I can't hear my TV

ronk

ronk

Member
I've been having difficulty hearing my TV over recent months. I keep turning the volume up, and often still can't hear people talk. I've been buying inexpensive speaker systems (under $100) that just don't seem to provide the "substance" I've been seeking. The volume is cranked up so I can hear people talk, but then explosions in the movies annoy the neighbors! This only happened once, when I got a new inexpensive speaker set.


I tried a wireless over-the-ear headset once, and found it uncomfortable. The headset fell off my head if I bent backwards, etc. I decided to try a bluetooth headset this time. It will arrive today. I hope it works out.
 

My hearing is excellent, for everything except my TV. For most shows, I turn on the subtitles and just read along. It has nothing to do with volume, I think the sound quality is blurry for speech.
If I turn up the volume, it's much too loud for music and background noise.
 

Had a similar problem,so went to the menu "Sound" and adjusted to suit...many settings Movie,Surround,Speech,Bass,Treble..etc etc..fixed to suit.
 
I was in the Army National Guard for 6 years, around the time of the Vietnam war (1970-1976). I was in the Field Artillery. That meant shooting off 100 pound shells from an artillery piece. In those days, the Army didn't care about hearing protection. The best idea we came up with was sticking cigarette butts in our ears. I do believe that experience caused my hearing troubles. I swear one ear can't hear very well. I get that idea because I can't hear my BiPap machine when I lay on one side, in bed.

I must say that, at times, the volume appears to be better while watching TV. It may depend on the channel, the show, etc. Right now I can hear the newscasters and commercials just fine. The TV is on my left, maybe 6 feet away. At times I have troubles hearing the show when watching on the Amazon FireTV, or with my computer connected to the TV.
 
Pappy said:
Regular tv, I hear fairly well. It's just the movies I have trouble with hearing. I do have aids, but I think it is because the sound track on movies are set up different. When the actors are talking softly, I can't understand what they say.
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I have the same problem with movies. I'm always turning them way up.
 
I'm finally coming around to the fact that my biggest problem with sound is when I play media through my computer! I'd ripped or copied all my DVDs over to a hard drive for convenience. Right now I'm playing a DVD through the DVD player directly connected to the TV via HDMI. The sound is much better.
 
I've noticed that many(most) shows that have:
1. a narrator
2.some characters in a story

...that the sound volume is different for the narrator and the character. The narrator is usually the one for whose volume is 'normal', then when characters in the story speak, the volume is inadequate.

I do have some hearing impairment(military, industry, gettin' older etc) but not enough for resorting to a hearing aid.

I have heard that hearing aids are not only expensive, but are just marginally effective. I'm sure that in the case of severe hearing impairment, any hearing enhancement would be a blessing.
 
I think I just heard my Mom's spirit chuckling. As a teen she was always yelling at me to turn down my music...If it wasn't for closed captioning I wouldn't be able to watch TV.
 
My stepmother has a hearing problem. I enabled subtitles to watch a wrestling PPV. I couldn't help notice there were so many misspellings of words etc. It drives me nuts.
 
I always have a problem with the TV. I wear hearing aids also. My audiologist told me most TV sets these days have the speakers in the back of the set. I have no idea why they would do that but it certainly doesn't help the situation. My hearing aids are about 5 years old and I need new ones already. They are terribly expensive and don't last long at all. Some people are going to stores for hearing aids at a much lower price. I've been considering this option.
 
Over the last few days I've been trying to pin down just when I can't hear my TV. That may sound weird, but not really. My media comes from different sources: the cable box, Amazon Fire TV, DVD player, and the Mac Mini computer which handles most of my DVDs. (I "ripped" or copied the movies over to a hard drive.

The Mac Mini's video goes to the 50" TV which handles the other media. I need to run the sound to a different speaker system. My 2009 Mac Mini doesn't have an HDMI port. I think the multimedia coming from the Mac Mini is the problem for me. I can't get proper volume. Maybe it's the speakers.
 
I recommend Widex Unique. I've worn them since November, and they are the latest in technology. I went through TruHearing and they gave me a nice discount through my insurance. If I'm not mistaken, veterans can go to the Va. Centers and they will offer to fit you with aids free. I would do it before too long. Who knows what the new administration will do and what cuts they will make, come next January.
 
Many movies are produced to emphasise sound affects. To suit cinemas, etc. Although they are slightly 'quieter' when broadcast for TV or on DVD, you will still hear an increased volume on the affect. The worst ones seem to be the blockbusters like the superhero movies and disaster movies. Some are just ridiculous. Furthermore, the ear hears lower frequencies differently from how it hears higher ones. So, where we may be able to tolerate - or miss completely - higher frequencies, lower ones do get noticed more. Think of a drummer in a band. From a distance you will always detect his rhythm while you will not hear other instruments.

As has been suggested, if you adjust your TV settings to remove surround sound, Dolby, stereo options, you can improve things a little. I use the subtitles often too, but it is because of the accents used. I just cannot follow some of them. So I quickly rewind, put on the subtitles and am a happy bunny!
 
I wear hearing aids and use the 'closed caption' feature and still can't hear, or misunderstand, what is being said. On the flat screen tv's the speakers are in the back of the unit. Who sits behind their tv? :anyone:
 
My hearing has gone downhill through the years, I also use the closed caption feature and the replay to figure out what I missed on tv. The wife and I went to a Saturday afternoon matinee last week. The trailers for the upcoming movies blew me out of my seat. They where loud.!! :eek:

I was thinking, I better also get me some ear plugs when I finally get hearing aids ..
 

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