3.1 Guidance

[Mr_Bill]

Hello everyone. I have been researching, researching, and now have myself so confused that I am now lost and looking for guidance. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Problem

I am getting old and I struggle to hear people talking on movies no matter how loud I turn up the current system (Samsung sound bar setup). It seems as if the clarity has been loss (had my hearing checked and adjusted hearing aids made no noticeable difference). I am sure the Sound bar is part of the problem as well.

Information
Budget- 2,000
Setup - 3.1 due to room layout and aesthetics
Room 15' x 40'
ceiling - 9' with a 15' peak
view/seating area - 10'-12' away dual recliners
95% of the time will be Movies and TV (streamed via a 4k roku) 5% Music (steamed from a plex server through the Roku)
TV - Samsung UN65MU8000FXZA
Tile flooring with a large area rug (8'x11')

Where my head is at
While doing research it seems like Klipsch might be a good setup for me. I know my budget does not allow for amazing over the top or all the bells and whistle. I am trying to be realistic with my choices. I do not see me adding any other speakers in this house beyond the 3.1 setup unless I move. I did think about installing ceiling speakers for the rear, but it is not in the budget. I am not brand locked. I don't mind used equipment to help save a few bucks as well. I just would love to just hear people talking in the movies I would like your thoughts and any advice:

Center Speaker: rc-62-ii-center-speaker $350
Sub - r-110sw $400
L/R Floor r-26f $700 Combined
Receiver - Have about 600 left for a receiver. There are so many options for these I have no clue what I should be looking at.
I do not have enough post to post links as this is my first post.

Thank you for taking the time to look this over on your free time.
Bill

 

[Leemix]

Make sure you listen to klipsh before buying. The somewhat in your face high frequencies might not work well with your hearing aids, or sensitivity some have.
No matter what gear you get, increasing the center volume a couple of Db can help a lot.
You might consider spending a bit more on center and less on left and right speakers for even clearer dialogue.



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[Mr_Bill]

Leemix, I do have plans on going to my local stores to give them a listen as well. Just wanting to make sure that I am not overlooking some other choices that may be another option that I may be overlooking. I am planning on setting up a couple of days to try different locations and devices and would like to maximize my time and the local stores time as well. No one likes having their time wasted.

Thank you for the suggestion again.

Other thoughts?

 

[Leemix]

Its often difficult to really listen in stores but its always a good idea to listen at moderate/low volumes also to make sure the sound is clear and easy to listen to. A few speakers do well at higher volumes but not well at low which is what is generally used for tv viewing. The new Marantz and probably Denon recievers have a dialogue enhance mode which might be good, i havent tried it myself but audyssey works well. 3.1 is probably a good choice, i rarely have my rear speakers on for tv but use for fun on movies set a few dB lower then auto setup, dialogue is clearer without for some with hearing issues.
A good center channel is great but there are a few programs/shows/movies that just have muddy sound and no sound system can work miracles with that, captions do though.


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[mtrycrafts]

Welcome to AH.

Is this only for you to hear better? Meaning is there others listening and if so do they have a hard to making out the dialogue?
Have you thought of a wireless headphone setup? Yes, it is only stereo but that may be your only solution?

 

[Mr_Bill]

Mtrycrafts, great question. It is not just me. Me and a few others have all looked at each other and asked what did he/she say? Every time this happens we have had to back up and listen again.

But I wanted to update. Decided to go to one of our local stores and just freelance listen to see if it made much of a difference. This was probably a mistake on my part going without to much of an idea.

Needless to say, I have some equipment sitting in the living room waiting for tomorrow to install.

Anyone have any input on the following Klipsch items?

Center RP 440
Left and Right RP 280
Sub R 12SW
Receiver Denon AVR X2400H

Thank you all again for your feedback and questions.

 

[everettT]

Can you use a bookshelf speaker for the center? That would help with dispersion. Check out the JBL studio series. As for the sub, the monolith thx 10

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Don't get a klipsch sub. Otherwise if you like Klipsch sound it's fine starter system.
As alternative I'd recommend checking out HSU Research both speakers and (especially) subs. Hb1 is not new design, but still very good choice for TV/ht

 

[mtrycrafts]

Mtrycrafts, great question. It is not just me. Me and a few others have all looked at each other and asked what did he/she say? Every time this happens we have had to back up and listen again.
.

OK, next question. Is this issue with all the program material or just some? How is it with news stations?
I ask as I have a hard time with some shows audio not well recorded, too much mumbling and the live mike recording is probably an issue as well, no dubbing with better sound. When I watch news, it is clear as can be but then, they don't have to mumble, whisper or whatnot.

 

[Mr_Bill]

I wanted to give everyone an update. I took my budget and told it to go away for this venture.

The house does now have a 7.2 and is wired for future growth. It is now capable of a 9.2.4 setup. Decided since wire is cheap and still had to pay for labor, might as well future proof for the next owners of this house.

Ended up with the following hardware:

Receiver - Denon x3400h
Front speakers Klipsch RP-280’s
Center - Klipsch RP 450
Side and rear surround- 4 Klipsch 250’s
Sub’s - 2 R-112SW

I want to thank everyone for the feedback and questions.

 

[Leemix]

I wanted to give everyone an update. I took my budget and told it to go away for this venture.

The house does now have a 7.2 and is wired for future growth. It is now capable of a 9.2.4 setup. Decided since wire is cheap and still had to pay for labor, might as well future proof for the next owners of this house.

Ended up with the following hardware:

Receiver - Denon x3400h
Front speakers Klipsch RP-280’s
Center - Klipsch RP 450
Side and rear surround- 4 Klipsch 250’s
Sub’s - 2 R-112SW

I want to thank everyone for the feedback and questions.

This should give you many hours of enjoyment


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[theJman]

I took my budget and told it to go away for this venture.

Well, that didn't take long; you went down the rabbit hole without a moment of hesitation.

All kidding aside, you cut to the chase and that's the best strategy. Incremental upgrades - frequently referred to as "upgradeitis" - can get costly in a hurry. By going right to a better system you almost certainly saved yourself money in the long term.

Receiver - Denon x3400h
Front speakers Klipsch RP-280’s
Center - Klipsch RP 450
Side and rear surround- 4 Klipsch 250’s
Sub’s - 2 R-112SW

You'll likely find the subwoofers to be a weak link in that setup, but the rest of it should do just fine. I assume since everything is Klipsch you went with one of their package deals? They seemingly do that for many configurations.

 

[Mr_Bill]

Well, that didn't take long; you went down the rabbit hole without a moment of hesitation.

All kidding aside, you cut to the chase and that's the best strategy. Incremental upgrades - frequently referred to as "upgradeitis" - can get costly in a hurry. By going right to a better system you almost certainly saved yourself money in the long term.




You'll likely find the subwoofers to be a weak link in that setup, but the rest of it should do just fine. I assume since everything is Klipsch you went with one of their package deals? They seemingly do that for many configurations.

I had the same thought process. Just do it now and save myself time, money, and most importantly frustration. Once I am frustrated, I know I do not make the best choices.

As for the sub’s. Since I have tile floor I had to be very careful with my choices. I also couldn’t go larger or I wouldn’t have been able to open the front door. As it is I have less than a 1/4” clearance from speaker to door being open.

As for the package deal, kinda. No packages I was looking at had the complete setup I was after. I did work with my local brick and mortar store and they worked with me a lot.

Overall, going from a sound bar to this made a huge difference and I am much happier now. Never knew what I was missing until recently.