Can't hear my TV

I currently watch a Samsung 6400 TV and run it through an old Energy One soundbar. My problem is that I simply can't understand so much of what is being said. I can turn up the volume, but now the music or sound effects blast us out of the room. We often resort to subtitles, but that can be distracting, and we usually don't need them all the time. Only when they start whispering.


I'd like to update my TV's sound system, but I'm hoping I don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to do it. Can I get away with a better sound bar, or should I go with a modular speaker system?