Dolby 5.1 and Sony STR-DE 615 (1 Viewer)

[Jay Washburn]

Hi everyone! I've been reading posts and gleaning alot of GREAT information lately. I just have a few more questions. I went to my local "high end" HT retailer just to get some information, and he told me my receiver would not actually do Dolby 5.1.(I sketched out the inputs on the back of my receiver on paper & showed him) Soooo, after listening to him try to sell me a $20K HT system, I have decided to come back to the real “experts”.
Let me explain what I have on the back of my receiver, and then maybe you can set me straight. I have a Sony STR–DE 615 Receiver with a cheap “Sonic Blue” DVD player, model # DVR 4400, and an Ultimate TV/Direct TV Satellite Receiver.
On the back of the receiver, over on one side, labeled “Surround Sound” I have regular speaker inputs that are the black and red “clips” that the speaker wires go into. It has L&R Front, L&R Rear, Center, and then a single (looks like RCA) input for a woofer. It also has an impedance selector, which can be set at 4 or 8 Ohms, which I have set to 8 ohms. Then on the other side by all the video inputs, there is an area labeled “5.1 DVD Input”. This section looks like RCA inputs and is labeled as follows:
Left: Front and Rear (white inputs)
Right: Front & Rear (red inputs)
Center: only one , in the “front” column (black input)
Woofer: only one, in the “rear” column (black input)
Also clearly marked in this area is a yellow RCA input labeled “Video In”
My DVD player has the following:
Line Out: Audio, L&R (looks like RCA’s, white & red)
Component Video Out: Pr, Pb, Y
Digital Audio Out: Coaxial
S-Video Out
My Ultimate TV/Direct TV receiver also has a “Digital Audio Output” which looks like the same thing as on the DVD player: Coaxial.

The so-called salesman I spoke with told me that I needed a “decoder” in order to get the Dolby 5.1 and that he wasn’t even sure they made them anymore. He wanted to sell me a new Yamaha receiver with all the bells and whistles. I know enough about HT that if I do decide to upgrade it won’t be a Yamaha. So, my question is, will my setup really do Dolby 5.1 or just Dolby Pro Logic? or do I really need to upgrade my receiver first? I probably will upgrade down the line, but I want to get in the game with a nice surround sound system 1st, in order to make peace with my wife, i.e. more money allocated to this project at a later date for RPTV, etc. I have decided purchase the Energy Take 5. speaker system and, I’ll be lurking on ebay until I can find one. Right now I have cobbled together some Front (main) and rear (Surround) speakers, but no Center Channel or Subwoofer.
Any advice you can give will be greatly appreciated.

 

[ChrisClearman]

1. Does your Sony receiver have a Dolby Digital brand on the front? If so, it will.

You will need to use the Coax Dig Audio out on the DVD and DSS (even though very little on DSS is actually in Dolby) and connect it to an Audio Coax input on the receiver. If it doesn't have Audio Coax input then you're screwed.

But since it has 5.1 inputs it should have a Dolby brand on the front (I would assume).

The 5.1 inputs are RCA inputs for a 5.1 source. Some DVD players use these instead of Coax or Optical inputs. These are 6 discrete analog inputs that allow you do do 5.1, (the DVD player does the decoding and sends it analog to your receiver).

 

[JeremyFr]

Can I ask why you say you know enough you wouldn't buy Yamaha? But onto your question. The salesman was correct in order to use DD or DTS you'll need an outboard decoder to go between the reciever and your exhisting DVD player/Satellite box. there was a Technics that was quite nice I'm sure you could find around used these days that did both DD/DTS decoding, had I believe around 4 Digital inputs on it. But this would plug into your reciever through the 5.1 channel input on the back and then your dvd and Satellite would connect to the unit via the optical or coaxial digital outputs. Hope this helps.

 

[Jay Washburn]

Thanks guys. I do have a co-axial input on the rear of the receiver, however, it isn't labeled as Audio In...it is near the AM antennae hookup and says 75ohm coaxial. I read on a review of this receiver that it could decode the 5.1. But anyway, yes, on the front of the receiver, it says Dolby Digital, and there is a button that says 5.1 sound on the front? It does NOT say DTS.
Sorry about the Yamaha comment..I meant to say "I know enough about HT that if I upgrade it won't be a Yamaha from there." I have read some good reviews of Yamaha receivers, particulary the RX-V430. But I digress.

 

[JeremyFr]

oh ok hehe the 75ohm coaxial is for your FM antenna in if its the STR-DE615 the info I found online says it does not have built in DD or DTS decoding.

 

[ChrisClearman]

You're out of luck. Buy a new receiver. Not necessarily the Yamaha, but it's time for an upgrade.

 

[Jay Washburn]

OK. I accept defeat. But I tried. Anyway, next question:
Let's talk recommendations. I have had Sony, Aiwa,and Pioneer in the past. I have had good luck with Sony, but I'm not married to them either. I'm not opposed to Yamaha, as might be inferred from previous posts. My budget will be approx $300 for a receiver and $300-400 for speakers. I'll keep the DVD player for now, as it does have the Digital Coaxial out. I do plan on getting a new RPTV late this year, so that is a consideration. I'm fairly mechanically inclined, so wiring, etc. is no big deal. I think I want to stick with a Reciever that has the built in amp as opposed to separate pieces. No reason really, just more familiar with one piece deals.
Anyway, thank you all for your help. I couldn't have figured it out without you:wink:

 

[Craig_Kg]

For that budget, just find the receiver with the features you like (decode modes, video switching etc) - there's not a huge difference in sound at that end of the market. I'd look for preouts in case you change you mind and want to do the separates thing at a later stage.