5.1 DVD-Audio to 2 Channel?

[audioethusiast1]

Hi

Can I play 5.1 DVD-A audio/disc in 2 channel/stereo without screwing up the quality of the 5.1 DVD-A quality?

I prefer just 2 channel as my 2 front tower speaker can handle way more than my rears and center. Dont want to raise the volume and blow a center channel?

I just select stereo, right?


EDIT: also can I play this SACD, since its in and from the UK or Germany (region 0).Genesis We Can't Dance Super-Audio CD - Import

I live in the United States, so I am unsure???

Thanks guys

 

[Adam]

How do you have the disc player connected? Is it with HDMI? If so, then you can select "Stereo" if it works like my Pioneer.

Does your DVD-A disc have a two-channel track? I'd use that instead if it has it.

 

[djreef]

How do you have the disc player connected? Is it with HDMI? If so, then you can select "Stereo" if it works like my Pioneer.

Does your DVD-A disc have a two-channel track? I'd use that instead if it has it.

Yea, most DVD-A's have a hi rez stereo track. You just have to choose it in the disc menu option. Unfortunately, many don't, though.

DJ

 

[audioethusiast1]

thanks guys

Do I select stereo on the receiver itself, or the dvd-a menu? Maybe im just confusing myself.

Maybe im having a problem since im bitstreaming my dvd-a and Sacd's (since my player does not decode) to the reciever directly to get decoded..... This will decode the audio this way, right?

thanks for your help


DJREEF: how are your GIK and Acoustimac sound distribution panels. Do they help alot and are they better than just those cheap soft foam pyrimid types

 

[audioethusiast1]

what about "DUAL DISC".

Do these have DVD-A stereo music on them? Im confused I wanted the offspring greatest hits [dual disc] and three days grace - three days grace [dual disk], but not sure if its worth it if it dont have enhanced high resolution DVD-A stereo tracks.

Also, is it safe to play this in my Denon 3800? I was reading that Pioneer warns people of playing these in their cd players? I was reading something via Google about this!!! here http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=13110

Thanks guys

 

[adwilk]

what about "DUAL DISC".

Do these have DVD-A stereo music on them? Im confused I wanted the offspring greatest hits [dual disc] and three days grace [dual disk], but not sure if its worth it if it dont have enhanced high resolution DVD-A stereo tracks.

Also, is it safe to play this in my Denon 3800? I was reading that Pioneer warns people of playing these in their cd players? I was reading something via Google about this!!!

Thanks guys

I've never heard of those disks hurting players. I don't completely understand that first question, but any disk labeled with DVD-A will contain hi res tracks and are more than likely superior to a CD, but you may or may not tell a difference with two channel listening. Lots of variables.

Just FYI, Depending on exactly what you're using as a center and surrounds, its still hard to imagine you not being able to set your levels to match. I would think you would be just fine.

 

[j_garcia]

Those discs won't damage the player, the player can damage the disc because they are thicker than standard CD/DVD and the clearances are tight. I had it happen with one disc the day I bought it.

Sorry, I thought we were talking about DVDs. DVD-A cannot be downmixed to 2ch from a 5.1 mix AFAIK, but most have a stereo track. Dual Discs may have both a 5.1 and 2.0

 

[adwilk]

DVD-A cannot be downmixed to 2ch from a 5.1 mix AFAIK, but most have a stereo track. Dual Discs may have both a 5.1 and 2.0

I play DVD-A in two channel all the time. Just set the AVR to "Stereo".

 

[audioethusiast1]

so if i set the reciever to "stereo" the music track will still be in high resolution DVD-A quality, just in 2 channel, correct?

I just trying to see if its worth on getting DVD-A and/or Dual Discs, or just the regular cd's for cheaper. (I just wish every cd was in SACD format, which is my prefered format) ( I got alice in chains greatest hit SACD - which totally just blows. its the worst sounding Sacd "ever made" - stick to the regular cd's on this one)

Thanks again guys

 

[adwilk]

so if i set the reciever to "stereo" the music track will still be in high resolution DVD-A quality, just in 2 channel, correct?

I just trying to see if its worth on getting DVD-A and/or Dual Discs, or just the regular cd's for cheaper. (I just wish every cd was in SACD format, which is my prefered format) ( I got alice in chains greatest hit SACD - which totally just blows. its the worst sounding Sacd "ever made" - stick to the regular cd's on this one)

Thanks again guys

Exactly, too many variables to definitively say that all DVD-A will be superior to its cd counterpart. That said, the high rez material will be sent to the receiver and then the receiver mixes it down. The source material will not change.

 

[j_garcia]

so if i set the reciever to "stereo" the music track will still be in high resolution DVD-A quality, just in 2 channel, correct?

I just trying to see if its worth on getting DVD-A and/or Dual Discs, or just the regular cd's for cheaper. (I just wish every cd was in SACD format, which is my prefered format) ( I got alice in chains greatest hit SACD - which totally just blows. its the worst sounding Sacd "ever made" - stick to the regular cd's on this one)

Thanks again guys

No. If you play a 5.1 track back with the receiver set to stereo, you will only get the R&L channels and will be missing the rest of them. There should be a 2ch track on the disc that will get you stereo playback; almost all DVD-As have this.

The Alice in Chains disc is pretty bad, which is why I only listen to the 2ch tracks. The Police 25th anniversary SACD is also that bad. Most players can switch with one button but you should also be able to set the player to choose 5.1, 2ch or CD for SACDs by default.

 

[adwilk]

No. If you play a 5.1 track back with the receiver set to stereo, you will only get the R&L channels and will be missing the rest of them. There should be a 2ch track on the disc that will get you stereo playback; almost all DVD-As have this.

