Has anyone noticed David Attenborough sounding extremely low within the full 5.1 mix? It's a little disappointing, almost annoying as I have to turn overall volume way up to make out what he's saying...although the surround mix is pretty good, I still wish it was a better overall mix.

This isn't something I noticed. Everything seemed to be mixed fine on my setup.

I haven't had any problems hearing him through multiple viewings.

Sounds fine to me too. 5.1 Dolby. What are you using?

Has anyone noticed David Attenborough sounding extremely low within the full 5.1 mix? It's a little disappointing, almost annoying as I have to turn overall volume way up to make out what he's saying...although the surround mix is pretty good, I still wish it was a better overall mix.

Nevermind the other 3 who posted. They don't know what they're talking about.

The narrator for Planet Earth is recorded lower than the actual score and sound effects of the soundtrack. So you are correct.

My advice? Raise the center channel level +7 on your receiver, and maintain the overall volume at the level you normally listen to it.

It works for me, anyway. Give it a try and see if it does for you.

Nevermind the other 3 who posted. They don't know what they're talking about.

The narrator for Planet Earth is recorded lower than the actual score and sound effects of the soundtrack. So you are correct.

My advice? Raise the center channel level +7 on your receiver, and maintain the overall volume at the level you normally listen to it.

It works for me, anyway. Give it a try and see if it does for you.

I didn't have to adjust the level of my center speaker and I could hear the narration just fine.

I know exactly what i'm talking about - all I gave was my experience with the disc.

Yep, definitely seems lower than normal but
a) i think they recorded lower
b) he seems to be whispering.
c) I can hear him fine 90% of the time, occasionally he gets drowned out

Go ahead and raise your centre speaker a few notches to compensate.

Off topic but why is this movie low on the tier list? Is it because some shots arent in HD? This movie has created some of the best still shots you will see ever

Yep, definitely seems lower than normal but
a) i think they recorded lower
b) he seems to be whispering.

He's not whispering, he's talking in hushed tones. It's his style mostly and it invokes the impression that he's right there, trying not to startle a near by creature but inform the view at the same time.

Interesting that you are noticing this, as I thought Attenborough's narration is mixed a bit louder than what I'd like (I have the HD version, though). Nothing wrong with it at normal levels (for a documentary), but there are some scenes where the music score is just lovely, and if I turn it up to hear it properly, his voice dominates, and makes me want to turn down the center channel.

Yep, definitely seems lower than normal but
a) i think they recorded lower
b) he seems to be whispering.
c) I can hear him fine 90% of the time, occasionally he gets drowned out

Go ahead and raise your centre speaker a few notches to compensate.

Off topic but why is this movie low on the tier list? Is it because some shots arent in HD? This movie has created some of the best still shots you will see ever


Thanks for confirming what I suspected.

It is indeed a softer voice, maybe not necessarily "recorded lower".

In any event, he can just raise the center channel and be done with it.

On a side note, the opening credit sequence at the very beginning (when you insert the Blu-ray disc) is very loud and annoying.

Thanks for all of your input...just something i noticed while watching...knowing all systems are different, I just wanted to be sure mine was not totally out of whack all of a sudden, as it sounds fine with other movies. It is some of the best HD I've seen yet, picture and sound...I'm sure the content has a lot to do with it:)

Has anyone noticed David Attenborough sounding extremely low within the full 5.1 mix? It's a little disappointing, almost annoying as I have to turn overall volume way up to make out what he's saying...although the surround mix is pretty good, I still wish it was a better overall mix.

I would definitely agree with this. Attenborough's voice is sometimes just too quiet next to the score.

I would definitely agree with this. Attenborough's voice is sometimes just too quiet next to the score.

Definitely agree. If listening at normal levels either through surround or from TV speakers the old guy gets drowned out. Raising the volume will eliminate the problem however everything else will get louder. Raising your center speaker will probably do the trick.

Sounds clear to me.. The emphasis is on the sound effects and score though but I find the balance to be just right.

Some programs are very low on the cente channel (eg. Fresh Water) and others are as one would expect (eg. Great Plains). As stated the bad ones appear -7dB down. Extremely bad mixing, checking and quality control. I can say as a recording engineer Attenbourough is not whispering, it is low volume. They sound different.