Speaker Volume

[egale]

I am using the onboard audio on a P5Q-E and have a pair of Bose media mate speakers (just two speakers). Volume is fine for most everthing except when I am watching something from Netflix or other video.

I then have to turn the volume up all the way either on the speaker or the software and hopefully remember to turn the volume back done when I am done.

Would larger speakers help so that I could get more volume without turning everything up all the way? I can cope with a slight volume increase but this all the way up, all the way back down is silly. Been thinking about the Logitech Z-2300s but don't know if it will buy me anything.

 

[Billb2]

No, new speakers won't help that problem.

And bigger speakers aren't necessarily louder. That's speaker efficiency.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Most DVDs have this issue because they support higher dynamic range than most of the stuff you're listening to. With this larger range, explosions are really loud but voices and such are much quieter since it's leaving room in your system for explosions to be that much louder.

If you're having trouble hearing the quieter bits, you have a couple options.

One way it to reduce the dynamic range. A lot of receivers have a "night mode" or something like that which reduces the dynamic range so overall volume is more even.
I don't know if any software players have that kind of setting on them though...

If that's not an option, then getting a system with more headroom / greater maximum volume capability would allow you to listen to both the quieter parts and louder parts at a greater overall volume. This wouldn't change the fact that the loud parts are going to be so many dB louder than the quiet parts, but you wouldn't be maxing out the volume control. You'd still have to remember to turn it back down when you were done.

EDIT: Looks like AC3Filter has the option for dynamic range compression.

 

[alcoholbob]

Compression reduces the amount of frequencies your speaker has to play which reduces the power load considerably.

Also your speakers aren't particularly 1) efficient - lots of input power loss 2) distortion - the drivers can't produce the input frequencies without significant volume loss from distortion.