Yamaha Surround Question

[John Pendergast]

Greetings. I am trying to evaluate my older Yamaha AVR (HTR-5740) to see whether I need to upgrade or not. I have it set up in a 6.1 surround setting, and have run through the "test tone" test. The test tones from each speaker sound like they are at the same volume when I do the test. When I view/listen to other sources though (cd, dvd, audio server, etc.), using Dolby or DTS settings it seems that the three back speakers (two surrounds and one back speaker) are virtutally silent. The only time the three back speakers are heard is when I set the "stereo mode" to 6.1 Stereo, and then it is only when I am playing a two channel source (my audio server).

So are there any Yamaha users out there that might be able to guide me on this? I really want to see what this unit can do before I relegate it to the bedroom/workroom/garage. Thanks, JMP

 

[MDS]

Some movies have more content in the surrounds than others. To really get the feel for surround effects you need to use a movie that has a lot of info in the surrounds like Lord of the Rings, for example.

When you play a stereo source and use a matrix decoder like PLII or the All Channel Stereo mode it is taking the 2 channels and expanding it to 5.1 or 6.1 and then you will hear the surrounds more.

 

[Halon451]

Some movies have more content in the surrounds than others. To really get the feel for surround effects you need to use a movie that has a lot of info in the surrounds like Lord of the Rings, for example.

When you play a stereo source and use a matrix decoder like PLII or the All Channel Stereo mode it is taking the 2 channels and expanding it to 5.1 or 6.1 and then you will hear the surrounds more.

Agreed - I don't think it's a reflection of your Yammy so much as it is the source content. For most TV watching, with my own Yamaha, there is little to no sound from the rear speakers (again as depends on source, source depends on channel involved, etc. - and as MDS pointed out, the use of PLII does redirect 2-channel audio to the rears) But a good 5.1 DD or DTS DVD will make those things rock behind my head.

 

[John Pendergast]

Thanks Halon451 and MDS. I try to find a good DVD to use as a test. Besides The Lord of the Rings, are there others that you can suggest? My DVD player is a bluray (Samsung BDP-1400). I have a number of Bluray DVD's that I will go through, but if there are other suggestions please let me know.

As an additional question, are there Dolby or DTS settings that you guys seem to prefer? I.e., ones that seem to be more responsive or result in a "wow" kind of effect? Thanks again, JMP

 

[Jacksmyname]

An excellent movie for surround effects is Master And Commander.