Cheapest option for the new MR3 studio monitors from Edifier. Rated higher than the existing MR4's from reviewers.
CamelCamelCamel.
Why not just go for bigger bookshelf speakers that handle bass?
nice bait
Voices sound crap without a centre speaker.
If you have good speakers, voices sound better than most soundbars.
A soundbar isn't a centre speaker.
@onlinepred: If you've got a receiver/surround sound unit, and only got front speakers, voices can sound muddy. Adding even a tiny centre speaker to your setup will make dialogue more natural and easy to listen to.
I agree that a soundbar on its own sounds crap compared to separate stereo speakers.
@ForkSnorter: What front L/R speakers do you have? Seems strange they can't handle speech? If it's set to stereo mode and your speakers are good, including good tweeters, then it should handle speech very well, it def shouldn't sound "crap"
@onlinepred: Stereo setting is OK for music. Not so good for movies/TV shows. The front speakers can handle speech, but it just won't be as immersive. Maybe depends on your system, but most 5.1 channel sound systems will sound better for movie dialogue and action if they have a centre speaker.
In my opinion, the centre speaker is far more important than the rear speakers in a surround sound system, so I don't even bother with the rear speakers. So essentially I use a 3.1 channel setup (2 front speakers, centre speaker, and subwoofer) even though I have a 6.1 channel receiver.
According to Google:
"A center channel speaker is the most important speaker in a surround sound setup because it does most of the work. Most of the action, and conversation, in a movie, happens front and center on your screen, meaning that the center channel is the one reproducing it."
"It is the channel that is mostly, or fully, dedicated to the reproduction of the dialogue of an audiovisual program."
"The center channel speaker is responsible for reproducing most of the dialogue and on-screen action sounds in movies and television shows. "
"It reproduces about 70% of the dialogue and musical vocals in a movie or TV show. "
"It creates a more authentic home cinema experience by making it sound like the dialogue is coming from the screen."
"It creates a seamless soundstage by matching the tonality of the front left and right speakers."
"Audio anchor point: A center channel speaker provides a specific anchor location for dialog and vocals. "
"It anchors the sound to the visual action on the screen"
"The purpose of the centre channel is to centre the sound in the middle (centre) of the sound space".
I would probably switch over to stereo for music though.
@ForkSnorter: I came from a 3.1 system, to a stereo setup (with much better speakers), and at no point do I think dialogue is "crap". In fact I found that I didn't have to tweak any settings at all, ever, no matter the content, it just always sounded perfect for me honestly. My partner and I always hated the soundbars and 3.1 system we had, as we were always finding something sounded weird or there was something we couldn't hear. I would imagine that a 3.1 setup with great speakers would easily outshine a stereo setup, but keep in mind that next to no source is made for 3.1, which is all the issues we had.
Either way, all the quotes you sent me is accurate IF you have a surround sound setup. For my setup, due to stereo soundstage, the voices sound like they are coming from the TV. So there is that win for basic stereo sound!
Note that nearly everything will require downmixing from 5.1 to 3.0 by your amp, which IMO makes things sound worse. If you use stereo, it will often sound better than 3.1 if you have a good stereo setup. Most sources like Netflix etc have native Stereo, including bluray etc, all native stereo. None have 3.1 or 3.0. My 3.1 system sounded best when upmixing from stereo!
oooh decent deal. thanks op
Is it that much of a deal 11% off?
ATL from anywhere, but they only launched 4 months ago.
Looks like RCA will work. Does anyone know of a suitable sub with these for basic home cinema. I can't have a centre speaker or sound bar