Can't hear the dialogue? How to stop reaching for the volume
Whispered lines, then explosions that wake the neighbours. The problem often comes down to your speakers and sound settings, and most of the fixes are free.
If you keep turning the volume up for speech and back down for action, you're not imagining it. Slim TVs have small speakers, and many soundtracks are mixed for much bigger systems. Work through these in order, cheapest first.
1. Look for a speech setting on your TV
Open the TV's sound settings and look for a mode with a name like Dialogue, Voice, Clear Voice or Speech. Names differ by brand. It lifts the frequencies that voices sit in, and it's often the biggest single improvement.
2. Turn on volume levelling
Look for Auto Volume, Volume Leveller, Night Mode or a similar option. It narrows the gap between quiet and loud moments, so you aren't riding the remote. Some people find it flattens the sound, so try it for an evening before deciding.
3. Check the app's audio output
If your TV has only built-in speakers and the app or TV is outputting surround sound, try switching the output to stereo where the setting exists. Surround mixes usually put speech in a dedicated centre channel, and how well that gets folded down varies.
4. Check the room
- Speakers on many TVs point down or backwards, so a TV in a cabinet or against a hard surface can sound muddy.
- Soft furnishings such as rugs and curtains cut echo, which helps speech.
5. If you still struggle, consider a soundbar
A soundbar with a dedicated centre channel gives voices their own speaker. It's the fix most likely to make a lasting difference, but it's the only one on this list that costs money, so try the others first.