Dialogues too quiet, music too loud – a problem that many viewers are familiar with when watching television films. But why is the sound on television often so bad – and what can you do about it?
The new UHD television delivers razor-sharp images with brilliant colors – almost like in the cinema if the sound weren’t weak. The explosions in the action spectacle become a gentle breeze. Films and of course concert recordings or musicals are missing something when the sound is as flat as the television. The manufacturers have also recognized this and offer a remedy for rich cinema sound in the living room.
TECHBOOK editor-in-chief Andreas Filbig explains what you have to consider:
Reasons for bad sound on the TV
Construction of TV sets
Another problem: the current flat-screen televisions. Due to the increasingly thin construction, the sound quality suffers more and more. Why? Sound simply needs space – a reasonable bass or even spatial sound can hardly be achieved with the small TV speakers. Therefore, the sound on the TV often sounds as thin as the devices themselves. This phenomenon is amplified the smaller the TV set is. In addition, the crooked living room with doors and windows is not the best place for perfect acoustics.
Cinema sound not good for TV
Bad mix not necessarily – but maybe the wrong one? Many directors want to be as close as possible to the cinema experience in the mixing studio, even with TV series – there, of course, different audio dynamics can be presented than on TV. “For the cinema, films are mixed with a lot of dynamics – that means the difference between quiet and loud passages is very big. On the TV at home, however, this often means that it is difficult to find the right volume: If you adjust the listening volume according to the dialogue, then the music and effects are often too loud, and if you then turn it down again, the dialogue is difficult to understand “, says Hannah Baumgartner, engineer at Fraunhofer IDMT in the field of “Speech intelligibility in film and television” on TECHBOOK.
Read more: Why does the TV volume keep changing on its own?
How can I improve the sound on the TV?
There are several options for a better sound – but some of them involve additional costs.
TV settings
Of course, the device manufacturers use the possibilities that digital technology offers them. In the settings menu you will often find numerous options that can be used to influence the sound of the television. For example, bass can be emphasized or speech can be emphasized.
Many televisions also offer different modes such as “Music”, “Speech” or “Cinema”, but you should not be confused by the name. Just check which setting suits your living room best. There are now also televisions that adapt the sound to the program with the help of artificial intelligence (AI).
Nevertheless, it remains the same: volume is required for the perfect sound. Woofers that are built into the back of the television improve the sound volume, but there is no way around additional devices to create surround sound like in the cinema, for example.
Sound bars and sound plates
At least against the thin TV boxes, a so-called soundbar can be used quite quickly. The bar-shaped loudspeaker is connected to the TV via HDMI or fiber optic cable and often also comes with an external subwoofer, i.e. a small box that generates the bass. Thanks to their compact design, soundbars fit well in front of the television. If you don’t have space there: Alternatively, there are also so-called sound decks, which are built deeper and wider so that the TV can stand on top of them.
Soundbars with Dolby Atmos are also interesting. These not only throw the sound forward into the room, but also onto the ceiling, from where it is reflected back down. The helicopter from the film thunders over the viewer’s head. Soundbars with Dolby Atmos are now available from all major manufacturers. As is so often the case with entertainment electronics, the same applies here: the more expensive, the better. However, even entry-level models offer virtual surround sound based on Dolby Atmos.
Home cinema with 5.1 speaker system and AV receiver
If the virtual surround sound is not enough for you, you need an AV receiver with a full set of speakers. This is the only way to achieve a 5.1 surround sound according to Dolby or dts. 5.1 stands for five loudspeakers (front left and right, front center and surround left and right) and a subwoofer, which is responsible for the bass.
There are also no upper price limits for AV receivers and 5.1 speaker systems. Such systems can also be installed wirelessly. However, audio purists swear by high-quality cables.
In addition, the AV receivers offer a wealth of settings so that each speaker can be adapted to the room or your seating position. If you just want a little more oomph for the next TV evening, you’re probably better off with a smaller-sized solution like a soundbar.
headphones
Over-ear headphones offer the best sound, free from any noise, such as rustling bags of chips. We recommend wireless headphones for comfort. If your TV set does not have Bluetooth, you will need a Bluetooth transmitter in addition to the headphones. These are available from 20 euros to buy. They are connected to the TV via the jack connection. But the solution is probably only available if you look alone.
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stereo system
Anyone who still has a music system at home can easily connect it to the television and thus benefit from the better speakers and consequently a better sound. This works with a 3.5 mm jack cable or cinch. No matter which stereo system you have, in almost all cases the speakers are better than the built-in television.
Read from our colleagues from myHOMEBOOK: 5 practical ideas to hide the TV
bluetooth boxes
With the ever-increasing spread of portable Bluetooth speakers, there is a variant that hardly anyone has on their radar. The popular boxes can also be connected wirelessly to the TV set. A great application for the Bluetooth speakers that are often hardly used at home. Again, you need a TV with Bluetooth or an external transmitter.