Dialog Intelligibility

[JohnB]

I was wondering if anyone else was experiencing a problem with dialog intelligibility with Blu-Ray releases. I find that I have to really crank the volume to make out most movie's dialog but then get blasted away during action sequences. I don't have a similar problem while watching TV (though my guess is most stations compress the audio so you don't have that wide a dynamic range).

I'm running an Integra DTC-9.8 preamp through an Arcam amp (have also used an Anthem amp) to PSB Imagine B speakers. I currently don't have a center channel as it is a small space and no real good place to put one - I do have the preamp set to mix the dialog in with the left and right front speakers (which are bi-amped). I noticed a similar problem when I did have a center channel speaker back when I was running the same electronics with Vienna Acoustic Beethoven with Maestro Center - and I even set the center speaker level higher than the other channels to try and help with it!

Any suggestions?


John

[Loves2Watch]

Originally Posted by JohnB

I was wondering if anyone else was experiencing a problem with dialog intelligibility with Blu-Ray releases. I find that I have to really crank the volume to make out most movie's dialog but then get blasted away during action sequences. I don't have a similar problem while watching TV (though my guess is most stations compress the audio so you don't have that wide a dynamic range).

I'm running an Integra DTC-9.8 preamp through an Arcam amp (have also used an Anthem amp) to PSB Imagine B speakers. I currently don't have a center channel as it is a small space and no real good place to put one - I do have the preamp set to mix the dialog in with the left and right front speakers (which are bi-amped). I noticed a similar problem when I did have a center channel speaker back when I was running the same electronics with Vienna Acoustic Beethoven with Maestro Center - and I even set the center speaker level higher than the other channels to try and help with it!

Any suggestions?


John

Yes, not having a center channel IS your problem. Add one and your dialog problems will disappear. You will also notice a more rounded out audio presentation. When the center channel info is mixed into the right and left channels, much is missing.

[rbinck]

One possibility, though not elegant, is to connect the audio to your TV speakers, assuming you are using a TV. The TV audio can be boosted to fill in the center. While not the best solution it will boost the dialog.

[Loves2Watch]

Originally Posted by rbinck

One possibility, though not elegant, is to connect the audio to your TV speakers, assuming you are using a TV. The TV audio can be boosted to fill in the center. While not the best solution it will boost the dialog.

If you can use the TV as the center channel, it would help but would not be the ideal solution.

[rbinck]

Originally Posted by Loves2Watch

If you can use the TV as the center channel, it would help but would not be the ideal solution.

I used different words to say the same thing. Some people are convinced they don't have room for a center channel speaker and for those people that is the next best thing.

[JohnB]

Thanks for the idea, I looked in to getting the matching center channel for my front speakers and how I might integrate it in to my system and might give that a try. As a temporary solution I'll try running my TV speaker as the center and see what that does. Thanks for the suggestion.

Speaking of center channels, in order to integrate it in to my set-up I was looking at those mounts that work above the TV but was having trouble getting much info. For instance, I was looking at an OmniMount shelf (CCH1P) which says it will mount on an LCD and can hold the weight of the matching center but I can't figure out how it attaches to my thin LCD panel - I can see it working on a DLP or rear-projector but can't make out how it would work with LCD. Does anyone have any experience using something like this with a flat-panel TV?


John