Vocals a tad bit too low through center channel with DD/DTS

[jtvang125]

I have Audessey setup on the receiver but at times the vocals through the center is a little low and hard to hear. If I turn it up to where I can hear the vocals clearly then the music or action scenes are way too loud. Seems to be only with DD or DTS tracks. The higher resolution and bitrate of LPCM is fine though.

Is it possible to increase the gain on the center to boost the vocals without affecting the Audessey processing? Or is the Polk CSi25 just too small to effectively reproduce the vocals at normal listening levels?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

You can adjust the center trim level independent of the Audyssey equalization. Just write down what it is now so you can turn it back if you do it.

You could enable some sort of dynamic range compression alternatively. I don't remember what Denon calls that mode, but it would make quiet stuff louder and loud stuff quieter.

 

[jtvang125]

I think it's Dynamic Volume but I don't like it on at all. Music and action scenes become way too low and seems to ruin the smooth blending of the surround sound.

I'll try adjusting the trim level when I get home. Thanks.

 

[spidey07]

Could be positioning as well. Make sure the speaker is pointed to the listening position.

 

[jtvang125]

The center sits on the shelf right below the tv pointed straight at the main sitting position so I doubt it's the positioning. Also it sounds great with LPCM material but just a little low on DD and DTS.

I'll try the trim settings. Oh and Yoyo, is there any difference if I manually select the F, C and RS to small instead of big? What about the crossover point for them? Thanks.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: jtvang125
The center sits on the shelf right below the tv pointed straight at the main sitting position so I doubt it's the positioning. Also it sounds great with LPCM material but just a little low on DD and DTS.

I'll try the trim settings. Oh and Yoyo, is there any difference if I manually select the F, C and RS to small instead of big? What about the crossover point for them? Thanks.

Audyssey basically calculates how low you could set the crossover and still get away with it.

I would highly recommend picking your own crossover points depending on the capabilities of your speakers.

Audyssey says I could run full range for my front three speakers but I have them all crossed over at 80Hz anyway. I may experiment later on with lowering it slightly (60Hz or 70Hz) to see what it does based on room measurements later.

Download the word version here
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb...wthread.php?p=14456895

 

[Pacfanweb]

Try all the advice above, but the real answer is, "Welcome to Surround Sound". I've never seen a setup anywhere where the dialog that's supposed to be in the center channel isn't way too low in many movies. Then you turn it up where you can hear the lower stuff, and it blows you off the couch when an action scene happens.

Try movies like Jurassic Park and you'll see what I mean. You can hardly hear the dialog at times, but you'll pay for it if you turn the settings up enough to hear it. It was the same way in the theater.

In fact, there was dialog in that particular movie (and many others) that I never could understand until it came out on VHS and I turned on the captions.

This seems to be mostly just the price of surround sound, whether it's DD, DTS or even Pro Logic. Every system combo I've ever owned or listened to is the same way.

Live events like football games don't seem to be this way, since the dialog from the announcers is the main thing being broadcast, but this isn't the case with movies.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

The worst offender in recent memory for me was "The Mist". Too bad the movie was so bad too 😉

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
The worst offender in recent memory for me was "The Mist". Too bad the movie was so bad too 😉

Haven't seen that one. Bottom line is, though....surround sound is made to be listened to pretty loud.

When I watch in the evening, I just turn captions on......in fact, I pretty much use captions all the time. You often get all sorts of little details that you can't hear no matter how loud you play the movie.

 

[spidey07]

Pacfanweb - that's the way it is supposed to be. I'd much rather have this much dynamic range than not enough. If you want you can use dynamic range compression (various night modes).

 

[Noubourne]

After running Audyssey MultiEQ on my Denon, I still needed to run through the channel level calibration option and fix the channel levels. Both my surround channel levels were 3db too low, and my center needed to be punched up too.

Generally I don't have problems hearing it though.

Note also that different frequencies sound different at varying volume levels. Low level volumes can easily make some sounds difficult to hear. Sometimes at night I listen at low volumes and pump up the CC a little to compensate - since I don't have DynamicVolume on my receiver, and my nightmode option seems only to gut the bass - which I want to keep.

If you still experience this at reference volumes, that might mean there is some other kind of problem...

You know - you might be going deaf.

 

[newnameman]

Originally posted by: spidey07
Pacfanweb - that's the way it is supposed to be. I'd much rather have this much dynamic range than not enough. If you want you can use dynamic range compression (various night modes).

Yep. I want loud things to be LOUD.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: newnameman

Originally posted by: spidey07
Pacfanweb - that's the way it is supposed to be. I'd much rather have this much dynamic range than not enough. If you want you can use dynamic range compression (various night modes).

Yep. I want loud things to be LOUD.

As long as the soft sounds stay soft at the same time. There is no such thing as too much dynamic range.

 

[newnameman]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: newnameman

Originally posted by: spidey07
Pacfanweb - that's the way it is supposed to be. I'd much rather have this much dynamic range than not enough. If you want you can use dynamic range compression (various night modes).

Yep. I want loud things to be LOUD.

As long as the soft sounds stay soft at the same time. There is no such thing as too much dynamic range.

Of course, I didn't mean to imply otherwise.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: spidey07
Pacfanweb - that's the way it is supposed to be. I'd much rather have this much dynamic range than not enough. If you want you can use dynamic range compression (various night modes).

I know that's the way it's supposed to be. The OP evidently didn't, hence, my posts.

Surround sound is made to be listened to, LOUD. If you listen to it at low levels, you will miss dialog. That's what they make captions for, IMO. I pretty much always use them.

 

[Noubourne]

Originally posted by: Pacfanweb

Originally posted by: spidey07
Pacfanweb - that's the way it is supposed to be. I'd much rather have this much dynamic range than not enough. If you want you can use dynamic range compression (various night modes).

I know that's the way it's supposed to be. The OP evidently didn't, hence, my posts.

Surround sound is made to be listened to, LOUD. If you listen to it at low levels, you will miss dialog. That's what they make captions for, IMO. I pretty much always use them.

If by "LOUD" you mean calibrated to 85dB (to allow peaks of 105dB) - then yes.

 

[Leyawiin]

Thank goodness my Pioneer DVD player has a "dialog enhance" feature. Its not dynamic range compression (has that too), it just increases the dialog so I don't have to blow my windows out trying to hear the actors over the action/music. Panasonic and Pioneer seem to be the only ones who put this feature in their DVD/Blu-Ray players. The way most theatrical movies are made its on "full" most of the time. Idiot directors...