PS4 Overall Volume (Still) Too LowPS4 

  • Thread starter Gr8_Lakes
  • 331 comments
  • 92,006 views
Do you connect to a stereo system with optical cable or do you have a slim which doesn't have the optical cable?
 
DesertPenguin
Do you connect to a stereo system with optical cable or do you have a slim which doesn't have the optical cable?
Click to expand...
Nope just a OG ps4 connect to a sony bravia


Edit

While the interior view sound is better the chase cam sound is still low and the sound switches between high in interior view and low in chase cam.
 
Last edited:
It's definitely louder out the speakers. Haven't tested headphones yet because the controller bug is back. Starting with the wheel connected and turning on the controller then negates the wheel and you can't get it back without resetting the game. With controller on first it's the same thing and doesn't let you drive with the wheel. Really frustrating.

So yea, it's louder but the bass frequencies are still lacking which can't really be fixed without blasting my subwoofer all the way up and raising the stereo volume settings for it too.
 
Sick Cylinder
Have you tried doing a comparison with PC1? If not I strongly recommend buying a copy of the Complete Edition (Game of the year) just to experience the superb tactile effects and great audio.

I don't even bother switching my tactile system on when I play PC2, because the current game is so underwhelming - a real shame because I love PC2 in other respects and this was an aspect that was class leading in PC1 - difficult to understand how SMS could go from class leader to bottom of the class, sitting in the corner with the Dunce's cap on!
Click to expand...

Yes, I have PC1 and also AC and GTSport too now. I found PC1 has much better tactile yes, but it also suffers from the overbearing gear thump compared to the engine.

AC I have only dabbled in as I bought it on sale recently. From what I have experienced with AC, the rumble is only being caused by the wind sound and not the cars engine. Oddly enough, the game with the worst engine sounds, GTSport, gives pretty good tactile response.
 
SkylineR88
PS4 has 3 sound modes. Linear, Dolby, and Dolby DTS.
The volume difference from linear to either dolby is incredible.
Please try dolby.
Click to expand...
Thanks for this tip. It does make a difference. When I checked mine was on Linear. I changed to (Bitstream) Dolby and immediately noticed the difference.
Haven't really tried Dolby DTS to any extent yet. They both seemed similar. Is there a difference between Bitstream Dolby and Dolby DTS?
 
davidt33
Thanks for this tip. It does make a difference. When I checked mine was on Linear. I changed to (Bitstream) Dolby and immediately noticed the difference.
Haven't really tried Dolby DTS to any extent yet. They both seemed similar. Is there a difference between Bitstream Dolby and Dolby DTS?
Click to expand...
I remember in the old DVD days DTS seemed to have better audio separation between the speakers and was a bit louder than regular DD as well.

Having said that I play pCARS 2 just in 2 channel stereo as I find the surround sound pretty bad in general .
 
SkylineR88
PS4 has 3 sound modes. Linear, Dolby, and Dolby DTS.
The volume difference from linear to either dolby is incredible.
Please try dolby.
Click to expand...
That's because Linear allows uncompressed audio to be used (if its available) and always has a lower initial volume level (this was also the case for the PS3 and for all audio equipment that supports LPCM).

While it (dolby) may be louder by default, its not always the best option to go for, as its going to use lower bit-rate audio files and/or compressed audio files. So while you get a louder initial volume, you may well be losing out on detail.

This does also of course depend on what your outputting it to, if its a TV, most soundbars or Home Theatre in a Box then Dolby may well be the best option (as what you are listening to may not be able to deal with LPCM or HD audio formats). If you using a receiver that can deal with LPCM and HD Audio formats, then using LPCM and turning the volume up is actually the better option to go for.

Keep in mind that the key difference here is also that with LPCM (linear) the 'raw' audio is sent out from the PS4 and what ever its plugged into then has to decode it, with the Bitstream options the PS4 is doing the decoding for you and then sending that out to whatever your PS4 is plugged into. Which is another factor in why what you are using to actually listen to is an important part of the equation.

I have two PS4's, the one I mainly use is plugged into a good separates AV system and I always run Linear on that, as a grands worth of receiver is able to do a better job of decoding than a PS4 (even a pro as it is in this case). My other one is in the bedroom and goes straight into a Sony TV, that's set to bitstream, as the PS4 (a standard in this case) is going to do a better job of decoding that the TV is.
 
Last edited:
davidt33
Is there a difference between Bitstream Dolby and Dolby DTS?
Click to expand...
To start with it's DTS or Dolby Digital. DTS is a different format that is not by Dolby. Digital Theatre System is the company if I remember correctly.

