SACD vs. DVD-A Subwoofer Output Question (1 Viewer)

[ScottCHI]

i have my denon 3803/2200 combo calibrated (w/avia) identically in both the digital and analog domains. my redbook cds sound fine, and i can hardly tell a difference between their analog and digital playback, so i know that the sub calibration, if not correct, is at least identical for both my analog and digital connections. my dvd-a's sound great with these same settings. as far as i can tell, the sub output sounds "correct" for dvd-a. however, when playing sacd's, the sub output with the same exact settings is NOT "correct"; it's weak. i can remedy this by adding back 5-10dBs (not sure exactly what's the "correct" amount really) to the subwoofer output, either at the player or at my receiver.

is this a known characteristic of sacds? (that their sub output requires a 5-10dB boost over your otherwise properly calibrated settings?)

 

[SteveL]

IT is my opinion that a sacd does not have a lfe signal if you go analog straight thru, therefor only regular bass will be played. If you have a processor that will create a lfe signal digitally without affecting the other six channels, then you will get great bass. That's the way I have it and my bass sounds great. I hope what I have written makes sense. If it doesn't I'm sure others will help out.

 

[Philip>L]

When you play DVD-As, are you using the 6 channel analog outs of your player or the DTS or DD tracks that get decoded at the pre/processor/amp?

Since multichannel SACDs play only through the analog outputs of the player, if you haven't done so already, you will need to calibrate your player in addition to the pre/pro/amp.

 

[ScottCHI]

like i said in my post, both are calibrated perfectly

 

[Brian L]

If you search in the AV Sources section on the topic "Low LFE", you will find many posts from users that have noted problems with the .1 channel output on many universal and hi-rez players.

But, I do not recall anyone that had that problem report that it only effected SACD content. As such, I am not sure what would be going on.

A question I would ask is what titles exhibit the issue? Authoring is all over the map, and some titles may have no .1 channel, some may have all the bass already mixed to the .1 channel, and still other may have it mixed onto the main and .1 channel.

Couple that with quirks in the BM performance of many players, and you have a good potential for confusion.

Also, your Denon's may have some configurable compensation to deal with low .1 channel output.

Lets start with the titles in question, and go from there.

And yes, you are correct that SACD does support a .1 channel, although it may or may not be used depending on the title.

BGL