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Re: please ??? you're not trying to tell me that ...

206.165.142.131

Posted by Scott on November 24, 1999 at 08:57:19

In Reply to: please ??? you're not trying to tell me that ... posted by Mart on November 24, 1999 at 06:15:51:

As I said earlier dolby digital and dts are discrete 5.1 channel systems that isolate all of the dialogue into a hard center channel (except for those rare instances in which the dialogue is spoken by a character off screen).

Unlike dolby surround (matrix) decoders which offer a phantom center channel setting (along with normal and wide settings), DD and DTS decoders offer "large, small or none" center channel settings. Although the difference may not be apparent at first glance - after all "phantom" means no center speaker - in actuality the difference is quite profound. A matrix system focuses all 3 front channels into a hard center and uses steering logic to pan the sound left or right. The entire front soundstage originates in the center speaker, which is why it is widely (and rather simplistically) considered to be the most "important" speaker in a surround setup. (Actually the correct answer is "all of the speakers" are most important).

In contrast, when you select "no center" in a discrete surround system, the dialogue gets folded down into the L-R channels which sacrifices intelligibility and destroys the spatial characteristics and time alignment of the front soundstage, which are primary benefits of 5.1 surround. The spatial damage in particular is far greater than it is in a matrix system which has only a fraction of the channel separation of DD/DTS and which is mixed more benignly.

The bottom line is simply this: everyone is entitled to his or her OPINION regarding a center channel speaker, however, in a correctly implemented 5.1 surround system the use of a hard center is MANDATORY, just a using 2 speakers is mandatory to get the maximum benefit out of a stereo system - that's a fact and not opinion.

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Atma-Sphere Music Systems, Inc.

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