Brain Pickin Time

[West Matagorda]

Hello All,
I have your basic surround sound system at the house with plasma tv
running hd. The problem is I am becoming deaf to the point where it is
frustrating to watch tv because if I turn the sound up enough to hear
the dialog clearly I blow everyone else out of the room.
Does anyone know of an a/v receiver or component that will let
me raise the sound level of dialog only? I am open to suggestions and
comments from all who may have a thought.

Thanks,
WM

 

[mulester7]

Hello All,
I have your basic surround sound system at the house with plasma tv
running hd. The problem is I am becoming deaf to the point where it is
frustrating to watch tv because if I turn the sound up enough to hear
the dialogue clearly I blow everyone else out of the room.
Does anyone know of an a/v receiver or component that will let
me raise the sound level of dialogue only? I am open to suggestions and
comments from all who may have a thought.

Thanks,
WM

.....some sort of EQ that raises the mids?.....headphones?....

.....edit.....and, West Matagorda, if you need quality hearing aids, they are only going to wonderfully cover a deficiency that needs covering....none of us are getting any younger.....

 

[MDS]

Use dynamic compression, aka 'late night' modeor raise the center channel level as the majority of dialog comnes from the center channel.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Hello All,
I have your basic surround sound system at the house with plasma tv
running hd. The problem is I am becoming deaf to the point where it is
frustrating to watch tv because if I turn the sound up enough to hear
the dialog clearly I blow everyone else out of the room.
Does anyone know of an a/v receiver or component that will let
me raise the sound level of dialog only? I am open to suggestions and
comments from all who may have a thought.

Thanks,
WM

West,

Welcome to the forum.

It sounds like you need to be relying more on your center channel and less on your fronts and surrounds. What equipment are you running? What dsp/surround mode are you using? Do you have trim adjustments for each channel?

 

[mtrycrafts]

Hello All,
I have your basic surround sound system at the house with plasma tv
running hd. The problem is I am becoming deaf to the point where it is
frustrating to watch tv because if I turn the sound up enough to hear
the dialog clearly I blow everyone else out of the room.
Does anyone know of an a/v receiver or component that will let
me raise the sound level of dialog only? I am open to suggestions and
comments from all who may have a thought.

Thanks,
WM

If all else fails, you may need a gadget that would slip on your ears to augment the sound so the family is not driven out.

 

[Buckeye_Nut]

Hello All,
I have your basic surround sound system at the house with plasma tv
running hd. The problem is I am becoming deaf to the point where it is
frustrating to watch tv because if I turn the sound up enough to hear
the dialog clearly I blow everyone else out of the room.
Does anyone know of an a/v receiver or component that will let
me raise the sound level of dialog only? I am open to suggestions and
comments from all who may have a thought.

Thanks,
WM

That's one of the classic signatures of poor room acoustics(not your ears). Cranking the center channel higher than the other channels will ruin your surround soundfield, and isnt the solution.(plus it doesnt work very well) Using the night mode will effectively 'kill' loud segments, so that is an option if you dont mind listening to a compromised soundtrack.

If you want crystal clear dialog without getting blown out of the room during loud segments....... you'll need to treat your room acoustics.

 

[majorloser]

Or just give everybody else ear plugs.

 

[mulester7]

.....Buckeye_Nut certainly brought food for thought....correct room damping brings front soundstage imaging, or what we old farts used to call "point"....now there's your clarity.....

 

[Sheep]

That's one of the classic signatures of poor room acoustics(not your ears). Cranking the center channel higher than the other channels will ruin your surround soundfield, and isnt the solution.(plus it doesnt work very well) Using the night mode will effectively 'kill' loud segments, so that is an option if you dont mind listening to a compromised soundtrack.

If you want crystal clear dialog without getting blown out of the room during loud segments....... you'll need to treat your room acoustics.

This is more a level matching problem. Obviously room treatment will help, but you have to have the system setup right first.

SheepStar

 

[Buckeye_Nut]

Not necessarily sheep......

I had the same problems, and didnt even know it until after my room was fixed. When you treat your room, the loud segments will be brought under control, and dialog will be crystal clear even when all hell is breaking loose in a scene. You'll find the need to endlessly tweak your volume during movies will become a thing of the past. Cranking the center channel DBs way up is not the solution to his problem.

