Possible Stupid Question: Home Theatre With Limiter?

[Suntower]

Hi,

I posted this a couple of weeks ago and the next day it was gone. Dunno what happened, but... Trying again...

I have an entry-level Samsung 5.1 Home Theatre system.

Despite the wonders of 5.1... The wide dynamic range actually drives us -nuts-. People complain about broadcast commercials, but my complaint is with the intros to most DVDs... MGM, Universal etc. where they BLARE their 'logo' at max volume. Also, we just watched 'Super-8' and literally -jumped- out of my chair at the LOUDNESS of the 'crash' scenes relative to the 'dialog' scenes.

In music studios, there are 'limiters' and 'compressors' or 'AGC' for mixing desks---which prevent the signal from moving above a given threshold and/or can be set to keep the volume within a certain range. I wonder if this is a feature commonly available on home theatre systems. If so, can someone give me some suggestions on brands?

Ideally, I'd like a button on my remote to toggle this on/off at will so I can avoid being blown out of my chair when the kids play 'Transformers' and then I want to watch a quiet documentary.

TIA,

---JC

 

[sholling]

Many receivers have a "night mode" which compresses the volume. I just don't know anything about your receiver.

 

[Adam]

Hi, JC. Like Sholling said, a lot of receivers have that capability. If you'd like help checking if yours does, just let us know the model number of your Samsung. It would be described in the owners manual if it has it. It goes by various names, such as "night mode" (mentioned above) and "dynamic range compression."

 

[GranteedEV]

I have an entry-level Samsung 5.1 Home Theatre system.

Despite the wonders of 5.1... The wide dynamic range actually drives us -nuts-.

The wide dynamic range isn't what's driving you nuts. It's your Samsung amp and speakers' and subwoofers' inability to reproduce it without distorting (which greatly increases perception of loudness), and your room's tendancy to overload your ears with too much reflected energy.

But yes, a (good) receiver or processor will have a night mode. NOt sure about these Samsungs. The true solution however starts with a system that can reproduce dynamic range such that it's not painful - because it shouldn't be.

 

[Suntower]

You're probably right about the sound quality thing. But regardless, every time that lion roars @ the start of an MGM movie the dogs FREAK.

I checked my Samsung's manual and nothing -close- to that feature, but it sounds like this is a common feature---and that's good to hear so I'll start looking for 'night mode' and so on.

We spent maybe $300 for this Samsung thing and it's given 4-5 years of good service for our modest needs. But now I think it's time to consider 'consolidating' my 'stereo' and this gizmo and there are a few tiny things like this that are moving us to do so.

The other thing we want is some sort of wi-fi or HDMI connection so we can listen to MP3s or watch videos from our laptop on the 'TV' (gasp).

I'm intentionally quite the home theatre luddite---I spend all my day in front of computers and pricey audio and when I get home I can't take much more than a 'phonograph'.

So I -definitely- appreciate the help.

---JC

The wide dynamic range isn't what's driving you nuts. It's your Samsung amp and speakers' and subwoofers' inability to reproduce it without distorting (which greatly increases perception of loudness), and your room's tendancy to overload your ears with too much reflected energy.

But yes, a (good) receiver or processor will have a night mode. NOt sure about these Samsungs. The true solution however starts with a system that can reproduce dynamic range such that it's not painful - because it shouldn't be.

 

[timoteo]

Thats a bummer to hear that even the "lion's roar" sounds bad. Look into getting a receiver with DolbyVolume.

Yamaha's have DRC (dynamic range compression) & this really does what it says!! To be honest i hate that feature because i love to watch a movie with large dynamic swings & my system can keep up. However i must say that in your case, the DRC would be perfect!!

Look into entry level Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneer & Denon AVRs. Most have some sore of compression feature.

But first check the impedence of your speakers. Sometimes those HTIB come with 3 or 4ohm speakers & are meant to be paired up with the given receiver. An entry level receiver cant handle much less than 6-8ohm loads.