Help with a cheap DRC solution for a non-audiophile (1 Viewer)

[lavascript]

First off, as the subject states, I am very much NOT an audiophile. I watch plenty of TV and movies with my cheap TV's built-in speakers. The ONE thing I've always really wanted is dynamic range compression. My wife and I watch a lot of movies at night and are constantly wrestling with the volume controls.
My father-in-law passed away last year, and we inherited a Sony STR-DA77ES receiver. It's an older model, but it seems to be pretty decent. There were no speakers, because he used it to listen to music with headphones. Overkill. He also had a Sony bookshelf stereo, a MHC-EC69i/C2. So I robbed the speakers and hooked them up to the AVR, and it sounds fantastic. I read through the manual a bit and figured how to turn on DRC and adjust the EQ.
So DRC is at max, but I'm still having a tough time hearing voices. My next question is, what's the best way to set the EQ to bring the voices up? I currently have the bass at -2dB below 250Hz, but it's still pretty bass-y. I have the mid at +1dB to try to boost voices, but it's not very effective.
At this point it almost seems like DRC isn't really doing anything. I dunno if I need to get better (or just different) speakers or if it's just not going to work or what. But if it involves spending any significant money, I'd rather just go back to the TV speakers. (Sacrilege, right?)
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[schan1269]

Easiest thing to do is add a center speaker. You can go to Goodwill and pic up a speaker very cheaply...as long as it isn't from a HTiB.
That will be easier than fiddling with anything.

 

[NickSI]

I know you said you are not an audiophile but you said you did enjoy the better results with a receiver and speakers... so why would you go back to TV sound if you are going to wrestle with a remote anyway? Sam is right go find yourself a center speaker and when he says not from a HTiB he means make sure the connections in the back are either spring clips or screw downs and not some silly connector.

 

[lavascript]

Yeah, I seem to remember reading somewhere that the center channel is mainly for voices. But almost none of my content is 5.1, it's mostly stereo. Will the center speaker still help?

 

[schan1269]

Yes...DPL, since its debut on VHS back in the 80s...is pretty much perfected.