How much does ProLogic II impress you? (1 Viewer)

[kevitra]

I am considering selling my Denon 2801 (which is used as a preamp) for the 2802, if PLII is worth the upgrade. I primarily use my HT for watching TV and it seems that 98% of shows only use the center channel, and if they use the rear channels it is very minimal. Does PLII really help out that much? Will my surrounds actually get used while watching TV.

FYI: I use DirecTv for locals and premium service.

Thanks.

 

[Andrew_Ballew]

Hmmm.... IMO it depends. Before I moved into the seperates world, I would have told you it kills the original ProLogic. But recently on some higher quality pre-amps I have owned, ProLogic took on new life- It really can be done well. ProLogic II as far as I am concerned is not as big a step-up over ProLogic when it is done well.

Andrew B.

 

[Oliver]

This very much depends. First I thing it is very necessary to have a full DPL II for music, otherwise the output is far from perfect. Next, like every source being run true DSP it is preferable to have a digital connecting.
And finely, the overall quality of the receiver or amp is of importance. People do always the fault to reduce sound on power of D/AC, which of course is not an answer to the question. You could have the best D/AC in the world in you receiver, if the engineer did not know how to get a max out of them, or the signal path before or after them is of minor quality , the output will be random.
Just as essential are a stable quality of speakers all around, the absolute best would be equal speakers. Do not think that PDL II can change bad speaker to good on.

Anyhow, I have DPL II on my upgraded Denon AVC A1SE (AVR 5800) and it sounds very, very good. I needed to play a bit with the center wide function, and then it is just perfect. In my opinion, if you are open to surround music reproduction and not a stereo hard liner you will love it.
I practically completely stoped listening to Stereo.

 

[Ricky T]

To improve DSS, DPL2 is much better than DPL1. However, 5 channel Logic7 on the HK receivers might be even better. I think you should upgrade to an HK AVR320 or AVR520...then you'd have both Logic7 and DPL2 to play with.

 

[Russell _T]

Is the logic 7 version on the HK receivers the exact same version found on the Lexicon equipment?
Thanks,

 

[Andrew P]

Simple answer: Not much in my opinion.

Andy

 

[GordonL]

I haven't heard DPL2 so I don't have any comments on it. My question, for the folks who don't feel DPL2 is worthwhile, have you listened to Dolby's recommended demo material in both DPL and DPL2 and not noticed much difference? It might be useful if we're all listening to the same references.
There's also a few demo material recommended by Jim Fosgate here and here

 

[ReggieW]

Kevitra,
If I were you, I would simply wait for the Denon 2803 at the end of the year. Yes, DPL2 is better in my opinion, especially when watching television and listening to music - it sounds much closer to being discrete than regular pro-logic ever did (If you listen to the trailers on the Phantom Menace disc, they sound pretty amazing with DPL2 engaged). However, the difference isn't so great that you couldn't wait for the 2803
Reg

 

[Norman L]

I was told by Denon at the NYC show that the new 1803
coming out in August will be like the 2802 but with even more. It will have the same MSRP $499.
Keep an eye out. That might be your best bet.

 

[Paul Clarke]

Russell,

Short answer...no, it is not the full Lexicon implementation but it's very good nonetheless.

 

[Doug Smith]

Its the main reason I upgraded. You have to fool with the music and movie settings. Eg. for something off cable (eg. Enterprise) music seems better, but off a satellite dish stick with movie. If you are watching a 2 channel DVD the quality is usually much better, though on some DVD's the sound level drops off rather dramatically. I wonder how it compares with DTS Neo: ?

 

[Kyle_Y]

It grew on me, I didn't like it much at first on my Onkyo 797, but I'm beginning to like it now. But if you have 5ch stereo, it can work too for music. Movies however, PLII works pretty well, try and demo it in the store or something.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

If you get audio from only the CC, this means the program is in Mono. DPL2, if I understand it correctly, would offer essentially no advantage applied to mono signals vs. DPL. Mono will be decoded as center only regardless by both DPL and DPL2 dsps.

-Vince

 

[Kevin Alexander]

I've had much, much greater results w/ DTS NEO:6. Much more ambient and fuller than DPLII.

 

[Chuck Kent]

My overall impression is that it IS worth it.

I went from a 5.1 setup using a Denon 3300 receiver (as a pre-amp) to a 3802 (as a pre-amp) in a 5.1 setup specifically to add DPL II. Like any matrix surround setup, some programming decodes better than others. But you can tell that the surrounds are stereo and full-range. And in many cases, that can make a substancial improvement.

My budget often tells the tale of whether something is good or not. IOW, would I buy it again? Unequivocally, YES!

 

[BobJ]

I'm really enjoying PLII, especially for TV. Much better than the old PL. It's well worth getting if you are upgrading.

 

[kevitra]

Thanks for the opinions. I was was unaware of the new Denon receivers.

I should have been more clear with my statement
"98% of shows only use the center channel" - I use a DirecTiVo using the digital connection and a lot of shows are in PL 1. It just seems to me that the other channels (besides center) are not used much. XFiles/24 type shows are decent, but nothing to write home about. When using a HD receiver shows like NYPD Blue in DD 5.1 are awesome. I wish I could have something even remotely like that with 'standard' shows.

 

[Chip E]

So far, on my 5803, i can't hear much of a difference between DPLII and DTS Neo. I'll have to listen some more..

 

[EricHaas]

I wouldn't upgrade to a 2802 just now if the only reason is PLII. Since the 1803 is going to have more features than the 2802, at a lower price, I can only imagine that the 2803, out like September/October, will blow it away.

I have a 3801 with no DPLII and I know what you mean about the relatively minimal surround channel information from TV sources. This is also true even with many DVD movies (esp. older ones) with DD mastered sound. I doubt DPLII will significantly improve that situation, but I would be happy to be wrong. Even if it does, I'd wait for the 2803.

 

[John Sully]

I don't understand. If you are using your 2901 as a preamp, why don't you spend a couple of hundred more and get an Outlaw 950? It has all the features you might want and reputedly has great sound.