range of sound and your acoustic experience. Follow these two thumb rules:
Don’t place the speakers directly on the floor as the surface can attenuate the signals. For instance, a carpeted floor can absorb sounds. Speakers sound best across all frequency ranges when they are closer to the level of the ears. Don’t place them too close to the walls. Low-frequency sounds (bass) from woofers reflect from walls and interfere with the speaker’s direct sounds. You can reduce this acoustic interference by placing it away from walls.
Experiment with different locations by moving the speaker around in small increments while listening to the same song. Play it by ear to get the perfect spot where your Bluetooth speaker sounds the loudest.
Double-Check All Audio Settings
Set up the Bluetooth speakers with the optimum volume that does not cause any distortions. If your phone is the source of the audio, then check its volume setting too. Sources like VLC Player and iTunes come with equalizer settings. Choose the suitable equalizer preset (there are more than 20 presets in iTunes) and see if they help improve overall sound quality. Signal dropping is a common problem in Bluetooth speakers. Place the source like your phone or computer close to the Bluetooth speaker to prevent a poor signal.
Connect to Multiple Bluetooth Speakers
Many Bluetooth speakers today come with Wi-Fi support. You can pair Bluetooth speakers for a bigger sound. For instance, two Apple HomePods can be set up together in the same room. The PartyBoost feature in some JBL speakers allows you to connect multiple PartyBoost-compatible speakers over Bluetooth rather than Wi-Fi.