Basically both formats do the same thing in providing surround sound but do it slightly differently. It's generally said that DTS should be the best since it uses less compression. But then again Dolby's compression maybe more efficient. In practice you might not tell much difference. And as Scaff says above it depends a lot on what you are listening to it on.

I output DTS via optical cable to an amp.
 
I've been reading about this lately on AV forums with people saying they're getting delay issues or skipping/missing audio when letting the XB/PS do the decoding into dolby or dts & that it's better to leave them as pcm & let your receiver do the decoding as it's better equipped to do so. What are your thoughts?

Edit: this is what I do btw via optical to receiver.
 
I tried every possible feature in PS4 sounds settings and it all was the same! Very low!

On the other hand, I have made some testing and found some interesting findings:
  • Using the PSVR sound (plugging 3.5mm headphone to PSVR while it's on), the sound at max is AWESOMELY and HUGELY LOUD. It can blow my ears.
  • Using default 3.5mm headphone jack on the DS4 controller, the sound is adequately loud. Not mind-blowing but very acceptable. It's like 75% of the PSVR sound volume output.
  • Using the USB input (since it's a HyperX cloud 2) which includes a VSS7.1 dongle, the sound is very low. I can barely hear the car. It's like 50% of the PSVR sound volume output, if not even less.
The problem is that I bought a 4K TV so using the 1st PSVR option is out of question (it limits resolution to 1080p).
The second option although feasible, is a bit of a hassle coz I will have to put the DS4 on my lap during driving to avoid the cable tangling with my driving. And i will also lose the VSS7.1 feature.
Finally, I am playing all my games using the 3rd option (USB output with VSS7.1) and sound volume has been overall acceptable, except in PC2 where it's too damn low.
 
jof
Yes, I have PC1 and also AC and GTSport too now. I found PC1 has much better tactile yes, but it also suffers from the overbearing gear thump compared to the engine.

AC I have only dabbled in as I bought it on sale recently. From what I have experienced with AC, the rumble is only being caused by the wind sound and not the cars engine. Oddly enough, the game with the worst engine sounds, GTSport, gives pretty good tactile response.
Click to expand...

I only just looked at this thread again and read your post! I like the gear thump - maybe it is excessive to some people, but I like it - the up changes are harsh on race cars - often deliberately so as it can save fractions of a second per lap. At the moment I get nothing from PC2, whereas PC1 I found very immersive and I could only turn the volume up if the family was out - with PC2 I just cannot get good volume or any noticeable tactile effects - very disappointing!
 
I often get no sound when I bump into another car, or vice versa. Has to be a very hard impact for it to register. Not immersive enough for me here.

Also I put Driveclub on for the first time in about 3 years this week for my son to mess around with and the F40 audio was so much better than in pCARS2. More grunt, more aggression. Still looks amazing too.
 
bleeder
I often get no sound when I bump into another car, or vice versa. Has to be a very hard impact for it to register.
Click to expand...
Coming to think of it, this is true. On collisions I don't think I hear any sound you'd expect to hear during collisions. You basically realise you've collided with someone or ones having collided with someone in front of you (visually) with the car losing control or veering off accordingly...maybe even making a spin or two in the air....... or if someone hits you from behind you mainly feel the impact, veer off or whatever but not really hearing a collision sound (metal to metal) as you'd expect to hear naturally.
 
Sick Cylinder
I only just looked at this thread again and read your post! I like the gear thump - maybe it is excessive to some people, but I like it - the up changes are harsh on race cars - often deliberately so as it can save fractions of a second per lap. At the moment I get nothing from PC2, whereas PC1 I found very immersive and I could only turn the volume up if the family was out - with PC2 I just cannot get good volume or any noticeable tactile effects - very disappointing!
Click to expand...
Same boat for me :(. I've only just bought PCars 2 on the recent PS sale and I've been disappointed also for the same reasons ''I just cannot get good volume or any noticeable tactile effects''. PCars 1 imo has been head and shoulders above all other racing games I've played (Dirt Rally, AC, GT Sport, Driveclub) in the tactile department, and was certainly not lacking in volume, maybe even too loud in comparison to the other games. Overall my experience has been almost a carbon copy of @jof's except for one thing, like you I like the big kick from the gear changes in PCars 1.
 
Collision sound is extremely loud compared to normal in car volume. Very short duration, but very high volume. Any live racing TV pretty much shows that. In car mics overload and the car sound disappears as the broadcast limiters clamp down on it.

