3.0 setup suggestions

[Random_guy]

TLR version - Complete audio novice looking for advice on a 3.0 setup (or soundbar?) on a budget of £350 - £500, with lots of inputs and an emphasis on clear dialogue at lower volumes.


Longer version:
We've recently moved into a new flat with not the best sound insulation (we get a lot of reflected sound from the flat downstairs through one of the external walls). Neither of us has the best hearing when it comes to tv dialogue but in the past we've just cranked the volume up on the in built tv speakers, which isn't a great option in our new flat.

So I've been trying to research the best audio setup for giving us clearer dialogue at lower volumes, and from what I can tell the best option is a dedicated centre speaker (is that right?).

Once I realised how complicated a 3.0 speaker setup could be with the need for an av receiver etc I also looked at whether a soundbar was an option. However we are also going to be buying a hifi at some point soon so I thought it made more sense to have one audio setup for both tv and hifi.

The only other requirement I've identified so far is the need for quite a few inputs. I'll be hooking up 3 consoles and a Pi-based media centre, plus an input for a cd player and possibly a vinyl player (if the OH ever gets around to buying herself one). Airplay/ Spotify support out of the box would be handy but it's only a nice-to-have, I can always route that through the Pi.

I don't think we want a sub due to the sound insulation issue, and we aren't looking for rears as we'll be spending some of our time watching tv from the table rather than the sofa (about 2 meters off to one side of the sofa).

We have a budget of £350 - £500 for speakers and receiver, no idea how best to split that across different components though. All suggestions welcome - including any telling me I'm over complicating this and should be looking at a simpler solution!

Thanks in advance!

[kalniel]

If dialogue is really important then I guess a centre speaker might be worthwhile, but otherwise I'd be tempted to put the budget into a standard stereo setup and just make sure it's set up so that dialogue is clear/centred where it needs to be.

[Random_guy]

Dialogue is pretty important to us, but if it's like we'd be able to get the clarity we need without a centre then I'd be all for it. I guess I could get a receiver and a pair of bookshelf speakers towards the bottom end of our budget and still have headroom for a matching centre if we need the dialogue to be clearer. Any suggestions?

I was having a look around earlier and this caught my eye: http://www.richersounds.com/product/.../deno-avrx2000 along with these: http://www.richersounds.com/product/...aco-q2020i-wal but these are really just a stab in the dark based on random what-hifi reviews that I stumbled upon.