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I'm hoping someone can shed some light on an issue with DTS that I have read about but am unclear on. I just recently acquired my first A/V receiver with DTS capability (Harman/Kardon AVR-225), but I have not tried any DTS DVD's yet, and a warning in my DVD player's owner's manual has me concerned. The manual warns that, when a DTS disc is played, "excessive noise" may come through the DVD player's analogue audio L/R outputs. It then mysteriously says I should "take proper precautions," but gives no clue what "proper precautions" would be. I have also read somewhere online that this issue with DTS can potentially damage equipment, but, again, it was all very mysterious and gave no clue how to avoid such damage.My specific concern is this: When playing DVD's, I run the digital output through the AVR-225 to run the center and surround speakers, but I use my separate 2-channel system to drive the front L/R speakers. This set-up requires that I plug the DVD player's analogue L/R outputs into one of the line inputs on my 2-channel preamp since the preamp has no digital inputs and the AVR will not output an analogue line-level signal from a digital input.
Is there any danger that playing a DTS DVD with the analogue inputs connected to my preamp will damage my preamp (or any other equipment)? I'd be very grateful if anyone could shed some light on this issue.
Follow Ups:
Why aren't you sending the receiver's front L/R pre-out to one of your stereo pre-amp's inputs? You set the stereo pre to a fixed level with this input and then control master volume with the receiver.The way you have it now just won't work properly for 5.1 soundtracks. With 5.1 Dolby Digital you're getting downmixed 5.1 for your front L/R and discrete for center/surround/sub.
Doing it the my way will let you get proper 5.1, be that DD, DTS, SACD, and/or DVD-A. Assuming your stereo pre has enough free inputs you can also leave the DVD player connected to it the way it is so you wouldn't need to use the receiver's volume control for stereo-only discs.
Thanks for that input. The simple answer is that my receiver doesn't have a pre-out. (Additionally, I do not, and will not, use a sub, so I want all bass downmixed to my front L/R towers anyway.)It may not be perfectly correct, but DD sounds very satisfactory to me in my set-up for movies. For music, I listen almost exclusively to vinyl, so SACD and DVD-A do not concern me.
The L/R (stereo) output from a DVD player will not include the LFE/.1 channel if you choose the 5.1 or 6.1 soundtrack. Of the 6 (or 7 in the case of DTS ES 6.1) channels, the LFE/.1 channel is left out of the down-mix to L/R (stereo). That's why the mix-down of a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack will have less bass than a Dolby Surround 2.0 soundtrack (if one is included as an option).If you want to listen to the DVD material in stereo, always choose the Dolby Surround 2.0 option if it is available. Unfortunately, in your setup, that won't be an option if you want discrete C, LS and RS material. If I were you, I'd get a quality line level switcher.
I haven't notice a change in quantity of bass, as much as quality of bass when using DD5.1 mixed down to two channels Vs. 2 channel surround or a stereo output. What I have found, is the 5.1 mixed to 2 has *deeper* bass, more extended treble and much better center fill. While there is some variation between discs, I've done enough comparisons over the years that I stopped comparing.> > > If you want to listen to the DVD material in stereo, always choose the Dolby Surround 2.0 option if it is available. < < <
No, thats bad advice. People need to compare different sound settings to see what works best for them, in their systems. In my case, 5.1-> 2 channels is VASTLY superior to the 2 channel soundtracks.
Jack
And not just me, but many threads I have read about the compromises made to Dolby Digital soundtracks (complaints from sound mixers, no less) so that they will sound "good" when down-mixed to stereo (even when a 2.0 Dolby Surround track is included on the disc!).I guess it's all in the ear of the listener, but I have found the 2.0 Dolby Surround tracks to be better than their down-mixed 5.1 cousins. Time is actually taken to make a 2-channel (4-into-2, actually) track independent of the 5.1 track.
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...you're getting LFE, center, and surround sent to your front speakers but I guess if it sounds okay to you . . .FWIW, Niles makes a device that allows you to connect two amps to one pair of speakers and makes one amp the priority so even if you had both on at once you wouldn't damage anything. I have the older version called the ABS-1 (that I don't use anymore). Not sure what the newer model is called but I paid around $60 for mine in 1996. A cheap solution that I thought I'd throw out there :-)
Thanks again! I may look at the Niles solution down the road. For now, my set-up does sound O.K. to me. I'm actually much less of a purist when it comes to movie audio than I am when it comes to 2-channel music listening. For movies, call me vulgar, but my main requirement is simply that explosions be loud! :-)
If the DVD player doesn't have the capability to decode a DTS track, you will either get a muted analog output or noise when you play a DTS track. If you have the system cranked up and the non-DTS decoding player gives you the latter (noise), there is the potential of damage to your speakers. Amps and preamps should not be a concern.If your DVD player cannot decode a DTS track, don't use the DTS track if you will be feeding the L/R analog outputs to the rest of your equipment.
Thanks very much for that explanation. I think I understand now. I believe my DVD player is capable of playing a DTS track and outputting the digital signal from it to the AVR, but cannot decode a DTS track into an analogue output signal (it has no 6-channel output).In my set-up, I will stick to Dolby Digital. Thanks again for the help!
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