I Do Love the New Full-Cast Harry Potter Audiobooks, But I Have One Complaint

There is no shortage of Harry Potter material in the world. There's the highly-anticipated upcoming Harry Potter series, the original franchise films you can stream with an HBO Max subscription, the Universal theme park attractions, the beloved Jim Dale and Stephen Fry audiobook recordings, magical stores and more. I personally have been a fan of Jim Dale’s Harry Potter audiobooks since they started releasing more than 25 years ago. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve listened to these books over the years. I often fall asleep with headphones on, listening to his soothing voice as he reads one of the franchise’s many iconic lines.

So when Audible announced a full-cast recording of these beloved audiobooks, I was skeptical. In general, they’ve exceeded my expectations so far, and I’m a fan of their interpretation of the first book. There’s just one bit that keeps taking me out of the experience to the point I need to complain about it: the actors’ frequent, inarticulate vocalizations.

All The Grunts, Moans, Hrrms, And Urrms Are Distracting At Best And Inappropriate At Worst

From the jump, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone tries to world-build through sound design. The first thing you hear after hitting play is sweeping music, cheers, celebration, and Cush Jumbo’s powerful and ethereal voice inviting you in. However, when the narration begins in chapter one, it takes less than a minute to get the first inarticulate mumble when Jumbo says Mrs. Dursley’s name. This is followed by a series of moans, giggles, breath sounds, and creaking floorboards under her narration.

For me, it was hard to listen to that without thinking it sounded slightly inappropriate. That may just mean I have a somewhat dirty mind, because I’m sure it wasn’t intentional. And to be fair, the sounds aren’t nearly as inappropriate as something, like, asking Jason Isaacs to sign your breasts at Universal Orlando’s Wizarding World because you love him as Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies. Still, it made me raise an eyebrow more than once and wonder what the hell I was listening to at times.

The Vocalizations Work Better For Some Characters More Than Others

I’m not suggesting that all of these vocalizations felt out of place. In fact, the opposite is true. Many of them genuinely enhanced my listening experience, especially for certain characters. Take Peeves the poltergeist, voiced by Nigel Pilkington: it makes perfect sense that he would cackle, moan, whoop, and holler.

Creating disruption and chaos is his entire purpose, and hearing those sounds enriches the performance rather than distracting from it. Similarly, Matthew McFadden’s Voldemort benefits from subtle rasping whispers and hisses, especially during his final confrontation with Harry, making the Dark Lord far more menacing and compelling. I also have high hopes that this aesthetic will work for Gilderoy Lockhart as Kit Harington takes on the role in Book 2.

Where it fell short for me was with the children. Their dialogue is often accompanied by squeaks, quivers, out-of-place laughter, or heavy breathing that lingers too long in scenes and becomes distracting. This is especially noticeable during the trio's troll battle and when they first encounter Fluffy with Neville. While the sounds work in the moment, they often continue long after the action has passed, making it a recurring issue throughout the book.

Overall, the foley artistry is impressive and highly immersive. From the Deluminator drawing light from street lamps to crossing the lake to Hogwarts or dining in the Great Hall, these details significantly enhance the listening experience—especially when using headphones that support spatial audio, which make the world feel even more alive.

I’m hopeful that some of these issues will be smoothed out as more books are released, but even if they aren’t, I still plan to keep listening. The next installment is available on Audible now.