Audio settings - dynamic range

[tobias-tobin 9]

Hello,

I am not in front of my system and I cannot remember exactly what it is called as a setting, but it is essential the dynamic range compression setting - I noticed when people post their setups on here no one ever has this set to anything other than 0.  I am wondering if there is a reason for that?  I would like to be able to have a more pleasant listening experience when watching a movie a night in my bedroom and not wanting to wake up others in their rooms.  So many movies get so loud, and then so quiet, especially quiet speech parts.  So I am turning up and then turning down and then turning up...

 

So is there a reason dynamic range compression is not used?  Does it not work well?  I experimented with it the other night and even at 100% I didn't really notice much difference.  I watch a lot of Big Bang Theory and what always gets me is the into theme music.  The show starts, I set the volume so I can hear what they are saying and then the intro theme song plays and is blasting.

 

While I am asking, is there a preferred audio setting?  Is default best?  Or WASAPI?  My setup is video going to the TV over VGA and audio out my soundcard and into a 3.5 jack in on the TV.  Then from the TV, all out goes to a receiver over optical.  I know I am missing higher definition audio but again, this is my night-time watching setup and I don't need high fidelity as much as I need balance on the volume range.

 

Just curious about this.

 

Thank you,

tobias.

 

- I just remoted in - I was referring to it correctly, Dynamic Range Compression.

Edited December 27, 2016 by tobias-tobin

[Luke 37214]

There is a dynamic range setting in the app. Please note, if using hd audio passthrough then it's not used and you'll have to do it with your audio receiver.

[tobias-tobin 9]

Thank you Luke.  tobias.

[Luke 37214]

And for those reading, this is not a limitation, this is just the way things work with Audio Passthrough. When you pass it through you are sending it as-is, without the ability to alter it. It is then up to the settings on your receiver, sound bar or tv to manipulate the audio.

[tobias-tobin 9]

Good to know.  If I was running HDMI out to the TV, since the audio would be carried through that, then these settings would work.  Is that correct?

[Luke 37214]

it depends on whether the audio is passing through and being decoded on the TV, or whether it's being decoded in the app first and then being sent to the TV. So you would need to keep the bitstream setting set to None in order to use these settings in the app. 

[Guest asrequested]

If you have it set to HDMI bitstream, no software will have any effect. It's all down to your TV, AVR etc.