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
Find the volume in the middle - it's called marriage.
Upgrade to a younger model. /s
Just buy another tv and sit in a different room. You can still watch tv together.
I have the reverse problem - I need the volume higher than my wife does.
If you do find a solution, let me know!
Get your wife to read this discussion. :)
subtitles
My first thought was not to be a little bitch.
Putting uncomfortable headphones on your wife to please you.
… Dont be a little bitch.
Compromising for the wife would make him a little bitch…
Hearing aid of some description.
Maybe something like this.
https://www.amazon.com/Williams-Sound-PKT-D1-Pocketalker/dp/…
But you need a tv that doesn't mute when you put headphones in.
Turn the subtitles on
Some TV's have an enhancement for conversation audio. Check it out in your TV setup menu. That might help.
[otherwise might have to suck it up]
Get a wireless surround sound system and position it right next to where your wife sits.
Someone might've said this answer already but maybe add some speakers to the TV, some thats more directional (you might be able to put it inside a box with a hole in it to make it more directional maybe? That way you can direct it more to your wife while you are more off to the side of them.
Hearing aid. You could muffle the sound for you, but if her hearing is damaged, listening at loud volumes will only damage it more.
Suggestion #1: Watch netflix or similar, and enable subtitles to help your wife.
Suggestion #2: As others have said, hearing aid. Perhaps your wife needs to get a hearing test. If your wife's hearing is damaged, she might not hear hazards when she's out and about. Hearing aids aren't as bad as they used to be.
Suggestion #3: Wear some noise cancelling headphones. They're designed to block out dull steady sounds like plane engines, but I find they knock the decibels down a bit for music and conversations as well. They also take the edge off sounds like screaming children which bother me on PT.
Agree on a default volume that is not too loud for you though not too low for your wife? Subtitles? As someone who has hearing issues and understands the frustration of watching something you can't hear, I think you need to suck it up a bit.
I havent read all the comments but try this if it hasnt been suggested. Get extra speakers weather it be via an extra amp or internally amp speakers and place them on your bed side table. This solve the problem for me not having the volume too loud disturbing other people in the house.
Hearing aids for your wife!
If shes a pensioner, the government can pay for some :)
Keep it on the lower volume and turn on subtitles/teletext. You'll get used to it, trust me.
This works for me. I have the hearing problem and she doesn't. I can also go to the loo and still hear the sound.
https://www.jaycar.com.au/headphones-st-rech-900mhz-w-dock-d…
Also includes FM radio but that's not the easiest thing to tune so I never use it.
I have three of these units set to three different transmit channels. One for the PC and two for the TVs. Any headphone can listen in to any channel.
Jaycar also has a 2.4G version of these but I figured there may be interference from the microwave or the wifi.
Because the connection is optical TOS link then the volume of the headphones is independent from the standard TV volume control. The TV sound can be muted and the headphones still work. The headphones have their own volume control. I find it great, I can listen to the TV and shut out the missus.
Subtitles?
My wife and I had the same issue.
We bought a pair of Sennheiser RS170 wireless headphones - This sounds like exactly what you want.
When we watch TV, she wears the headphones and can turn the volume up as loud as she wants. The external TV volume can be adjusted independently for me.
Switch on closed captions. I warned you about this Spock.
stop bashing on his wife!
I know lots of people with poor hearing and lots with super sharp hearing.
just turn up the volume to your wifes liking and you wear these to soften it down for yourself
http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/6hcAAOxy5jxSbX-a/s-l300.jpg
Meanwhile her hearing will deteriorate even faster than if she got tested and her hearing fixed the right way with hearing aids. I thought you said stop bashing the wife.
Stop Basing on the respondents!
But they'll keep giving bad advice and destroying their reputation if they think their advice is right.
I thought you said stop bashing the respondents!
Who determines what is and is not bad advice?
What if whom ever makes that determination is incorrect?
Gender Fluidity
Well if you have experience on your side of the real world, and maybe some science, and your point of view agrees with the experts you have a much higher chance of being correct than Joe Schmuck who gets his advice on Reddit and from thinking real hard.
hearing aids
I have a technical solution for you.
Get a Yamaha MusicCast Receiver (RN602 or similar) & 2 x Bluetooth headsets.
The receiver stream audio to the 2 Bluetooth headsets and you both can control volume. :)
Same issue in our house, although I am the one with worse hearing than the wife.
I go the wireless headphones and there was an option in my Sony TV for plugging in headphones not to mute the TV speakers.
The one with shitty hearing might want to consider a hearing aid. Plus side, many hearing aids actually have the ability to have audio sent to them straight from the TV. My dad has hearing trouble, and just has a device plugged into the TV that transmits directly to his hearing aid.
