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New member Username: JlgalleyMassachusetts Post Number: 1 Registered: Jun-09 | Hi all, this looks like a good website so I'll jump right in. I have two pairs of old but good bookshelf speakers, and I'm trying to decide whether to keep them for use in a future home theater system. Without knowing very much about home theater, I'd like to know if enhancements will resolve a problem I've noticed in TV audio quality. The problem is, the spoken dialog often gets drowned out by sound effects, both action sounds and music score. I've noticed this in TV shows as well as DVDs, but not in old VHS tapes I still watch occasionally. Even when not drowned out by sound effects, the dialog sounds less clear than it should. My current "home theater" setup is a Panasonic plasma TV, a TiVo HD unit, and an old Philips DVD/VHS dual player. For audio I am simply using the built-in 2 channel speakers in the TV. Will minor, cheap improvements such as an integrated amplifier and reusing my bookshelf speakers improve the clarity of the audio? FYI, the two pairs of bookshelf speakers I'm considering to use are [1] Wharfedale Diamond V and [2] American Made Electronics (AME) M80. Real old school. Many thanks, Jacob |
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Silver Member Username: MccambleyBREEZY POINT, NY USA Post Number: 672 Registered: Jun-05 | Most speakers will sound better than the TV speakers. A center channel speaker could go along way to fixing your dialog problem since dialog is its job. This article explains it better. http://www.crutchfield.com/learn/learningcenter/home/speaker_placement.html |
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New member Username: JlgalleyMassachusetts Post Number: 2 Registered: Jun-09 | Hi Casey, That sounds like an easy and inexpensive solution. I read Crutchfield's article "Four Ways to Add Great Sound to Your TV" and I see that there are a number of self-powered "sound bar" center speakers available. This might be a good option. If I were going to try to reuse my old bookshelf speakers, I think I would get a low-end receiver like Sony STR-DH500 for a 3-speaker system. For the left/right speakers, I'd use my old AME pair. For the center speaker, I'd use one of my Wharfedales. Three old speakers and one new $165 receiver. Will this give me enough flexibility to improve substantially the sound clarity in the room? Or am I being penny wise and pound foolish? I prefer this plan to the "sound bar" plan because it is expandable and more likely to be useful in the future (next time I relocate the TV). Thanks, Jacob |