Problem with volume

senior chef

senior chef

Senior Member
Not sure if this thread goes here but... I'll give it a go.
I am quite hard of hearing. When I watch any TV/DVD/Netflix etc I must not only use subtitles BUT also over the ear headphones. Problem: I can boost volume up only so much. Even my neighbor who has normal hearing says my headphones are not that loud.
SYSTEM SET UP
I plug jack into TV headphone jack and from there to my amp. And from there, by wire, out to my headphones.
I "chatted" with a so-called expert at Best Buy. First he tried to sell me a $1,000 dollar wireless system. Eventually he said it sounded like the problem might be be that the "step down" headphone jack (on the amp) may not be a good quality and he recommended I buy a very expensive one.
What I mean to say is that the headphone port on the amp is of the larger variety (1/4 inch)and my headphones use the small version (1/8 inch). hence the need for a "step down jack".

Does what the Best Buy expert says make sense to you ?
If not, do you have any suggestions ?
 

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I have trouble hearing my TV too. I don’t know your comfort level with electronic technology but if you could pair some Bluetooth headphones directly with your TV, that might help. I do that with my TV or I also sometimes send the sound through my Amazon Echo if I don’t feel like wearing or if my headphones aren’t charged. You also could try different headphones and return them if they don’t solve your problem. Best Buy is good about accepting returns but if you get the model number for the ones the salesperson recommended, you might find a better price online. That or you might ask if they have any open box sets of those same (or similar) headphones. Good luck!
 
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I would make sure the volume is set to the level you wish on both devices.

One could be lower than the other.
Example. My phone volume set to high, and my headset I will set to the level I need.
 

I am also significantly hearing impaired. Back some years ago, when I owned a TV set, I bought a set of headphones and a long extension with proper plug and jack. I just plugged the extension into the TV jack and plugged my phones into the other end. I didn't use an amplifier and enjoyed plenty of volume through the phones. I really don't see why an amplifier would be required but then I am lacking in experience with modern smart TV and the like.

It's possible that you have an impedance mismatch between your amplifier and your headphones which might give you problems with volume. For example your amp could output low impedance and your phones might be looking for high impedance.

I doubt that the "step down jack" (actually called an adapter plug) is the culprit because you are getting sound through it which indicates there is continuity. If for some reason the adapter plug had high internal resistance, it could impact volume but I think that unlikely for such a simple unit.

Try taking the amp out of the picture by simply plugging your phones into the TV phone jack.
 
Same here. At birth, I had only 50% hearing & (of course) it's worse with age. I also have bad tinnitus. I have my TV hooked up to a powerful amp, but some old movies that don't have captions have uneven volume, depending on where the actors are & when I turn up the volume, the other sounds are too loud. Headphones might be a good idea; I'll consider them.
 
Senior Chef,

What specifically are the headphones you have and what is the amp? If the signal is weak from your tv, the amp may be insufficient for your headphones. Your amp may not be sufficient to drive your headphones assuming there isn't a problem from the tv out to your amp and from the amp to your headphone plug.

Your adapter may not be making good contact with with either the headphone plug or the jack in your amp. The connection between your tv and the amp may not be good.

Are your connections all 1/8 jack until you get to your amp? How far from where you plug your headphones into your amp is it?

Was best buy suggesting you purchase a separate headphone amp or a new adapter? What was the price of the "fix" Best Buy suggested?
 
I only watch things with subtitles. Looks like lots of us have hearing problems.

My problems are not just with the TV, the other day I told my wife she needs to get subtitles!
win231 said:
At birth, I had only 50% hearing & (of course) it's worse with age. I also have bad tinnitus.
Click to expand...
Same here, 50% used to be good enough for most TV, but not any more, or more likely I am well below 50% now. Just one of the benefits of living so long...
 
Oris Borloff said:
Senior Chef,

What specifically are the headphones you have and what is the amp? If the signal is weak from your tv, the amp may be insufficient for your headphones. Your amp may not be sufficient to drive your headphones assuming there isn't a problem from the tv out to your amp and from the amp to your headphone plug.

