Wife finds theatre too loud. Bumming me out! How can I make it 5db quieter for only her?

[MASKINEN]

Welcome to the club!

Well I turn the volume down when she asks me but afterwards I turn it back up slowly and in small steps with my phone and usually she doesn’t notice

 

[Pdxwayne]

I have a home theatre and wife and I constantly fight on sound level. I spent a lot of time and money in there and I really want to feel it. I should add that I actually don’t want to listen to it super loud or anything. I’m probably below average even!

5db is making all the difference. It’s perfect for her but too quiet for me, and 5db more is perfect for me but too loud for her.

How can we reduce it by 5db just for her? I was thinking high end ear plugs but they tend to reduce sound by like 15db.

Any ideas?

Feel it means you want to feel the bass or something else?

If just bass, can you only turn up the bass and not overall volume? Also, can you adjust the sub location so that your seat has strongest bass feels?

 

[MRC01]

... How can we reduce it by 5db just for her? I was thinking high end ear plugs but they tend to reduce sound by like 15db. ...

Etymotic makes 9 dB filters for musician's earplugs (custom molds). But while that would probably work I don't recommend it.

Turn it down and deal with it. It could be worse. My wife is cant hear and and cranks the volume so loud you can hear it on the moon

Mine too. Rather than fight over it, I let her listen at whatever level she wants, even if it's so loud it's annoying to me. Happy wife, happy life. It's weird because most women can hear better than men. Plus I get some benefit, since then she doesn't ask me every 10 minutes, "What did he/she say?".

 

[Kvalsvoll]

Have her more off axis to the speakers than you. That should cut the db's.

This can actually work - for -5dB. She needs to sit faaaar off center, sightly outside of the direct line from the far L or L front main. Speakers with controlled pattern will still have a quite flat response out there, with level a little lower. Now this only works for mid-higher frequencies, the bass will still be equally loud, or whatever was possible to achieve in that position, when your main listening position obviously was priority for calibration.

I see suggestions for dynamic-range.compression, turning down the volume, you-have-bad-hearing, why listen so loud. This is all about the total experience - to get the physical tactile impact, and even hearing works different at slightly louder volume. In a good system you will still hear everything including this dialogue most people seems to miss, but it is not the same experience.

 

[Newman]

I really want to feel it

Try a bass shaker on your seat.

 

[Rip City Dave]

Find a null. Plant her ass in it.

 

[Kuppenbender]

Is her hair long enough to cover her ears?

If that’s not enough in itself, experiment by pinning bits of fabric or sound absorbent foam to the inside of the buns.

 

[deprogrammed]

Cheap, transparent, high fidelity ear plugs.

https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-ER20XS-CCC-C-High-Fidelity-Clamshell/dp/B00RM6Q3BA/?th=1

I am willing to bet that won't go over well...Unless your goal is to get the look. Ear plugs to watch a movie...come on.

 

[Snoochers]

I am curious how did you come up with this 5dB number?

I want it 2-3db higher than our normal volume (-27db) and she wants it 2-3db lower.

 

[Snoochers]

Yeah, was going to suggest, perhaps the issue is your hearing?

We’re listening at like -27db so it’s pretty low already. My hearing is fine and has been tested before.

 

[DonH56]

Is her hair long enough to cover her ears?
View attachment 160306
If that’s not enough in itself, experiment by pinning bits of fabric or sound absorbent foam to the inside of the buns.

In a thread about the wife objecting to the system being played too loudly, your solution is seriously a woman holding a blaster? Hair over ears or not, seems risky...

On-topic: You can buy packages of cheap foam ear plugs ranging from 6 to 15 dB or so attenuation.

 

[Spkrdctr]

Cheap foam earplugs cut in half will work fine. In fact very well. So if the plug is say 1 inch long you make it 1/2 inch long. If you buy a package of foam plugs you can experiment and EASILY fine tune the plugs. Very cheap, very easy and infinitely tunable. What more is there?

 

[Snoochers]

Cheap foam earplugs cut in half will work fine. In fact very well. So if the plug is say 1 inch long you make it 1/2 inch long. If you buy a package of foam plugs you can experiment and EASILY fine tune the plugs. Very cheap, very easy and infinitely tunable. What more is there?

Frequency response concerns, but I guess those are more mine than hers !!

 

[MRC01]

... Ear plugs to watch a movie...come on.

I wear them every time I go to theaters because they play the audio WAY too loud for me. Custom mold deep insertion musician's earplugs with 15 dB filters take the edge off without muffling the sound.

 

[Spkrdctr]

Frequency response concerns, but I guess those are more mine than hers !!

I wear plugs at the theater all the time and after 2 minutes, your brain adjusts to them. I enjoy the movie but just not at ear destroying levels. Frequency response is not a big concern at all in movies. Try it, she might like it and appreciate that you got her a "cost is no object" fix. You big spender!

 

[pseudoid]

A dilemma that Jimmy-the-Greek would put the odds in your wife's favor by a factor of 5:1.
I am forced to walk you back down the historical path about 20yrs. (+/-2.5dB):
Before moving in with my mate, I warned her about my musical tastes and that music/audio being an INTEGRAL (240/7) part of the package I offered.
One of the wisest (luckiest?) prenuptial arrangements that has prevented me from being in your shooz!

 

[A Surfer]

A dilemma that Jimmy-the-Greek would put the odds in your wife's favor by a factor of 5:1.
I am forced to walk you back down the historical path about 20yrs. (+/-2.5dB):
Before moving in with my mate, I warned her about my musical tastes and that music/audio being an INTEGRAL (240/7) part of the package I offered.
One of the wisest (luckiest?) prenuptial arrangements that has prevented me from being in your shooz!

Word.

 

[Snoochers]

A dilemma that Jimmy-the-Greek would put the odds in your wife's favor by a factor of 5:1.
I am forced to walk you back down the historical path about 20yrs. (+/-2.5dB):
Before moving in with my mate, I warned her about my musical tastes and that music/audio being an INTEGRAL (240/7) part of the package I offered.
One of the wisest (luckiest?) prenuptial arrangements that has prevented me from being in your shooz!

I’m so sorry, I have no idea what any of this means

 

[Godataloss]

Have her make you a sandwich when you know a particularly loud passage is coming up.

 

[Pier75]

Instruct wife to return to the kitchen