2. home-theater
  3. 194153-20253

You can't hear dialogue because it doesn't matter

I've made several speakers in my life including 2 center channel units.  People always ask me if it improves dialogue.  My answer has been, no, not really, except in the ability to turn the center up relative to the L and R.  What improves dialogue is an excellent frequency response and lack of colorations especially in the mid-bass.   Centers are ideally for wide-angle listening. 

Here is more on that subject. 

This article from NPR says that some directors literally don't' even care if you can understand the dialogue.  You just need to get the mood.    We've gone from directors who don't care about the plot, to those who don't even care if you can hear the lines. 

erik_squires

Showing 1 response by decooney

decooney
2,326 posts
 

I keep my audio and home theater systems completely separate now, and problematic dialogue is one of the primary reasons.  

Different amps, different speakers, different cables, different speaker setup and levels, timing, and alignment to the listener.  

Even so, the dialogue is still terrible majority of the time. Seems like the capable sound engineers in motion picture industry are mostly gone any more. Back to watching Youtube videos where you can actually hear what people are saying most of the time.  

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