Audio noob needs help with Home Theater

[Scottie]

Hello all,

Let me preface this message by stating that I am the biggest noob when it comes to Home Theater design, audio, and the like.

I am slowly beginning to upgrade my home theater from 1080p to 4K.

My current setup includes a 50" Samsung UN50J6300 TV, a Samsung HW-J450 2.1 Channel 300 Watt Wireless Audio Soundbar, and a Sony BDPS3500 Blu-ray Player. I plan to purchase either a 55" LG OLED55B6P or a 55" Sony XBR55X930D and a Panasonic DMP-UB900 Blu-ray player.

Our current soundbar is the only "extra" sound we've ever had in our home theater. It created a large difference compared to the standard speakers that came with the television. However, as time passed, I've found myself growing less fond of the soundbar. My biggest issue with it is a lack of clarity. The sound is mainly concentrated exclusively to the corner of the room where our TV is located and nowhere else. Sometimes this sound will be clear, sometimes it will be extremely loud, and other times, it seems as if it picks up the wrong sounds in films. We hear much more background noise and humming than dialogue, which has often resulted in us using subtitles for all of our screenings.

Moving forward, I'd like to make the transition to Surround Sound. However, I've never had it and being the audio noob that I am, have no idea about how to go about getting it. I'm looking for something of quality, but nothing that is extremely expensive. I'd strictly like to have enough that we get that extra level of sound and, most importantly, the clarity that comes with it.

I spoke with a Best Buy representative the other day who suggested that I get three speakers, a receiver, a wireless subwoofer, and two rear speakers (if I think I need them). I don't know what size speakers or receiver I'd need, what type of brands are considered the best, how I'd go about laying out said speakers, whether it's really worth it for the size room that I have, etc.

My home theater is my living room, one of the largest areas of traffic in the house that isn't the kitchen. It is approximately 18 feet wide by 20 feet long. I'm going to assume that the acoustics in this room are rather poor, made worse by the fact that the vast majority of this room is open. We have an opening from our kitchen into our living room, an opening from our living room into our hallway, and a "shadow box" opening of sorts between the rear of the room and another part of the hallway.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!