Holiday specials and audio gear deals: October is here and the holiday season will soon be upon us. Until the end of the year, in addition to the usual Q&A I will often have a product highlight or two at the beginning of the column. The industry buzz is that there are going to be some exceptional items and bargains offered over the next few months, and this especially applies to audio gear. If you are in the market for a sound system or audio components, I would wait just a bit longer to see what develops.

Q. We have a 77-inch LG OLED TV and a soundbar. When we watch “The Voice” and “America’s Got Talent” the sound levels are crazy. When they sing I need to turn up the soundbar volume to about 16, and when the judges talk we have to turn it back down. Any idea why? It only happens on these shows on NBC and I see a lot of people complaining about it, so I think it is an NBC problem.

—P.P., Pleasanton, California

A. This is a vexing problem, and changing volume levels and dialogue that is hard to understand remain the most common complaints sent to the column. In this case it is almost certainly the broadcaster that is at fault, since it only happens on one network and with television shows that feature singing. As to why, during the show’s production multiple audio tracks are recorded and later mixed to create the soundtrack. During the audio mixing the volumes of the different tracks are adjusted in relation to each other, and it seems that whatever NBC is doing is not working out too well for you or other viewers, despite what are likely good intentions.

A long-term, permanent solution may be on the horizon. Many companies have come out with technology to equalize volume and raise dialogue levels above the background sound, but there are limitations. To most electronic devices, dialogue is just another group of frequencies to be reproduced and not a separate “voice.” Manufacturers are now applying AI to the problem, with Samsung in particular being very aggressive in their approach and integration into their best televisions.

AI is the special sauce that can “listen” to a soundtrack and say, “that is a vocal component” and adjust it so it is perfectly rendered. Samsung calls it Active Voice Amplifier Pro and it is one of many applications of AI found in their televisions. This is the silver bullet solution, and I am very glad to see it! AI requires a lot of processing power, and a processor powerful enough to do AI is typically found only in higher-end televisions. For 2024 the AI features are included in Samsung Q70 televisions and up, which start at $849. With time I hope to see this AI voice control included in televisions at all price points from all manufacturers, so we can banish this annoying problem once and for all. In the meantime, it sure would be nice if the networks paid more attention to what they were doing!

Q. I just learned that HDMI cables have different speeds and some are called 4K capable. Do you have any specific recommendations for what cables to get? I am having some sync issues between my TV and soundbar, and hope better cables will help.

—J.Z., San Jose, California

A. It is not certain the cables will help, but it is worth trying. Look for cables rated for at least 4K/60Hz, and I like the Amazon Basics and Bluerigger brands. They start at $8 for a 6-foot cable.

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