We’ve all had the experience of turning up the volume to hear the dialogue in our favorite action or sci-fi movies, then having to turn it down again when the sounds of explosions or crashes overwhelm us. Maybe you’ve started using captions for all your favorite movies and shows, so you don’t miss anything. You’re not imagining things and dialogue is getting harder to hear in newer movies.
The reason for this is more complicated than you expect and due to a combination of factors. Unfortunately, buying a new TV won’t solve the issue, and you’ll have to make other changes to improve your audio experience. Here’s why dialogue has gotten worse on your TV and some solutions to improve it.
Why does dialogue sound bad on your TV?
A combination of factors
This is due to various reasons ranging from the way they make movies, to how the newest TVs are built. These factors often combine with the worst results.
Sound-mixing
Movies have three layers of sounds, divided into dialogue, music, and sound effects. These three layers must be mixed perfectly for the movie to sound good. For example, the sound effects, like explosions, must be louder than the dialogue or they lose their punch. Many modern movies prioritize the music and sound effects and the dialogue takes a back seat.
This effect is compounded when movies are mixed for cinemas which support multichannel surround sound formats, like Dolby Atmos, 5.1, or 7.1. These setups offer far more range than most home theaters, so you can hear the different sound effects. There’s usually a huge center channel for dialogue behind the screen while other sounds use other speakers.
Funneling 5.1 channels down to just two reduces the overall quality and dilutes the experience.
The same movie that sounded amazing in the cinema will often sound different on your TV after the sound is remixes. This is because they must adapt the audio channels to work on a stereo frequency that crams all the sounds together. As you can imagine, funneling 5.1 channels down to just two reduces the overall quality and dilutes the experience.
Compression
Audio compression on streaming services is another reason why dialogue sounds bad on your TV. As mentioned earlier, movies are originally mixed for cinema-quality sound. The sound is then compressed for streaming services to reduce the bandwidth.
This lowers the data rate and removes some of the detail. The gap between the louder and softer sounds is also reduced. These factors culminate in the sound effects overpowering the dialogue and making it harder to hear.
TV technology
TV design and screen technology has come a long way at the expense of sound quality. The latest models are bigger and slimmer than ever, but usually have a pair of down-firing speakers which don’t do justice to your content. These tiny speakers have limited capabilities and simply can’t handle the wide range of frequencies and channels required to make your content sound good.
Your TV’s limited hardware capabilities go hand-in-hand with software setup. Many TVs try to compensate for weak speakers with built-in algorithms that reduce the volume of the loud sounds and increase the quiet ones. The equalization and virtual surround sound settings can also artificially boost or reduce certain frequencies and affect the sound quality.
How to improve dialogue on your TV
A few options to choose from
Fortunately, there are some easy methods to improve your TV’s dialogue and general sound quality. Some cost money, but are worth the investment, while others are simple tweaks that go a long way.
Add a soundbar or surround sound system
I view soundbars and surround sound systems as an essential part of a TV setup. They don’t necessarily cost much and are a huge improvement over your TV’s built-in speakers. It’s worth upgrading to improve the dialogue, but you’ll need to buy the right model.
Basic 2.1 soundbars won’t work well because they have left and right channels with a subwoofer, but no center channel for dialogue. You’re better off with at least a 3.0 or 3.1 soundbar system to improve your TV’s dialogue. A surround sound system is an even better option, but can be more costly and harder to install.
Change your TV’s settings
Changing your TV’s audio settings is a free way to improve the dialogue, but it won’t be as impactful as upgrading the speakers. The first thing to do is enable the TV’s dialogue enhancement feature, like Clear Voice or Voice Enhancement. This feature boosts the speech frequencies and tones the others down.
You can also try changing the TV’s sound mode. There are usually options, like Standard or Cinema, and you should choose Clear voice if it’s available. Turning down the TV’s bass and increasing the treble in the equalizer settings puts more emphasis on the mid-range sounds.
Turning down the TV’s bass and increasing the treble in the equalizer settings puts more emphasis on the mid-range sounds.
If you’re watching a TV without any external speakers, you should disable any virtual surround sound settings. These settings work best with three or more channels and can affect the dialogue in a stereo setup.
Use headphones for watching movies and shows
You can try using headphones for watching TV if changing the settings doesn’t work, and you don’t want to splash on a speaker upgrade. Decent headphones aren’t very expensive and offer amazing all-around sound quality for movies and shows.
However, they have some pros and cons you should be aware of. Headphones are fine for private listening and often block out unwanted background sounds. They aren’t great for watching with others and can have connection issues if you choose the wrong type. Bluetooth headphones often have lag, and it’s worth getting headphones with a wireless RF receiver to eliminate connection issues.
