Help with my setup

[Chelmat]

I am pretty new to the whole home theater setup. Right now i have the RX=v659 receiver and a pair of Axiom M3's. And thats it Now the speakers are great for the radio and good for the special effects on dvds and whatnot. the only problem it has it when it comes to people talking in movies, it is very faint compared to the other special effects in the movie. And i can't stand it. So i was looking to get a center speaker to hopefully get better audio from the peopel talking (please let me know if this will not work for what i am going for). But i was reading and alot of people say that the center speaker has to match the other fronts or it will not sound right. This true? I have also heard of people using the axiom M22 (single one) as there center speaker instead of axioms specific center speaker, is this better? Or if anyone has any other input as far as reasonable center speakers under $300.


Thanks in advance,
Matt

 

[avaserfi]

A center should help with your dialog problems. I would recommend getting a center of the same brand because you want the timber to match so there is a constant sonic quality between all the speakers. So if I were you I would check out Axiom speakers especially if you like yours currently.

 

[Buckeye_Nut]

http://www.axiomaudio.com/vp100_main.html

That would be perfect for your needs...

Another note, your speakers only go down to 60hz, so you'll also reaaaaly need a subwoofer. (at least if you want to experience movie effects)

 

[Davemcc]

When you say voices are faint, it sounds like you may simply have a setup issue. If your receiver thinks there is a center channel, it will send the voices to that channel, but it isn't there so the voices are lost. Before you go and spend money to solve a problem that isn't a problem, scroll through your setup menu and make sure there is no center speaker selected and everything is run in stereo, or run the auto setup and see if that helps restore dialogue to your movies.

 

[Chelmat]

thanks guys. I will 1st go check the setup on my receiver. if everything is good there i will be getting the vp100. I know i need a sub, i'm looking to get that next paycheck Now with subs i don't have to stick with axiom correct? also a question about more speakers. if i decide to make this a true 5.1 and want rear speakers do they have to be axiom aswell or can those be a different brand if i want to mix things up?

 

[Warpdrv]

Nope.... don't have to stick to a brand for a sub...
Tons of great deals on Internet subs avail... just read, the same neverending "which sub" threads here... so we don't have to repeat ourselves over and over again...

Get a good center channel, for HT to me its imperative !!!!

Warp

 

[RMarsh83]

Also try checking the DSP mode(s) on your receiver. My yamaha has somewhere around 2 dozen different preset "equalizers," some of them make voices very clear and others muffle them. See if playing around with that maybe makes a difference.

 

[Warpdrv]

Another way to handle this, and Im not saying it is the right way here.... but

Most receivers, other then the different DSP modes is the ability to equalize each individual channels... you can boost the vocals with the EQ, 1.5khz to 3.5khz or just experiment or take out the bloat in the midrange lowering the freq, 400hz to 1khz or somewhere in there...

A little playing around with that might get you some results as well until

YOU BUY A CENTER CHANNEL !!!!!!!

 

[Buckeye_Nut]

I've done extensive testing with DSP modes with my RXV-2500, and have come to the conclusion..... THX theater mode is clearly the most accurate, and the way movies are intended to be heard. Various DSP modes merely add distortion to boost SPL & add echo to different levels of severity.....

It's hard to distinguish exactly what's different between each DSP mode during a 'busy' movie scene, but if you single it out down to a single instrument, note, or voice......then toggle back & forth between modes..... woah, you really hear the difference in dramatic fashion, and it isnt pretty.


I just thought I'd toss that out there.....

 

[RMarsh83]

if you single it out down to a single instrument, note, or voice......then toggle back & forth between modes..... woah, you really hear the difference in dramatic fashion, and it isnt pretty.

Completely agreed. I'm not even sure why most of them are there. Most of them distort to such an extent to make some imporant part of the audio spectrum disappear, mostly the vocal ranges. Maybe some are useful in specialized situations, but I generally stick to the THX as well.

Warp also makes a good point about manually adusting the gain on different channels. My YPAO cut just about everything above 2k by 10dB, so I had to go adjust the curves myself. That could definitely kill the vocals.

 

[billnchristy]

I usually keep mine on straight.

I would bet the center is turned on in setup, which is odd if you did the auto setup it shouldve known better.