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What is the quietest you can watch a movie and not need subtitles?

What is the lowest volume you can set your receiver to and still follow dialogue comfortably?

  • I only listen at reference level.

    Votes: 1 6.3%
  • -10 dB (75 dB avg/95 dB peaks)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • -20 dB (65 dB avg, 85 dB peaks)

    Votes: 3 18.8%
  • -30 dB (55 dB avg, 75 dB peaks)

    Votes: 3 18.8%
  • -40 dB (45 dB avg, 65 dB peaks)

    Votes: 5 31.3%
  • -50 dB (35 dB avg, 55 dB peaks)

    Votes: 4 25.0%
  • -60 dB (25 dB avg, 45 dB peaks)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • -70 dB (15 dB avg, 35 dB peaks)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    16

GXAlan

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With my latest audio setup, I seem to be able to really crank *down* the volume and still appreciate the dialogue and effects in a movie. As an experiment, I tried to see how low I could get the volume and still feel like I was able to comfortably hear all of the dialogue in a movie like Too Gun Maverick or La La Land without turning on subtitles.

With an ambient background of about 26-27 dB A-weighted in my HT room, I find that I can watch comfortably late at night at 35 dBA averages (-50 on the receiver) and comfortably follow the dialogue but not comfortably at -55 dB (but dialogue still seems to be 32-33 dBA).

These numbers seem pretty low to me and I confirmed the numbers with a calibrated SPL meter.

I am curious what everyone else’s threshold is? It is OK to do this sighted since lip reading may allow lower thresholds to be met.

Separately, I imagine the question to ask is how many dB above ambient you need. I feel as if 6-7 dB over ambient is doable with 10 dB above ambient being very comfortable.
 

Webninja

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For dialog, it often depends on the mix. There are sone shows/movies that just seem to not have a lot going through the center channel.

I voted based on a well mixed program, newer content.
 

alex-z

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I voted for -40dB because that is the quietest I will watch a movie using speakers, even though I can discern 95%+ of dialogue at -60dB. At such a low volume, I feel a lot of content loses dramatic impact and I would rather use headphones.

Also, I detest subtitles for anything except foreign language because it detracts from immersion in the on-screen action. Maybe I am just being a film snob.
 
OP
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GXAlan

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We only have 6 voters so far but at least it is consistent with this other post talking about average listening levels being lower than the 86 dB/96 dB that speakers are tested at. Also shows why the 5W SINAD makes a lot of sense for amplifier assessment.

 

Marc v E

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We only have 6 voters so far but at least it is consistent with this other post talking about average listening levels being lower than the 86 dB/96 dB that speakers are tested at. Also shows why the 5W SINAD makes a lot of sense for amplifier assessment.

I think the point of the levels at which they test movie sound is to do with the THX industry standard. I don't know what the scientific basis for that reference is, but I do know that a great way to test a system's performance is to look at the behaviour at the extremes.
 

Blumlein 88

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I think the point of the levels at which they test movie sound is to do with the THX industry standard. I don't know what the scientificbasis for that reference is, but I do know that a great way to test a system's performance is to look at the behaviour at the extremes.
Sort of. Reference level is with 83 db per speaker in a large theater. Lower levels would be Reference on smaller spaces like living rooms. I think THX did use 75 db SPL per speaker for residential use.
 
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GXAlan

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I think the point of the levels at which they test movie sound is to do with the THX industry standard. I don't know what the scientific basis for that reference is, but I do know that a great way to test a system's performance is to look at the behaviour at the extremes.

I think the THX Reference was supposed to be the combination of

1) Maximum recommended exposure limit for human hearing. Hearing protection is recommended above 85 DB

53F06B45-1987-4EDD-B785-901928226CF2.jpeg


2) Potentially the one where your loudness curve is flattest

BUT in light of all of these facts, it seems like we all should be listening to 65 dB (-20 dB) so that our peaks are 85 dB while we still have adequate hearing.

It would be interesting to see how different speakers perform at 65 dB. Right now we look for a flat response at 1W, but that is pretty loud. I wonder if “bad” speakers (like B&W) end up introducing the equivalent of a Fletcher-Munson curve at 65 dB? Obviously it’s bad to force a speaker to have a loudness contour since it will only be accurate at one level and it’s better to do this on the source with the volume control, however this could be a reason why poorly measuring speakers are preferred when people do listening tests (even independent of sighted bias).
 

