Sound is
Too Faint or Too Loud
When the source dynamic range is different from the
dynamic range that the listener can hear, you have a
dynamic range mismatch. If you are in an environment where
you can hear a wide range of volumes, and you are listening
to the radio or television where the sound has been
compressed, the sound is flat and unexciting — it
lacks the movie theater experience.
The opposite problem is when the dynamic range of the media
is greater than what can be heard in your environment, due
to being in a small room or having a hearing loss.
The first problem is that the user can't hear the faintest
portions of the signal. This problem becomes worse as the
listening level is decreased to avoid disturbing others,
such as when listening at night.
The second problem is that the user compensates by
turning up the volume, causing the maximum volume to become
much too loud. To hear properly, you either continually
turn the volume up and down, or you are unable to hear
portions of what is being played. This is a common problem
with home theater systems in small rooms, and with people
wearing many commonly available hearing aids.
