Help needed: Poor vocal clarity on 5.1 soundbar - Should I switch to budget-friendly studio monitors?

[legor17454]

Hello everyone,

I recently purchased a 5.1 soundbar, but I'm having trouble with the clarity and volume of the vocals. The vocals don't sound very clear and are worse than the audio on my old LG TV. While the soundbar is good for action and horror movies, it has too much bass even in normal audio, which makes it challenging to enjoy vocal-heavy movies. I sometimes have to remove the subwoofer altogether.

I'm on a budget and considering investing in studio monitors as a solution. Can anyone recommend any budget-friendly studio monitor options that might work well for my needs? I'm open to any suggestions and appreciate any help you can provide. Thank you!

This is what i had purchased https://www.amazon.in/ZEBRONICS-BAR-9500WS-PRO-5-1/dp/B09QKZNMVD

 

[legor17454]

Hello everyone,

I recently purchased a 5.1 soundbar, but I'm having trouble with the clarity and volume of the vocals. The vocals don't sound very clear and are worse than the audio on my old LG TV. While the soundbar is good for action and horror movies, it has too much bass even in normal audio, which makes it challenging to enjoy vocal-heavy movies. I sometimes have to remove the subwoofer altogether.

I'm on a budget and considering investing in studio monitors as a solution. Can anyone recommend any budget-friendly studio monitor options that might work well for my needs? I'm open to any suggestions and appreciate any help you can provide. Thank you!

This is what i had purchased https://www.amazon.in/ZEBRONICS-BAR-9500WS-PRO-5-1/dp/B09QKZNMVD

my listening distance is 3-9 feet average 5.5 feet

 

[chillumphile]

As I recommended earlier, Edifier Speaks as per your willingness to spend in the 10-20k range.

Each higher model is significantly better than the previous one with even the R1280dbs being excellent set of bookshelf speaks.

Studio monitors will just sound cold and sterile and not fun.

And how did you expect any set of quality from zebronics speakers with 100 flashy features... smh

 

[Phew]

Studio monitors will just sound cold and sterile and not fun.

Is it because they are studio monitors?

Hello everyone,

I recently purchased a 5.1 soundbar, but I'm having trouble with the clarity and volume of the vocals. The vocals don't sound very clear and are worse than the audio on my old LG TV. While the soundbar is good for action and horror movies, it has too much bass even in normal audio, which makes it challenging to enjoy vocal-heavy movies. I sometimes have to remove the subwoofer altogether.

I'm on a budget and considering investing in studio monitors as a solution. Can anyone recommend any budget-friendly studio monitor options that might work well for my needs? I'm open to any suggestions and appreciate any help you can provide. Thank you!

This is what i had purchased https://www.amazon.in/ZEBRONICS-BAR-9500WS-PRO-5-1/dp/B09QKZNMVD

try to get to listen to these from your nearby electronics store like croma and others and decide which one you find to serve your purpose better, few options are yamaha yas 109, yamaha sr-b20A, samsung q 600B, samsung hw-b550, JBL bar 2.1.

Studio monitors by no means is a bad option and will serve you better for music listening but for dailogue intellegibilty the soundbar is what is going to serve your purpose, sticking to brands like yamaha, samsung, sonos will be better avoid brands like zebronics, boat, blaupunkt, portronics etc for your own good.

 

[DB1989]

Hello everyone,

I recently purchased a 5.1 soundbar, but I'm having trouble with the clarity and volume of the vocals. The vocals don't sound very clear and are worse than the audio on my old LG TV. While the soundbar is good for action and horror movies, it has too much bass even in normal audio, which makes it challenging to enjoy vocal-heavy movies. I sometimes have to remove the subwoofer altogether.

I'm on a budget and considering investing in studio monitors as a solution. Can anyone recommend any budget-friendly studio monitor options that might work well for my needs? I'm open to any suggestions and appreciate any help you can provide. Thank you!

