Panasonic Sound Quality & Volume Issues

[Lefty Guns]

Right then, here's a question for all you who are infinitely more knowledgable than me. (And there will be many of you - i'm a dumbass at this stuff)

I've got the following:

Viera TH50PZ80B
DMP-BD35EB blu-ray player

The picture quality is awesome and I'm really happy with it but I'm struggling to set up the sound. The quality is fine with the volume turned up but the TV's in an open plan living room/kitchen/hall which is about 400m3 in total. I only sit about 4m from the screen but my 2-year-old sons bedroom (although >30m away) has a door from the hall.

To have the TV loud enough for the clarity to be decent (and so that I can actually make out what characters are saying!) it's too loud and will wake him up.

I've tried switching it onto "Speech" mode but it's still not much better.

Anyone got any suggestions?

[JustinP1]

If the TV has speaker outs, you could try a small speaker to the centre channel.

All of the speech is through the centre channel so at least you will be able to hear what is going on without having the overall volume too loud.

[hilly10]

You have half of the right kit. What you need now to do it justice is AV Amp and 5.1 surround sound speaker package. I have the same TV and blu ray together with Onkyo amp and Kef speakers fantastic sound

[Lefty Guns]

hilly10 said:

You have half of the right kit. What you need now to do it justice is AV Amp and 5.1 surround sound speaker package. I have the same TV and blu ray together with Onkyo amp and Kef speakers fantastic sound

Even at low volume?

[hilly10]

There is a special setting for night viewing brings all the high stuff down lowers the Sub but adjusts the dialog speaker for great clarity

[Lefty Guns]

Thanks, can anyone recommend a fairly discrete system for <£500 ?

[Steve748]

Lefty Guns said:

Thanks, can anyone recommend a fairly discrete system for <£500 ?

Have you sorted anything yet?

I have a Bose 5.1 system that I bought s/h off fleabay, bought the main sub for just under £100 with all the wires, the four double cubes in white for a bit over £250, they were sold as tatty & grubby. When they arrived I cleaned them up kept the best two and sold the remaining two for £180. I then bought two freespace business commercial single cubes and mounted them on the rear wall and bought a single black one for a centre speaker which blends in with the black Panasonic freesat TV.
Now Bose stuff is pretty crappy but for what I want it for and the cost it's fine for watching TV and movies, and is far better than the TV speakers.
If I was going to get an alternative it would be the Mission system.

[derestrictor]

http://www2.kef.com/gb/loudspeakers/xq

You've got the screen, now get the sound to match it.

I was exposed to a system comprising some of this stuff this morn and have rarely heard non-CGI material so well resolved, specifically Dennis Quaid's dialogue which represents the channel where so many speaker systems fall short, afaic.