Home Theater Forum  ›  Forums  ›  Home Theater Hardware  ›  Receivers/Separates/Amps  ›  General Question About 5.1 Surround
Forum Nav More Forums | All New Posts | New Thread

General Question About 5.1 Surround

#1
Rating: 0
3/18/09 at 6:54pm
  • Joined: March 2009
  • Location: Dallas-Ft Worth Area
  • Post Count: 7
Hello- newbie here. Don't know how to search on this- it's long winded for a search box. I'm facing replacing my Sony STR-AV720 purchased in December 1990. (About time, eh?) It had features I've come to rely on, especially the simulated surround capability. Sound comes out of the surround speakers no matter how the A, B, A/B speaker switch is set. That made it convenient to have the B speakers in an adjacent room and the surround speakers playing in the main room when I wanted background music in the main room. When I set the speaker switch to A the sound played in the main room normally (surround plus front speakers). I would love to replicate this with today's equipment.

The question is, when a plain stereo signal audio is input to a 5.1 receiver, does sound come out of the =surround= speakers, or does the sound come out of the surround speakers only if the input is coded like Dolby or something like that?

I'm considering a Pioneer VSX-918V whose manual seems to indicate it can pipe sound to the surround speakers in case of a plain stereo signal input.

Thanks
Export to Wiki
#2
Rating: 0
3/18/09 at 8:52pm
  • Joined: August 2003
  • Location: SF Bay Area
  • Post Count: 2,350

Re: General Question About 5.1 Surround

Quote:
The question is, when a plain stereo signal audio is input to a 5.1 receiver, does sound come out of the =surround= speakers, or does the sound come out of the surround speakers only if the input is coded like Dolby or something like that?
Dolby ProLogicII and DTS Neo:6 both take a stereo signal and convert it to a simulated 5.1 surround sound. Virtually all new receivers have them. Most receivers also have DSP modes like Concert Hall, Theater, Sports, Gaming, 5 Channel Stereo, etc. which are generally not as successful as PLII and Neo:6 but some seem to like them. None of these simulated surround sounds will sound as good as a discrete 5.1 mix though.
"Everyday room": Mitsubishi 52631 RPTV, H/K 520, H/K dvd-5, H/K 8380, H/K CDR 20, OPPO BDP-83 BluRay player, Dish-HD, Infinity Beta 20's-C250-OWS1's, Dayton HSU10.
"Movie/Music room": Toshiba 65HM167 RPTV, Pioneer Elite 59txi, Elite DV59avi, Elite CD-59, Pioneer PD-51FD BR, Dish-DVR, Swan Diva...
Export to Wiki
#3
Rating: 0
3/19/09 at 7:05am
  • Joined: March 2009
  • Location: Dallas-Ft Worth Area
  • Post Count: 7

Re: General Question About 5.1 Surround

Hello Gene,

Thanks very much for that. Also I found this in the receiver's manual: "Using this receiver, you can listen to any source in surround sound", which is reassuring. I understand about sound quality with simulated surround. This is a home photography studio. Usually I am playing background music in two locations. But when I play my musical keyboard (for myself) I'll set things up as standard as possible. The synth has only 2 channel stereo output though, so I'll be having to live with that.
Export to Wiki
#4
Rating: 0
3/19/09 at 7:38am
  • Joined: January 2004
  • Location: Mechanicsburg, PA
  • Post Count: 1,116

Re: General Question About 5.1 Surround

I believe what you may want is a receiver with a separate zone capability. This way you can play whatever you like on the 'zone 2' speakers - even if it is different than what is playing in 'zone 1'. Check out the Onkyo 576 for roughly the same price.
My Home Theater
Our DVD Collection
Dolby and DTS Plaques (downloads)
Export to Wiki
#5
Rating: 0
3/19/09 at 8:13am
  • Joined: March 2009
  • Location: Dallas-Ft Worth Area
  • Post Count: 7

Re: General Question About 5.1 Surround

Hmm..., my previous reply didn't appear in the thread. Thanks David Willow and Gene C for the tips.
Export to Wiki
#6
Rating: 0
3/19/09 at 10:05am
  • Joined: November 2003
  • Location: Ontario
  • Post Count: 371

Re: General Question About 5.1 Surround

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Willow
I believe what you may want is a receiver with a separate zone capability. This way you can play whatever you like on the 'zone 2' speakers - even if it is different than what is playing in 'zone 1'. Check out the Onkyo 576 for roughly the same price.

Zone 2 capability is a function in which the Receiver can send a second source signal to speakers or a separate audio system in another location. This is not the same as connecting additional speakers and placing them in another room (i.e. A/B speakers)

The Zone 2 function allows the receiver to control either the same, or a separate, source than the one being listened to in the main room, in another location. For example, you can be watching a DVD in the main room, while someone else can listen to a CD in another, at the same time. Both the DVD player and CD player are controlled by the same receiver.

Though I have this capability with my receiver, I have never, ever used it. I find it is way more practical to have a seperate dedicated system in the "other" room that I can control -in- that room. I have never had the need to want to listen to Classical in one room but insist that when I go to the kitchen what I hear is the radio...
Export to Wiki
#7
Rating: 0
3/19/09 at 10:57am
  • Joined: March 2009
  • Location: Dallas-Ft Worth Area
  • Post Count: 7

Re: General Question About 5.1 Surround

Hi John,

I have to have the background music from the same source in two rooms. The rooms are adjacent to each other and we're moving between them frequently. So the Zone 2 wouldn't help. But I could put a separate system in the model's changing room! Boom Box anyone?

- d
Export to Wiki
#8
Rating: 0
3/19/09 at 1:10pm
  • Joined: November 2003
  • Location: Ontario
  • Post Count: 371

Re: General Question About 5.1 Surround

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave McKeen
Hi John,

I have to have the background music from the same source in two rooms. The rooms are adjacent to each other and we're moving between them frequently. So the Zone 2 wouldn't help. But I could put a separate system in the model's changing room! Boom Box anyone?

- d

And that is exactly my point. You don't want Zone 2, you want a receiver with "b" speaker options so that the same source is heard in both rooms.

JB
Export to Wiki
#9
Rating: 0
3/19/09 at 1:19pm
  • Joined: March 2009
  • Location: Dallas-Ft Worth Area
  • Post Count: 7

Re: General Question About 5.1 Surround

I understand! I ordered a Pioneer VSX-918V this morning. It looks like it will come as close to doing what I want than anything else I've checked out.

- d
Export to Wiki
Forum Nav More Forums | All New Posts | New Thread