A noob to the wonderful world of surround sound

[Pineypower79]

ADHD much!!! Lmao

 

[KenM10759]

This is the best course of action you could take, congratulations. You could head to a Best Buy and listen to speakers, just don't listen to many of the quasi-salespeople. Listen with your own ears and interpret the results with your own brain. When you go, note the "bright" highs and strong but muddy bass of the lower-priced offerings. This has traditionally been the sales model for Bose and to some extent, Klipsch. There will be something out there with the overall balance that you should be looking for, with the "kid safe" aspect you need.

 

[Pineypower79]

As a drummer myself I think I have a advantage in disecting those tones and knowing that comparison. Then again that's just speculation cause I haven't really explored this yet. My coworker I blame for getting me into this world of theater lol. He is bigger speaker fan and not as much the satellites. So it is really on preference. He recommends I go with polks but I really should indulge in the many of options out there first.

 

[KenM10759]

If you've played in a band then you would know well the battles between the musicians playing and a vocalist singing to get prominence during the sound check.

Listen for male and female voices and how they are presented by a given speaker set. Since the more critical parts of a movie can be dialogue, this could be a key indicator of what not to consider.