Your adapter may not be making good contact with with either the headphone plug or the jack in your amp. The connection between your tv and the amp may not be good.

Are your connections all 1/8 jack until you get to your amp? How far from where you plug your headphones into your amp is it?

Was best buy suggesting you purchase a separate headphone amp or a new adapter? What was the price of the "fix" Best Buy suggested?
Click to expand...
Signal from TV headphone jack is very low.
My headphones are Koss. Perhaps today they are not as good BUT in the old days Koss was top of the line. The amp is a 120 watt Pyle. All connections from TV to amp are 1/8 inch.
The wire from amp to headphones is 16 feet.
TEST: plugged headphones directly into amp (without the long extension wire) volume is exactly the same.
TEST: plugged headphones directly into TV jack. Volume DROPPED dramatically.
Best Buy suggested I buy a new stepdown jack ( from 1/4inch to 1/8inch)at the output of the amp) price $22.
 
Alligatorob said:
I only watch things with subtitles. Looks like lots of us have hearing problems.

My problems are not just with the TV, the other day I told my wife she needs to get subtitles!

Same here, 50% used to be good enough for most TV, but not any more, or more likely I am well below 50% now. Just one of the benefits of living so long...
Click to expand...
ha ha very funny
 
Llynn said:
I am also significantly hearing impaired. Back some years ago, when I owned a TV set, I bought a set of headphones and a long extension with proper plug and jack. I just plugged the extension into the TV jack and plugged my phones into the other end. I didn't use an amplifier and enjoyed plenty of volume through the phones. I really don't see why an amplifier would be required but then I am lacking in experience with modern smart TV and the like.

It's possible that you have an impedance mismatch between your amplifier and your headphones which might give you problems with volume. For example your amp could output low impedance and your phones might be looking for high impedance.

I doubt that the "step down jack" (actually called an adapter plug) is the culprit because you are getting sound through it which indicates there is continuity. If for some reason the adapter plug had high internal resistance, it could impact volume but I think that unlikely for such a simple unit.

Try taking the amp out of the picture by simply plugging your phones into the TV phone jack.
Click to expand...
TEST: plugged headphones directly into TV headphone jack. VOLUME DROPPED DRAMATICALLY.
 
One thing that just came to mind for me is that you seem to still have at least some, if minute, ability to hear sound. If you get sounds that are too loud in a headphone, that could possibly destroy or seriously deteriorate what little ability you have left. Since I can only hear sounds that have been greatly amplified, my audiologist told me that listening to sounds above a certain decibel range, while not sounding "loud" to me, those decibels could make me completely deaf. Just a thought I thought I'd toss out there. I can't stand to see anyone too happy. It's just un-seniorly, in my personal opinion. 😉🦻
 
Chris21E said:
I would make sure the volume is set to the level you wish on both devices.

One could be lower than the other.
Example. My phone volume set to high, and my headset I will set to the level I need.
Click to expand...
TV volume is set at MAX. Amp VOLUME is set to MAX. For some DVD's and/or TV shows it is semi-ok.
BUT it seems that if my TV is set for max volume AND my amp is set for max volume , I SHOULD be getting super high volume through my headphones.
 
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Alligatorob said:
I only watch things with subtitles. Looks like lots of us have hearing problems.

My problems are not just with the TV, the other day I told my wife she needs to get subtitles!

Same here, 50% used to be good enough for most TV, but not any more, or more likely I am well below 50% now. Just one of the benefits of living so long...
Click to expand...
I think it's a conspiracy to sell more magazines and books!
 
Senior Chef,

Using something like Koss Pro 4AA's? In theory, a properly functioning headphone jack should be powerful enough to drive those to quite high volumes.

Can you hook up your DVD player directly to your amp bypassing the tv. If you can and used a DVD that had the better audio volume, you would know if it was the amp or the tv that was the weak link.

How do you receive your tv signal? Do you have a device that the signal could be routed through your amp and not the tv? That could possibly give you more volume.

