My current TV setup is suboptimal. Okay, it's crap. But we are not really movie nuts and for watching TV, who cares? What I have is a lot better than any soundbar I've heard, but I make no claims and have few requirements beyond that.
The amp is a relatively inexpensive Yamaha RX-V683. It does not have pre-outs, but it's video management met my requirements and I found a used one for about $350 when my old Onkyo died.
The current speaker arrangement is 4.1. The fronts are old Linn Index Plus two-way closed speakers, which I bought about 30 years ago. Opinions on these are somewhat polarized, but I have never disliked these speakers. The surround speakers are Polk Audio RT15i speakers I bought at (probably) Best Buy about 20 years ago. The sub, bought at the same time as the Polks, is a Boston Acoustics PV500 10" 100W cheapie. All these are adequate to needs, so I'm certainly not trying to explore the state of the art. I do not listen to music seriously on this system, and we do not listen to movies played loudly.
In terms of placement, well, that's also suboptimal. The TV, a heavy 50" plasma display that's gotta be 15 years old but still works perfectly and looks great (and I am picky about that), sits on a rolling cabinet in the corner of the room. Behind it on Stage Left (viewer right) is a built-in bookshelf wall unit, and behind it on Stage Right (viewer left) is a wall of windows. It points into the room at a 45-degree angle. The right Linn is on that bookshelf system and is probably a touch too high. The left Linn is on a stand in front of the windows and several inches lower than the right speaker. Both are about two feet from the edge of the TV. The surrounds are poorly placed wherever I could get approval. They are to the sides but forward of the seating positions, and not symmetrical with the fronts. Where I sit is left of center and my wife sits right of center. The only placement I rather like is the sub, which sits behind the plasma display on the same rolling cart, completely invisible, and taking advantage of corner reinforcement in the room.
When I first turned on the Yamaha, the sound was horrible--far too much on the sub and with strange echoes suggesting to me that timing was really off. I don't know what the previous owner was doing, but he was obviously into something different than me. I used the Yamaha microphone and their automated setup, and that simply worked perfectly--I have not felt the need to for further adjustment. I was rather amazed at how well it worked--I'd had the impression that Yamaha's automated EQ setup was not any good.
The big hole in this is a center speaker, as I keep reading. I'm thinking a center would help with dialogue, which sometimes gets a bit lost in the soundtrack with some movies, and that's the only thing the wife has complained about.
There are constraints. The center speaker has to fit on the rolling table that the plasma display uses. I have about 7.5 inches from the table to the edge of the screen, so the speaker is really constrained to 7" tall, and no more than about 10" deep front to back, or I will have to lift the TV.
I have a pair of the Pioneer SP-BS22LR speakers in my office, driven by an old Adcom GFA-535, and generally think pretty highly of them, except for their bass extension (and for the music I listen to while working, even that is no real issue). Given that I'm constrained to the horizontal center speaker arrangement anyway, I thought I'd take a look at the center speaker in that system. Even though Pioneer seems to have discontinued this line, I found a the SP-C22 for quite cheap that is available. I will probably just buy it and see what happens (it is returnable), but I thought I'd give the forum a shot at setting me straight for a few hours first. Opinions on that Pioneer are rather polarized, but those are just subjective opinions based on who knows what requirements and context.
My suspicion is that it is competent and probably would be acceptable given the system and my expectations. But my mind is open.
Rick "advice sought" Denney
The amp is a relatively inexpensive Yamaha RX-V683. It does not have pre-outs, but it's video management met my requirements and I found a used one for about $350 when my old Onkyo died.
The current speaker arrangement is 4.1. The fronts are old Linn Index Plus two-way closed speakers, which I bought about 30 years ago. Opinions on these are somewhat polarized, but I have never disliked these speakers. The surround speakers are Polk Audio RT15i speakers I bought at (probably) Best Buy about 20 years ago. The sub, bought at the same time as the Polks, is a Boston Acoustics PV500 10" 100W cheapie. All these are adequate to needs, so I'm certainly not trying to explore the state of the art. I do not listen to music seriously on this system, and we do not listen to movies played loudly.
In terms of placement, well, that's also suboptimal. The TV, a heavy 50" plasma display that's gotta be 15 years old but still works perfectly and looks great (and I am picky about that), sits on a rolling cabinet in the corner of the room. Behind it on Stage Left (viewer right) is a built-in bookshelf wall unit, and behind it on Stage Right (viewer left) is a wall of windows. It points into the room at a 45-degree angle. The right Linn is on that bookshelf system and is probably a touch too high. The left Linn is on a stand in front of the windows and several inches lower than the right speaker. Both are about two feet from the edge of the TV. The surrounds are poorly placed wherever I could get approval. They are to the sides but forward of the seating positions, and not symmetrical with the fronts. Where I sit is left of center and my wife sits right of center. The only placement I rather like is the sub, which sits behind the plasma display on the same rolling cart, completely invisible, and taking advantage of corner reinforcement in the room.
When I first turned on the Yamaha, the sound was horrible--far too much on the sub and with strange echoes suggesting to me that timing was really off. I don't know what the previous owner was doing, but he was obviously into something different than me. I used the Yamaha microphone and their automated setup, and that simply worked perfectly--I have not felt the need to for further adjustment. I was rather amazed at how well it worked--I'd had the impression that Yamaha's automated EQ setup was not any good.
The big hole in this is a center speaker, as I keep reading. I'm thinking a center would help with dialogue, which sometimes gets a bit lost in the soundtrack with some movies, and that's the only thing the wife has complained about.
There are constraints. The center speaker has to fit on the rolling table that the plasma display uses. I have about 7.5 inches from the table to the edge of the screen, so the speaker is really constrained to 7" tall, and no more than about 10" deep front to back, or I will have to lift the TV.
I have a pair of the Pioneer SP-BS22LR speakers in my office, driven by an old Adcom GFA-535, and generally think pretty highly of them, except for their bass extension (and for the music I listen to while working, even that is no real issue). Given that I'm constrained to the horizontal center speaker arrangement anyway, I thought I'd take a look at the center speaker in that system. Even though Pioneer seems to have discontinued this line, I found a the SP-C22 for quite cheap that is available. I will probably just buy it and see what happens (it is returnable), but I thought I'd give the forum a shot at setting me straight for a few hours first. Opinions on that Pioneer are rather polarized, but those are just subjective opinions based on who knows what requirements and context.
My suspicion is that it is competent and probably would be acceptable given the system and my expectations. But my mind is open.
Rick "advice sought" Denney