When my wife and I are watching TV, I find I need a comfortable listening level lower than her. How can we both listen, each at our own comfortable levels?
I thought of plugging headphones into the back of the TV for her, but unfortunately, that cuts off the sound for me. We don't have an external sound system attached either to plug into.
There must be people smarter than me?
P.S. Putting her closer is not an option!!!!!! thanks
Thanks for that idea, yep would work I guess but then BOTH would have to wear headphones except just one of us!
If you'd be happy with one person wearing headphones, surely both of you wearing headphones is the same. Just hold hands or something if you don't want to feel distant.
Well you could connect one of the wires to a pair of headphones and the other to the speakers (assuming you don't use the in-built speakers).
Check the back of the TV for some outputs usually labelled "monitor out". Not all TV's would have them but most good ones do. Basically these take any of the sound that is on its way to the internal speakers and send them out through RCAs so work for TV and any other source eg. Bluray/dvd. The good thing about these is that plugging something into them like headphones doesn't cut the sound from the speakers. Then just get the right adapter from eBay for 2 bucks or so and plug in any headphones, although some wireless headphone receivers will support RCAs natively.
there's dealbreakers you know. Your SO is a drug dealer, your SO keeps jam in the pantry, your SO listens to TV at a different volume.
Sometimes you just gotta make the hard decisions, and let them go :(
Sometimes you just gotta make the hard decisions, and let them go
I always have break-up sex when I do.
Best way is to compromise (like virtually every other aspect of a good marriage), have it a bit too loud for you and a bit too quiet for her. That way you will both just get used to it and it won't be such a big deal.
However, the quieter the better in general. She should work on her hearing skills if possible.
would be cheaper to buy extra TVs on boxing day sale than remarrying
you should go to a few heavy metal concerts, or hang out at open pit mines when they are blasting, or attend some drag racing events - problem solved.
Or just walk along the footpath beside a Sydney bus as it purges its airbrakes. ¬_¬
Or just tries to make it up a hill :P
What!?
Earplugs for you?
High five. same thought at the same time. :)
Except you posted 3.5hrs later?
Within a minute of my post, it's the one below.
Get some crappy ear plugs to drown out the volume a little. Happy wife, happy life. :)
Or these cheap but definitely non-crappy earplugs, which will give a approximately uniform 20dB reduction across all frequencies.
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/headphones-dj/headphones/etymotic/…
OP. Trust me. This is the answer.
Said the random guy on the internet……
I mean it was the OP that asked for help from said random guy on internet
These are great. I take them to concerts.
You should use some parabolic cones or directional speakers to point the sound at your wife.
Get an FM transmitter then each one of you listens through headphones on your own radio/phone. Otherwise geek001/greenpossum's suggestion would be more cost effective
Buy another TV?
Sit further away from the TV. Alternatively tell your wife to sit closer. Last resort, get a new wife.
Nice idea, but my bed won't accommodate three people.
Lol. Hmm I think the answer here is… you need a bigger bed.
Or two single beds and then the original idea works. One bed closer to the TV.
Yet another reason to remarry!
Stop watching TV in bed…
What! Who is the 3rd person?
Weird response maybe - but why not move the TV to your wife's side of the bed? Might require some head tilting, but would be louder on her side than it would be yours. Just a thought!
Hmmm……I didn't think there was an easy answer, you guys have just proved it!!
You mean we just proved it was a ridiculous question
Tell her that if you continue to listen to the TV at such loud volume your hearing will be damage as time goes by. This means she will have to yell at you louder when she want things done. And if she have to yell, her vocal cord could be permanently damage so in the long run she won't able to talk and you won't be able to hear. Its best to turn the volume down :)
gotta be trolling.
Possible, but still entertaining.
Split the difference halfway… will take some time but after a while you both will get used to it.
That or get kids, then your volume will go waaaay down. :D
Will it ever. Or then you need a new house not to bother the kids, oh wait then you can't hear them so you're back to where you started.
I hate the tv blasting, at least my eldest turns it off (because no one is watching it) so I don't have to anymore. Good kid.
Have kids is the answer.
And THEN you can use the bed for watching TV. You'll both need the volume up then…
Subtitles.
we do that already, not the same tho, is it???
Reading through the comments and thinking on the issue, there does not seem to be an obvious long term workable solution.
There must be a device out there which fits to your head much like wearing headphones that features small cones to funnel sound towards the wearers ears.
Such a device is only effective whilst the wearer is facing the source of the sound.
You could have your wife replicate the device by cupping her hands behind each ear with the pinky finger side of the hand opening out to the TV.
I made a super quick google search which yields nill results (perhaps incorrect terminology/search terms) Except This
In the event you where interested enough you could prototype said device based of a set of over the ear headphones, a 3D printer and some hot glue or epoxy.
That is AWESOME!
Thank you for your comment Charlie. I cannot stop giggling after looking at the link.
Perhaps your wife has a hearing issue. She may need a check up.
She does! She is a little down in hearing but not really serious yet!
OK. If she needs the TV turned up, isn't that symptomatic that she may need a hearing aid? If she's self-conscious, she could just wear the hearing aid in private.
