New Surround Master v2 - Pre-Order Roster Discussion Thread

QuadraphonicQuad

Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Hello Chucky,
The discount coupon code sm2qq19 doesn't seem to work. Is it still valid?

Greetings,
Fred.

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-A500FU met Tapatalk
 
Hey everyone,
My Surround Master v2 is finally about to 'go live' in the next few minutes. Is there a good reference for what the various modes do? Something I can review till I get them into my head? (A white paper or something like that?)
I had quite a delay waiting on the the turntable /cartridge combo and these details went out of my head and so did the best threads to consult to get back up to speed.

Thanks in advance!
 
Hey everyone,
My Surround Master v2 is finally about to 'go live' in the next few minutes. Is there a good reference for what the various modes do? Something I can review till I get them into my head? (A white paper or something like that?)
I had quite a delay waiting on the the turntable /cartridge combo and these details went out of my head and so did the best threads to consult to get back up to speed.

Thanks in advance!

Hello Sir! Congratulations on your new arrival!

Yes truly minimal user information is packed with the Surround Master v2. The first mode is stereo. I imagine you know what that's about. The output level is lower than the decode modes but still it's pure stereo.

2nd & 3rd mode is Involve 4(.1) and Involve 5.(1.). I think the parenthesis is confusing but it is the Involve decoding either in 4 ch quad with sub woof or or 5 ch quad with center front & sub woof. The involve decode is based on Sansui QS Variomatrix & coincidentally I posted something about that earlier today: check post 308.

SQ 4(.1) or 5(.1) is for the CBS SQ quad encoding. There is plenty of stuff here on QQ & the web if you want to find out about SQ encode/decode.

TSS stands for Two Speaker Surround. It uses some cool tricks to provide a simulation of surround sound from stereo using only 2 speakers.

Have fun enjoy & keep us posted!

Edit: Use the involve 4.1 or 5.1 as you prefer for stereo or QS recordings. Use the SQ mode for SQ recordings. It doesn't do much good elsewhere. TSS is pretty obvious; if you only have a soundbar or 2 speakers up front this would provide some good width & depth enhancement.
 
Last edited:
Thank you, Sonik Wiz. That helps. The main thing was when to use the Involve vs SQ modes. Your explanation that Involve is also good for regular stereo inputs processed into some form of surround was the key piece I think I was missing.

Very rough preliminary findings -
I discovered the level difference in regular stereo. So far, I prefer the Surround Master off for true stereo listening, but there is more experimenting to do (I am pushing the SMv2 output through a Lexicon MC12, which has large numbers of possible settings). The TSS raises the rumble floor into the audiible range too much for me. Maybe that has something to do with the subwoofer level, will see. But it also seems to act like an eq and augments the bass in a nice way..

I'll be trying the SQ modes later on this evening with Santana Caravanserai..

Have some more things to troubleshoot about noise when the SMv2 + turntable + phonostage preamp is switched to the Lex (I switch the 5.1 outputs through a Zektor). Since the table + phono preamp are new additions, I think those could be the culprits. That will take some swapping around of cables to check out. Before they were connected to the SMv2, there was zero noise when it was switched in via the Zektor.

Thanks again!
 
Thank you, Sonik Wiz. That helps. The main thing was when to use the Involve vs SQ modes. Your explanation that Involve is also good for regular stereo inputs processed into some form of surround was the key piece I think I was missing.

Very rough preliminary findings -
I discovered the level difference in regular stereo. So far, I prefer the Surround Master off for true stereo listening, but there is more experimenting to do (I am pushing the SMv2 output through a Lexicon MC12, which has large numbers of possible settings). The TSS raises the rumble floor into the audiible range too much for me. Maybe that has something to do with the subwoofer level, will see. But it also seems to act like an eq and augments the bass in a nice way..

I'll be trying the SQ modes later on this evening with Santana Caravanserai..

Have some more things to troubleshoot about noise when the SMv2 + turntable + phonostage preamp is switched to the Lex (I switch the 5.1 outputs through a Zektor). Since the table + phono preamp are new additions, I think those could be the culprits. That will take some swapping around of cables to check out. Before they were connected to the SMv2, there was zero noise when it was switched in via the Zektor.

Thanks again!

Hi @mwhealton, I'm very happy to see that you have a Lexicon MC12, and that I am not the only user of a Lexicon processor on this forum. Have you discovered that you can use the second set of 5.1 analog inputs on the MC12 for the Surround Master v2 without giving up the first set for a SACD/DVD-A/Blu-ray player?

Also, for simulating quad from stereo sources, I originally started using the Involve 4(.1) mode then went to the Involve 5(.1) mode and now I am back to using 4(.1). I found that once I got the channel balances correct for the SM v2, I no longer needed the center speaker.

Finally, I have had great success using the Lexicon Logic7 overlay (5.1a L7 Music) on top of the Involve 4(.1) mode; but only in instances where the SM doesn't produce enough surround effect. When I use the L7 overlay, I prefer to reduce the "Surround Rolloff" from the preset of 7.0kHz to 4.1kHz. Note that where the SM produces a satisfying surround field, I find the L7 overlay to be a bit too over the top.

Stay in touch!

AR
 
Hi @ar surround , oh it is great that you are using the same basic setup and already have experience! (I am new to quad playback and its been decades since I used LPs - till today.

Hmm , my Lex MC12B has no second set of of 5.1 inputs. I use the Zektor to switch between the Oppo BD205 and the SMv2.

Thanks for those tips on Lex settings! I will check on that, and report back, for sure.

How do you defeat the L7 modes? use 5.1 channel mode(s)? I do have a full complement of 7.1 speakers set up.
 
Hi @ar surround , oh it is great that you are using the same basic setup and already have experience! (I am new to quad playback and its been decades since I used LPs - till today.

Hmm , my Lex MC12B has no second set of of 5.1 inputs. I use the Zektor to switch between the Oppo BD205 and the SMv2.

Thanks for those tips on Lex settings! I will check on that, and report back, for sure.

How do you defeat the L7 modes? use 5.1 channel mode(s)? I do have a full complement of 7.1 speakers set up.

We should probably take this Lexicon-specific discussion off-line. I will send you a PM tomorrow. Need to hit the sack now.
 
Dear All

This Corona virus thing is really biting hard, the latest word from our board makers in China is that the new batch of Surround Master V2 boards will be complete by 11 April (my birthday.......hint hint). Then they will be flown to Australia and assembled/ tested / packed. This is caused by the factories in China being on partial staffing since their return. For example the factory we use usually have around 50 assembly workers now there are only 10 per shift. They are doing this to increase personal contact space to reduce the probability of spreading the virus. Also the same applies to there component suppliers meaning long lead times on components.

So adding this pile of steaming poo up, no new SM V2's until end of April........sorry chaps.

If you are new to the infinite glories of matrix surround and are busting to get your hands on something may I suggest an interim of our evaluation kits, and yes we recently made an SQ version for a QQ member, its only USD$150 for the 4 channel and an extra $100 for the center (hate it) but add your own box. Downside is that you need separate units for Involve/ QS/ RM/ Ambiosonics and for the SQ. See attachment.

Regards

Chucky
 

Attachments

  • Involve evaluation module press release_V1.4(1).pdf
    725.5 KB · Views: 217
Here's the SQ board, which I believe is identical in size and layout to the Involve/ QS/ RM/ Ambiosonics.

20200303_234642.jpg
20200303_234920.jpg
 
Back
Top