Advice/Recommendations please.

Like some other older people I suffer from slight mid-range hearing loss which is affecting my TV enjoyment.  I have 'upgraded' from the TV speakers on my Sony 65" TV by replacing with a soundbar. Being unsure of the improvement a bar would make I went for budget Yamaha YAS207 which certainly made things better with dialogue when I use Surround + Clear Voice setting.  However it is far from perfect and I would like to improve further.  I am considering a more upmarket soundbar such as Sony HTZ9F or similar which is selling around RM2999. I also think maybe a 2.1 speaker system would be a better option but the cost of decent Amp + Centre + L/R speakers no doubt will be much more expensive.
All responses/advice welcome but please.......  no quips about getting hearing aid thanks..

Redvet, as a senior citizen myself it is a well known effect of aging that older persons suffer from hearing overload much more quickly than younger persons.  Besides the loss of hearing inevitably in the upper frequencies, the key to continue enjoying your music is to strive for clarity. Meaning, go for sound equipment that emphasizes clearly defined music notes esp. in the midrange, also with the loss of high frequencies, bass becomes more prominent so beware of heavy, poorly damped speakers (like Harbeth). Lastly, a clear sounding system allows you to play the system more softly - saving your ears from hearing loss

samazzah wrote:Redvet, as a senior citizen myself it is a well known effect of aging that older persons suffer from hearing overload much more quickly than younger persons.  Besides the loss of hearing inevitably in the upper frequencies, the key to continue enjoying your music is to strive for clarity. Meaning, go for sound equipment that emphasizes clearly defined music notes esp. in the midrange, also with the loss of high frequencies, bass becomes more prominent so beware of heavy, poorly damped speakers (like Harbeth). Lastly, a clear sounding system allows you to play the system more softly - saving your ears from hearing loss

But but but ... Harbeth has great midrange for vocals. How la like that?

samazzah wrote:Redvet, as a senior citizen myself it is a well known effect of aging that older persons suffer from hearing overload much more quickly than younger persons.  Besides the loss of hearing inevitably in the upper frequencies, the key to continue enjoying your music is to strive for clarity. Meaning, go for sound equipment that emphasizes clearly defined music notes esp. in the midrange, also with the loss of high frequencies, bass becomes more prominent so beware of heavy, poorly damped speakers (like Harbeth). Lastly, a clear sounding system allows you to play the system more softly - saving your ears from hearing loss

I had the opportunity of checking out a Samsung Q70R soundbar. I copied a movie download which previously I had difficulty in hearing the  dialogue very clearly to a USB stick and played it on the Q70R. There was a considerable improvement in the sound quality especially playing in the soundbars Adaptive mode so here is a possibility but will try to find a speaker system and try the same experiment.

Hi redvet,

I would like to share my experience in downloadable movies. It is very important to "make sure" the audio format and quality of the soundtrack.
Since the movie is downloadable, usually the source guy will some how "adjust/change" the format and or quality of the soundtrack in order to get it smaller in file size (compared to original) for easy 'downloadable'.
You need to get an original source to verify your current system before changing or upgrading .system



Considering your below info :'""
I am considering a more upmarket soundbar such as Sony HTZ9F or similar which is selling around RM2999. I also think maybe a 2.1 speaker system would be a better option but the cost of decent Amp + Centre + L/R speakers no doubt will be much more expensive.""


with RM2999 budget, you can get a entry level AV receiver with three speakers : front,center and left
And with the basic Dolby Pro-Logic II mode, you can always adjust the dialogue/center channel/soundtrack to your preferred sound pressure level.
In this way with original sound source, definitely you are "in control" of your preferred  dialogue sound performance. 

Tks for very informative post.....  I must try to find out and understand more about your info regarding downloadable movies. This is where I have most trouble with dialogue because lots of the soundtracks are quite poor in that respect.

I think the Sonos Beam is great especially if you use Alexa and listen to music too