hard of hearing

[aoili666]

This has probably been asked before [ although I can't find anything about it in these forums ]. At the great age that I now am, 64 and not counting,my hearing is pretty bad and watching most films and TV is an exercise in lip reading and guess work as far as dialogue is concerned, the special effects [ and all that b----y music that seems to be so essential nowadays ] rather overpower the speech. Can anyone reccomend an AV amp that can be adjusted for speech?.Also, what speakers would be beneficial to this problem. My budget is rather limited-- £300 or so. Any suggestions would be very welcome.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Simplest solution would be to lift the level of the centre channel, which carries most of the dialogue, and back off on the front left and right channels.

 

[GSB]

With most seperate avr 5.1 combo's speaker levals can be adjusted,raised.

What do you have at the moment aoili666?

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

My Sony has a night mode button, which tends to boost dialogue, while cutting down on the effects and music noise.

I would think moist av amps would have this.

 

[aoili666]

Thanks for the reply's chaps. At the moment I don't have an AV amp just a panasonic TH37PX60B TV and 2 Mordaunt 10i speakers.

 

[simonlewis]

Whats wrong with subtitles ???

 

[bigboss]

Not having a dedicated centre speaker will hinder dialogue clarity. Either go for a soundbar or a 3.0 speaker setup as a minimum. Given your budget, I would recommend a soundbar.

 

[richardw42]

Whats wrong with subtitles ???

that would seem quite obvious to me as well

 

[MajorFubar]

What about a pair of cordless headphones? That's my dad's solution, and he's quite a bit older than you at 85. Some of them, including his Sen RS180's, have a compressor button, which raises the level of the quiet bits so you can hear the dialogue without having your head blown off during the loud bits.

 

[aoili666]

I've tried subtitles but, for me at least, it seems to detract from watching the film, the headphones I have tried as well but they are a bit antisocial where the missus is concerned. I think I may go for the soundbar idea, any recommendations?, and also any suggestions if I decide to go for an amp.

Many thanks for the interest.

 

[GSB]

You will be looking at budget avr's for £300,good selection tho...i would arrange with your local sevenoaks/richer sounds or av store for them to demonstrate some for you,but as has been mentioned you could realy do with a dedicated center speaker for dialogue...