Which Surround Sound to use on Integra DTR 5.5? (1 Viewer)

[KyleL]

Hello,

I just traded my 3 month old Onkyo Integra DTR 5.4 with a brand new Onkyo Integra DTR 5.5 which just came out a month or two ago. Both can be seen at integrahometheater website, which I can't post due to that I am a new member.

The main difference I can see is that the old one was 6.1, while the new one is 7.1. Also, there is a new mode called Pure audio.

What I would like to know it what surround sound mode will sound the best? I know I have a 7.1 setup, so I am guessing I need a DVD that has 7.1 surround sound? Is there such a thing, I have only heard of 6.1 surround sound DVDs.

There is also a mode on here called pure audio that I think upercovers the sound?

Looking on the site, is claims to have the following:

Dobly Digital EX and Pro Logic IIx
DTS-ES, 96/24, and Neo:6 decoding

What is the best to choose out of these?
Also can anyone recommend a high end DVD that has 7.1?

Thanks for all the help and I am so glad I found this great forum.

Thank you,
Kyle Leissner

 

[Ed Moxley]

Dolby Digital EX is 5.1channels that is matrixed to 6.1.

Pro Logic IIx is using a stereo signal, and matrixing it to 7.1.

DTS-ES is 6.1 seperate channels (discreet), and is true 6.1.

Neo:6 is a matrixed dts signal, to make it 6.1.

96/24 - DTS 96/24. This is the newest and rarest new format right now with about a dozen discs. Based on the original DTS format, this higher resolution 5.1 format in 24-bit/96kHz can be found on some DTS’ DVD-As. Any DVD player can access this track, which uses the same final bit-rate as regular full-rate DTS. However, to get the benefit of the higher resolution, you need a receiver that can decode DTS 96/24. Some newer mid-priced receivers can do it now. www.dtsonline.com (This definition credited to rkkwan, from his "Digital Audio Formats, at S&V Forums).

Which to use depends on your circumstances. Set your receiver to "Digital Auto", and when you choose the dts track, if it's discreet, it'll go to DTS-ES. If it's not DTS-ES, it'll automatically go to Neo:6, etc.......
Good luck! Hope this helped. )

BTW........
There is no such thing as a dvd with a 7.1 soundtrack on it....................yet. Maybe one day.

 

[PaulDA]

I own an Integra DTR 6.4 and I think I can offer some insights into your questions (though these are, of course, my opinions--you should experiment for yourself, after all, that's at least half the fun of this gear).

First: Pure Audio--this turns off all processing, all video switching, all bass management, all tone controls. Essentially, all that remains active are the amps and the volume control. This is for people who want no processing of their music. It is frequently used with the multichannel inputs (where a hi-res universal player can be plugged in) which allows the player to do all the processing.

7.1: there are no DVDs encoded in 7.1 right now. 7.1 is accomplished with DTS Neo:6 processing or Dolby Pro Logic IIx processing, which can be layered over DVDs, VHS tapes or TV broadcasts, as well as music. It is kind of the opposite of "Pure Audio".

DTS-ES is a 6.1 encoding for DVD and you can use it with your receiver. In fact, you can layer DPLIIx or Neo over it to make it 7.1, if you have the speakers for it.

DTS 96/24 is a higher resolution (though not as hi-res as DVD-Audio or SACD) version of DTS and, I believe, is primarily intended for music and concert videos, as the audio is of higher calibre. The first release of this format that I know of is the new Peter Gabriel music video collection.

As for which sounds best, well, only you can decide. Best way to proceed is to use a sound meter (Radio Shack analogue is easy and cheap to use) to calibrate all your speakers (forgive me if you already knew that, but it bears mentioning in case you didn't). Once you're set up, pop in a disc and experiment. I played around with a lot of settings and found the following: (I have a 5.1 setup)

For TV news and the debates: Studio-Mix
For TV shows and VHS movies: DPLII (Movie mode)
For two channel music and concert videos: DPLII (Music mode, centre channel off)
For two channel music CDs, stereo or Pure Audio
For hi-res music: m/c when it's there, and my multichannel inputs can use bass management and time alignment (don't know if the 5 series has that feature)

DTS Neo:6 is very similar to DPLII (so similar that I can't tell them apart, so I use the Dolby ones by default, not because I can state one is better than the other)


That's what I've learned so far (only been using it since last week of August). I'm no expert but I hope this helps.