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I have been getting the occassional complaint that the sound is too loud in my auditorium. Do you do a sound level check for each movie? Our tech set the level and adjusted the EQ settings for the auditorium. I know some movies are inherently louder then others but I was under the impression the level should stay the same. Do you have sound meters you use movie to movie or just play it by ear? If it's too loud during explosions and action scenes then maybe if I turn it down you might not hear the dialogue? What do you think?

Try to keep the customers happy. If they say it is too loud, say "I would be happy to turn that down for you". The best thing to do is to keep it turned down for trailers and tun it up a bit for the movie.

When I opened my first indoor, I also felt that our sound was too loud. Someone over at another forum suggested that, in most cases, this was caused by equalization issues. After having my rooms professionally EQ'd, then buying the equipment to check it now and then, I found that the industry spec was reasonably comfortable.

That said, I don't feel that leaving the volume at "7" should be a religion. Yes... trailers are usually way too loud. Even the experts find ways to drop the volume at that time. If trailers can be too loud, so can a movie.

My feeling... If God intended us to leave the volume at "7", he wouldn't have given us a volume control.

In the end, everything about your business reflects on you, not Dolby. If you feel you need to make an adjustment for the comfort of your audience, then make it. However, if you're always set at 4 or 5, then something's not right in the booth.

I agree with Jack about trailer volume. However I have yet to visit any multiplex auditorium where I didn't think the volume was too loud. Of course my doctor tells me that one with a partial hearing loss is more sensitive to sound levels (believe it or not) and I have such a partial hearing loss (apparently thanks to so many years in the booth). I just thought the theatre was catering to the younger crowd that seems to enjoy having their ears blasted off.