Movie theaters that are too loud!

[Cygnus]

I went and saw The Dark Knight Rises tonight, which was great. It was great, except for the fact that the audio was so loud that near the end of the movie, I had to put my earbuds in to dampen the sound. Now, I know that, yeah, it's The Dark Knight, and it's a big fun movie, but do the theater techs really need to turn it up so loud, that it hurts my ears? (I'm not joking about that either, I felt physical pain in my ears.)

I was seated near the very front, but not on the bottom row, on the left side, and I wasn't directly in front of any of the speakers, so I don't think that had too much to do with it. I also talked to one couple after, who found it very loud as well. Along with them, a friend of mine, from Australia, also says he saw it, and it was too loud for him.

I think there should be a standard set in place, because it seems that there isn't, which says that the volume cannot go over a certain dB level. Had I been thinking, I would have pulled up my dB meter on my ipod to see what it was at, but alas, I didn't.

That alone, made watching the movie unpleasant.

I've been to rock and roll concerts that weren't as loud!

 

[ratm]

I know you said you werent directly in front of any speakers, but do you think sitting farther up in the seats would have made a difference?

 

[Cygnus]

I doubt it, and if I had been any closer, the movie would have been unwatchable. There were times in which when the LFE kicked in, that the rest of the audio lost definition. Oh, by the way, this is at a Cineplex Odeon in Edmonton.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

I doubt it, and if I had been any closer, the movie would have been unwatchable. There were times in which when the LFE kicked in, that the rest of the audio lost definition. Oh, by the way, this is at a Cineplex Odeon in Edmonton.

Most theaters sound in my area are so distorted that it get's fatiguing. I don't even think it's the overall volume that is out of hand but just the distortion. Could be both though...

 

[markw]

Considerig the cost of admission and the requisite giant-sized goodies, many releases we forgo at the theaters and simply but the Blu-ray the day it's released or is available on demand/Netflix. Then, if we really are intrigued but not that hot on it to begin with, we'll wait a few months until it drops to $10 or so. John Carter and Mysterious Island 2 are among that last category.

 

[Cygnus]

Most theaters sound in my area are so distorted that it get's fatiguing. I don't even think it's the overall volume that is out of hand but just the distortion. Could be both though...

I like the sound of Cineplex Odeon. That's one of the main reasons I go. However, this was just too loud. I wish I would have said something to someone on the way out, but I didn't. The picture wasn't great though, there was a bit of blurring, though I was really close..

Considerig the cost of admission and the requisite giant-sized goodies, many releases we forgo at the theaters and simply but the Blu-ray the day it's released or is available on demand/Netflix. Then, if we really are intrigued but not that hot on it to begin with, we'll wait a few months until it drops to $10 or so. John Carter and Mysterious Island 2 are among that last category.

I should start doing this again..

 

[Hocky]

It was the same way here. And the SQ was terrible.

 

[Rickster71]

I was seated near the very front, but not on the bottom row,

It sounds like you were sitting too close to the front (main) speakers.
The perceived loudness of a speaker is reduced the farther away the listener is from it.

 

[Cygnus]

It sounds like you were sitting too close to the front (main) speakers.
The perceived loudness of a speaker is reduced the farther away the listener is from it.

I know that. I've been in the same place for other movies, and they weren't nearly that loud, though.

 

[its phillip]

I saw The Dark Knight Rises in an IMAX dome yesterday. I wished it was louder

 

[ACsGreens]

What is a Movie Theater?

having w kids under 15 mo has severly hampered our visits to theaters....anything new and cool, besides overly imflated volume?

 

[Cygnus]

having w kids under 15 mo has severly hampered our visits to theaters....anything new and cool, besides overly imflated volume?

Hmm, nah, not really. Floors are still sticky, people still talk, and sometimes speakers are blown, and the PQ sucks. You're not missing much

 

[BMXTRIX]

I saw this thread and was feeling like starting a thread called: "If it's to loud, you're to old!"

I get the noise level in some theaters just being cranked. It isn't the end of the world for me as long as the speakers aren't blown, but for the most part I avoid theaters which are like that.

I pretty much strictly stick to my local IMAX theater which does seem to enforce some decent audio measurements regularly and always has good speakers running for the show.

I'm hitting the Dark Knight this Friday at a real IMAX theater which should be awesome.

 

[Alex2507]

I saw this thread and was feeling like starting a thread called: "If it's to loud, you're to old!"

I get the noise level in some theaters just being cranked. It isn't the end of the world for me as long as the speakers aren't blown, but for the most part I avoid theaters which are like that.

I pretty much strictly stick to my local IMAX theater which does seem to enforce some decent audio measurements regularly and always has good speakers running for the show.

I'm hitting the Dark Knight this Friday at a real IMAX theater which should be awesome.

My IMAX had a renovation including the audio. A trailer for that Ridley Scott thing hit 115 db. The main feature had equally loud scenes here and there as judged by hearing. This happened after we sat in the front third of the theater and thought the audio was obnoxiously loud. We returned for a different show some time later with an SPL meter and sat in the rear third of the theater. Upper range female vocals were blaringly loud and distorted. Providence Place Imax needs a swift kick to the chins. I loved the audio before the renovation. Ear plugs I guess.

 

[Adam]

I'm with Mark on this one. The cons outweigh the pros for me on going to a theater.

As for the noise - if it's too loud for me, I acknowledge my old fogeyness and reach for the remote. Ahhh, the joys of watching at home.

 

[woofersus]

I have not yet joined the ranks of the werther's original enthusasts, but I still find movie theater sound to be too loud on a regular basis. I've been to theaters with bad sound, but I've also been to a few with good sound that's just too loud. (although movies aren't created equal, and the dark knight rises had some issues in the audio department)

I think theaters just see cranking the sound as a way to make the theater experience stand out and encourage people to spend the bucks. Remember, most people don't have surround sound with their huge TV's (see CEA reports on soundbar sales growth, not to mention 60" tv reviews that mention built-in speaker quality) and many who do just have HTIB or Bose systems. Loud explosions create a wow effect and most ears aren't discerning enough to know that's not the end-all be-all.

 

[dkane360]

Usually I don't find the movie theaters to be too loud, but the Imax at my local theater that I went to was definitely over the top. There were moments when the subs were very distorted, which I don't remember happening with other movies.

 

[lsiberian]

I'd said you are just an old man, but I know many theaters stink. A lot of them are run by teenagers with no concept of audio engineering. Try a different theater or do like us and build your own theater.

Of course I get noise complaints at my theater too.