| Cinema Cynergy March 2003
Stop the Upgrade Madness!
People wanting to upgrade their
systems often ask me for advice. They want to know whether they should purchase a
component such as a processor or receiver because of its particular feature set, which
they fear might be missing something. The simple answer would be to purchase the most
up-to-date processor or receiver with all of the currently available features to minimize
the chance of obsolescence. But how do you decide when it is the right time to upgrade?
Upgrading just for the sake of upgrading does not make much
sense. If you have an old Dolby Pro Logic receiver then you are probably a good candidate
for a new receiver. But what if you own a high-quality receiver that has basic Dolby
Digital 5.1 decoding and still sounds great? Other than DVD players, no other piece of
equipment seems to lose its value faster than a receiver or processor, so don’t
expect to get much in return for your old unit. The key is to make sure that you are
upgrading for the right reasons and to know what you are getting.
In previous columns I have described many of the latest
surround formats and features that are currently available on processors and receivers,
but I have refrained from commenting on how I feel they enhance the surround-sound
experience. This time, I will describe their benefits so that you can decide for yourself
whether it is worth upgrading to these new technologies.
Analog surround
While it seemed as though analog surround formats such as
Dolby Pro Logic would disappear with the advent of discrete digital formats such as Dolby
Digital and DTS, Dolby Labs recently released Pro Logic II (DPL2), which is basically an
enhanced version of the original Pro Logic decoding. The more advanced logic of DPL2 does
a better job of spreading the sound among the three front channels so everything
doesn’t "collapse" into the center-channel speaker. It also processes the
surrounds in stereo instead of mono as with Pro Logic.
There is no doubt that DPL2 sounds significantly better
than Pro Logic, and it even works with stereo music sources, although the results are
program dependent. Once you listen to DPL2 you will not want to go back to Pro Logic, but
you have to ask yourself if you listen to enough two-channel sources such as VHS tapes,
laserdiscs, or broadcast television to warrant the upgrade. There are also some receivers
and processors, including some older models that have proprietary forms of analog surround
processing such as Logic 7 (on Lexicon and Harman/Kardon products), that many people feel
are as good as, or even superior to DPL2.
6.1 channels of Extended Surround
Most processors and receivers now have both Dolby Digital
Surround EX and DTS-ES processing for extracting an additional back surround channel to
give a more enveloping and directional rear soundfield. More expensive THX Certified units
even have something called THX Surround EX, which is an enhanced version of these
extended-surround processes with more complex bass management, time delays, steering
logic, et cetera.
The main drawback to 6.1 systems is that you have to run an
extra set of speaker cables to the back of your room and find a place to put the back
surround speaker. It is also recommended (and required by THX) that you use two
back surround channels to help spread the sound more evenly behind the listeners. Finding
the space to position back surrounds properly can be problematic, as they require as much
distance from the seating position as the left and right surrounds. You can compensate for
this by setting delays for these channels, but if your couch is against the back wall,
placing a back surround speaker directly behind or above your head is far from ideal. Make
sure that you have the necessary space for the back surround speaker(s) before committing
to a 6.1 or 7.1 system. Otherwise, you might be better off sticking with 5.1.
THX
Although it does have proprietary processes such as Timbre
Matching, Re-Equalization, and THX Surround EX, THX isn’t really a surround format in
the same way as Dolby Digital or DTS. It is more a set of standards devised by the THX
division of Lucasfilm to ensure that playback systems reproduce the sound "as
intended by the filmmaker." The latest incarnation of THX is dubbed THX Ultra2, which
adds THX Music and THX Ultra2 Cinema modes, intended as a simple solution to the myriad
6.1 and 7.1 processing modes available on many processors and receivers. For 5.1 program
material, THX recommends choosing either the Ultra2 Cinema or Music modes, which are said
to work well with all the discrete digital surround formats.
The option to choose from the many THX sound modes is
certainly a luxury, but there is no reason a surround receiver or processor cannot be an
exceptional performer even without THX certification. Upgrading a system just to get THX
Certified components seems unnecessary; however, if you choose to purchase a high-quality
receiver or processor, many are THX Certified anyway, so you will receive it by default.
High-resolution multichannel audio
There has been a lot of buzz about the "format"
wars in the audiophile press lately (including some articles that I have written), but
let’s face it, not many people other than audiophiles actually care. There is no
doubt that SACDs and DVD-As sound better than standard CDs, but to the majority of people,
regular 16-bit CDs sound perfectly fine. Also, the decoding of SACDs and DVD-As is built
into the player and not the receiver or processor, which is the opposite of what usually
occurs with Dolby Digital and DTS processing (a major drawback, which I will get to
shortly).
Some SACDs are backward compatible with CD and DVD players,
while others are not. Sometimes they are not even multichannel, but are stereo recordings
instead. DVD-As are usually compatible with standard DVD-V players, but not with CD
players. Many of the albums on both SACD and DVD-A are from obscure record labels by
artists that hardly anyone has heard of. Perhaps the worst thing about SACD and DVD-A is
that no universal digital connection will allow you to connect your player to your
processor or receiver. To get multichannel sound out of your player from SACDs or DVD-As,
you must typically use six analog interconnects. Currently only Denon, Meridian, and
Pioneer have digital connections that will allow you to send high-resolution digital
signals between players and controllers, and they are unique to each company and available
only on certain models.
Until SACD and DVD-A titles become more accessible, and all
manufacturers agree upon a standard digital connection, high-resolution multichannel audio
in any form will not become a widely accepted consumer format.
Component-video switching
People often ask me if a receiver or processor is worth
buying when it lacks component-video switching. You may have a satellite box and/or a
digital cable box that has component-video outputs, but if you are like me, you only have
one source with component-video outputs: a DVD player. I simply connect my DVD player
directly to my TV with component-video cables, bypassing the video-switching circuitry of
the receiver. Video switching theoretically degrades the video signal, even if it is
nearly imperceptible. If you have more than one or two component-video sources, having
component-video switching capabilities is something to consider. Otherwise, connecting
your component-video sources directly to your TV is a viable and perhaps even a better
alternative in terms of picture quality.
Progressive-scan video
This feature is actually part of the video processing built
into DVD players, which was once quite rare, but is now included on most players except
for the most basic entry-level models. To take advantage of the progressive-scan
capabilities of a DVD player, you must have a television that can accept these signals.
Not only does the television need to have component-video inputs (progressive-scan signals
are only available on component inputs and outputs), but it must also be capable of
receiving 480p (progressive) video signals. Many televisions have component-video inputs,
but can only accept 480i (interlaced) video signals and not 480p. If you already have a
television that can accept 480p video signals, then many inexpensive progressive-scan DVD
players out there will allow you to take advantage of this feature.
What are you trying to accomplish?
The main reason for upgrading your system should be to
achieve better overall sound and video -- not just to get the latest features. Purchasing
a new receiver or processor that has the most up-to-date features and methods of surround
processing, but has the same (or perhaps even worse) sound quality than the one it
replaces, makes no sense at all. In that case, you would be better off spending the money
on improving your speakers, or adding a more powerful amplifier, or perhaps just holding
onto that money until you have saved up enough for a more significant and meaningful
upgrade.
...Roger Kanno
roger@hometheatersound.com |
