Audio problem with voice only (1 Viewer)

[Whatever4321]

I'm tracking down a problem for a friend of mine who I couldn't help. I don't have all the brand names of the equipment in question but can get them. It's a very high end system in a high end room.

When watching a film from the blue ray the voice of the characters drop to almost silent, while all other background sounds are present. It happens on all movies but not at the same point of the movie it is sporadic. The voices can drop in a movie with a lot of background noise like a fight scene in black hawk down, or when two people are in a quite room talking, you can still here a tea pot boil but the voice is almost gone. I switched HDMI ports and looked for lose wiring and that did not help. He has not connected his FIOS yet, so I can not prove out the Blue Ray player. I guess it could be the amplifier but why only voices?

Any help?

Frank

 

[David Willow]

Frank,

A few things to check.

Have the speakers been properly calibrated?

Perhaps he has one of the new AVR's with Audyssey Dynamic Volume and it is not properly configured.

Or, maybe the center is different from the mains (different brand). Is it aimed properly?

 

[Jeff Gatie]

When voices sound low compared to background noises, it is almost always due to poor speaker level calibration. You have to calibrate the receiver so that all speakers output the same volume by playing test tones and measuring the output. You do this using either the internal calibration program on the receiver (Audyssey is one type) or by purchasing an SPL meter and playing the test tones, preferably via a disk.

 

[Ed Moxley]

It sounds like his speakers haven't been calibrated. It's happening with just the voices because 95% of the time (maybe more), the voices come from the center speaker. When people calibrate their speakers correctly, most will even bump up the center channel a little bit more, so they don't have this problem. It is a common problem because voices aren't as loud as the explosions or the music soundtrack.

If the receiver doesn't have an auto calibration feature (YPAO or Audessey), the best way is to get a calibration disc like Digital Video Essentials, and an SPL (sound pressure level) meter from Radio Shack. The disc can be bought from Amazon.com:
Amazon.com: Digital Video Essentials: Optimize Your Home Entertainment System (NTSC Component): Digital Video Essentials: Movies & TV
see SPL meter here: 7-Range Analog Display Sound Level Meter - RadioShack.com

If he's not willing to spend the money to get these, he can try just raising the center channel level by ear, and see if it helps. If he has a "high end" system, in a high end room, I don't see why he wouldn't want to do it right. Ideally, when sitting in the "sweet spot", the volume of each speaker should be the same at that spot. If the left rear speaker is 10 ft. away, and the right rear speaker is 4 ft. away, the level (volume) of the left rear speaker will be set higher, to be the same volume at the sweet spot. Does this help to understand why an SPL meter is required to get it right?
I hope this helps.

EDIT:
LOL! Two people answered while I was typing..............

 

[Whatever4321]

Ok, but why would it happen only once in a while. For example we put on The Patriot and the voice dropped in a scene where two people were talking in a room. We went back and played the scene again and it was fine no problems. A main character can speak through an entire movie and then drop in a single scene, play it again and it's fine.

If the calibration was off it wouldn't be sporadic would it?

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

No, it wouldn't. There are a number of things that can cause this kind of intermittent problem, but poor calibration isn't one of them.

First and most obvious - check the wiring for the center-channel speaker. A loose connection or a damaged wire could cause intermittent problems exactly like what you're describing. In fact, I'd simply replace wire(s) running to the speaker. Speaker wire is cheap.

The second place to look is the physical connections at both ends. You may be dealing with a loose or damaged binding post.

Finally intermittent problems on electronic equipment always makes me think about heat. If the unit is overheating components may shut down or screw up and this could be the reason the center channel cuts out. Make sure there is adequate ventilation around the receiver and that no vents or grilles are blocked or too close to objects to do their job.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Whatever4321]

It sounds like you helped me narrow it to the center speaker/amp or line, so that should get me somewhere. Sorry because I know networks he thought I would know this, not at all so thanks!