I don't have a very fancy setup at all. I'm curious about upgrading from basic TV sound (I know...) to a multi-channel system. I'm not all that interested in "surround," as the couch layout in the room wouldn't benefit massively. Honestly I prefer the sound of classic films with a Mono mix because it is spread evenly around the room (and I can hear dialogue clearly!!)

Is a 3-channel (or 3.1) system common at all? I feel everything I see is 5.1, but I'd imagine a Lr/Rr would sound wonky if you're in one of the corners of the room.

I mainly watch films from before 1990, but it seems so many remasters include a required 5.1 mix instead of original theatrical stereo. Anyway I'm not opposed to surround but I'm just so fed up with dialogue sounding so low.

My understanding is dialogue is generally on the C channel, which is why a 3-channel system is most appealing to me.

From this sub and others I get the impression sound bars are not worth the investment, but I can't think of a solution other than that.

Finally, I have a stereo-receiver and unpowered speaker setup for music. I'm looking into upgrading my speakers soon. I'd be interested in integrating this with the video stream, but the receiver is 2-channel only. Maybe I could get L, R, out of the receiver and C from a separate system?

I have a non-smart Sharp TV with 1080p from around 2017. I'm really happy with picture on it especially from my standard Blu-Ray player (I'm not desperate to spend for 4k/HDR when BluRay is already leagues above the quality I get from streaming).

I'm truly an amateur audiophile, so ANY suggestions would be massively appreciated.