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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
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.

77jovian
422 posts
 
Oh, yeah, forgot to mention the 20 minutes of extra-loud previews of films I would NEVER want to see.  We try to pick only theaters where you can buy a reserved seat.
czarivey
5,946 posts
 
I only go to independent movie theaters where they broadcast non-commercial movies. The auditoriums are very small for 50 people maximum and from anywhere the sound and picture is good.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,389 posts
 
3-D when called for and Imax pretty much the only attraction for me with most theaters these days.

Sound quality has not been an issue, pretty good overall with movies I have seen in recent years in my area.

But yes other than that the overall movie theater going experience ain't what it used to be.    Theatres mostly cutting costs to preserve any profits I suppose much like the rest of the world.

On teh flip side, times change and entertainment options in ones home are greater than ever and continue to grow.  That alone puts the pressure on traditional theaters to offer something unique of value.

I guess if one is still young and dating, there is always a place for a movie theater on a Saturday night but who knows.
bombaywalla's avatar
bombaywalla
1,958 posts
 
yeah, i have to agree with you fellas that going to the movies recently is not really that great - you pay for an expensive ticket, pay more for unreasonably priced snacks because they know they got you [oh the joys of monopoly!!! :( ] & like another member mentioned XTRA loud previews....
Finally saw Dead Pool last weekend & the extra loud previews was reinforced. My younger son takes his ear plugs along (smart boy!) - I think i should as well. If the sound is not turned up, the sonics are not too bad. it's definitely digital sound - it has those clicks & sharpness that is so characteristic of digital sound.
But......isnt this what the public wants? The same public that's in nirvana with MP3 & MP4 sound for the downloaded music....
Us audiophiles are in the (vast) minority & the revenue from the mentally depleted (I like this phrase czarivey!) is a lot more...

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