Killingbeans

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For dialog, it often depends on the mix. There are sone shows/movies that just seem to not have a lot going through the center channel.

Also depends on whether the director is going for "realism" by making the actors mumble excessively.
 

TheZebraKilledDarwin

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IMO Room-EQ companies have been doing more harm than good by making consumers believe AVR master volume, or reference level, was something worth to pay attention to as consumers (versus production/mixing, where it is necessary, to have a reference to compare to): because loudness is hugely program and source dependent.

The question tries to make a link of MV on the AVR to program dependent dialogue level. A link which does not exist.

It's an interesting question (especially in conjunction with additional infos about room acoustics and the setup), but it must be asked about the (measured!) preferred dialogue level.
The MV on the AVR cannot even be used to find that out by adjusting it by hand and adding (if displayed in negative dBs) MV from the calibrated reference level, because the loudness range of the program is not known. Dialogue dynamics are very different, too. A 8 LU dialogue in a loud mix, will requite a much lower MV, than a 14 LU dialogue mix in a 24 LU mix.
 
Last edited:

Dobbyisfree

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In my opinion, it would be worth clarifying whether people in this vote are permitted to have certain features switched on or not. I answered -20dB (and I have a Denon) with no DEQ or DV or any loudness management at all on. So, just straight, Audyssey engaged watching disc in lossless audio. I wouldn't be able to hear speech clearly at -30dB.

However, if DV is switched on, then I could hear speech at -40dB volume or lower.

I do understand the objective of this thread though. I measured my most power hungry speaker as requiring maximum peaks of 10W when at a volume of -10dB. A very clever guy at AVForums then showed that this approximates with the maths to be the same as my measurement. That's a low sensitivity centre speaker at quite a distance too.

I never listen at -10dB, normally at -15 or -20. Watching The Rookie at the moment, maximum of -23dB volume, I'm probably barely ever reaching one Watt in any of the speakers. (Except the subwoofers).
 

Andysu

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With my latest audio setup, I seem to be able to really crank *down* the volume and still appreciate the dialogue and effects in a movie. As an experiment, I tried to see how low I could get the volume and still feel like I was able to comfortably hear all of the dialogue in a movie like Too Gun Maverick or La La Land without turning on subtitles.

With an ambient background of about 26-27 dB A-weighted in my HT room, I find that I can watch comfortably late at night at 35 dBA averages (-50 on the receiver) and comfortably follow the dialogue but not comfortably at -55 dB (but dialogue still seems to be 32-33 dBA).

These numbers seem pretty low to me and I confirmed the numbers with a calibrated SPL meter.

I am curious what everyone else’s threshold is? It is OK to do this sighted since lip reading may allow lower thresholds to be met.

Separately, I imagine the question to ask is how many dB above ambient you need. I feel as if 6-7 dB over ambient is doable with 10 dB above ambient being very comfortable.
i know ,
4e3f2ee3-add9-48ad-9d67-e15bbd8a6d42_text.gif


i tried with stormaudiio elite mkIII 32 , audio limiters range down to -50dB which is lot more than the behringers DCX 2496 start audio limiting at -24dB and i firstly need the input levels high enough for them to have any function at taming or its like a leash on Dolby mix , when barks too loud give it gentle tug

dolby dynamic range compressor only functions what is it within 10 or 15dB ratio figure at soften down say , " fight club " airplane banks and slam another jet plane crashes into it WHAM SPL dB where's the remote ! ! flipping@'frigging@ aghhhhh@ remote ! ! switch it on and check the SPL dB , i know i do it myself a video how about that and report my findings and then i use the audio limiters and see what results i get from that , coming soon maybe in few hours
 
Last edited:

Andysu

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i checked " fight club " r2 dvd Dolby CP750 to stormaudio rca inputs fader on storm 0.0dB fader on CP750 " 7 " with testing manually adjusting fader down to 5.0 or was it 5.5 then i applied audio limiter equally across just the , LCR only it keeps the peaks settled or ride the fader up and down

 
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