When you finally hear a movie was meant to be heard... you'll slap yourself in the forehead and say..... "Aaahhhh, so that's how it was supposed to sound!!"

You'd be amazed at how much clearer and smooth the sound is once the room is fixed. At times, you'll also hear subtle sounds during movies that you never noticed before.

 

[Sheep]

Not necessarily sheep......

I had the same problems, and didnt even know it until after my room was fixed. When you treat your room, the loud segments will be brought under control, and dialog will be crystal clear even when all hell is breaking loose in a scene. You'll find the need to endlessly tweak your volume during movies will become a thing of the past. Cranking the center channel DBs way up is not the solution to his problem.

When you finally hear a movie was meant to be heard... you'll slap yourself in the forehead and say..... "Aaahhhh, so that's how it was supposed to sound!!"

You'd be amazed at how much clearer and smooth the sound is once the room is fixed. At times, you'll also hear subtle sounds during movies that you never noticed before.

Did you level match your setup? We're not talking about "cranking up" the center channel, we're talking about balancing it with the fronts.

SheepStar

 

[supervij]

Sometimes, though, the movie is the problem. I have my system level-matched, and the other day, a friend and I threw on the movie D.E.B.S. on (not a great movie, but it's fun, and Devon Aoki's a babe) and we had a tough time hearing the dialogue because the music coming from the surround speakers was waaay too loud. Those surrounds are definitely level-matched -- I check it myself every now and again, just cos I like doing it, and we still had a hard time with the movie. So sometimes, there ain't nothin' you can do -- it's the movie's fault!

cheers,
supervij

 

[Buckeye_Nut]

Sometimes, though, the movie is the problem. I have my system level-matched, and the other day, a friend and I threw on the movie D.E.B.S. on (not a great movie, but it's fun, and Devon Aoki's a babe) and we had a tough time hearing the dialogue because the music coming from the surround speakers was waaay too loud. Those surrounds are definitely level-matched -- I check it myself every now and again, just cos I like doing it, and we still had a hard time with the movie. So sometimes, there ain't nothin' you can do -- it's the movie's fault!

cheers,
supervij

Is your room a treated soundroom?? You're helping me make my above point because you are perfectly describing what I was talking about earlier in this thread. Im guessing your room ISNT a treated soundroom because I have yet to find a single movie who's effects or music drown out dialog.

Yes, there are both good and 'less than' good movie soundtracks out there, but the differences arent because they were recorded out of balance. The differences in a weak soundtrack may be lack of surround effects, lacking LFE content, or maybe it lacks 'richness' in the sound. Maybe the 'bad' dvd simply sounds dull and boring to the ears but c'mon..........it's NOT because it was recorded with the content out of balance!!! You'll need to experience the difference first hand before you can fully appreciate what I'm talking about.

 

[supervij]

My room is hardly treated at all, I must admit. Now, I know that I need to treat it, but never having experienced a movie or an album in a treated room, maybe I'm a little hesitant to believe how much of a difference it makes. You said that it quietens the louder passages and makes the dialogue crystal clear. That seems like utter hocus pocus to me. How does the treatment know which sounds to quieten and which to leave alone?

All right, having done even minimal research, I have noted that certain materials will affect mid-range and treble, certain materials will affect bass, but it does seem quite odd. The music in the surrounds had lots of bass, lots of treble and midrange, while the dialogue from the centre was mostly, what, midrange? I dunno. I don't quite get it. At any rate, I suppose I am helping you make your point. I'm happy to do so. But I would like for you to pop D.E.B.S. into your treated soundroom and tell me what you think. Cos I absolutely want the reassurance that that is the problem -- that the fact that I haven't treated the room enough is the reason for the surrounds overwhelming the dialogue.

Believe me, I am DYING to experience my software in a treated room. I just haven't figured out how to go about treating it. It's a living room, not a dedicated HT, so I really don't want all those panels and huge bass traps and things all over the place. I've also got GAF (girlfriend, not wife) to consider. But that's the subject for another thread -- and even more research.

cheers,
supervij