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The Sad State of Movie Theater Sound Systems

In the last 2 weeks I have done something I haven't done in many years,go to a movie theater to see  new releases.First was the latest Star Wars & then at a completely different theater the new Dawn of Justice.In BOTH theaters the sound level was WAYYY to loud,distortion was running rampant in both cases.The highs were tipped up & brittle,mids had ABSOLUTELY no organics & bass was booming & 1 note to the MAX!!!If I hadn't paid well over $10.00 per ticket I would probably have walked out of both theaters!So for those of you who regularly go to movie theaters is this the norm or is Seattle just too tight to spend on the good stuff?
freediver
phd
1,323 posts
 
It is a sad affair when you go out to a movie and get inferior sound. Maybe you should stay at home and watch a movie on a good surround system because it looks like at this point it may be preferable.
zmanastronomy's avatar
zmanastronomy
738 posts
 

My wife and I have decided to never go to the Movie Theater again.

Between shi.... crappy sound and the rude kids with there freakin cell phones, her and I would rather watch and listen at home.

I’ve never been one that has to see a movie as soon as it’s released.

I wont be standing in line for the latest phone either.

czarivey
5,946 posts
 
Movies today ain’t worth attention and spending money in the movie theaters. They are mostly made for mentally depleted. Forget about sound.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Whatever happened to Smell-o-Rama? But seriously Ridley Scott's Promethues in IMAX and 3D was AWESOME. Some others I think deserve the big screen treatment include No Country for Old Men, Under the Skin, The Martian, Flight, Gravity and Birdman.

77jovian
422 posts
 

$8 for a small, stale, popcorn, really?

The whole movie theater experience has, for me, become so unpleasant that we go only if a movie deserves the big screen treatment, like Geoffkait said, or it's a movie I'm not likely going to be able to see otherwise.  Recently, we saw "The Maltese Falcon" on the big screen.  Before that, a collection of Oscar-nominated short films.  Both were good theater experiences.  In general, though, the oppressively loud sound and cheesy digital "filming" and special effects have turned us off to modern cinema.

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