Generally the sound output from flat screen TV's these days is pretty bad. In a surround sound system, most of the information comes from the centre channel speaker (especially the vocals). I would invest in a cheap surround sound system (even a soundbar - although there are some pretty crappy soundbars out there) and you may be surprised at the difference in sound pleasure there is for YOU as well. You need to get something that has DSP settings (digital sound processing) so that you can play around with what works best for you. My dad could not believe the difference it made for him and mum when I set them up with a 5.1 surround sound system. They can listen at reasonable sound levels now and the vocals are so much more intelligible. Most flat screen TV's these days have the speakers facing down rather than towards the viewer - and the higher the frequency of sound, the more directional it is. And the little speakers in Tv's these days pretty much only produce high frequencies.
As always, YMMV and this is all IMHO. Good luck.
Take your wife to the GP and get her ears flushed, chances are her ears aren't damaged and her hearing is impaired by a wax buildup.
You can buy directional speakers and face them at her. (Not really practical as it will sound like ass for you.)
Wear a beanie/hoodie whilst you watch to dampen some of the sound?
I had that same problem then I got into using subtitles. I now prefer subtitles to everything.
The sensible first step is for your wife to go to the doctor to have her ears and hearing checked.
The exact problem you describe happened with my parents, although my Dad was the one losing his hearing. This went on for ages until finally my Dad went to the doctor resigned to the fact that he will probably be sent to get hearing aids (which is what kept him from going to the doctor sooner - denial). Then the doctor discovers he had ear wax deeper than where my Dad could detect or remove it. Once the doctor professionally removed the wax he was saying "turn the TV down, it's too loud" when at his usual volume.
Problem solved by a simple GP visit
Have a similar issue we've used:
RS170 which worked great.
Currently using a Topping VX1 with Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro which are a little better however not as comfy as the Sennheiser.
Next will get a set of Sennheiser RS 175 but if the price doesn't come down may take a punt on Bluedio
We also tried https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003IQN8WA/ref=oh_aui_deta… but the cheap $20 Chinese type work just as good for now and still get used occasionally.
Not a solution for free to air TV, but you could buy a PS4 with an extra controller (Total of 2).
Each controller is a wireless headphone receiver and you both plug into your own. Adjust your own levels accordingly.
Would work for Netflix/Stan/YouTube/DVD/Blu-Ray.
Or if you both have functioning ears, watch the movie at the same level and wait for your ears to adjust.
RESET EITHER OF YOU OR WIFE, EVERYTHING GETS BACK TO NORMAL :)
is she nagging you while watching TV?
I would hate the idea of headphones. Maybe some wireless speakers near her side of the bed would be enough, so that it is close enough for her but far enough away from you to annoy you.
it is like wireless in ear headphones but you can adjust the volume and eq of real world sound. It is still on pre-order though.
all you need is a pair of wireless headphones with a base station that can plug into rca. I know the Aldi ones do that as I have set them up for family. Also depending on the tv you may need to adjust the settings to allow sound to come out of both a headphone jack as well as the tv. It isn't that complicated.
I'm a 30yo and my partner is 20.
I hear a lot better than her and gets little jolted with the volume she needs to understand the dialogue.
We just watch with subtitles any show that we can't my volume, as we live in apartments and that also works out for the neighbours too.
How about sound Balance option on TV…?
This is a low tech but very effective solution. Take a desk/pedestal fan and point it directly at yourself. It will dampen the sound dramatically leaving you with a lower volume compared to your now hotter wife.
Some good ideas above. I would personally attach another pair or set of speakers and put the speakers on your wife's side closer.
This means that one of you doesn't have to wear headphones or earplugs which I would find annoying for long periods and would make conversation potentially harder.
I'm sure someone has already mentioned this, but Samsung TV's have bluetooth built in with multiple channel output. So you can use bluetooth headphones (and have the sound coming out of the TV speakers at different volumes).
you might want to try directional speakers. These look like they could help. http://www.soundlazer.com/
Send your wife to my house she can watch tv as loud as she wants.
Find a New Wife?
The issue is not that difficult than you are making it. If she wants to listen to a louder volume as compared to your's, even then it is audible to you right? Then forget your comfortable volume zone and compromise with her… In your situation, she cannot compromise because she is not immune to low volumes; plus, she will have some diffulty in hearing the low volume.
However, if you feel that the louder volume she wants to listen is way too higher than the normal and can/may make you deaf then you should quit watching TV with her. Or, buy her a television set for her own use and settings.
My hubby and I have a similar problem and we find that subtitles help….unfortunately though not all channels have subtitles