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View Full Version : question for 6.1/7.1 ch amp owners


MikeK
13-02-2002, 13:38
If you have a 6.1 or 7.1 channel amp, what does the amp do with the centre back channel when just playing a standard 5.1 channel DD/DTS disc.

The reason I ask is that I currently have 4 speakers on the rear two channels (2 on each channel) to spread the rear soundfield out (which works very well IMO).
However, the setup could easily be adapted for a 7.1 channel amp such as a Denon 3802, but I don't want 5.1 soundtracks to just be reproduced from the extreme right and left rear speakers with nothing coming out of the inside right and left - which would really then be the single centre back channel thru two speakers. It sounds very two dimensional like that, and is why I originally moved to a 4 speaker setup at the rear.

Most of my discs are plain 5.1 anyway, so I wouldn't want to invest in a 7.1 ch amp, and then find that 5.1 performance was actually worse - and I can't really be bothered with speaker switches etc.
Does the amp detect 6.1 automatically, or is there a manual setting so you can leave it in 6.1 mode all the time and get a sort of prologic type effect like with a standard DPL amp?

bollecks
13-02-2002, 16:28
I'm not prepared to swear to any of this but I think this is the case:

The extra centre rear channel is matrix encoded within the signal for the rear two speakers. It behaves like the centre speaker of pro logic system would with a stereo recording and does output some stuff through the centre rear if you play a 5.1 recording in 6.1 mode.

When the first reviews of these 6.1 formats came out there were plenty of comments in Widescreen Review and other magazines that normal 5.1 soundtracks sounded fuller and more balanced when switched into 6.1. with extra rear loudspeakers.

Hope this at least answers a bit of your question.

M@T
13-02-2002, 19:12
There are two flavors of DTS6.1: Matrixed and Discrete. Matrixed is like the Pro Logic centre channel, but matrixed into the stereo rears, while discrete is exactly that a totally extra full bandwidth channel.

Dolby Digital EX is matrixed.

You will get sound through the rear centre speakers from your 5.1 discs.