Is It My Hearing

[lankeela]

or are some adverts difficult to understand - especially the Barclays moneyverse one - I can never understand what the voice is saying as it seems to be whispering. There are others too, but I hear the rest of the advert ok. Seems to be a thing these days to have a mysterious voice over but perhaps it is my hearing.

[davebro]

Only way to know is to get it tested. I use subtitles a lot when available & have difficulty following conversations in noisy place - pubs etc. I got tested & fitted with hearing aids but for one reason or another I rarely use them.
I sometimes use headphones with the TV but that's as much to listen to loud music without disturbing the neighbours as anything else.

[davebro]

BTW - you can "fill in" a lot of what you maybe don't hear so well simply by the context of the broadcast etc. One thing I can NEVER hear properly are the Radio 4 Today programme racing tips. There is no context for the horses names.

[dave50]

It doesn't help with the insistance in the use of regional accents and people who can't pronounce words or speak correctly all in the name of diversity.

[roopower]

I have trouble too and I know my hearing's ok. Perhaps it's the advertisers way of making us remember the product, " I have trouble hearing the Barclays ad".

[William51]

I cannot comment on how good your hearing is, i have had no problems. But i find some some adverts are nonsense, the ones which are enigmatic and you are left wondering what they are advertising for.

[roopower]

Most of the enigmatic ones are for fragrances, I think, with the odd car or yogurt thrown in

[Georgiesmum]

They often talk too quickly for me, it ends up like some sort of gaggle. an example of that is the meercat advert when they talk in a silly voice as well.

[margarettom]

I have a problem with some adverts too. There’s an Ebay one where lots of mainly young people speak very fast. I also couldn’t hear the Barclays one. That being said, I sometimes use subtitles on ordinary TV programs, so maybe I do have a bit of a hearing problem. However, I’m just sitting here with the back door open in the kitchen and I can hear the birds singing, so who knows?

[lankeela]

Margarettom the ebay one I have trouble understanding, although its the content rather than the volume. I find lots of adverts with kids in have such pitched voices that its hard to follow what they are saying - the Robinsons Fruit Juice one is another.

[davebro]

It's the higher pitched sounds that you lose first. I don't think they were widely implemented but they trialled annoyingly high-pitched speakers in areas where troublesome teenagers were gathering. Older people couldn't hear them.

[Electrochem]

I find the way a lot of people talk today is dreadful. I appreciate that there are regional dialects, but people talk so fast and without pausing where there would be a comma or a full stop. One of my biggest bugbears is, when on the traffic news, they say "the road is closed for an accident". It sounds like someone has arranged the accident. What is wrong with "due to an accident" or "because of an accident".

I was listening to Radio 4 this morning and the person being interviewed used the dreaded upward inflection on every sentence. Not only that, they emphasised every third or fourth word and had the annoying habit of giggling from time-to-time.

Don't even get me going on "can I get" instead of "can I have", "I bought it off of" instead of "I bought it from".

[Buenchico]

I agree with others that it can't do any harm to get your hearing tested but I'll also suggest checking out that you've got the sound set up optimally on your telly.

Modern sets all provide the facility to adjust the sound to meet the acoustic qualities of your room (and/or to meet your own personal tastes). Even my ultra cheapo Polaroid telly from Asda offers settings for 'Normal', 'Music', 'Theater' and 'User' (where the bass, treble and balance settings can be adjusted to individual requirements).

TV set manufacturers assume that people who purchase their sets will take a few moments to get them set up correctly but most people, it seems, simply plug them in and expect perfection straight away. So press that 'Menu' button and see what can be done with it!

[barry1010]

I agree with Buenchico. My tv has a 'speech' setting that makes a massive difference when watching tv programmes, unless it's a music programme I'm watching as it sounds dreadful. Quickly changed to a more appropriate setting, though.

[gingejbee]

As someone who always mutes the ads, I don't understand why anyone would want to hear what's being said on an ad!

[dave50]

Yes electro, ah yes, the rising inflection at the end of every sentence, as if a question is being asked. It seems to be becoming the norm these days.