Rostislav Radev

RCA RT2500 DTS Problem !!!

I'm planning to buy the RT2500 home theater system, but i've recently read some reviews mentioning a serious issue with DTS playback. Are you, guys, aware of such an issue with the receiver? I'm including the reviews i found on different websites.
"Weaknesses: BAD NEWS: I know for a fact that this receiver was programmed incorrectly when listening to a game or DVD played back on the receiver in DTS. Dolby Digital encoding is fine, but where is the BASS from the subwoofer in DTS. The clarity in DTS is there (sharpness in sound), but when it comes to explosions, NO BASS WHAT SO EVER, even when experimenting with all the settings on the receiver."

And another one: "Yep it's a decent set for the money, but since the DTS decoding is flawed, I wouldn't bother if you enjoy DTS. How is it flawed, you may ask? Let me tell you. Play a movie with strong bass in it in Dolby 5.1, and then switch to DTS. Where did the bass go?
You want an example? Try Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition. The part where Sauron gets killed at the start and there's this bass-heavy 'tidal-wave' across the soldiers. Lots of lovely bass in 5.1, and nothing in DTS. Useless. Same story with ALL DTS movies."

If you know something about that or you have that home theater system, please post your comments. Thank you!

Ed Moxley

I'll bet that for the same money, you can get a JVC with more power and features, and won't have a dts problem.
Ask them about the rca at your local Radio Shack. They sell them, and may be able to help.
Good luck!

Rostislav Radev

Well, I'm not spending that much money, because I'm buying it second hand. I'll get it for $200, which i think is half price. If everything is working fine i think it's a good deal. I'm going to test it soon. It's my landlord's receiver and I have a DVD player here, so the only thing I need is an optical cable. I'll play Gladiator in DTS to check if the subwoofer is working correctly. Which JVC model would you recommend? I don't think I can get the same quality from a JVC home theater system for $200. Besides, the RCA RT2500 is 700W.

Ed Moxley

There are some factory reconditioned JVC, Yamaha and Denon receivers at www.overstock.com

Check them out..............

They have warranty to start with, and I think you can buy two more years of warranty for $29.99.

SteveCallas

I purchased this exact system when I was starting out and still have it. I never really noticed any lack of bass in DTS, but I will try to hook up the receiver and a sub to my dvd player and compare it to a DD track and let you know if there is a difference. If there is a difference, I think I know why. It is something along the lines of when the first DTS chipsets were being made they forgot to boost the bass for the sub by 10db to match DD +10db LFE. So even if there is a "problem", you would just have to boost the sub output on the receiver (but then set it back to normal for other stuff). I will post my results tonight.

Rostislav Radev

Thank you in advance, Steve. I'm really looking forward to see what will happen. I work 12 hours a day and i have no time to go to Radio Shack and get an optical cable to test the receiver.

SteveCallas

Well I went ahead and tested this by hooking up the dvd player to the receiver with an optical cable and only hooking my subs up, no speakers. I used Titan AE (ice field), Predator (the attack on the South Americans), Jurassic Park 3 (the trex and spinosaurus fight), X2 (the blackbird being chased by the f16s), and U571 (depth charges). I would have gone ahead and tested more movies, but even after the first one it was painfully clear that the bass while in DTS is indeed much weaker than the bass from DD. I didn't have an spl meter handy, but 10db would seem right. This really chapps my ass because that means the whole time I used to use that system and watched a movie in DTS, I was missing out on a LOT of bass. I guess I thought that was all the output my subs were capable of at the time.

Well, I hope that helps you in your decision. Theoretically, if you wanted the DTS bass equal to the DD on this system, you would have to turn the sub output up several notches for a DTS movie and then turn it back down for a DD movie or for music. For $200 this system is a pretty good deal, the satellite speakers are a lot better than most satellite speakers in a HTIB. You will definitely want to replace the subwoofer though. I don't even think it can be classified as a subwoofer, more a superwoofer.

Rostislav Radev

So, it's true. There's a problem with the DTS playback. I also tested the receiver and there's no bass in DTS. I didn't hear anything from the subwoofer. I don't know how Steve heard it. Anyway, i decided not to buy the receiver, although i think $200 is a good price, even with no DTS. Steve, i tried to boost the bass in DTS, but it's not what i want, so that won't make things better for me. And another reason for me is that i won't have space in my suitcase and there's a restriction for the luggage (i'm flying to Bulgaria in a few days). That HTIB is quite bulky. One thing i'm really sorry about are the satelites. I agree with you, Steve - they are worth. 2-way satelites with crystal sound are not found in every HTIB. Anyway... I guess i'll get an Onkyo or a JVC from my country. Thank you all for your help!