Really confused and need clarification

[hawee]

Hi
Im my HT i have a Denon AVR-1908 receiver.

I'm new to all this stuff, can anyone help clarify.

What do the following do:

Speaker A
Speaker B

Theres a knob that lets me select different sound effects (DTS, 7 ch stereo, etc...) Which one do i select for the best surround sound or best sound??

 

[hawee]

i have a blu-ray plugged into the receiver with hdmi cord, will that give true surround sound? or do i need optical?

 

[MDS]

Speaker A and B allow you to select between two different sets of speakers connected to the front left and right speaker terminals. You could use that if say you had speakers in your main room and an additional set in the patio. The catch is that the two sets are wired in parallel and A+B (using both at the same time) puts a strain on the receiver. It's better to use the Zone 2 option to drive the second set of speakers.

There is no right answer to which of the various sound processing modes to use. Try each of them and see which you prefer.

HDMI will give you 'true surround' if it is configured properly.

 

[hawee]

in our ht we have
3 front speakers
2 side speakers, left one and right one
1 back speaker

when i watch movies the receiver tells me its on DTS

does that mean its giving me surround sound?

also i never hear anything from the back speaker when im watching a movie but i do when i turn it onto tuner

 

[MDS]

The receiver will only indicate DTS if that is the format of the source it is receiving. DTS must be manually selected from the DVD menu because Dolby Digital is the default, but yes DTS is a surround format.

The use of the surrounds varies from soundtrack to soundtrack so sometimes it is very pronounced and sometimes it seems like there isn't much info in the surrounds. That is normal.

The tuner (radio) is 2 channel stereo so if you are getting a lot of sound from the surround speakers in tuner mode, then your receiver is set to use a matrix decoder that turns 2 channel into surround. It may default to a particular decoder, but you should be able to change it, if you desire.

 

[Midcow2]

Your AVR supports HDMI 1.3a

i have a blu-ray plugged into the receiver with hdmi cord, will that give true surround sound? or do i need optical?

You can obtain audio and surround sound from you HDMI cable. True surrouind ? You can set different surround modes on your 1908: Dolby Digital Surround EX Decoding, Dolby Pro Logic II,Neo:6 Stereo-to-Surround Cinema, dts ES Discrete, dts ES Matrix

other surround modes on the Denon AV-1908:

Mono Movie Surround Mode

Rock Arena Surround Mode

Matrix Surround Mode

Jazz Club Surround Mode

Virtual Surround Mode – For 2 Speakers/Headphones

Multi-Channel Stereo Mode 5/6/7

DSP Effect Modes 7

Auto Surround Mode (Analog or Digital Input Type)

Active Center Channel In All Surround Modes

====

It is really up to you and what sounds good to you

 

[hawee]

it only allows for me to select DTS and others Dolby Digital isnt an option

 

[Halon451]

Dolby Digital certainly is an option on that receiver, you're just having difficulty getting there. Might I suggest sitting down with your user's manual and reading it over thoroughly to understand how to navigate the menu.

 

[Midcow2]

Okay maybe I am wrong I got my info from an online manual

Hi
Im my HT i have a Denon AVR-1908 receiver.

it only allows for me to select DTS and others Dolby Digital isnt an option

Detailed specifications of AVR-1908
http://usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/3635.asp
SOUND MODES

Dolby Pro Logic IIx – with Cinema, Music, Game Modes
Dolby Digital Surround EX Decoding

dts ES Discrete 6.1 Decoding

dts ES Matrix 6.1 Decoding

dts Neo:6 Stereo-to-Surround Cinema and Music Modes

dts 96/24 5.1 for DVD-Video Processing

Audio Signal Delay (Sync. Audio with Video signal) – By source

Stereo/Direct Modes w/Pure Analog Path

Video Game Mode

Mono Movie Surround Mode

Rock Arena Surround Mode

Matrix Surround Mode

Jazz Club Surround Mode

Virtual Surround Mode – For 2 Speakers/Headphones

Multi-Channel Stereo Mode 5/6/7

DSP Effect Modes 7

Auto Surround Mode (Analog or Digital Input Type)

Active Center Channel In All Surround Modes

Dynamic Discrete Surround Circuit - Digital HD Dynamic Discrete Surround Circuit - Digital HD

=====================

From your manual pages 34-35
http://usa.denon.com/AVR-1908-OM-E_109.pdf

To select these surroound modes using the buttons on the main remote control unit press the STD button. The mode switches each time the button is pressed

Almost all of the surround options are under DSP Simulation playback:

"The surround paramters can be adjusted (page 59, 60) to achieve an even more realistic, powerful sound field"

 

[MDS]

it only allows for me to select DTS and others Dolby Digital isnt an option

DTS is not an option you can select manually nor is Dolby Digital. If that is the format the receiver is being sent, it will automatically switch to the DTS or DD decoder. The only way to 'select' DTS is by choosing it from the DVD menu.

You may be confusing DTS with DTS Neo:6. If you can select Neo:6 then the receiver is getting a 2 channel PCM signal. If so, the reason is either the DVD player set to PCM when it should be set to Bitstream or the digital input format on the receiver is not set to Auto.