I have the exact same problem, it's a thing that runs in my family. None of us can hear well from behind us if there is a fair amount of background noise. (Think crowded restaurant, mostly just hear a mash of noise unless I turn my head.Maybe this is normal, but it doesn’t feel right. When there are dedicated sounds coming from the rear speakers, the sounds don’t really feel like they originate from the rear - The sounds kind of feel like they originate at my listening position. This has the effect of screwing up certain sound effects like a plane flying from the back to front or around you or a gun firing from the front speakers and exploding in the rear speakers. Sounds from the rear speakers are just there at my head and non-directional.
If I turn my head to the left or right (instead of directly facing the front), I hear those sounds coming from the rear speakers like I think it should be.
While I agree that you shouldn’t be able to localize everything, there are certain sounds in object based audio that should have some localization. Like in Gladiator, I can certainly hear flaming arrows pass from the right surround - overhead - to the left surround. It is very fun. But that all gets lost when it comes to the rear surrounds.I don't see anything wrong with what you're describing. You don't really want the sound from your surrounds to be localized, but maybe show us some photos of your setup so that people can see if you have anything that's out of whack.
Also settings would be helpful.
You could try manually lowering the volume levels of your two rear channels by 0.5 or 1dB, to see if that solves your issue. Room correction doesn't always solve all of your issues. Good luck.
Ha, completely opposite advice. But they are both easy to try, and I will give them both a shot. Thanks.I have the exact same problem, it's a thing that runs in my family. None of us can hear well from behind us if there is a fair amount of background noise. (Think crowded restaurant, mostly just hear a mash of noise unless I turn my head.
I have always jacked up the rears 2.5 - 3.0 db's over the rest of the system. Put in Atmos in ceilings a few weeks ago and had to do the same with the two rears but not the fronts. My hearing is fine other than this odd issue. Try it, easy to switch back if you don't like it.
I am happy to try the first suggestion but what am I looking for when doing this? I am getting good separation from the surround (side) speakers.Try listening in 5.1 and turning the surround back speakers off, leaving the surround side speakers on and see if you notice any improvement.
also, can you do some test chimes/sounds per channel and verify those back speakers are playing independently? If your back 2 speakers were sharing a signal and playing the same sounds, I could see what you are describing happening.
Like mentioned above, once it hits the rear speakers, it feels like a wall of sound right at my listening position instead of behind me.
I would be interested to see if you still get that "wall of sound" sensation with just those two speakers as you are getting from the back 2 speakers. Get an idea if it is a problem with the spot in the room or just the direction of sound from the back speakers.I am happy to try the first suggestion but what am I looking for when doing this? I am getting good separation from the surround (side) speakers.
Could just be how things are mixed - IIRC some "7.1" content just sends the same audio to the rear surrounds as the side surrounds, which could account for what you're experiencing.While I agree that you shouldn’t be able to localize everything, there are certain sounds in object based audio that should have some localization. Like in Gladiator, I can certainly hear flaming arrows pass from the right surround - overhead - to the left surround. It is very fun. But that all gets lost when it comes to the rear surrounds.
I guess I would describe the audio from the rear surrounds as just a wall of sound.
Like in Air Force One, I believe there is an early scene where several jets are supposed to circle around you and the effect works great until it hits my rear surround speakers. The sounds of the planes start in the front left speaker, travel through the center, then the right front channel, then the right surround… and then just a bunch of jet noise at my head until it hits the left surround channel.
Good point. I will go back to my original copy of Air Force One (before the Atmos mix) and see how that sounds in my current setup.Could just be how things are mixed - IIRC some "7.1" content just sends the same audio to the rear surrounds as the side surrounds, which could account for what you're experiencing.
This is helpful. Thank you. For anyone finding this thread, the time-stamped video link is Psycho-Acoustic InversionOpe! Sounds like someone needs to go watch the Expert Audio Series by AVPro Edge on YouTube and learn about the psycho-acoustic phenomena known as front/back reversal, or front/back confusion (FBC).
What can you do about it?
a) Change the timing in the speakers ever so slightly.
b) Install the speakers at slightly different heights.
