At first I thought it might just be me, but online and in person, I’m hearing more and more people talk or joke about how crazy loud movie theater speakers are getting. Lots of people (including myself) are resorting to wearing ear plugs just to watch a movie without getting ear pain. Meanwhile, I almost never see anyone complaining about *not* being able to hear a movie in the theater.
Is there a secret wave of people who can’t hear theater speakers that I’m just missing? Or is something else going on?
In: Technology
For sure, movies are louder. It’s part of the ✨experience✨
On a technical front, movies are supposed to be delivered to theaters with instructions on how to set the sound levels, and these don’t always get changed or updated between different films.
The number of bodies in a theater also dampen noise, so if a theater hosts a new blockbuster movie on Saturday night, then turns the room over the next day to a quiet indie drama without resetting, you can end up with a non-optimal audio experience.
There is a maximum decibel limit allowed in theaters (it varies by state regulations) that is around 100dB. You can load a decibel meter app on your smart phone. If you think a movie is too loud, and verify it on your phone, you can always show it to a theater worker and ask them to turn it down. My dad does this all the time.
Personally, I find going to the theater to be a waste of everything these days. Somebody is always talking, or a phone is lit, or are making noise with a bag of candy, or it’s too damn loud, or too cold, or whatever. They tell you all the seats are booked but no one is there. Ticket prices don’t reflect the value of what comfort I could totally achieve streaming at home, in just a few weeks. Going to the movies is no longer worth it to me.
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