Other than a more powerful headphone amp, have you looked into any thing made expressly for hearing impaired people?
 
senior chef said:
Not sure if this thread goes here but... I'll give it a go.
I am quite hard of hearing. When I watch any TV/DVD/Netflix etc I must not only use subtitles BUT also over the ear headphones. Problem: I can boost volume up only so much. Even my neighbor who has normal hearing says my headphones are not that loud.
SYSTEM SET UP
I plug jack into TV headphone jack and from there to my amp. And from there, by wire, out to my headphones.
I "chatted" with a so-called expert at Best Buy. First he tried to sell me a $1,000 dollar wireless system. Eventually he said it sounded like the problem might be be that the "step down" headphone jack (on the amp) may not be a good quality and he recommended I buy a very expensive one.
What I mean to say is that the headphone port on the amp is of the larger variety (1/4 inch)and my headphones use the small version (1/8 inch). hence the need for a "step down jack".

Does what the Best Buy expert says make sense to you ?
If not, do you have any suggestions ?
Click to expand...
No! Avoid follow up business with Best Buy. It's like taking your car to the dealership for repairs and service. Try calling the manufacturers of your TV and other equipment. I have found a lot of help that actually works. Few people don't call after the warranty is up and that is a mistake.
 
I doubt the "step-down" jack is causing your volume problems. I've always called them 1/4" to 1/8" stereo adapters. I use them all the time with no problems. Usually something like that will either work or not work, or it will crackle from not making a good connection, but I've never had one reduce the volume. It could reduce the quality of audio if you're listening at high volumes, but that's not the case.

Try testing your headphones with another device, like a portable radio or your computer. That will tell you if it's your headphones or your TV. Or try another pair of headphones and see if that makes a difference.

I suspect the culprit is your TV.
 
Chris P Bacon said:
One thing that just came to mind for me is that you seem to still have at least some, if minute, ability to hear sound. If you get sounds that are too loud in a headphone, that could possibly destroy or seriously deteriorate what little ability you have left. Since I can only hear sounds that have been greatly amplified, my audiologist told me that listening to sounds above a certain decibel range, while not sounding "loud" to me, those decibels could make me completely deaf. Just a thought I thought I'd toss out there. I can't stand to see anyone too happy. It's just un-seniorly, in my personal opinion. 😉🦻
Click to expand...
Good point. I had not thought of that.
My biggest problem is understanding human speech. I do hear other sounds like my puppy whining, a loud knock at the door, a tapping of coin on the table etc etc.
Oris Borloff said:
Senior Chef,

Using something like Koss Pro 4AA's? In theory, a properly functioning headphone jack should be powerful enough to drive those to quite high volumes.

Can you hook up your DVD player directly to your amp bypassing the tv. If you can and used a DVD that had the better audio volume, you would know if it was the amp or the tv that was the weak link.

How do you receive your tv signal? Do you have a device that the signal could be routed through your amp and not the tv? That could possibly give you more volume.

Other than a more powerful headphone amp, have you looked into any thing made expressly for hearing impaired people?
Click to expand...
I have Koss headphones BUT not Pro 4AA's.
Can not hook DVD up to amp. Everything must go thru TV.
When you ask about my TV signal, i'm assuming you mean antenna ? For normal TV watching, I use a roof antenna via coaxial cable.
I was unaware that there are headphones specifically for hearing impaired.
Over the next few days, I will ask my neighbor if I may plug my headphones into his TV and see what happens.
You have given me some food for thought. Thank you.
 
Someone I know uses wireless headphones, the type that goes over the head and ears. Brand is Unisar and it says TV Listener on the headset. He has it so loud I can hear it through his ear pieces, which I think is not good for ear health, but that's not my decison.

These are rechargeables and no wire across the floor from tv/dvd to recliner as a trip hazard. I think he bought them from WalMart online.
 
Senior Chef,

I don't know if there are specific products made for folks with hearing difficulties, seems like there might be though.
Different brands of headphones may be designed to boost mid range response and be helpful.

