Question My 1st Home Theater needs surrounds, please help. Q Acoustics 3010i vs 3020.

IdoLikeFilms

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Hi I'm new,

I have a series 8 LG OLED tv that I've had for a year or so. I was using 15yr old 'all-in-one' 5.1 out of the box system but it was basically rubbish (about £270 at the time) and I found that surround sound did not work for most Netflix stuff and some Disney+ films were sounding muffled.

I realized I needed a decent sound solution so read through hundreds of posts both here and on Reddit, then watched some videos on Youtube and after initially having a budget of £300, came to the conclusion that was not going to be enough. I also thought S/PDIF (optical) was still OK to use but learnt that ARC was the better option these days (I know eARC is a thing but my tv only has ARC).

In the end, as my first ever proper AMP, I bought a Denon x1600h as it was £100 cheaper than on launch but still had all the features I wanted including things I don't need yet but might use in the future. That left me a bit short this month so I only opted for 3 speakers this month, those being the Q Acoustics 3010i x 2 for front left and right and then a 3090Ci for the center. I connected the Denon with an HDMI cable to use ARC. I have a blueray player but not sure if I connect that to the tv or to the Denon?

Now I know a lot of you have much more expensive and more powerful speakers for front left and right but I only sit about 7 feet away from my tv and the center is on a solid coffee table about a foot in front of the TV (not ideal I understand) with the sides being only about a foot away to each side of the tv but being more or less inline with it. I mostly watch Netflix, Amazon Prime and will have Disney+ for a month but plan to cancel it as soon as I've seen all the Star Wars and Avengers films. I only have 4 bluray movies but plan to get a handful more so hoping they sound better than the same movie being streamed.

Setup was easier than I thought it would be, using the microphone what comes with the AV I 'tuned' the speakers in and even with just 3 speakers the sound was so much better I was kicking myself for not doing this when I bought the tv.

Now the issue is I want to go 5.1 for now (possibly going 5.1.2 or 7.1 in the future) and so need 2 more speakers for surrounds and a sub. My understanding is that the Q Acoustics sub is ok but for the same price there are better subs out there and I need advice on which ones to consider, please bare in mind that I have neighbours and so don't need bone rattling bass, in fact the more subtle but integrated the sound the better. As for the surrounds I was just going to get a pair of the older Q Acoustics 3010 speakers but have seen I can actually get the 3020 pair for only a little bit more cash than the 3010. Now the question is, if I get the 3020 speakers should I then use them as front left and right then move the 3010i speaker to the surrounds? The surrounds will be in line with my head but about 8 and half feet away at each side if that info helps.

The only issues I have so far is that with the current set up I watched Jurassic World Fallen Empire and there is a scene where the little kid screams and I could barely hear the scream and I think it was supposed to be much louder, not sure if that is a source issue or centre speaker issue. All the rest of the dialogue was very clear. Also although the T-Rex roar was much louder and beefier than my last sound set up I feel like it could have done with bit more 'oomph' which I'm hoping a sub will fix right?

Finally, about the sub, do I need and active or passive sub?

Any suggestions would be helpful and if I'm getting any terms incorrect please correct me, I'm here to learn.

Thank you for taking the time to read :)
 
Your source components, Blu Ray player, cable box etc, should be connected by HDMI to the Denon and the Denon to the TV via ARC.

As the price difference between the 3010i and 3020i is small, buying the 3020i as the front L & R makes sense, and they will partner the 3090Ci well. As you say, the 3010i can then be used as the surrounds.

If the problem with the centre speaker was just on one scene, and all the other dialogue was clear, then it's probably not the speaker. The scream could have been mixed to another speaker rather than the centre.

As for the sub, there are bigger, better and more expensive subwoofers available, but as you have neighbours that you don't want to upset, the best option may be to go with the Q Acoustics. Check out other subs in the same price range, there may be others that will perform better.
 
Your source components, Blu Ray player, cable box etc, should be connected by HDMI to the Denon and the Denon to the TV via ARC.

As the price difference between the 3010i and 3020i is small, buying the 3020i as the front L & R makes sense, and they will partner the 3090Ci well. As you say, the 3010i can then be used as the surrounds.

If the problem with the centre speaker was just on one scene, and all the other dialogue was clear, then it's probably not the speaker. The scream could have been mixed to another speaker rather than the centre.

As for the sub, there are bigger, better and more expensive subwoofers available, but as you have neighbours that you don't want to upset, the best option may be to go with the Q Acoustics. Check out other subs in the same price range, there may be others that will perform better.

Just to explain it's not the 3020i it's the previous version of it with out the 'i' so just 3020. Not sure how much difference. So what I'm wondering is a 3010i (smaller speaker) better than a 3020 (not i)?
 
Better?, probably not a big difference in sound quality between the two. The 3020 will be cheaper and due to the larger cabinet size will play a little lower, however if you have a sub then that's not a concern.
 
If it was me I would try 3020 as fronts first with 3010i as the surrounds. I would then also want to try the other way round though and see which sounded best.
 
You will need a powered sub to use with the Denon connected by a single RCA cable.
 
You will need a powered sub to use with the Denon connected by a single RCA cable.

Ok thank you, what would happen if I plugged in a passive sub? Would it just not work or would it sound terrible or would it break?
 
Avr lack power amps for passive subwoofer, you need a active subwoofer. Or if you buy a passive sub you'll need a seperates power amp
 
Avr lack power amps for passive subwoofer, you need a active subwoofer. Or if you buy a passive sub you'll need a seperates power amp

Ok, thank you, going to look at Active Sub reviews now thank you.
 
There are other members with similar speakers and a denon avr albeit different model with threads that might be useful.

If you're on a budget you should shortlist the Q Acoustics 2070si. Read about it here:



 

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