Xeno needs help with home theatre audio :(

[Xenomrph]

Okay so I'm a big dumb baby know-nothing when it comes to home theatre audio, and I'm looking at getting a new TV (Hisense H8G) and new 4K bluray player (Sony UBP-X700) and I figured I should update the sound system so I can get more enjoyment out of them.

Right now I'm running this kit, I got it for my Xbox360 for like $90 back in 2009.

I think part of my "problem" is I don't know what good speakers sound like in comparison to my current ones; I just know I'm having trouble with dialogue but that's a center speaker/speaker balance problem (that I'm not entirely sure how to solve) and that my setup cost me like $90 back in 2009. It sounds good enough to my ear but for all I know I could be missing out on a significant upgrade if I buy a $200 soundbar/subwoofer/bookshelf speaker kit, or I could be pissing my money away and it could sound essentially the same. I just don't know.

I mean I've built my own computer, I have a very tech-savvy friend and we basically built out a rig based on my budget. I'm totally okay piecemealing a surround sound system based on a budget of, say, $300-$500 I guess, even if I have to do it in stages and not buy everything at once. Even holding my hand and saying "buy this receiver/subwoofer/speakers/cables, then piece it all together" would point me in the right direction because I don't even know what "good" is, or if my budget is inherently too low to get an improvement over my current setup or over a $200 soundbar. If a "starter" arrangement with the receiver and all the speakers would run me $300 and it'd be an upgrade over what I've got, then I'd be all for it.

Or maybe my current setup just needs some settings tweaking and it'll sound better and negate the need to buy anything, I genuinely don't know. I just figure if I'm getting a new TV and 4K player, I should try to do the audio some kind of justice.