So my parents have just built a cottage with a very large main room (containing the kitchen, dining room and sitting area).
The sitting area also houses the television, HTPC and sound system.
We are having a terrible time with audio. When watching a movie or TV show, it is very difficult to understand what is being said. It has become so bad that very often the subtitles will have to be turned on to understand what's happening.
The room is about 35x20 feet with a cathedral ceiling peaking at about 30 feet. The material on the ceiling is wood (pine). There is a balcony with small office area above.
The audio seems to be going straight up bouncing off the ceiling instead of going towards the sitting area.
We cannot modify the material of the room.
At the old home, the television's built-in speakers were fine (it's my parents, not me) and that was enough for them. I've since switched them over to a fairly decent, but older, Bose system with 2 small bookshelf speakers providing audio.
In other environments, the sound is crystal clear, so it's definitely environmental.
Are there any suggestions for something along the lines of directional speakers or the like for such a situation? I would prefer to not have to resort to a set of headphones for all viewing parties.
The sitting area also houses the television, HTPC and sound system.
We are having a terrible time with audio. When watching a movie or TV show, it is very difficult to understand what is being said. It has become so bad that very often the subtitles will have to be turned on to understand what's happening.
The room is about 35x20 feet with a cathedral ceiling peaking at about 30 feet. The material on the ceiling is wood (pine). There is a balcony with small office area above.
The audio seems to be going straight up bouncing off the ceiling instead of going towards the sitting area.
We cannot modify the material of the room.
At the old home, the television's built-in speakers were fine (it's my parents, not me) and that was enough for them. I've since switched them over to a fairly decent, but older, Bose system with 2 small bookshelf speakers providing audio.
In other environments, the sound is crystal clear, so it's definitely environmental.
Are there any suggestions for something along the lines of directional speakers or the like for such a situation? I would prefer to not have to resort to a set of headphones for all viewing parties.