We have a sound bar hooked up to our tv because I didn't want to have the tv audio run through my stereo. Our sound bar has a "clear voice" button that enhances speech, It works. If a stand alone device like that isn't available, do you have a mid control on your amp? I know that equalizers are far and few between these days, but there are some available. Using one to accentuate dialog without an increase in volume.

Chris P Bacon made a very good point about sound pressure from headphones. With your level of impairment you don't want to loose any more of you hearing if avoidable.
 
Oris Borloff said:
Senior Chef,

I don't know if there are specific products made for folks with hearing difficulties, seems like there might be though.
Different brands of headphones may be designed to boost mid range response and be helpful.

We have a sound bar hooked up to our tv because I didn't want to have the tv audio run through my stereo. Our sound bar has a "clear voice" button that enhances speech, It works. If a stand alone device like that isn't available, do you have a mid control on your amp? I know that equalizers are far and few between these days, but there are some available. Using one to accentuate dialog without an increase in volume.

Chris P Bacon made a very good point about sound pressure from headphones. With your level of impairment you don't want to loose any more of you hearing if avoidable.
Click to expand...
. I do not have a mid control on my amp.
I am very curious about that "clear voice" button on your sound bar. Can you please tell me the brand name ? and model number if possible.
 
The model we have is a Yamaha ATS-1070 sound bar. I believe it is now obsolete and was being replaced in Yamaha's line up at the time we got it. We got a new tv in 2018, I think, mostly because my wife wanted it. We didn't buy a sound bar at the time, as I didn't know how ghastly the sound would be. We were replacing 1996 CRT tv. The tv we got was purchased because it fit in the limited space available.

I'm not a big tv person, but what I am is sensitive to sound. TV often has bad quality sound and that is magnified when run through a decent audio system. I chose this one because it was the right size, remote looked ok, I could return it if we didn't like it, and it was on sale. I think at the time it was about $120. Newer models have a lot more features which I'm still not interested in.

We have no broadcast, cable, or satellite tv, only tv via Apple TV via the house wifi. We don't have very high speed internet either. This is connected to the tv via HDMI and the sound bar is connected to the tv via the optical connection. I can't to get any sound out of my audio out on the tv but I haven't disconnected everything to ever check if my other connections over ride it because it's a PIA to access.

I copied Yamaha's description of clear voice from their website:

Clear Voice to the rescue! This feature, found in many Yamaha sound bars, brings dialogue and narration to the forefront – making voices easier to hear and understand. Or in nerd-speak, “The vocal frequency range and its harmonics are emphasized for greater intelligibility while remaining frequency components are attenuated.”

So turn on Clear Voice, and when they say:
“This team’s chances of winning are slim.”
You won’t hear:
“Team advances with convincing win.”

I haven't tested it versus using tone controls or an equalizer because with the equipment I have it would be difficult to insert them into the signal path and I'm not THAT curious. I'd say it's similar to turning up the mid range , much as the old loudness controls on equipment would boost the low and high frequencies . Clear voice helps, but I don't know if it would be enough to help you. I don't know if you would get enough amplification either. I don't have much hearing loss except for very high frequenies
 
Oris Borloff said:
The model we have is a Yamaha ATS-1070 sound bar. I believe it is now obsolete and was being replaced in Yamaha's line up at the time we got it. We got a new tv in 2018, I think, mostly because my wife wanted it. We didn't buy a sound bar at the time, as I didn't know how ghastly the sound would be. We were replacing 1996 CRT tv. The tv we got was purchased because it fit in the limited space available.

I'm not a big tv person, but what I am is sensitive to sound. TV often has bad quality sound and that is magnified when run through a decent audio system. I chose this one because it was the right size, remote looked ok, I could return it if we didn't like it, and it was on sale. I think at the time it was about $120. Newer models have a lot more features which I'm still not interested in.

We have no broadcast, cable, or satellite tv, only tv via Apple TV via the house wifi. We don't have very high speed internet either. This is connected to the tv via HDMI and the sound bar is connected to the tv via the optical connection. I can't to get any sound out of my audio out on the tv but I haven't disconnected everything to ever check if my other connections over ride it because it's a PIA to access.

