Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Just got a Vp180 :grin:

Thanks Chris. I know of the different settings. If I want to lower the Dynamic range, I have several levels of DRC on the player, the receiver or I can use Dynamic volume from Audyssey. I choose not to as I would like to stay as close to the intended mix as possible. My question is why is it mix that way for DVDs or Blu rays while it seems to be mixed differently (lower DR) in theaters? Any ideas anyone?

Don't most AVR's have some form of "night" setting that is supposed to soften these huge occasional sound increases? I think mine has one, but, living alone, I've never seen the need to try it out.

Yep, but I have only seen this option with "Dolby Digital" soundtracks.

Ken, Rick, Bruno,

No, my "legacy" H/K (euphemism for old) has never lost its settings in that way, Rick.

Bruno: there's no question that the dynamic range of Dolby Digital soundtracks on lots of special effects blockbuster movies is too great for a lot of domestic environments. The mix is certainly the same as the one used in commercial movie theaters. I think there are a couple of factors that somehow make the huge dynamic range more acceptable in a large cinema than at home.

The size of the space and number of bodies in the seats plus all the absorptive upholstered seats in big theaters somehow "soaks up" the dynamic range better. At home, our relatively small rooms just generate too much immediate and very loud reverberant energy that can't go anywhere and get absorbed, so it's just too much acoustic energy impinging on our ears.

Also, the ambient noise level in a house from the heating/AC system/refrigerator/freezer and outdoor city urban noise is usually significantly higher than in movie theaters. The latter are quite well insulated to keep the ambient noise at a very low levels so the available dynamic range can be played without having the peaks at deafening levels.

At home, ambient noise causes us to shift the range higher so the softer sounds can be heard above background levels, then when a peak comes along, it's way too loud.

Does that all make sense?

It's an interesting question that I'll forward to my old friend and mentor, Dr. Floyd Toole, and see what he thinks.

Alan

Thanks Alan. Your input is always logical and greatly appreciated. I am looking forward to what Dr FT has to say as this is a matter I never understood.

Also that might sound stupid but couldn't the engineers mix the BD/DVD releases to better match the home listening environment.

I'd rather not reduce the dynamic range. That will just make any room upgrades I do to improve my home theater less meaningful. Since DRC/night mode are already common options, I don't know why they'd want to hobble the source material in that way, anyway.

I find that the theaters do in fact have quite the dynamic range but due to the size of the theater much of it is not as impactful as in the HT environment. I would guess this is due to the reasons Alan gave.

Most theaters have the volume very loud IMO, louder than most HT systems are usually set to, so the softer passages sound reasonable in such a lrage environment, but at home they are now quiet due to our lower than reference listening levels. Remember that movies generally do have a reference volume and that 0 setting on the receiver is it. How many of us listen at that level? I know I don't, I am usually around -25 to -15.

Sounds like you want your cake, and to eat it too. That's what the DRC is for, to adjust the dynamic range to better match your listening environment. But you don't want to enable it, as to preserve the dynamic range.

I want my explosions to sound much louder than a person talking. If there are times when that kind of dynamic range could wake someone up or something...well, like Chris said, that's what the dynamic range controls are for!