How to use stereo set for watching movies?

[Chep]

Hello,

for a start, I don't want to instal 5.1 or more set up for my room.

Ideally, I would stick with stereo amp (Maranz CR603 all in one).

The question is. When watching movies, I miss the central speaker for dialogues. Somewhere I read that the TV speakers could be used as a substitute of central speaker, but it is not it simply. How can I best set it up? I was considering to get some soundbar for the middle and use the existing set up to make is 'like 2.1'.

For the future I am considering to upgrade my speakers (from bookshelf to floorstanding) and if possible to avoid buying an AVR. Another plan is to buy a projector but I would still want to use existing set up.

Please, consider, I am not interested in 5.1 etc, nor I have plans of buying extra set of speakers. I simply like to enjoy music and use that set up for improving the movie watching experience with little investment.

(the 'worst' case is to go for AVR, but as a last option. Thinking about Maranz SRxxxx, but that would require buying a CD player too with potentially compromising the sound on the expense of watching movies)

Opinions?

Thank you.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

My best vfm upgrade ever was to add a small 80w sub to my TV. Do u use a sub?

How is using the tv sound difficult?

 

[abacus]

Add a sound bar (Add a sub as well if you want deep down rumbling bass) and use this for movies, keeping your current speakers for music listening.

Word of Warning: when you realise how much of an improvement a sound bar makes to movies, you will definitely start thinking “wow” 5.1 must be really great. (Even though you currently have no interest in it)

Hope this helps

Bill

 

[Chep]

RobinKidderminster

TV speakers are not difficult to use, but they are not giving what I need.

I wanted to avoid a big cube of sub. any compact recommendation? Or this corner shouldn't be cut?

 

[Chep]

abacus

yes, it helps. any constructive opinion helps. at least confirms to me that I wasn't that far from my thoughts

 

[robjcooper]

Chep,

I assume you are using a blu-ray player to watch movies and are considering buying the Marantz to use as your amp when watching films ? If so you should have a Downmix or stereo option in the audio menu. This will fold down the 5.1 mix into a stereo version. You should then have a stereo signal to send to your Marantz via either the optical/co-axial digital output or the stereo analogue feed. Unless you have seperate physical outputs on your Blu-ray for the Left, Right, Centre, LFE , Ls and Rs outputs, you can't just seperate the Left, Right and centre dialogue channels from a 5.1 data stream. The stereo feed to your marantz should then give you a proper front stereo spread with the dialogue appearing to come from the TV as long as you position your speakers to give a good stereo image. Don't bother trying to use the TV's internal speakers as a centre speaker, as it won't match whatever speakers you decide to buy.

As others have said, why not try and demo a soundbar as it may well give you that little bit more than a solely stereo signal can.

Good luck and let us know how you get on

Rob

 

[chebby]

I assume you are using a blu-ray player to watch movies and are considering buying the Marantz to use as your amp when watching films ? If so you should have a Downmix or stereo option in the audio menu. This will fold down the 5.1 mix into a stereo version. You should then have a stereo signal to send to your Marantz via either the optical/co-axial digital output or the stereo analogue feed. Unless you have seperate physical outputs on your Blu-ray for the Left, Right, Centre, LFE , Ls and Rs outputs, you can't just seperate the Left, Right and centre dialogue channels from a 5.1 data stream. The stereo feed to your marantz should then give you a proper front stereo spread with the dialogue appearing to come from the TV as long as you position your speakers to give a good stereo image.

Yep.

HDMI cables from BDP and PVR to TV, then optical from TV to Marantz, with whatever the appropriate Stereo / PCM settings were on the various boxes where / if required.

Never experienced any 'gap' in the sound presented from TV or disks whether dialogue or otherwise.

 

[Chep]

Rob,

jesus, thanks mate, but this wasn't even in english I believe . I am sorry. I am not that home in chnnels and downmixing.

I am now using DVD player Pioneer (which will soon change for som BR) to input to Marantz (L+R) channel. no middle no sub. as you said, tV speakers together with stereo speakers is not it. I miss something there. of course, I will never get 9.2, but I don't want to. I want to maximize usage of what I have to enjoy movies on top of my primary interest, which is music.

soundbar sounds to me as the best option, but downmixing is a university for me unless I get patient explanation

Thanks to all so far. I really appreciate

 

[chebby]

It's not difficult.

Plug your TV and BD player together with an HDMI cable as usual.

Connect the optical digital audio output from your telly to the Marantz. Go into sound settings on your TV and ensure SPDIF output is set to PCM / stereo.

If you only want stereo from the BD player (or your TV doesn't have optical) then just connect the optical cable to that and go into it's sound menu and change the optical / SPDIF setting to PCM / stereo only.

 

[iJoe]

Hi Chep,

True stereo is a hard thing to do as it requires perfectly evenly balanced left and right channels. First thing to do is to make sure your setup is balanced in the room with distances to walls and yourself etc. being equally spaced. There are plenty of good guides on the net already to do this. Once your there you may well find your speakers do a disappearing trick, and you find that middle channel dialog.

Regards,

iJoe