How to hook up 5.1 surround??

[BARRACUDA1968]

I have a proton DVD player and it has a 2 channel and a 5.1. When I do the 5.1 I cannot hear the voices. On the back of the DVD there is the regular white and red rca outs, then there is some others that are blue etc? I'm at work so I can't look right now. I have a Sunfire theatre grand III so it should accept 5.1. Can someone tell me how to hook this up for 5.1 or give me a link to a diagram?

How much better is the 5.1 hook up VS the 2 channel??

Thanks Brett

 

[supervij]

Brett, have you tried hooking up a digital coax or digital optical cable from your DVD player to your receiver?

cheers,
supervij

 

[markw]

You're only running four speakers, right? That could explain a lot

At least I think thats what I think you said in a previous post. One thing a center does is to "lock" the dialog to where the physical viewing screen is located.

Since most of the dialog in 5.1 eminates from the center channel, this could be your problem. You might want to explore the options on your processor (and in it's manual) and look for something that will compensate for the lack thereof by sending the info from the center chanel to the front surrounds. That's generally called a "phantom center" mode or something like that. YMMV.

To work best, this magic ofcreating a sound source where none actually exists requires speakers with superb imaging and your lisening area tends to be somewhat limited since proper operation depends on the proper balance of the sound coming from the two speakers.

 

[BARRACUDA1968]

I haven't tried a digital cable? I do have a center channel now. I hooked something up yesterday. I also have an S Cable on the back of my DVD. I hooked it up to my preamp and got nothing? Is going from a 2 channel to the 5.1 output even worth messing with?

 

[Brandst]

The S cable is probably an S-video cable which carries only the video signal. If you have a decoder either in the speakers or a receiver try running a digital interface between the DVD player and the decoder to get the 5.1 sound. The main reason I can see for running the 5.1 analog is DVD-A/SACD or you don't have a decoder, otherwise let your decoder do the work and benefit from almost certainly better bass managment.

Steve

 

[BARRACUDA1968]

Ok so what your saying is, if I have a decoder in my preamp then just leave the DVD in 2 channel and let the preamp decoder do the rest?

 

[BKTAS]

You might have to set the DVD player to 5.1 channel as well. I had a similar problem when i went from 5.1 to regular tv sound. i wasnt getting hardly any noticable sound and realized that i had the dvd set to 5.1. i am not sure about this but would be worth checking out. Also you need either a digital coax or toslink cable to get true 5.1 sound

 

[BARRACUDA1968]

when I set my DVD to 5.1 I can't hear the voices. I am using a standard audio video 3 prong RCA to connect the dvd to the Preamp. Then when I go back to 2 channel on the DVD I hear it fine??

 

[markw]

I'm not familiar with a "standard audio video 3 prong RCA "

In my previous post I had assumed that you were running some sort of digital signal, either through a coaxial connection or toslink, from your DVD player to a digital input of your processor. I think that assumption may have been erroneous.

Now, when you say a "standard audio video 3 prong RCA " are you are referring to a cable with red/white/yellow RCA connectors on each end? If so, that yellow is for composite video and the red and white ones are for the right and left channel analog audio. You're not getting 5.1 digital sound.

Depending on how and where you're hooking them up, you're getting the lowest common denominator video and two channel stereo sound, which implies no center channel unless you select DPL on your processor.