So, I don't think this will ever be realistic in a game, particularly one that a lot of people already complain that the max volume is too low. It's a Spinal Tap thing - 'You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your... Where can you go from there? ... These go to eleven!' :lol:

If the race sounds are on ten already, best of luck going to eleven (or twenty, to be more accurate!).

Me, I just crank my TV way up. Not really sure (other than headphones) why that is such a big issue. I got a remote... LOL
 
simsimsheree
Collision sound is extremely loud compared to normal in car volume. Very short duration, but very high volume. Any live racing TV pretty much shows that. In car mics overload and the car sound disappears as the broadcast limiters clamp down on it.

So, I don't think this will ever be realistic in a game, particularly one that a lot of people already complain that the max volume is too low. It's a Spinal Tap thing - 'You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your... Where can you go from there? ... These go to eleven!' :lol:

If the race sounds are on ten already, best of luck going to eleven (or twenty, to be more accurate!).

Me, I just crank my TV way up. Not really sure (other than headphones) why that is such a big issue. I got a remote... LOL
Click to expand...

It isn't just headphone users that have a problem, but also tactile transducer users like me. I can crank up the volume for more involving audio (though nowhere near the first game) - my big problem is that the weakness of the audio signal prevents me using and enjoying my transducers. PC1 gave the best experience with tactile transducers that I have ever had so it was a major surprise and a big disappointment to find PC2 is just hopeless with my system - I don't even bother switching it on any more because the effects are so underwhelming. This lack of signal, lack of bass and poor mix is my biggest problem with PC2.
 
If it is an analog audio signal going to your tactile transducers, have you considered simply buying a cheap amplifier to boost the level? Digital, obviously, a lot more complicated issue, but if the tactile stuff has an analog in, a simple preamp should allow enough signal boost to start feeling it again.

My sub is analog. If I want more, I turn up the volume knob. All digital, without considerable control over the levels of each channel, is IMHO more trouble than it's worth.
 
sound related question ... what is wrong with sound mix, some cars have loud engine sound and some are muted. e.g. from GT3 category AMG is loud and 911 muted or Formula Renault and Formula C
 
novcze
AMG is loud and 911 muted or Formula Renault and Formula C
Click to expand...
It's because of the spatial audio mix that PC2 uses. The AMG has a big V8 in the front, so that's more pronounced. Whereas the 911 and the formula cars have the engines behind you so are more muffled. I notice it on my surround sound setup quite easily and while it might be realistic it can be annoying at times when you want to hear an engine's roar but are prevented from doing so.

I'm not sure how it comes across on stereo. That maybe muted also? You'd think they'd pump everything to the two speakers at maximum level.

I presume that's how it's intended to be so it's not seen as needing to be fixed. An option to switch off spatial effects would be nice though.
 
Does using the headphone mix in audio options do anything to help you out? I know it's for headphones but it does say in the description if you're outputting to a stereo source it can help or something along them lines.
 
Mr Grumpy
Does using the headphone mix in audio options do anything to help you out? I know it's for headphones but it does say in the description if you're outputting to a stereo source it can help or something along them lines.
Click to expand...
Didn't do much for me. The problem I have with the Formula C is that your engine is very quiet in comparison to all the other cars around you, regardless of where they are positioned in relation to the player car, so I'm not sure spatial audio is working as intended. If you turn the AI engine volume down it sounds ok.

I also get most of the engine audio from the BMW Gr5 out of my left speaker which is also a little irritating with a stereo setup.
 
bleeder
I also get most of the engine audio from the BMW Gr5 out of my left speaker
Click to expand...
I get the same in surround, it comes from the centre and left or right speaker depending on the driver's position. Which is quite clever really but I can see that being annoying if they are trying to replicate the effect in stereo. It should be equally balanced.

On the external view the sound is always more central. And often louder.
 

Similar threads

Sick Cylinder
PC2 Tactile Effects Missing?
Replies
7
Views
3K
Paul Scargill
P
D
Logitech G933 Headset Game/Chat volume PS4
Replies
0
Views
1K
DrOrzy
D
Z
GT7 PS4 Pro and PS5 Versions - My Thoughts So Far
Replies
6
Views
14K
Zero7159
Z
Fido996
PS4 and PS5 lap time comparison.
Replies
11
Views
6K
s0cks
s0cks
GTPNewsWire
Assetto Corsa Porsche Pack Volume 1 Arrives on PS4, Still No Known Date for XB1
2 3
Replies
82
Views
8K
mister dog
mister dog

Latest Posts

Back