In my two channel setup when I set my receiver (onkyo) to stereo with a 5.1 track, my receiver plays all the content. In direct, it does not. Its no different than playing a DVD in two channels using a dolby digital track. This can only be done via HDMI though, obviously using multichannel would not work as described.

 

[j_garcia]

In my two channel setup when I set my receiver (onkyo) to stereo with a 5.1 track, my receiver plays all the content. In direct, it does not. Its no different than playing a DVD in two channels using a dolby digital track. This can only be done via HDMI though, obviously using multichannel would not work as described.

I guess that is what we need to know. I'm not sure we even know what gear we are talking about and how it is connected.

 

[djreef]

thanks guys

Do I select stereo on the receiver itself, or the dvd-a menu? Maybe im just confusing myself.

Maybe im having a problem since im bitstreaming my dvd-a and Sacd's (since my player does not decode) to the reciever directly to get decoded..... This will decode the audio this way, right?

thanks for your help


DJREEF: how are your GIK and Acoustimac sound distribution panels. Do they help alot and are they better than just those cheap soft foam pyrimid types

They are hella better. They really helped with a suckout I had in the 125Hz region, and helped tame big bumps I had at 40Hz and 2 kHz. Everything just kind of opened up after I installed them. It's a small room so reflections were an issue. Just having something to help deaden the space made a huge difference.

DJ

 

[djreef]

what about "DUAL DISC".

Do these have DVD-A stereo music on them? Im confused I wanted the offspring greatest hits [dual disc] and three days grace - three days grace [dual disk], but not sure if its worth it if it dont have enhanced high resolution DVD-A stereo tracks.

Also, is it safe to play this in my Denon 3800? I was reading that Pioneer warns people of playing these in their cd players? I was reading something via Google about this!!! here http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=13110

Thanks guys

Honestly, I've never heard a dualdisc that sounded worth a crap. I dunno what they did to the ones I heard but, they came off sounding like congested compressed noise. Esp the Judas Priest disc that came out a few years ago. Angel of Retribution, I think it was called.

DJ

 

[j_garcia]

Honestly, I've never heard a dualdisc that sounded worth a crap. I dunno what they did to the ones I heard but, they came off sounding like congested compressed noise. Esp the Judas Priest disc that came out a few years ago. Angel of Retribution, I think it was called.

DJ

That is the problem even with hires audio. If it isn't done right or you start with a crappy master, you can end up with nothing more than a hires POS. I have some that are excellent and others that stink.

One that bugged me the most: they used the cleaned up version of one of my favorite AIC songs on the SACD. WTF?!

 

[djreef]

One that bugged me the most: they used the cleaned up version of one of my favorite AIC songs on the SACD. WTF?!

Unreal.

DJ

 

[skizzerflake]

I've tried it and results were not that good. The player used its own logic to mix 5 channels to 2 and that wasn't anything like what a studio engineer would do. The end result sounds synthetic, because it IS. You'd be better off getting a CD that was deliberately mixed to 2 channels.

 

[caupina]

Hi



EDIT: also can I play this SACD, since its in and from the UK or Germany (region 0).Genesis We Can't Dance Super-Audio CD - Import

I live in the United States, so I am unsure???

Thanks guys

I don't think anybody answered this question so let me take a shot at it. SACD are not region-encoded as DVD-V or BD, so it doesn't matter where you buy the SACD, you can play it on any SACD player (the same applies for DVD-A)

 

[cwall99]

I have a variety of disks on SACD (stereo and multi-channel and even mono). I also have a variety of DVD-A disks including pure DVD-A and DualDisk. Frankly, I have to admit that I've never used the menu option on the DVD-A to select the stereo mix, and I've never tried playing the 5.1 mixes in stereo. I guess I never have because I bought the 5.1 mixes to listen to the music in 5.1. I already have the music in a variety of other stereo formats.

My impressions of the formats:

SACD (mono) - I forget who the artist is, but she's a jazz singer from the 50s. The sound is good, but clearly the greatest limitation is the 50+ year old source material. The recording technology just wasn't as good then. Still, there's some real nice sounding stuff.

SACD (Stereo) - Two disks, both by Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs. The first, Los Lobos' Good Morning Azatlan is awesome. Close your eyes, your system disappears, and there's a band in front of you. Great dynamics. Great sound. The other, Edgar Winter Group's They Only Come Out at Night... I just got this one, and it sounds a lot flatter than the Wolves. But, then again, it was originally recorded in 1972. I mean, it sounds good, but not that good.

SACD (5.1) - David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and PF's DSotM - both sound really good, but I'd definitely give the edge to PF. Bowie's is good, but it just doesn't hit you with that musical presence.

DualDisk - Contrary to other posters', I've had great luck with mine. Most of mine are in the Talking Heads' Brick collection (all 8 of their studio releases). Jerry Harrison played a role in re-mastering the stuff, and it just knocks my socks off every time I listen to it. Especially the entire album of Speaking In Tongues. The dynamics are so great, the music is tactile. This is what hi-res digital audio should be like all the time.

Pure DVD-A (various mixes, but most 5.1) - These are also very, very good. I just got Steely Dan's Gaucho, and this, along with the Talking Heads' Speaking in Tongues are probably the two best sounding DVD-As I have. Oh, and Donald Fagen's Morph the Cat. Just crazy good how good these suckers sound. I put these disks on, and I just sit there smiling like an idiot it sounds soooooooo good. To me, that's what this hobby's all about.

I have lots of others, but these are the most notable in my collection.