Do You Turn Up Surround Sound Speakers?

Here's a radical suggestion, why not adjust the setting and decide for yourself? Everyone's audio preferences are different so in the end it's down to what YOU prefer.

biffta wrote:

Here's a radical suggestion, why not adjust the setting and decide for yourself? Everyone's audio preferences are different so in the end it's down to what YOU prefer.

No need to be rude.

I put mine 3 clicks above the "middle" setting but I'm trying to get feedback from others on her...hence my question.

bignicknicknick wrote:

biffta wrote:

Here's a radical suggestion, why not adjust the setting and decide for yourself? Everyone's audio preferences are different so in the end it's down to what YOU prefer.

No need to be rude.

He wasn't. He was absolutely spot on.

The seating distance from the surrounds, the room layout and furnishings, whether you Trueplay-tuned the setup and, yes, personal preference are all factors. Nobody can say how you should adjust the surrounds, any more than they can tell you what overall volume level to use when you're watching TV.

After I Trueplay-tuned my Playbar and two Play:1's, I've left the TV sound at the middle and turned the music level down two clicks.

Trueplay-tuned my Playbar + Sub and two Play:1's - sounds really fantastic !

Without Trueplay-tuned I have my surrounds about two clicks higher. This may not be ideal but I like the reminder that they are there.

My surround speakers are about 3 clicks up.

exact mid-way point for me. Perfect surround for my particular seating. (rear speakers are about 3 feet above my head.)

If I scroll through the replies so far, only 1 of us has the surround at the mid-way point.
My opinion about this whole question is that "bignicknicknick" has a point.
If 80% of ur users have to tweak the settings of a device to "2 ticks higher" instead of the "standard levels", wouldn't that mean that actually "2 ticks higher" should be the standard?
I'm not saying that "2 ticks higher" is the correct standard. What I'm saying is just "try to review what most users use and make that the standard level".

That's as statistically valid as concluding that 50% of the population must have a birthday in June because one out of two people in the room happens to.

1/ Trueplay will adjust surround levels (individually) for the correct balance at the seating position
2/ Anything else is down to personal preference

ratty wrote:

That's as statistically valid as concluding that 50% of the population must have a birthday in June because one out of two people in the room happens to.

1/ Trueplay will adjust surround levels (individually) for the correct balance at the seating position
2/ Anything else is down to personal preference

Perhaps it would help to read my whole comment. At the end i wrote down "try to review what most users use and make that the standard level"
But listen mate... i'm not out for a flaming/pissing-contest. It was just idea I threw out there for the Sonos moderators.
I wonder, are you one?

I'm not a moderator (any more). Sonos staff moderate, and they're clearly marked as such.

There already are standardized levels at the listening position, as established by Dolby (75 dB for standard channels, 85 dB for sub, as measured at ear level by SPL meter from standard tones). I would assume Sonos Trueplay does exactly that. As ratty says, anything after that is personal preference.

True Play will adjust the balance based on it's own settings. Anything else is personal preference and you may well want to change it depending on whether or not you are listening to a true Dolby 5.1 audio track. I suggest you sit where you watch from and try adjusting the levels until you find something you like. Much will depend on how far away you are from your surrounds etc . True Play will sort that for you though so you get a true reflection of the original mix. If that is too quiet for you then turn up the Surrounds. :)

Hope that helps.

Be aware that different sources mix their rear speakers at different levels. I've found that for movies, I have a different preference than I do for sporting events. Now, don't ask me what they are, I have absolutely no recollection, and only make an adjustment about half the time, but I do remember that occasionally I find the the surround on NFL (American Football) is substantially boosted than what I prefer. I suspect there's no "industry standard" used to define how loud a surround channel should be, so I find myself making adjustments in the app when it really gets obnoxious.