5.1
 

Hi
I've just bought an inexpensive DVD Player with 5.1 surround sound
(Amazon.co.uk's £50 Starlogic). It plays a DVD with 5.1 sound just fine,
with sound from all six speakers. So far so good. But when I play CDs or
MP3 CD Roms it simply sends the right and left signals to the Front Left and
Front Right speakers. Fair enough, you might say, but these only have a
frequency response of 200Hz to 20kHz. I had rather assumed that the DVD
Player would have some crossover circuitry to send the lower frequency
spectrum to the "Subwoofer".

Now, I know it's only a cheap player, but it does seem to have all the
functionality of a more expensive machine and so I'm surprised that it
doesn't seem to be able to do this. Is it possible that I'm missing
something on the setup of the player?

Hope you can help.
Steve

5.1
 

Steve W wrote:

Hi
I've just bought an inexpensive DVD Player with 5.1 surround sound
(Amazon.co.uk's £50 Starlogic). It plays a DVD with 5.1 sound just fine,
with sound from all six speakers. So far so good. But when I play CDs or
MP3 CD Roms it simply sends the right and left signals to the Front Left and
Front Right speakers. Fair enough, you might say, but these only have a
frequency response of 200Hz to 20kHz. I had rather assumed that the DVD
Player would have some crossover circuitry to send the lower frequency
spectrum to the "Subwoofer".

Now, I know it's only a cheap player, but it does seem to have all the
functionality of a more expensive machine and so I'm surprised that it
doesn't seem to be able to do this. Is it possible that I'm missing
something on the setup of the player?

Yes.
What amp are you using?
How is it connected? Digital or 6 analog phonos?

--
Eiron.

5.1
 

Is it possible that I'm missing
something on the setup of the player?

Yes.
What amp are you using?
How is it connected? Digital or 6 analog phonos?

--
Eiron.

I'm using the amp built into the subwoofer. Presently connected by 6 phonos
between the DVD Player and the subwoofer. There are also a coaxial digital
out and an optical digital out on the DVD Player. The 5.1 works with a DVD
encoded with 5.1, but not with CD's.

As far as I can see, I've got the setup right on the menus, so I'm rather
puzzled. Would you expect a modern DVD player (even a cheap one) to send
out CD sound encoded in 2.1, rather than 2.0?

Steve

5.1
 

On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 22:32:38 GMT, "Steve W"
wrote:

As far as I can see, I've got the setup right on the menus, so I'm rather
puzzled. Would you expect a modern DVD player (even a cheap one) to send
out CD sound encoded in 2.1, rather than 2.0?

With two channel CDs, there is rarely any bass management in most DVD
players and you should be getting full-range output to the main L/R
speakers. It may have to do with your undescribed speakers.

Kal

5.1
 

"Kalman Rubinson" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 22:32:38 GMT, "Steve W"
wrote:

As far as I can see, I've got the setup right on the menus, so I'm rather
puzzled. Would you expect a modern DVD player (even a cheap one) to send
out CD sound encoded in 2.1, rather than 2.0?

With two channel CDs, there is rarely any bass management in most DVD
players and you should be getting full-range output to the main L/R
speakers. It may have to do with your undescribed speakers.

Kal

Thanks Kal. The front left and right speakers that came with the 5.1 package
have nominal frequency response of 200Hz to 20kHz. So if the full-range
output is being sent to these and nothing to the common subwoofer, then I
will be getting a pretty thin sound!

I had hoped and assumed that this 5.1 set up would effectively replace my
existing audio set up for the TV room, allowing me to play CD's and watch
DVDs only using the 5.1 DVD player. It seems that it won't be as simple as
that, unless I can sort out the setup on the DVD player.

So, would a separate "simple" crossover circuit and switching arrangement
allow me to take my stereo (2.0) output from the DVD player and convert it
to a 2.1 or 4.1 set of signals to feed the 5.1 amplifier in my subwoofer?
Or is there a simpler way?

Steve

5.1
 

Steve W wrote:

Is it possible that I'm missing
something on the setup of the player?

Yes.
What amp are you using?
How is it connected? Digital or 6 analog phonos?

--
Eiron.


I'm using the amp built into the subwoofer. Presently connected by 6 phonos
between the DVD Player and the subwoofer. There are also a coaxial digital
out and an optical digital out on the DVD Player. The 5.1 works with a DVD
encoded with 5.1, but not with CD's.

As far as I can see, I've got the setup right on the menus, so I'm rather
puzzled. Would you expect a modern DVD player (even a cheap one) to send
out CD sound encoded in 2.1, rather than 2.0?


