Dumb volume question

[RobinKidderminster]

My amp has volume from -80db to +20db. Normal listening around -25ish. Just wondering if I am under/over driving? Is there an amp friendly volume? Dumb question? Yup maybe but wondering what levels others use.

 

[BenLaw]

That's about right for blu rays. TV tends to be about -35. DVDs for some reason often seem quiet, maybe need it up to -15 on some.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

In ignorance, is the 0db some kind of reference? Way to loud ofcourse. Cheers Ben.

 

[BenLaw]

Exactly, 0db is the reference which I believe is 80db. Far too loud as you say.

 

[Son_of_SJ]

Might the 0dB reference on volume controls be 80dBA, related to a physical measurement of air pressure? I found this link about THX reference levels http://www.acousticfrontiers.com/home-theater-blog/2013/3/14/thx-reference-level

I tend to listen to the television and the tuner (yes, I listen to the tuner section of all my receivers) at about -25dB on the receivers' volume controls. However, for listening to Blu-Rays, I tend to have the volume control (depending on in which room and therefore to which receiver I'm listening) somewhere between -21dB and -12dB.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Thanks son-of. Interesting link. Somehow reassuring that my levels are similar to others.Cheers

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Are you lot deaf?

TV and films between -30 and -40

Very rare it goes any higher than -25 for anything.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Pardon?

 

[Deleted member 2457]

-22 to -28 for me.

 

[BenLaw]

Are you lot deaf?

TV and films between -30 and -40

Very rare it goes any higher than -25 for anything.

Like I say, TV for me is usually a max of -35, often -40 to -45. Blu ray I find tends to be quieter and / or the dialogue is a bit low in the mix so tends to be -30 to -25, often leaping for the remote for loud sound effects.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Are you lot deaf?

TV and films between -30 and -40

Very rare it goes any higher than -25 for anything.

Like I say, TV for me is usually a max of -35, often -40 to -45. Blu ray I find tends to be quieter and / or the dialogue is a bit low in the mix so tends to be -30 to -25, often leaping for the remote for loud sound effects.

For most tv I have the Adaptive DRC on along with the Dialogue Adjust turned to 3, so I can keep the main volume down.

I wouldn't use any of that stuff for films though, so the volume goes up a bit.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Pardon?

There's always one isn't there. :doh:

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Like I say, TV for me is usually a max of -35, often -40 to -45. Blu ray I find tends to be quieter and / or the dialogue is a bit low in the mix so tends to be -30 to -25, often leaping for the remote for loud sound effects.

Yeaaaa. I seem to want to keep tweaking the volume of the centre too. Why is this? Is it my/our setup or the mix? I thought it might be because of quite a small room 13ftx11ft - is it too small to 'breath'?

 

[BenLaw]

Are you lot deaf?

TV and films between -30 and -40

Very rare it goes any higher than -25 for anything.

Like I say, TV for me is usually a max of -35, often -40 to -45. Blu ray I find tends to be quieter and / or the dialogue is a bit low in the mix so tends to be -30 to -25, often leaping for the remote for loud sound effects.

For most tv I have the Adaptive DRC on along with the Dialogue Adjust turned to 3, so I can keep the main volume down.

I wouldn't use any of that stuff for films though, so the volume goes up a bit.

I listen to my TV in stereo so don't have the problem with TV. Like you I prefer to mess with film playback as little as possible.

 

[BenLaw]

Like I say, TV for me is usually a max of -35, often -40 to -45. Blu ray I find tends to be quieter and / or the dialogue is a bit low in the mix so tends to be -30 to -25, often leaping for the remote for loud sound effects.

Yeaaaa. I seem to want to keep tweaking the volume of the centre too. Why is this? Is it my/our setup or the mix? I thought it might be because of quite a small room 13ftx11ft - is it too small to 'breath'?

Not sure why the size of the room would have anything to do with the relative volume of the speakers. I think it's pretty notorious that dialogue is often too low in the mix. I think the sound engineers get excited about all their explosions and want to have them as loud as possible. Problem is if you have a system capable of playing loud and dealing with extreme dynamics then bullets and explosions sound like, er, bullets and explosions. I guess it's fair enough but it doesn't sit easily with domestic life.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

That made.me titter. Nite nite

 

[Son_of_SJ]

Yeaaaa. I seem to want to keep tweaking the volume of the centre too. Why is this? Is it my/our setup or the mix? I thought it might be because of quite a small room 13ftx11ft - is it too small to 'breath'?

No, I don't think it's because your room is too small to breathe. In three of my four rooms - I'll find out about the fourth room when I have sole access to it again at the weekend, yippeee!) I use the setup routine of the receiver to set the relative volume levels of all the speakers, but I also find that for surround-sound (ie, when not listening to a stereo broadcast or recording) that I have to increase the volume of the centre speakers by about 5dB over the level recommended by the receivers' automatic setup. However, I just leave it at the plus 5dB level, I don't fiddle with it from one Blu-Ray disc to another.

Coincidentally, I also find that the receivers' setup boost the subwoofers' level by about the same as they undercook the centre channels, so I manually REDUCE the subwoofers' level by about 4-6dB below the recommended levels.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

We love BigMagic here. :dance:

Who is this BR fella then? Posts so far give insight into the understanding of our shared interest. Thanks