This is what i had purchased https://www.amazon.in/ZEBRONICS-BAR-9500WS-PRO-5-1/dp/B09QKZNMVD

That's not a bad idea at all. A fine option is the HIVI D1200 which fits within your budget and has optical, coax and Bluetooth inputs, negating the need for a DAC, as well as tone controls.

https://amzn.eu/d/8vvX7q5

From my experience with it's stable mate in the HIVI D1090, i can attest that it'll provide exceptional performance that'll require far more money to achieve if one goes with separates.

I would personally avoid edifier offerings below 15k as their performance is not at par with the competition.

 

[mausoftheTV]

That's not a bad idea at all. A fine option is the HIVI D1200 which fits within your budget and has optical, coax and Bluetooth inputs, negating the need for a DAC, as well as tone controls.

https://amzn.eu/d/8vvX7q5

From my experience with it's stable mate in the HIVI D1090, i can attest that it'll provide exceptional performance that'll require far more money to achieve if one goes with separates.

I would personally avoid edifier offerings below 15k as their performance is not at par with the competition.

Sadly the HIVI D1200 seems to be out of stock now... Would you recommend any other active speakers at around 25k?

 

[DB1989]

Sadly the HIVI D1200 seems to be out of stock now... Would you recommend any other active speakers at around 25k?

Even better - the all conquering HIVI D1090.

 

[mark2gp]

To the OP. What did you end up getting and how was the difference?
I have a 10 yr old altec 2.1 set up for tv viewing and am contemplating a shift to a 5.1 dolby soundbar for the same reasons as you.

 

[edjamesx]

This is what i had purchased https://www.amazon.in/ZEBRONICS-BAR-9500WS-PRO-5-1/dp/B09QKZNMVD

The vocals shouldn't be that bad in Soundbar. If you have individual volume setting for Center speaker , try increasing it and check.

it has too much bass even in normal audio, which makes it challenging to enjoy vocal-heavy movies. I sometimes have to remove the subwoofer altogether.

Looks like your Sub seems to overlay your main speakers which spoils the clarity in the dialog. Try moving the sub far away from main speaker and check. Also check the individual volume settings for each LCR , Sub ..etc and they are set correctly.

As per your soultion ,Studio monitor speakers may not be good for Vocals and Movie watching but it will be good for stereo type music.

 

[ajuvignesh]

Studio monitor can be used if only one watches the movie at a time. If there are more than one, the center image will not be center for them.

 

[air870]

If you are going to listen primarily from your TV, stick to an auditioned sound bar. I agree with an earlier reply on the overlap of some frequencies or the tendency of certain manufacturers to boost the bass is probably your problem. A good quality SB should solve your issue. Active speakers/ studio monitors are generally recommended when a fair quantity of listening is 2 channel.

 

[AV_phile]

Hello everyone,

I recently purchased a 5.1 soundbar, but I'm having trouble with the clarity and volume of the vocals. The vocals don't sound very clear and are worse than the audio on my old LG TV. While the soundbar is good for action and horror movies, it has too much bass even in normal audio, which makes it challenging to enjoy vocal-heavy movies. I sometimes have to remove the subwoofer altogether.

I'm on a budget and considering investing in studio monitors as a solution. Can anyone recommend any budget-friendly studio monitor options that might work well for my needs? I'm open to any suggestions and appreciate any help you can provide. Thank you!

This is what i had purchased https://www.amazon.in/ZEBRONICS-BAR-9500WS-PRO-5-1/dp/B09QKZNMVD

You can consider Magnat Multimonitor 220, Q Acoustic M20HD, Wharfdale 11.2.

 

[availlyrics]

Did you try Eq mode usually available in its sound settings? Try blocking the sub port with a soft cloth like socks or napkin

 

[adhingra]

If you’re open to look at Edifier S3000pro. I am letting these go. Checkout my review here https://www.hifivision.com/threads/edifier’s-flagship-s3000pro-2-0-active-wireless-speakers.74107/