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On my current setup - where my HTPC is hooked to a Vizio 42" Flat Screen via HDMI and uses the Vizio's built in speakers for audio - any movie with 5.1 surround sound audio sounds awful. Or, more specifically, the dialogue is nearly indecipherable. It gets drowned out by background noise, music, or whatever else is going on in the video.
So any time we watch a movie with 5.1 audio, we end up cranking up the volume and nearly deafening ourselves with music and sound effects, just to be able to pick out the dialogue.
How can I fix this? Is something I could fix with an equalizer or tweak to XBMC, or do I need to get some kind of external speaker system?
If the problem requires an external speaker system, I'm sort of limited. I can't drill in the walls, or run speaker wire to set up a true 5.1 system where our setup is now, so I'd need to either do a sound bar, a 2.1 speaker system or a 5.1 system installed all along one wall.
Suggestions?
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artrafael
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There are 5.1 speaker systems that have wireless rear speakers (and even for the subwoofer, in some models). This avoids the need to run wires or drill holes.
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Have you gone through the audio options for the Vizio? Perhaps you have a "fake-surround" mode enabled, and it's doing a poor job at it. See if there's just a stereo mode, and use that.
That being said, a nice upgrade for you would be a soundbar system. These systems do a much more convincing job of reproducing 5.1 material without speakers surrounding you. Most of these even come with a subwoofer.
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Thanks for the tips!
I've tried the various modes in the Vizio - and found that disabling and enabling the faux-surround (can't remember what they call it) made a noticeable difference in the overall sound, but didn't manage to make dialogue audible in 5.1+ content.
I'll take a look at both 5.1 systems with wireless rear speakers, and sound-bars. Any recommendations on the best way to spend ~$200 on either?
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artrafael
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I don't have any specific recommendations, but you may want to check some of the on-line sites for product reviews along with user comments from e-tailers such as Amazon or Newegg. I find that a combination of so-called "expert" reviews and actual owner comments provide a more balanced overall picture of a given product.
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2012-08-14, 04:00
(This post was last modified: 2012-08-14, 04:01 by Valdysses.)
If you're currently running the sound directly to a TV, you shouldn't have 5.1 enabled. All you're hearing is surround channels, and you have no center channel (i.e. "dialogue"). Your best immediate option is to set your sound output to 2.0. You'll find that under Settings -> System -> Audio Ouput -> Speaker configuration. Set that box to 2.0 (since you're using two speakers) and XBMC will downsample 5.1 audio, preserving everything you're hearing now but adding in the center channel, bass, and rear surround you're missing. It will sound MUCH better.
Your next option is to add some additional speakers, if you want to hear 5.1 as it's intended. A soundbar isn't a bad option, if you don't want the hassle of placing speakers. You might find that the 2.0 sound setting is enough, though.
