TV/Sound System Recommendations

[Elderdude]

Nah, those would interfere with my beer hat.

 

[Westernskies]

Bose 3*2*1 is a great simple system. We simpletons really like ours.

 

[Rustic23]

Elderdude,
Get an SVS sub-woofer. You won't need to hear it you will feel it. Besides if you have problems with kidney stones you can turn it up and sit in front of it. No problem, the stones will be broken up!

 

[audreyh1]

He needs Home Theater: Home Page.

Well, apparently that's where he has been spending most of his time!

Audrey

 

[ERD50]

I'm wondering if some of the people having trouble hearing the dialog might have their system set up incorrectly?

Do you have a center speaker? If so, you might want to boost the level to it - most of the dialog is sent to that speaker.

IF you don't have a center speaker, you might have the receiver set up expecting one, and then you will drop out a lot of the dialog..

We run our TV in simple stereo. Dialog seems fine, even to my DW's tin ears.

DVDs can be played in 5.1 or some other settings, and we have a center speaker (and surrounds) for that. Never played with it too much, but dialof always seemed fine to me.

I seem to *hear* pretty well, but I do think I have some issues processing voice. It's hard for me to pick conversations out of noise, but not for lack of hearing them, but it seems I can't distinguish the sounds. Always been that way for me. But not much problem with TV/movie dialog for me. But I can hear a pin drop, or a noise on the other side of the house when I'm in serious listen mode on my stereo.

Elderdude, have you tried a set of these?

Actually..... when I was seriously auditioning stereo speakers, and playing with the set-up in my living room, I found that even a slight cupping of ears (just putting fingers behind the ear to make my ears protrude a bit) had very significant effects on the 'directness' and clarity of the sound. I read that there are some "hi-fi" chairs, with high backs that provide a balance of absorbing and reflecting the sound (no speakers in the chair - the back just helps provide the acoustic environment). Lots of crazy audio snake-oil out there, but I really think there is something to that one.

-ERD50

 

[harley]

Well, my hearing loss isn't age related (yet). I can trace it directly to the Who concert at the Capital Center way back on my 24th birthday. I was standing in front of John Entwistle's bass stack, and my ears rung loudly for 5 days. When I got a hearing test a couple years later for a job physical and they told me I had lost the bottom of the range in my left ear, I knew exactly what had happened.

I'm doing research to find a good 5.1 system with A/V receiver. But I did get a set of Sennheiser RS-120 Wireless Headphones, which I use after DW has gone to bed. They work great, and I hear dialog very clearly, which isn't always the case with just the TV speaker. I recommend them. They even work fairly well when I go around the corner to get a snack.

 

[HFWR]

Nah, those would interfere with my beer hat.

 

[ls99]

I may have missed it in this thread, if you set up speakers, the phasing is important.

Meaning that the speaker cones of both (all) speakers must move in the same direction on a given input.
Most if not all systems have polarization markings, as do speakers. The trick is to make sure the wiring is not flipping the polarity.

If the system is not properly phased, the sounds will be hollow or weird. Since on the same input one speaker cone is moving backwards while tho other(s) forward.

Internal speakers of units are rarely a problem, but can happen.

 

[ERD50]

I may have missed it in this thread, if you set up speakers, the phasing is important.

Meaning that the speaker cones of both (all) speakers must move in the same direction on a given input.
Most if not all systems have polarization markings, as do speakers. The trick is to make sure the wiring is not flipping the polarity.

If the system is not properly phased, the sounds will be hollow or weird. Since on the same input one speaker cone is moving backwards while tho other(s) forward.

Internal speakers of units are rarely a problem, but can happen.

While one should have their speakers correctly polarized (phased), this really is only noticeable in the deep bass.

For higher frequencies, like those in the vocal range, the effect of opposite polarities would be less than you having one ear a few inches closer to one speaker than another.

All has to do with some fraction of the wavelength, the speed of sound in air, and π gets thrown in for good measure

-ERD50

 

[Elderdude]

Bose 3*2*1 is a great simple system. We simpletons really like ours.

I purchased an expensive Bose system over 15 years ago, pre HDMI, never did get it to work worth a damn with a TV, music was fine. It did not come with a receiver nor a powered woofer. While I have seen the Bose 321 in stores, I just have trouble trusting it.

Audrey slammed. "Well, apparently that's where he has been spending most of his time!"
Urp! What?

Rustic -"Get an SVS sub-woofer."
Oh! One of those "SVS" thingies? My bass perception is great - as are my kidneys. Urp!

"speakers correctly polarized (phased),"
Not the problem, but thanks for the input, Erd.

Harley says, "Sennheiser RS-120 Wireless Headphones..."
Might be a solution, but I've always had problems with headphones.
see "beerhat."

 

[thefed]

looking back, i got the harmon kardon receiver refurbished from the factory, thru ebay, username harmonaudio...check em out

 

[harley]

I don't see him/her. Must have moved on.

 

[thefed]

thats because i spelled it wrong...harmanaudio

 

[Rustic23]

I posted earlier that I had SVS speakers and sub-woofer. While they are not cheap, they are very good. The sub-woofer is outstanding, but you will need some room for even the 'small' one i.e. 10". It stands about two fee tall 18" wide fee deep. Surround speakers are on the small side and well matched to and two the system.

 

[TromboneAl]

Here's an example. I recorded The Holiday from TV recently. I hadn't turned on the extra speakers, and when I watch the scene corresponding to the first 45 seconds of the video below, I could barely tell that there was dialog going on. The music was much louder.

I then connected the speakers and the dialog was understandable, but with a struggle.

Listening to this clip, it's pretty easy to hear the dialog.


YouTube - "The Holiday" Movie Clips - Kate Winslet

 

[Midpack]

• I am going to buy an Onkyo TX-SR507 receiver, that much I know so far.
• I will probably try my old existing speakers to see how they do before I buy speakers.
• If I buy speakers, it will be front R & L, maybe center, but not rear speakers. Everyone tells me I HAVE TO HAVE 5.1, but I don't want the extra expense or wiring. I am in a small room and my hearing ain't what it used to be. I am sure a 2/2.1 or 3/3.1 system will be a huge step up from nothing.
• I talked to a few people at work who aren't sure they like subwoofers, found them a little overwhelming, one guy took his back and the other guy leaves it off much of the time. So I'm on the fence on a subwoofer.

 

[thefed]

you dont know what youre missing without a sub. especially music....there's some songs that have entire instruments you dont even hear properly/at all without a sub

 

[NW-Bound]

Nowaways, the trend is to use 5 small surround sound speakers for aesthetic reasons and ease of home decor. These puny speakers MUST be supplemented with a subwoofer.

However, if one retains the old 70 and 80 era speakers in big wood cabinets, then these 3-way or 4-way speakers have 12-inch woofers or even 15-in woofers in them. They pack a lot more punch than the newer little subwoofers, unless you talk about a subwoofer the size of a small refrigerator that not too many people buy these days.

PS. On the other hand, these old-style speakers may be lacking in the high end. I saw some with their mid-range and tweeter drivers deteriorated to the point the sound becomes muddy and dull.


It also occurred to me that the new 5.1 receivers may cut-off the bass going to the L/R front speakers, to prevent from blowing them out, and sends all the bass to the subwoofer. If so, using the larger and old-style speakers may not help getting the bass. Hmm... something for me to experiment with, if and when I get bored.

 

[ls99]

Look on Craigslist, six or seven months ago found a pair of Infinity Qb speakers (info @ Infinity Qb Speakers) in fine condition for a hundred bucks.. They are splendid speakers, though they need a good amp. I use these with a Technics SA-450. Yeah, I have a few systems.