I copied Yamaha's description of clear voice from their website:

Clear Voice to the rescue! This feature, found in many Yamaha sound bars, brings dialogue and narration to the forefront – making voices easier to hear and understand. Or in nerd-speak, “The vocal frequency range and its harmonics are emphasized for greater intelligibility while remaining frequency components are attenuated.”

So turn on Clear Voice, and when they say:
“This team’s chances of winning are slim.”
You won’t hear:
“Team advances with convincing win.”

I haven't tested it versus using tone controls or an equalizer because with the equipment I have it would be difficult to insert them into the signal path and I'm not THAT curious. I'd say it's similar to turning up the mid range , much as the old loudness controls on equipment would boost the low and high frequencies . Clear voice helps, but I don't know if it would be enough to help you. I don't know if you would get enough amplification either. I don't have much hearing loss except for very high frequenies
Click to expand...
Oris, thank you for the information. At some point, "clear voice" will be a priority, but right now I'm concentrating on VOLUME.
 
Oris Borloff said:
The model we have is a Yamaha ATS-1070 sound bar. I believe it is now obsolete and was being replaced in Yamaha's line up at the time we got it. We got a new tv in 2018, I think, mostly because my wife wanted it. We didn't buy a sound bar at the time, as I didn't know how ghastly the sound would be. We were replacing 1996 CRT tv. The tv we got was purchased because it fit in the limited space available.

I'm not a big tv person, but what I am is sensitive to sound. TV often has bad quality sound and that is magnified when run through a decent audio system. I chose this one because it was the right size, remote looked ok, I could return it if we didn't like it, and it was on sale. I think at the time it was about $120. Newer models have a lot more features which I'm still not interested in.

We have no broadcast, cable, or satellite tv, only tv via Apple TV via the house wifi. We don't have very high speed internet either. This is connected to the tv via HDMI and the sound bar is connected to the tv via the optical connection. I can't to get any sound out of my audio out on the tv but I haven't disconnected everything to ever check if my other connections over ride it because it's a PIA to access.

I copied Yamaha's description of clear voice from their website:

Clear Voice to the rescue! This feature, found in many Yamaha sound bars, brings dialogue and narration to the forefront – making voices easier to hear and understand. Or in nerd-speak, “The vocal frequency range and its harmonics are emphasized for greater intelligibility while remaining frequency components are attenuated.”

So turn on Clear Voice, and when they say:
“This team’s chances of winning are slim.”
You won’t hear:
“Team advances with convincing win.”

I haven't tested it versus using tone controls or an equalizer because with the equipment I have it would be difficult to insert them into the signal path and I'm not THAT curious. I'd say it's similar to turning up the mid range , much as the old loudness controls on equipment would boost the low and high frequencies . Clear voice helps, but I don't know if it would be enough to help you. I don't know if you would get enough amplification either. I don't have much hearing loss except for very high frequenies
Click to expand...
I have a hard time understanding dialogue and always turn on subtitles, except of course, when they're the "auto-generated" type which are totally useless. I have everything going through my receiver/amp to the 5.1 surround sound speakers. I wonder how one of these Clear Voice soundbars would hook up to my receiver.
 
Irwin said:
I have a hard time understanding dialogue and always turn on subtitles, except of course, when they're the "auto-generated" type which are totally useless. I have everything going through my receiver/amp to the 5.1 surround sound speakers. I wonder how one of these Clear Voice soundbars would hook up to my receiver.
Click to expand...
I think you could add it by using a line out from your receiver to the sound bar. On my sound bar I can't bypass its built in amplification, so wouldn't run it connected to a speaker output from the amp.

I would suggest going to Yamaha's website and looking at the manuals. I don't know what connections your have on your equipment and what sort of adjustments you are able to make especially to the center channel speaker. I suspect what it's doing with the clear voice setting is boosting the midrange frequencies albeit with a chip not just filters. I'd be very surprised if most other companies have something similar, but don't have the catchy name.

What I'm not so sure of is if it would really make any difference to you compared to what you already have, especially if you can experiment with the midrange. If you can audition one and see if it might help.
 

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