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i just want to use 2 channels. front left and right, (perhaps tv's speakers for center).i have rotel pre and amp.
can i take the svhs out of any dvd player and put it into the svhs on my toshiba 20"?
can i take the audio out (analog/non digital) on the dvd player and put it into the aux of the rotel pre?
i know i'm missing quite a bit by not passing on the digital info but i'm really looking only for 2 channel and view the dvd as simply another information format that will replace the kid's vhs.
does the above make sense?
will it work?
thanks in advance to those who respond.
be well
robo
Follow Ups:
...with a subwoofer hooked to the extra line out on the preamp.As noted in other responses, do not use the TV as a center. You should get a good phantom center if your seating area is samll compared to the distance between speakers. If not try toe-in on the speakers to avoid a lopsided soundstage for those sittting far off-center.
I mostly listen to music, watch a movie or 2 on the weekend and almost no TV [dont even have cable]. I really enjoy the setup. I would like surround for the effects, but would rather spend more on 2 quality channels than 5 mediocre ones.
One of the neat features of 5.1 audio tracks(D.D. & DTS) is the directors/producers use of sound steering. Where through the use of time delay and 5 independent channels of audio info a bullet can rickochet around the room for example. To me the 5 channel (6 including LFE) DD/DTS Audio experience is what watching or shall I say experiencing Home Theater is all about!
As long as all the audio information is directed TO those channels and not lost somewhere in the translation.
Yes,Two channel can sound GREAT, but it does NOT create the soundfield the director intended you to hear.
For example, a jet flying over above you from right front to left rear will NOT be recreated in your listening room with any realism using the current 2 channel output from DVD players today.
To recreate that realism (designed by the director) you need one of the DD5.1 or DTS5.1 decoders providing output to multiple speakers.
bstan
You'd be surprised at the soundscape you get with a good stereo. Will you get the front to back effects of thx sound? No, of course not. But You will hear much more than the TV can give you, which is what the original poster wanted. One more thing- my two channel speakers cost more than 5 sony surround systems. I get much more information through them than a midfi surround setup DESPITE losing the rear channel. My "center" channel is excellent with no TV volume, and I feel the bass with no boominess. I'd love to have a full blown surround, but: I can't fit a comparable rear and center...I'd need a new preamp with home theater pass-through....Thent fed by front speakers are 94db efficient fed by 100 class A kiwi watts, so I'd have to buy great power for the rear/center of turn the fronts way down...In short, some of us have to be content with GREAT sounding 2channel. Having heard my neighbors sony/cambridge audio surround system, with 2 cheap subs, I can tell you the movies are more gripping at my house. He's got a 32 inch XBR,which is superior to my 35" mits. That's the only thing I'm jealous about. Blacker black.
I'm not surprised by the 2-Channel soundscape I can get, because I have an excellant 2-channel system (Dynaudio Contour 2.8 towers) to produce it.I simply said you cannot create a DVD's 3D soundscape (intended by the director) with 2 speakers. You need a 5.1 speaker setup to do that.
This has absolutely nothing to do with THX, I'm talking exclusively about DD 5.1 or DTS 5.1. I don't like THX, and don't own any THX certified speakers or pre-pros, but my 5-channel amplifier is THX certified.
I'm not interested in what your system cost, that is not the issue we were discussing.
By the way, you are missing out on a lot of bass output available on the DVD with your system, without a subwoofer that's simply a fact.
You could confirm my assumption by using an SPL meter to test the sound output from your main speakers at your listening position when playing only a bass frequency (say 40Hz) at DVD reference volume. It should register at least 115dB SPL (DD standard) on the meter.
bstan
There are two kinds of DVD customers.Those who want to go with a full-blown 5.1 or DTS surround sound, and all the speakers, and those who just want to hook up their DVD players to their stereo TV sets or stereo receivers. My parents, for example, could care less about Digital Surround sound. BUT, they did want to buy a DVD player so they could realize better video quality, and improved menu functions and 'extra bonus features' that DVD offers. Plus, take into consideration all those PC's with DVD drives, all those portable 2 speaker DVD players, etc. etc., and you can see why DVD's played via 2 channels is a popular option. Truth be told, if a DVD has the 'setup' option of choosing Dolby Digital 2.0 (for 2 speakers), this is quite enough for many individuals. I, for one, play my DVD's through 2 massive Martin Logan speakers and a 2-channel amp, and when the DVD offers the 'Dolby 2.0' 2 channel selection option, I am in HEAVEN with the quality of sound I can obtain! And yes, it DOES fill my room! So, you see, not everyone is into surround sound and all those fugly speakers everywhere!!!
