Question Will surround sound work with this room layout or should i get a good quality sound bar instead? Out of my depth any help appreciated please

HappyGilmore007

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So i have purchased a LG OLED65C9PLA on a bit of a whim as it was such a good deal and now looking at the sound system but i am well out of my depth so have come to the experts for some help :)

Currently i have a Phillips HTS6510 which is a 2.1 system. Was maybe of thinking getting the LG SL10YG soundbar + sub (£599 on offer) but this is probably not as good as something like a dedicated 5.1 system such as the LG LHB645N?

I am not sure a traditional 5.1 / dedicated system will work with this room layout with speaker being at angles which are not straight? Do not want to mount TV above fireplace as it will be too high up.

Any ideas on what to do here? Should i just stick with the Phillips sound system maybe?

Do i need to be getting something which is Dolby Atmos to make the most of such a good tv ?

S1 = Speaker 1
S2 = Speaker 2

TV Diagram.jpg
 
You have two problems for surround sound in your room. The first is having the TV in the corner of the room. Makes it extremely difficult to get the front soundstage right, speaker S2 in the window bay is going have a lot of reflective glass close to it. With your sofa against the back wall that means your surrounds are going to be compromised and placed right by the listeners years.

The second is having the speakers fire across a narrow axis of the room. It's not impossible and it's up to you if you want to go down the 5.1 route, although with speaker S2 being so close to the TV I would ditch a centre and run 4.1. In all honesty I think you would be better off with a good quality soundbar.
 
You have two problems for surround sound in your room. The first is having the TV in the corner of the room. Makes it extremely difficult to get the front soundstage right, speaker S2 in the window bay is going have a lot of reflective glass close to it. With your sofa against the back wall that means your surrounds are going to be compromised and placed right by the listeners years.

The second is having the speakers fire across a narrow axis of the room. It's not impossible and it's up to you if you want to go down the 5.1 route, although with speaker S2 being so close to the TV I would ditch a centre and run 4.1. In all honesty I think you would be better off with a good quality soundbar.

Thanks think i will go with a sound bar was thinking the SL10YG but just realised it 144cm my tv stand is only 100cm with not a lot of room to get a bigger one.

I then looked at the sl9yg which is 120cm so will have a little overhang on each side of the tv stand but nothing major. Is that the best way to go? Any others to consider with dolby Atmos?

The only other idea i have is the mount the sound bar just above the fireplace mantel but would that be weird and the sound would be coming from a different place than the picture..

Thanks for your help :)
 
I have no idea about soundbars as I've always had a full surround system. You may be better off asking a direction question here.......

 
You have two problems for surround sound in your room. The first is having the TV in the corner of the room. Makes it extremely difficult to get the front soundstage right, speaker S2 in the window bay is going have a lot of reflective glass close to it. With your sofa against the back wall that means your surrounds are going to be compromised and placed right by the listeners years.

The second is having the speakers fire across a narrow axis of the room. It's not impossible and it's up to you if you want to go down the 5.1 route, although with speaker S2 being so close to the TV I would ditch a centre and run 4.1. In all honesty I think you would be better off with a good quality soundbar.

Hi gibbsy

Had a change of plan i am going to buy a new tv stand and put it in front of the fireplace which i think will make it a game changer to get a good 5.1? Only issue is the side speakers at the back would have to be right next to the sofa as the sofa is flush to the wall, will that cause an issue?

Any recommendations on where to start looking for a 5.1 with dolby Atmos around the £600 area?

Thanks for your help
 
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Hi. My room is quite like yours, and I have a 65 inch LG OLED.

I went with a Sony ZF-9 with the side speakers (SA-ZF9) directly on either side of the couch so I've set up what I think you're considering.

I'm pretty happy with it; the speaker placement works well. Sound stage to me is well balanced although if you're sitting right beside a side speaker you will obviously hear more of that speaker this is to an extent unavoidable and I would rather the speakers were there than not.

Although I have nothing to compare it to (havent heard Atmos elsewhere), Atmos effect with the Dolby demo to me works well.

I do get tempted on reading up about the Samsung Q90 I dont think my space (or budget!) would support something that heavy duty. I would recommend this speaker set for this room shape if you're looking for something reasonably high-end (worthy of a 65 inch LG OLED!), that supports Atmos and isnt crazy money.

That said, having side speakers like these and 5.1 makes more of an impact than Atmos day to day and even for most movies. The side speakers make a bigger impact and really help fill the room and create immersive effect.There isnt that much Atmos content, although I do enjoy it am really looking forward to when Disney plus stop throttling their content (and Atmos) in EMEA.

Screenshot 2020-04-07 at 19.16.29.png


Screenshot 2020-04-07 at 19.16.38.png
 
Last edited:
So i have purchased a LG OLED65C9PLA on a bit of a whim as it was such a good deal and now looking at the sound system but i am well out of my depth so have come to the experts for some help :)

Currently i have a Phillips HTS6510 which is a 2.1 system. Was maybe of thinking getting the LG SL10YG soundbar + sub (£599 on offer) but this is probably not as good as something like a dedicated 5.1 system such as the LG LHB645N?

I am not sure a traditional 5.1 / dedicated system will work with this room layout with speaker being at angles which are not straight? Do not want to mount TV above fireplace as it will be too high up.

Any ideas on what to do here? Should i just stick with the Phillips sound system maybe?

Do i need to be getting something which is Dolby Atmos to make the most of such a good tv ?

S1 = Speaker 1
S2 = Speaker 2

View attachment 1277729
Hang your TV over the fireplace and you will be good!
 

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