# Help needed to adjust Receiver speaker levels



## alan monro (May 9, 2006)

In the HT I have a 7.1 setup . While playing some DVD we find the talking to soft and the sound effects too loud:hush:I have very carefully adjusted the levels of all the speakers to within a couple of db of the sitting area using a Tandy SPM and various test DVD"s . The room acoustics are much better than most HT's :clap: The speakers are Klipsch Reference . The amp is Marantz SR 5 550 , Now ,so That i don't bugger the setup should I boost the centre channel only , or the L,R as well , as voice can come from L,R also , or , just Reduce the level of surrounds . It's driving me mental thinking about it :wits-end:. I would appreciate :help: on this one . Thanks, Alan .


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## Otto (May 18, 2006)

Hi Alan,

I believe many receivers have implemented a "night" mode of some sort. On my Outlaw 990, I have a "night" mode with settings off-min-mid-max, and it only applies to Dolby Digital sources -- so I imagine it's part of the Dolby spec. Many receivers also offer a dynamic range compression of their own. If you have something like that listed in your owner's manual, give it a try.

Either way, what they're using is some type of compression. It will bring the extremes of your dynamic range closer together, which is what you described (the quiet is too quiet, and the loud is too loud).

See what you have, and what kind of difference it makes for you.


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## alan monro (May 9, 2006)

Thanks Otto , I found a button on the remote saying night , It compressed the sound effects to an acceptable level and boosted the centre channel . N ow it is much more pleasant listening to a DVD . Kind regards . Alan .


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## JRace (Aug 24, 2006)

Welcome to the world dynamic range!
I hear this same complaint every day at my day job (hearing aid clinic).

What "night" does is compress the signal, making the soft sounds louder and the loud sounds softer...


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