The DVD player, playing a CD, would normally send full range stereo
to the front left and front right outputs.

Any "bass management" is normally a function of the amp.
If the amp has a digital input, that is the first thing to try.
It presumably is now set to just amplify the 6 analogue inputs
with no processing. There may be a setting for Prologic,
or a size setting for the main speakers.

Assuming you have the complete package from Amazon,
the matching DVD and amp should work together.

5.1
 

On Thu, 02 Dec 2004 07:16:56 GMT, "Steve W"
wrote:

Thanks Kal. The front left and right speakers that came with the 5.1 package
have nominal frequency response of 200Hz to 20kHz. So if the full-range
output is being sent to these and nothing to the common subwoofer, then I
will be getting a pretty thin sound!

That's bad design. If the L/R are not full range, the woofer MUST
compensate for them.

I had hoped and assumed that this 5.1 set up would effectively replace my
existing audio set up for the TV room, allowing me to play CD's and watch
DVDs only using the 5.1 DVD player. It seems that it won't be as simple as
that, unless I can sort out the setup on the DVD player.

So, would a separate "simple" crossover circuit and switching arrangement
allow me to take my stereo (2.0) output from the DVD player and convert it
to a 2.1 or 4.1 set of signals to feed the 5.1 amplifier in my subwoofer?
Or is there a simpler way?

I'd either return the "5.1 system" for a competent one or see if there
are other menu options on the player and amp.

Kal

5.1
 

Thanks for the responses. Let me see if I have got this right. A typical
DVD Player with 5.1 system OUGHT to handle stereo sources (eg CDs and MP3
CDROMs) in one of the following two ways:

1. If the two front speakers are full range, then the sound signals can go
out as conventional L/R stereo (2.0)

2. If the two front speakers are mid/upper range only, then there should be
an option on the DVD player to set the speakers as "small" or "satellite"
and send sound as L and R plus central subwoofer (2.1)

Does that sound right? Well, I don't seem to have this option on my DVD
Player........

Steve

5.1
 

Steve W wrote:
Thanks for the responses. Let me see if I have got this right. A
typical DVD Player with 5.1 system OUGHT to handle stereo sources (eg
CDs and MP3 CDROMs) in one of the following two ways:

1. If the two front speakers are full range, then the sound signals
can go out as conventional L/R stereo (2.0)

2. If the two front speakers are mid/upper range only, then there
should be an option on the DVD player to set the speakers as "small"
or "satellite" and send sound as L and R plus central subwoofer (2.1)

Does that sound right? Well, I don't seem to have this option on my
DVD Player........


Right and wrong. Yes on my Panny S75 I have a bass management option, but
then it's designed for use with different speakers and secondary use with CD
and DVD-A. And it wasn't 50 quid.

Your DVD player decodes 6 channels from a dolby digital stream and passes
them to a 6 channel amp in the subwoofer. It probably has no processing
internally. So it's probably very good value for money for watching films.
So be happy, and as mentioned elsewhere save up for a bigger and more
flexible system later. In the mean time enjoy your intro to surround....


--
"Get a paper bag"

5.1
 

Thanks - that eases my mind considerably! I was starting to do a bit of
post-rationalisation myself and coming to the view that I could hardly
grumble for £50. It just means I will need to keep my existing audio system
"in parallel" for playing music CDs using the digital out on the DVD Player,
and switching to 5.1 only when I play DVD films.

But I did rather hint to my wife that the new set up would allow me to shift
the old Wharfedale speakers out of the living room, and so now I'm going to
have to break the bad news to her....

All the best
Steve

"Tim S Kemp" wrote in message
...
Steve W wrote:
Thanks for the responses. Let me see if I have got this right. A
typical DVD Player with 5.1 system OUGHT to handle stereo sources (eg
CDs and MP3 CDROMs) in one of the following two ways:

1. If the two front speakers are full range, then the sound signals
can go out as conventional L/R stereo (2.0)

2. If the two front speakers are mid/upper range only, then there
should be an option on the DVD player to set the speakers as "small"
or "satellite" and send sound as L and R plus central subwoofer (2.1)

Does that sound right? Well, I don't seem to have this option on my
DVD Player........


Right and wrong. Yes on my Panny S75 I have a bass management option, but
then it's designed for use with different speakers and secondary use with
CD
and DVD-A. And it wasn't 50 quid.

Your DVD player decodes 6 channels from a dolby digital stream and passes
them to a 6 channel amp in the subwoofer. It probably has no processing
internally. So it's probably very good value for money for watching films.
So be happy, and as mentioned elsewhere save up for a bigger and more
flexible system later. In the mean time enjoy your intro to surround....


--
"Get a paper bag"