hay? what?

[sunnybob]

Being as there are quite a lot shall we say, "senior citizens" here, do any of you have problems with hearing TV programs?
If so, have you found a soundbar or other suitable solution?

Let me say straight off I DO NOT want home theatre! I DO NOT want to be in the middle of a battle field with rock music blowing out whats left of my eardrums! The Mrs DOES NOT want 5 speakers and 7 miles of cable around the room.

I need something that can either reduce the stupidly loud sound effects on all modern entertainment, or increase the voices so I can understand the plot without the neighbours three streets down having to listen in.

 

[novocaine]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn3hKbl9f-U

 

[MrTeroo]

Or, even better than that:

TV sound amplifier

 

[Garno]

Or, even better than that:

TV sound amplifier

One for each ear maybe :?

 

[HappyHacker]

I am partially deaf with poor high frequency hearing (above about 3kHz). I have a sound bar but it does not help. So I went for a pair of Sony wireless headphones with a transmitter that plugs into the TV sound output. They make it better as they cut some of the external sounds and I have my own volume control.

But they only make it better they do not solve the problem which has a number of potential causes:

• 
  The sound mixing has been done by a youngster with the ears of a bat using the highest quality sound equipment;
  The producer has not allowed the sound man to get any decent audio in the first place and is happy if the shot looks good never mind the audio;
  The ACTORS are trying to make it realistic so mumble their words or whisper as one would in real life, as my wife occasionally asks me what was said, and she has ears like a bat, I suspect that this is a major factor.

I have no difficulty hearing the news and find foreign programs with subtitles to be excellent as I can hear the words even if I cannot understand them and even with the headphones on there are too many English language programs where the ACTORS all mumble in the important bits or music is being played every time someone speaks to add DRAMATIC effect. I gave up watching a Canadian detective series as I could not hear what was being said due to the "background" music volume

Films are also a problem as they seem to be set up for Dolby surround sound with a volume high enough to drown out the crisp/sweet eaters nearby in the cinema. Not much use when listing at home.

I have hearing aids but they do not really improve things.

 

[Mike Jordan]

My problems are mumbling so called actors and insane habit of playing music at the same time as dialogue . The classic scene was the great detective and his faithful sidekick down a coal mine together with dead body, killer, and A full b!'vdy orchestra!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Have you a hifi? You could put it through that.

 

[sunnybob]

Apart from the "theres always one" reply, we seem to be on the same wavelength (lol).

I have been studying this for a while now
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ZVOX-AccuVoice ... B071WKGN4F

It claims to be able to filter voice only and even adjust voice levels independent of the music (I use that term loosely).

But I have the age old problem of not being able to try before i buy, due to my remote location from all gadget shops.
Phil, no. The hi fi went years ago when I realised I could no longer appreciate it.

the search continues.

 

[JSW]

Being as there are quite a lot shall we say, "senior citizens" here, do any of you have problems with hearing TV programs?
If so, have you found a soundbar or other suitable solution?

Let me say straight off I DO NOT want home theatre! I DO NOT want to be in the middle of a battle field with rock music blowing out whats left of my eardrums! The Mrs DOES NOT want 5 speakers and 7 miles of cable around the room.

I need something that can either reduce the stupidly loud sound effects on all modern entertainment, or increase the voices so I can understand the plot without the neighbours three streets down having to listen in.

Might be worth re-considering the home theatre option Bob, you could always leave out the rear speakers and configure the amp to output 3.1 instead of 5.1, that would eliminate 90% of the "7 miles of cable"problem.

Then adjust the centre speaker, which carries the dialogue normally, to the level you find best?

https://www.soundandvision.com/content/ ... ound-clear

A trip to Richer Sounds next time you're back in the UK sounds the right course of action to me.

 

[Suffolkboy]

I'm 34 but have significant hearing reduction due to being stupid and not wearing hearing protection when I should have done.

we have a sound bar which mean the telly is louder but the sound isn't crisper if that makes sense. regardless of the volume of the telly I just use subtitles, at least that stops the wife from complaining about how deaf I am and how the telly is too loud.

 

[sunnybob]

I'm 34 but have significant hearing reduction due to being stupid and not wearing hearing protection when I should have done.

we have a sound bar which mean the telly is louder but the sound isn't crisper if that makes sense. regardless of the volume of the telly I just use subtitles, at least that stops the wife from complaining about how deaf I am and how the telly is too loud.

Yes, most soundbars are just small home cinema kits and to be avoided at all costs by people like ourselves. My hearing was very good untill a few years ago wehn I got infections in both ears at the same time. They never recovered. Ironic considering I had taken extreme care of them during a 25 year shooting hobby.
But the soundbar I listed has "hearing aid electronics" built in and is sold specifically for people with hearing difficulties by separating speech and having varying levels of adjustment. I am seriously considering it, but as usual cant find anyone who actually has one.

 

[loftyhermes]

I had trouble hearing the TV, I suffer from Tinnitus and hearing loss at the higher frequencies, ended up with hearing aids which are a revelation to the sounds I can now hear. Until I got some I just didn't know what sounds I couldn't hear before, so go for a hearing test before spending a load of money.

