DTS Neo:6 anyone?

[Neil Palfreyman]

Well, I've been having a play with the PLII parameters on my amp and quite easily got it sounding better than Neo:6 by turning panorama on, shifting the centre image toward the fronts by a couple of notches and using dimension to shift the image backwards a couple of notches.

I had a flash of inspiration and thought that the Ozric Tentacles may sound good in PLII so I'm now playing "Erpland" and it sounds superb! :banana:

Track 6 "Crackerblocks" is particularly stunning; sounding almost like a discrete 5.1 mix.

 

[DuncanS]

I don't know which mastering it is but the Lowell G CD I have is cat. no. 7599-26755-2.

set your AVR to:
PLII Music,
Panorama "On"
Switch the centre Off,
Don't bother with any notches in either direction on "Dimension" (it just skews the front to back steering, its not needed on this disc)..
and sit back in your sweet spot and enjoy a wonderful pseudo-surround presentation of a truly gorgeous album!

the Stevie & the Supertramp BD-A's are fab when PLII'd! especially the Stevie!

all only via HDMI of course, so if you're going analogue multiCh out, no can do.

oh and the Dolby True HD streams on these BD-A's seem to be more effective than the PCM & DTS-HD MA streams when synthesising thru PLII Music for some reason..!?

just do the little PLII Music, Panorama On, Centre Channel Off magic trick... and you're away in pseudo-Quad-Land..!!

I have the same Catalogue No of "Thanks I'll Eat It Here" and with the Pioneer SC-LX86 switched into ProLogicIIx Music it sounded like real Quad most of the time (could it possibly be a matrix encoded CD? I've never seen it mentioned as a Quad release so it must be a happy coincidence). I tried Neo:X Music but I found it a bit weedy! Unfortunately working from home got in the way of playing with the sound settings - but it does pay for the kit & the music! So thanks for suggesting it, it is was definitely worth a listen.

 

[DuncanS]

Well, I've been having a play with the PLII parameters on my amp and quite easily got it sounding better than Neo:6 by turning panorama on, shifting the centre image toward the fronts by a couple of notches and using dimension to shift the image backwards a couple of notches.

I had a flash of inspiration and thought that the Ozric Tentacles may sound good in PLII so I'm now playing "Erpland" and it sounds superb! :banana:

Track 6 "Crackerblocks" is particularly stunning; sounding almost like a discrete 5.1 mix.

You've inspired me to have a play around with "Jurassic Shift" tomorrow!

 

[DKA]

you're the SPEC Supremo, DKA! you're better qualified than just about anyone to comment!

these modes don't work great for every track on everything.. very true.. but every now and again you get some very pleasant surprises and there's the odd entire album that really works out! (most of Stevie W's 70's stuff, some Isleys, some O'Jays, the Lowell George.. they really "click"!) still your SITKOL is a work of art in itself, though the BD-A thru PLII is about as good as I've ever heard any of these AVR modes do their thing and definitely worth a shot!

Thanks, dude.

That's the problem I have with all hardware applications when applied to stereo. Utilizing the passive approach won't take you through a whole album before you find something that doesn't sound right. You do better when you truly get involved in the process.

Now I'm not saying I can work miracles since, in the end, I can't do anything that isn't in the stereo mix already, but I can't imagine people with their receiver modes and encoder boxes and whatnot are making changes every track, remembering what those changes were, and liking what they heard each time.

 

[ssully]

You may want to re-read Post #26. Are you thinking of the other values...Dimension & Width?

Your're right, Dimension and Width have the range of options, Panorama is On/Off. So, again, you've tried and dismissed all the combinations?

 

[ssully]

After years of pissing on it, I actually did try a couple of these modes not long ago. While they were better than I thought in terms of soundfield and squeezing out some separation, the one-size-fits-all approach really gets old rather quickly. It feels more like you stumble upon an interesting match every few albums, and that not even every track on the album converts well with these modes. You're throwing the same algorithm at everything, and it clearly shows.

None of these receiver modes are any match whatsoever for what you can do with SPEC. If you're interested in turning 2.0 into 5.1, you simply can't compare the results - and it's a ton more fun as well.

No doubt SPEC has *more* options and flexibility, but because you have lots of possible combinations of Dimension, Panorama, and Width in DPLII too, it's not really 'one size fits all' either. It's up to you whether you apply the same settings all the time.

 

[Jeffrey Michael]

Your're right, Dimension and Width have the range of options, Panorama is On/Off. So, again, you've tried and dismissed all the combinations?

Yes, I did. Since there is a majority here on DPLII, I'm going to take some time this coming weekend to listen and test more thoroughly because I've only spot listened here and there for the past 3-4 years or so. Another words, I need to try with a bunch of different albums and pay closer attention. Also, since then, I've gone through a few speaker brands and models. I've had my current speakers for less than a month. So, it should be fun. btw, any recommendations for popular music I should use?

