# Home theater - huge volume difference during 'action' scenes **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 15, 2010, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-theater-huge-volume-difference-during-action-scenes/532519 "2010-03-15T04:26:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anachronism](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Anachronism](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anachronism)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-theater-huge-volume-difference-during-action-scenes/532519/1 "2010-03-15T04:26:42Z")
I currently use my xbox 360 as a DVD player but I have had the same thing happen with other DVD players and movies on cable TV. I am watching a movie, with the volume at a comfortable level, then there is an action scene and the volume level is like there really is a gunfight/car chase in my living room. This wouldn’t be to bad except I live in an apartment and I don’t want to disturb my neighbors. If I turn it down to a reasonable level during the action scene, next time there is a ‘normal’ scene I can’t hear the dialog. I am using the digital audio out (optical) to my home theater stereo. Is there normally some setting I can change so this doesn’t happen? Or some other way to hook it up? ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-theater-huge-volume-difference-during-action-scenes/532519/2 "2010-03-15T05:37:08Z")
Check your receiver (stereo) for a “loudness” setting, or perhaps a “Midnight” setting (it’s worded differently on different systems). Or check through your owner’s manual (you can usually get a PDF from the website of your system) and search for “dynamic range” or the other settings I mentioned. This should compress the dynamic range from the loud to soft so everything is close to the same volume. Most often, the manual will even describe the situation you are in, specifically. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-theater-huge-volume-difference-during-action-scenes/532519/3 "2010-03-15T12:02:10Z")
> [@](#): > > I currently use my xbox 360 as a DVD player but I have had the same thing happen with other DVD players and movies on cable TV. I am watching a movie, with the volume at a comfortable level, then there is an action scene and the volume level is like there really is a gunfight/car chase in my living room. It’s happening with all of these sources because it’s the way the original movie was made. I got a Blu Ray player last summer that has a setting like you’re talking about, i.e. something that turns down the volume during the action sequences (or amplifies dialogue scenes, not sure which). Your Xbox might have something like that; so might your A/V receiver. Check the manual. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-theater-huge-volume-difference-during-action-scenes/532519/4 "2010-03-15T13:03:01Z")
Anachronism, do you have a center speaker? ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-theater-huge-volume-difference-during-action-scenes/532519/5 "2010-03-15T13:37:48Z")
What you want is called dynamic compression. You want the loud parts to be softer and the soft parts to be louder. Some equipment has it but they may use different names. If you have a receiver that was made very recently, it may have Audyssey Dynamic Volume which is supposed to be a more natural form of compression. Also as Munch hints, you could try turning up the center speaker because that’s where the dialogue usually comes from. ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-theater-huge-volume-difference-during-action-scenes/532519/6 "2010-03-15T20:26:50Z")
I get this too, but not only with “action” scenes, but with some commercials as well. I’m constantly bugging my son to “turn it down,” but it’s not him lifting the volume. The Feds are considering legislation w/regard to the commercials, but I doubt they will attempt to regulate the programming. ---
**Author:** ![Anachronism](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Anachronism](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anachronism)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-theater-huge-volume-difference-during-action-scenes/532519/7 "2010-03-16T01:48:33Z")
I think I found it in my manual - ‘Dynamic Range Compressor’, but I would have had no idea what it was from the description if I hadn’t been looking for it. It was set to off on my stereo (that’s the way it came out of the box 😕 ), STD is supposed to be ‘compressed as intended by the recording engineer’, and it also has a max setting that ‘lets you watch movies at low volumes’ I don’t have to much time to play with it at the moment but I think this will do it. Yes, I have a center channel, and sub too. If the dynamic range compressor does not solve my problem I will try boosting the center channel level to increase the volume of dialog. Thanks for your help 🙂