Question regarding diffenent sound modes on a receiver.... (1 Viewer)

[Pat_DiLella]

I recently bought a Onkyo 510 home theater speaker package (4 speakers +sub) and have a question in regards to the different sound modes you can listen to through the receiver. I have a Pioneer VSX-711 receiver and since I installed the speakers I have been experimenting with the different sound modes on the receiver, pro logic, movie, music…etc and I have found that I get the loudest and fullest sounds when I have it on the Advanced surround mode SIMULATED STEREO. This is suprising to me since I thought I would get the best sound from Pro logic, especially when playing dvd’s. I have found that when I turn on pro logic the sound is much lower and harder to make out that it is when it is in simulated stereo. Is this “normal”?

 

[Jack Briggs]

Pat, why not play your DVDs in Dolby Digital? Why simulated stereo?

 

[John Garcia]

Simulated stereo is just playing the same signal from the main two speakers everywhere...you aren't getting surround.

Pro Logic is technically simulated surround as well. To get fully discrete channels, you will want to setup the system to playback Dolby Digital and DTS.

 

[Pat_DiLella]

Jack, I thought I was playing Dolby Digital. I have the dvd player connected to the receiver with digital coax, and set up the receiver dvd input to digital, therefore if i play a dolby digital dvd shouldn't it automatically be dolby digital?

 

[Jack Briggs]

Not if you haven't enabled the Bitstream (or, depending on how your player has it labeled, Dolby Digital or DTS) output in your DVD player's audio-setup menu. At present, you're receiver is not receiving a true Dolby Digital signal.

 

[BenSC]

4 speakers plus sub?? No center? If there is no center, prologic is removing vocals maybe?

 

[Pat_DiLella]

yes I do have a center speakers, should be 5 speakers + sub. Jack i do have my dvd set up correctly to spf/raw per the instructions to get the dolby surround. I rechecked my documentation that came with the receiver and it says to in order to get dobly digital or dts the receiver has to be in standard mode. I will have to try it tonight again and hear what it sounds like but I know I've have had it in standard mode before and it again the sound output is much lower than it is in simulated stereo. I wonder why that is?

 

[Bill Kane]

The question has been asked and answered in this thread already...

The simulated stereo, or 5-CHL STEREO as Yamaha calls it, takes the Left/Right main spkr stereo signal and reproduces it in the Center and Surrounds. Usually the source is CD music or FM. And yes the overall sound level indeed is higher. This is more of a party-speaker feature, identical sound from all speakers as people walk around.

Listening to DVDs in surround sound involves first balancving spkr outputs with RS SPL meter and a tuning disk; setting the receiver to AUTO input and verifying the DD or Dts playback by the LED lite on the rcvr panel. Then the listening level can be dialed in as one prefers.

 

[Cees Alons]

Pat,

When the main L&R signals are sent to the surrounds, you may indeed get the "loudest and fullest sound". Of course: normally the surrounds play effect-type sounds, which aren't as loud (on the average, sometimes they surely are!) as the main channels.
But it isn't the correct sound. You won't hear 'noises in the back', just a lot of noise.

Cees