Center Channel- Dialogue too low

[Unregistered]

I need your help and or suggestions....

I have had an ongoing problem of hearing the dialoge of movies or dvd's.
I have a Denon 3805 biamped, and have used both Polk and Klipsch speakers.

A perfect example is while watching the brand new Star Wars THX DVD last night. The front L/R speaker produce incredible sound and effects. I have them set at +2 to +3db and the center speaker is cranked at 12db.

In researching this in the past with my Kenwood THX receiver, I was told it has to to with something called "Dial Norm" or dialogue normalization.

I thought it was the receiver, but the hard to hear dialogue occurs on my Denon as well.

The problems exists not only when watching DVD's, but also when watching Direct TV through my HD Tivo. The problem seems worse when the receiver is outputing in Dolby Digital.

I have tried everything and cannot figure out why this is happening.

Has anyone else had this problem? Any suggestions on what I might be overlooking?

Thanks

 

[cam]

It does not matter that your speakers are set at +2, +3, and +12. What does matter is that they are all at the same sound level at your seating position using a sound pressure meter and your receiver's test tones. Once you have done that and you still have a center channel problem then you can set your center channel 1 or 2 db's higher. Myself, I find setting my center channel 1 db higher then my mains gives me my best result.

 

[Az B]

Have you calibrated the levels of your speakers?

Next, look at acoustical issues. If the speaker in on a shelf, make sure it's far enough forward that it hangs off slightly. Also, make sure the speaker is angled towards the listening position. If you have a laser pointer, you can lay it on top of the speaker and see if the red dot lines up to ear level at the seating position.

Lastly, consider acoustical treatments for first reflections from the front three speakers. (L,C,R) Early reflections are sound waves that are bounced off side walls, ceiling, and floor from initial speaker output. They arrive at the ear just milliseconds away from the original signal and can make speech very hard to decipher. I've treated a couple of rooms with this problem and it makes it a lot better.