 

[Vann]

Whenever I watch a DVD I turn on the subtitles.

Works for me.

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Mark A]

I need something that can either reduce the stupidly loud sound effects on all modern entertainment, or increase the voices so I can understand the plot without the neighbours three streets down having to listen in.

Done.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

I'm not deaf (yet), but because we stream most of our TV, the levels are all over the place. This is , as you say, annoying to put it mildly. If you want to hear the dialogue, the sound effects will do structural damage to the house. If you want to keep the windows intact, you can't hear the dialogue. This is normal, and probably also for terrestrial TV too, now that it is all about bandwidth. You may not be deaf - just suffering from the usual digital "enhancements" which are entirely for your benefit - not.

Anyway, I have an LG television, with something called "Clear Voice Technology", which actually works. It somehow knows what is dialogue, and what is sound effects/music, and enhances the one and decreases the other. Here is the company propaganda: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l9l5llPvGVY . We keep ours turned up to maximum.

You may find an after-market solution which does a similar job.

 

[Suffolkboy]

I had trouble hearing the TV, I suffer from Tinnitus and hearing loss at the higher frequencies, ended up with hearing aids which are a revelation to the sounds I can now hear. Until I got some I just didn't know what sounds I couldn't hear before, so go for a hearing test before spending a load of money.

We get hearing tests annually through work, for the last maybe nine or ten years they have recommended hearing aids.

But advice that I have had (including some from the hearing tester lady) has been that while they amplify the noise you are trying to hear they also amplify the background noise and it is there I most often struggle. Picking the sounds I want to hear out of background noise.

Do you find this?

 

[Suffolkboy]

I'm 34 but have significant hearing reduction due to being stupid and not wearing hearing protection when I should have done.

we have a sound bar which mean the telly is louder but the sound isn't crisper if that makes sense. regardless of the volume of the telly I just use subtitles, at least that stops the wife from complaining about how deaf I am and how the telly is too loud.

Yes, most soundbars are just small home cinema kits and to be avoided at all costs by people like ourselves. My hearing was very good untill a few years ago wehn I got infections in both ears at the same time. They never recovered. Ironic considering I had taken extreme care of them during a 25 year shooting hobby.
But the soundbar I listed has "hearing aid electronics" built in and is sold specifically for people with hearing difficulties by separating speech and having varying levels of adjustment. I am seriously considering it, but as usual cant find anyone who actually has one.

That's interesting. I wasn't aware that that sort of technology existed.

I'll have a look into the soundbar you suggested. Ideally you'd want to try it for a week before you buy but I bet they don't offer that.

 

[Suffolkboy]

Whenever I watch a DVD I turn on the subtitles.

Works for me.

Cheers, Vann.

I find subtitles really useful too.

I hope that they might help me with my lip reading although I am not sure that that isn't just wishful thinking.

Have you noticed that some programmes are more dilligent with their sub-titling than others?

 

[loftyhermes]

I had trouble hearing the TV, I suffer from Tinnitus and hearing loss at the higher frequencies, ended up with hearing aids which are a revelation to the sounds I can now hear. Until I got some I just didn't know what sounds I couldn't hear before, so go for a hearing test before spending a load of money.

We get hearing tests annually through work, for the last maybe nine or ten years they have recommended hearing aids.

But advice that I have had (including some from the hearing tester lady) has been that while they amplify the noise you are trying to hear they also amplify the background noise and it is there I most often struggle. Picking the sounds I want to hear out of background noise.

Do you find this?

Mine are NHS aids (I would recommend anyone thinking of getting hearing aids to go the NHS route but you have to be referred through your doctor) and there is a button on them that can reduce background noise, but I find that if I turn the volume down I can cut it down even further. I've only had them 6 months but wish I'd had them years ago.

 

[MrTeroo]

I'm 34 but have significant hearing reduction due to being stupid and not wearing hearing protection when I should have done.

we have a sound bar which mean the telly is louder but the sound isn't crisper if that makes sense. regardless of the volume of the telly I just use subtitles, at least that stops the wife from complaining about how deaf I am and how the telly is too loud.

Yes, most soundbars are just small home cinema kits and to be avoided at all costs by people like ourselves. My hearing was very good untill a few years ago wehn I got infections in both ears at the same time. They never recovered. Ironic considering I had taken extreme care of them during a 25 year shooting hobby.
But the soundbar I listed has "hearing aid electronics" built in and is sold specifically for people with hearing difficulties by separating speech and having varying levels of adjustment. I am seriously considering it, but as usual cant find anyone who actually has one.

That's interesting. I wasn't aware that that sort of technology existed.

I'll have a look into the soundbar you suggested. Ideally you'd want to try it for a week before you buy but I bet they don't offer that.

You can do that with the distance selling regulations.

14 days to cancel the order and another 14 days after that to return the goods.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/ ... are-wrong/

I also have tinnitus but my hearing isn't affected. I can hear a pin drop.