DVD Audio vs DTS 5.1 tracks (1 Viewer)

[Matthew Anderson]

I am thinking about purchasing a DVD Audio player but wanted to know from those that have one about the sound from this type of component. I wanted to know the difference between the high resolution DVD audio tracks and the DTS tracks that most DVD audio disc contain. I really enjoy the DTS track on these discs but was wondering if it was worth it to upgrade to this kind of player. Thanks for any input.

 

[John Kotches]

In the end, you're going to have to decide if the sonic differences (if any that you perceive) is worth the expenditure.

You could purchase a DVD-A player someplace that has a 30-day return policy and listen for yourself to determine if it's right for you.

Something to consider.

Regards,

 

[Tony Genovese]

Just realize that with most DVD audio players you need either full range speakers or outboard bass management. Most don't actually have bass management that functions through the analog outs.

 

[Dale Ridgeway]

i dont have bass management yet for my dvd-a player. while there is more "air" in the recordings, I really am missing the bass that some of the dts tracks have.
Neil Young's Harvest really tries to beat up my def-tec surrounds.
Furthermore, some dvd-a disks wont let you access other streams once it detects that you have a dvd-a player. The only one that I have found that will let me still access other streams via a menu is queensryche's empire. The disappointing thing is that I have to shell out another 250.00 to have bass management on top of the money I have already spent on the player. I wish I have waited for the new pioneer elite player that does it all.
HTH
Dale

 

[Tyler DJW]

I've got the Pioneer 656A (highly recommended) and the ICBM (B-Stock $200, still available I think). Having taken care of the bass management issues and being able to do some comparison now I feel I can definately hear sonic benefits of DVDA over dts and DD. I'm not great with the industry-standard adjectives, but there seems to me to be better channel separation, clarity, and dynamics on the MLP track.

That being said, in some cases the difference between the MLP and dts versions isn't as great as the dts/DD difference (Blue Man Group in particular). I also haven't listened to the DD/dts tracks on any of my recent purchases so I can't make a lot of comparisons.

I would suggest getting ahold of whatever discs you like particularly if they include a dts track. You could either take advantage of the B-stock Outlaw sale going on right now, or wait for cheaper player prices if you're concerned about investing too much up front. I'm sure that more players with lower costs will eventually have bass management, and you may want to wait for them to arrive before fully committing.

I've sort of rambled but hope it helps anyways.

 

[Matthew Anderson]

Thanks for all the help on this subject. This helps me decide on the type of DVD audio player. I will probably go with one that handles bass management.

 

[Lewis Besze]

there is only one player that comes to mind that does BM acceptable right now.The Denon 3800/9000,all other don't have at all or have way too high crossover point or too shallow filters.
I would advise the ICBM.

 

[John-Miles]

In my opinion DVD-A is awesome, but without Bass management id just stick with the DTS. the Bass management makes the DTS sound better to me than the DVD-A. that being said as soon as i can im goign to get a player that has Bass management and then it will be DVD-A all the way. for me that sound is worth the 1000+ for a player with bass management

 

[CurtisC]

I am a little confused,my dvd -a disc sound so much better than dts there's no comparison.Also I have all the bass my sub can handle and it's svs.I have had no issues with dvd-a,sound,bass,it seems perfect,although I only have about 20 dvd-a's.Some do sound better than others but only due to original recording or remixing.One other thing,when I press audio on my dvd-a remote,it changes from 2 ch 192k to 5.1 96k but I do have to go to menu to select dd or dts

 

[Justin Lane]

One other thing,when I press audio on my dvd-a remote,it changes from 2 ch 192k to 5.1 96k but I do have to go to menu to select dd or dts

Curtis, it all depends on how the disc was mastered. On some discs the audio button works when selecting between tracks, while on others you need to use the Group button on your remote. Some discs are authored so that if you do indeed own a DVD-A player, you cannot access the DD or DTS tracks without going into your players setup and making some changes for default output.

From my experience, if you have a DVD-A player, play the DVD-A tracks. They will blow away the compressed DD and DTS tracks any day of the week if you have the proper setup.

J

 

[Bob Saylor]

I only have SACD but my player has bass management. I have to say the SACD disks sound more airy, spacious and not as compressed when compared to the DTS disks. I think DVD-A would produce similar results. The DTS disks sound damn good though. I'm not sure everyone would agree it's worth spending more money for SACD or DVD-A when doing this comparison.

 

[CurtisC]

Agreed, if you have a dvd-a player,no need for dts dd selection.

 

[Lewis Besze]

John don't forgett the fact,that most DTS CD/DVD-A's are encoded such way that the bass gets an additional 10db boost in the decoder,so you not only get the benefit of the working BM but you might get "to much" bass,unless you receiver has adjusable LFE-mix setting, but many don't.