 

[ssully]

It sounds like Dimension (front-back balance) is the parameter that's bothering you. Panorama is really for moving hard-panned L/R signals away from the speakers and out into the 'sides' between front and rear speakers. Sometimes I leave it on for awhile, usually it's off. I don't recall right now what my Width and Dimension settings are, probably default, but results are all very speaker and room setup dependent anyway.

One of the busiest albums I know in DPLII is Electric Ladyland , eg. "1983 (A merman I should turn to be)"

There's a whole thread somewhere on QQ devoted to albums that 'decode' well in DPLII...

 

[Jeffrey Michael]

I've never messed with the "Dimension" setting. Only "Width" and "Panorama". I definitely didn't like "Panorama" on most stuff.

I'll check out the Jimi track and try to locate that Thread you speak of.

 

[ssully]

I've never messed with the "Dimension" setting. Only "Width" and "Panorama". I definitely didn't like "Panorama" on most stuff.

I'll check out the Jimi track and try to locate that Thread you speak of.

It's a subforum actually, devoted to the general theme of stereo recordings that sound good in surround (quad decoders, DPL, etc)

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?28-Stereo-Sounding-Good-in-Quad

 

[Jeffrey Michael]

Okay, I am one to admit when I am wrong. :ugham:

I spent a couple of hours for a listening session with both DPLII and DTS Neo:6 modes. Overall, I preferred the DTS Neo:6 "Cinema Mode". It was more dynamic to me. But hold the phone!

This morning, I listened to the Hendrix track that ssully suggested. Just that track alone made me want to switch to using DPLII "Music" mode permanently. The reason is, I sat there listening to how expansive the effects are, swirling around me. When I switched to DTS Neo:6 "Cinema Mode", those effects were either hard to hear or non existent. :yikes


ssully,

btw, great test track to use and I thank you very much for the ear opener! :sun

 

[ssully]

Cinema modes (Movie mode in DPLII), for me, focus far too much music signal in the center channel (because for movies, you want that..it's where the dialogue is).

 

[Jeffrey Michael]

Cinema modes (Movie mode in DPLII), for me, focus far too much music signal in the center channel (because for movies, you want that..it's where the dialogue is).

I could see that. I didn't test either that or DTS: Music. I just stuck with the two and didn't use "Panorama" or "Width". Only stuck with the default setting of "3".

With DTS "Cinema", you can adjust the width.

 

[Jeffrey Michael]

So, I took a couple more hours and discovered my problem with DTS Neo:6 "Cinema" with the Hendrix track turned out to be the "Width" setting. I had it set at "0" and started to experiment with the different selections (1-10). Now, I'm back to using it with a wider width setting to Left and Right Front. I hear a bit more bass from my Subs and plenty of dynamic slam, compared to all the other modes I've used. DPLII just sounds to blah to me and I'd almost rather listen in regular two-channel mode. Maybe, it's my loudspeakers, listening environment and preference combined.

 

[Jeffrey Michael]

Now, I'm back to using it with a wider width setting to Left and Right Front.

Sorry! I meant to say I'm using a higher setting that brings the sound closer to the center channel speaker.

 

[Jeffrey Michael]

I tried an interesting experiment on Saturday night. Anyone that purchased the new TOTO CD and, like me, is not happy with how compressed it sounds. I found an alternative listening method at home in matrixed surround.

I tried a bunch of different surround codecs and settings and kept coming back to DTS Neo:6 Cinema mode with this one. It sounded so much better than listening in two-channel. As a matter of fact, I cannot stand how it sounds in it's original stereo mode and would not rather play it at all. What DTS Neo:6 Cinema does, is impart some dynamics that are lost in the compression. Plus, it makes it sound more listenable, a bit better than if it sounded good, originally, in the first place, in stereo. This will be the only way I will be listening to this album from here on out. Overall, I find it's a pretty good album with many tracks like Holy War that bears repeated listening. I do prefer any of Steve Lukather's past 3 solo albums compared to this record.

 

[stormchaser]

I tried an interesting experiment on Saturday night. Anyone that purchased the new TOTO CD and, like me, is not happy with how compressed it sounds. I found an alternative listening method at home in matrixed surround.

I tried a bunch of different surround codecs and settings and kept coming back to DTS Neo:6 Cinema mode with this one. It sounded so much better than listening in two-channel. As a matter of fact, I cannot stand how it sounds in it's original stereo mode and would not rather play it at all. What DTS Neo:6 Cinema does, is impart some dynamics that are lost in the compression. Plus, it makes it sound more listenable, a bit better than if it sounded good, originally, in the first place, in stereo. This will be the only way I will be listening to this album from here on out. Overall, I find it's a pretty good album with many tracks like Holy War that bears repeated listening. I do prefer any of Steve Lukather's past 3 solo albums compared to this record.

I go back and forth with various configurations. While I tend to default to Dolby IIx Music, I prefer DTS Neo:6 Music for one of my streaming options. /shrugs.