The former. I saw a youtube video that it’s really difficult to master something that’s made for the cinema down to a normal stereo sound. Also film makers care more for authenticity than before. Times when actors turned towards the camera and laid on their poshest accent are over.
Does sound mastering just suck or are people trying to pipe 5.1 surround through a stereo setup?
Likely a combination of both. Even on my 5.1 with the center channel set to max, the voices can still be hard to make out on some movies.
The former. I saw a youtube video that it’s really difficult to master something that’s made for the cinema down to a normal stereo sound. Also film makers care more for authenticity than before. Times when actors turned towards the camera and laid on their poshest accent are over.