It's about time ALL the movie studios start including 'Dolby 2.0' as a choice in their 'audio setup' menu option!!!
Hasta la vista.
Billiam understand what I'm talking about. GREAT 2 channel does satify the directors vision.....those martin logans will do it, too.
Billiam not only doesn't understand , but incorrectly states what is necessary to enjoy stereo output from a DVD system.I don't begrudge people who want to use stereo to listen to DVD, let's just get the facts correct;
1) Stereo isn't what the director intended on most DVDs, and doesn't re-create the 3D soundscape originally created by the director.
2) You don't need Dolby 2.0 to enjoy a DD 5.1 DVD in stereo.
bstan
You have obviously never heard a well set up, high end two channel system. One of the things which separates high end in two channel is the ability of the system to recreate a holographic sound stage. The instruments are in the room, in their own three dimensional space (both in front of and behind the plane of the speakers).That being said, I have never been able to recreate this type of sound stage when a TV is in the middle of the speakers, but have been able to do this with a front projector system.
gjg
gjg,Your quote referring to my experiences:
------------------------------------------------------------
"You have obviously never heard a well set up, high end two channel system."
-------------------------------------------------------------Guess I'll have to dispute that unfounded claim, as I get an absolutely phenomenal two channel holographic sound stage with my equipment. Of course this ultimately depends on how well the 2-channel recording was mastered.
Your quote describing two channel holographic sound stage:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"The instruments are in the room, in their own three dimensional space (both in front of and behind the plane of the speakers)."
--------------------------------------------------------------------You are correct and I agree. I can hear a female vocalist 6 feet in front of me wetting her lips (1 foot out in front of my main's speaker plane), her voice originating from a mic 5 feet high, with various instruments supporting her up to 12 feet or more directly behind her as well as to the left and right.
So as you can tell, I have experienced as you said, "a well set up, high end two channel system."
To re-interate what I did say, you cannot CORRECTLY experience the 3D holographic soundstage created by the director on a 5.1 DD/DTS DVD media with a two-channel playback system.I never said the two-channel playback system didn't produce good, even holographic type sound, simply that it did NOT recreate the director's intented 3D soundscape.
bstan
I think you have things a little confused.DD 2.0 on the DVD software is NOT a requirement.
Most (if not All) DVD players will automatically downconvert DD 5.1, DD 5.0, DD 4.0, and DD 2.0 to a 2 channel L&R stereo format for use with your TV or stereo system.
Again this does not require the studios to provide a DD 2.0 soundtrack on the DVD, you get it automatically every time from the DVD players L&R analog outputs.
bstan
it may be a requirement unless of course you want to use the often crummy DVD Dacs to do this down-conversion. Some two channel DAC's like you would find in a hi end stereo system won't decode the 5.1 channel bitsteam but will pass 2.0 quite well.
You are correct, but you must select PCM instead of bitstream for the DVD player output, then a standard 2-channel DAC will decode the signal on the digital cable.In order to decode DD 2.0 you need to be in bitstream mode and then you need a standard 5.1 DD decoder in your processor or receiver to decode the DD bitstream signal coming from the DVD player.
bstan
n
I failed to mention that in order to use PCM output on the DVD player, the DVD software being played needs to have a PCM option.bstan
Most DVD players have menu settings for the speaker arrangement, so you can play a 5.1 via two channels and have it sound good. Also my DVD player has a menu selection to "enhance" the center dialog even if no center speaker is used. I use that when listening to an action movie late at night... Then I can hear what they are saying and not have the explosions, car wrecks, gun battles etc annoy my neighbors.
Does your DVD player have DD and DTS decoding?For those DVD players that don't, you can still quickly hook it up and use it in a stereo system.
bstan
"i just want to use 2 channels. front left and right, (perhaps tv's speakers for center)."Forget about using the TV's speakers as the centre. The result will be pretty ordinary if not wierd
i have rotel pre and amp. can i take the svhs out of any dvd player and put it into the svhs on my toshiba 20"?
Yes, you will get much improved sound than from the TV
"can i take the audio out (analog/non digital) on the dvd player and put it into the aux of the rotel pre?"
Yes
"i know i'm missing quite a bit by not passing on the digital info but i'm really looking only for 2 channel and view the dvd as simply another information format that will replace the kid's vhs."
Agree. Purchase of a used pro logic decoder (very cheap now as everyone lusts after DD 5.1) + a couple of modest rear speakers would lift your enjoyment of TV enormously. Look for a Fosgate or Lexicon. Fosgate 2 even has an amp for the rear channels and is now 10 years old so can be purchased VERY cheaply. In your situation I would not worry about the centre channel.
"does the above make sense?"
Yes
Have fun
John
Peace at AA
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