2ch rig suggestions.

[Grador]

Why not? Everything is adjustable. You can do what I do with your system just like I do it, if you want to. I think there is some confusion here. I'm talking about the main speaker pair sounding about the same in both modes. I'm not suggesting that sitting in a room and comparing a 5.1 surround sound and a stereo sound will be indistinguishable. If you want to do what I do, just turn off the EQ in your mains. You should get close enough just by doing that. Why is this even an issue?

Not weighing in with an opinion on IF it does, but it's pretty easy to see how it can. In theory the pure direct modes bypass the EQ circuitry completely instead of simply setting it to flat. This circuitry could cause colouration.

I don't understand what you're saying about calibration at all. What can you "calibrate" to make a DSP mode sound like the lack of DSP? Channel leveling doesn't change, delay doesn't change [for digital sources at least] and adding an EQ to make your speakers sound like you don't have an EQ is just silly [i don't think you were saying that].

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

If you want to do what I do, just turn off the EQ in your mains

You do realize that PURE DIRECT mode turns OFF EQ, right?

 

[fmw]

You do realize that PURE DIRECT mode turns OFF EQ, right?

And that's why I flatten the EQ for my main speakers in calibration. That allows the mains to sound about the same with or without processing. Am I beginning to get through?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

And that's why I flatten the EQ for my main speakers in calibration. That allows the mains to sound about the same with or without processing. Am I beginning to get through?

So not only are you using DSP, but you are also using manual EQ?

DSP THX Cinema mode + manual EQ sounds about the same as Pure Direct mode?

So "proper calibration" is using DSP THX Cinema mode + manual EQ to make your speakers sound "about the same" as in Pure Direct mode?

 

[fmw]

I give up. Sorry I brought it up.

 

[cpp]

My receiver is a Pioneer VSX-92 - a high end Elite model from a few years ago. The stereo speaker pair are Epos M15 - very accurate. I didn't say you can't make a system sound different through the processor. Obviously you can. My comment was that, if you have it calibrated properly, a stereo source such as a CD should sound about the same in a surround mode as it does in pure direct stereo. Obviously, the processor will add additional speakers and that will change the ambience. But the mains should sound about the same. When I calibrate the sound system my goal is to get the mains sounding the same in both pure direct and my most commonly used surround mode which is called THX Cinema on my receiver. When people get radically different sounds in these two modes from the stereo pair, my opinion is that the calibration wasn't well done.

According to your AVR's manual;

Use the Stream Direct modes when you want to hear the
truest possible reproduction of a source.

• DIRECT – Sources are heard according to the
settings made in the Surround Setup (speaker
setting, channel level, speaker distance, acoustic
calibration EQ, and X-curve), as well as with dual
mono, the input attenuator, and any sound delay and
hi-bit/hi-sampling settings. You will hear sources
according to the number of channels in the signal.

• PURE DIRECT – Analog and PCM sources are heard
without any digital processing.