I would have thought that listening to TV via headphones would exacerbate hearing damage as you're more likely to listen at a higher than necessary volume. Not to mention its practicality.
Maybe it is just a simple solution like a ear clean. The GP can do that for you. I have watched too many disgusting youtube videos to know that wax clogging up the ear is fairly common. Getting a check up is probably what she needs right now, rather than a splitter, headphones, new tv or bed.
Does your TV have an optical out?
If so:
Here's some different ones that would do the trick, but you get what you pay for:
https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kogan-bluetooth-soundbar-integr…
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/142204992675
https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/philips-40w-20-channel-soundbar…
I would also look at Gumtree for a second hand one.
Actually a cheaper option will be to just get an optical audio converter and plug the headphones into that (though you may also need a $2 RCA to female 3.5mm audio cable). Then you can use both the headphones and the TV speakers at the same time! Here are some cheap converters:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/172386242617
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/221819987177
I think this is the best and most cost effective suggestion that has been made so far. The soundbar comes in as a second though, thanks.
I would have thought that the most cost effective solution would be to wear crappy, i.e. not very effective earplugs.
I'm liking this idea a lot. We could use bluetooth headphones for her also, to minimise wires etc. Good one.
My wife is an audiologist and she deals with this issue all the time with her clients. She confirms that the above replies are the best advice for you.
Not to be rude or anything but you may want to suggest getting your wife ears check up to see if there is anything wrong with it that makes it harder for her to hear.
Alternative if nothing is wrong, maybe your ear is juts sensitive to noise.
I thought this was the "Need a laugh? Read this" thread I just opened up earlier.. guess not haha lol
Poor married bugger :(
Put a thin later of tissues in each ear. It might help you stand the higher volume your wife needs.
Does that mean when you chat with her generally, you have to talk really loud?
Maybe she does all the talking. <ducks>
no, she is not that bad yet, but I cant talk from one room to another with her anymore!! :-)
There is also a technique of noise reduction where you reverse the wires of one speaker so that as one speaker expands the other retreats and vice versa. To people nearby, there isn't much difference as sound waves are similar, but in total, there is less total volume/noise to annoy neighbours etc.
Does your wife have an optical input?
Wives see everything.
Hearing Aid for her
ahahaha
Visit Aldi and buy their cordless headphones. It comes with a docking station that can take the audio from the red and white rca tv output which is pretty standard on most tvs still. This is always outputting audio so audio will come through the television and the cordless headphones as well.
Alternatively - send your tv input to a receiver/amplifier via an optical out and plug the headphones in there. Hopefully your tv should be able to send audio to both.
go to the top of the class!!!
Best idea sofar. TOS output coming a close second.
Sennheiser cordless headphones also use the RCA TV outputs and they are nice headphones.
Also you can buy little adapters that allow you to plug any headphones with 3.5mm jack into the RCA ports: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3-5mm-Female-To-2-RCA-Male-Aux-Au…
Let us know how you go.
Such wireless headphones tend to transmit on the 2.4Ghz frequency.
2.4Ghz can be quiet a crowded frequency which can create issues with interference.
May or may not be an issue in your intended usage environment?
You can get some ear plugs that help to lower the volume in the environment around you. I use them when I go to concerts/raves/loud music events
Yes you look dorky, but I value my hearing quite a bit.
I have this brand, not sure if it's the same model:
https://www.dicksmith.com.au/da/buy/etymotic-ety-plugs-high-…
This is a very cost effective solution, but it seems the OP prefers his wife wearing headphones instead of him wearing earplugs or doing anything differently.
Well if OP is a true ozbargainer, ear plugs > headphones as they're most likely going to be cheaper.
If he is the ultimate ozbargainer, he'll forego the earplugs, and use his fingers to press down on the front of the ear to reduce the vibration to the ear, lowering the volume.
Put some cotton in your ears, it will muffle the noise. Ask her to be comfortable and set as much volume as she would like.
Cheers,TD.
The real problem is all the actors who mumble these days! If they would speak clearly, people wouldn't have to keep turning up the volume!
Whatever grandpa!
The problem is the editors who put the talking (often mumbling) volume low, and then turn action scenes up to 11. I'm forever turning the volume up and down on my TV.
This. Drives me nuts trying to watch something at night with kids asleep.
If I understand this correctly, in 5.1 setup the central front speaker is responsible for the dialogue. You can then compensate by increasing its volume while keeping the overall output low.
Combine this with subtitles and you can watch movies all night and go to bed in the morning.
Yeah, I've already done this a bit, I might have to accentuate the imbalance a bit.
Get wireless noise cancellation headphones and you wear them. Thats what I do
Squirt a bit of silicone in your ears, but not too much; basically enough to leave a gap for enough sound to reach your eardrums…
Get her to sit behind the TV she will have speakers facing her and the sound will be louder
What if they're downward facing speakers?
Still make her sit behind the tv you won't hear her complaining about the volume due to speakers facing you
There should be some sort of compromise from both you and your wife.
So put it at the volume she wants.
Marriage pro tip right there
I think the bigger issue here is learning to think for yourself.
Don't worry you will get used to it.
….and get deaf at the same time, win/win!!
Easiest way is to just remarry.
You can get headphone splitters, basically a y connection that allows you to use two headphones.