DVD Audio newbie question

[DanGinCT]

Hello,
I just bought the DVD audio version of Diana Krall's "Love Scenes". This is my first the DVD audio purchase. When listening to the DVD in Dolby D mode I noticed the sound coming from my rear surrounds sounded very low compared to the fronts and center channel. Is this how it is supposed to sound? I just assumed the levels coming from each speaker would be pretty much the same. I'm using a Panasonic DVD-RV 31 connected to an Onkyo TXD 595. My front speakers and rear surrounds our paradigm Atoms and a Paradigm center channel, I forget the model number of that. I've got all the speakers calibrated to the same levels except for the sub. Doesn't that mean that the fronts and rear's should be putting out the same level or is that just how the DVD is mixed? I do sometimes have a problem with the Onkyo where when I try to calibrate the rear speakers I don't get the pink noise tone until I adjust the level to a high level like seven or eight and then the tone slowly builds up to that level so perhaps there is a problem with my receiver? I have tried switching around the fronts and rear speakers and still have the same problem. Thing is, when I play movies (such as Saving Private Ryan or Finding Nemo) in DolbyD or DTS mode the rear channels sound fine even when their calibrated at the same level as the fronts. Thanks for any information you can provide!

Daniel

[N. Abstentia]

I'd say it's probably the way it's mixed, but I don't have that disc so I can't say for sure.

However more importantly, if I remember correctly the R31 does not support DVD Audio so if that's the case you're simply listening to the DD mix which is probalby not good. The DVD-Audio portion of the disc is probably much much much improved. Is the R31 actually a DVD-Audio player?

[Geoffcin]

Hello,
I just bought the DVD audio version of Diana Krall's "Love Scenes". This is my first the DVD audio purchase. When listening to the DVD in Dolby D mode I noticed the sound coming from my rear surrounds sounded very low compared to the fronts and center channel. Is this how it is supposed to sound?
Daniel

Not the DVD-Audio layer. While it will sound OK in DD, DVD-Audio is much better. I play most of my DVD-Audio disks in Hi-Rez Stereo.

[toenail]

Hello,
I just bought the DVD audio version of Diana Krall's "Love Scenes". This is my first the DVD audio purchase. When listening to the DVD in Dolby D mode I noticed the sound coming from my rear surrounds sounded very low compared to the fronts and center channel. Is this how it is supposed to sound? I just assumed the levels coming from each speaker would be pretty much the same. I'm using a Panasonic DVD-RV 31 connected to an Onkyo TXD 595. My front speakers and rear surrounds our paradigm Atoms and a Paradigm center channel, I forget the model number of that. I've got all the speakers calibrated to the same levels except for the sub. Doesn't that mean that the fronts and rear's should be putting out the same level or is that just how the DVD is mixed? I do sometimes have a problem with the Onkyo where when I try to calibrate the rear speakers I don't get the pink noise tone until I adjust the level to a high level like seven or eight and then the tone slowly builds up to that level so perhaps there is a problem with my receiver? I have tried switching around the fronts and rear speakers and still have the same problem. Thing is, when I play movies (such as Saving Private Ryan or Finding Nemo) in DolbyD or DTS mode the rear channels sound fine even when their calibrated at the same level as the fronts. Thanks for any information you can provide!

Daniel


Something you'll learn quickly redarding multi-channel audio- The sound engineer's interpretation is not always what you're expecting to hear. Some discs are mixed with a front stage and only ambient effects for surround. Others are mixed so that indivudual instruments can be heard quite clearly from the various speakers, putting you in the middle of the stage surrounded by musicians.

[kexodusc]

DanGinCT - wouldn't hurt to grab an SPL meter to verify all your speakers are level matched. Doing it by ear is almost impossible for any human unless they are very lucky, or have super powers.

As others have mentioned, often the rear channels are just used for ambience and adding spaciousness and depth. You are listening to the eDolby Digital track on the disc in your player, but don't let that bother you. I have that album on both DVD-A and CD, and IMO Dolby Digital, even with it's obvious technical limitations, sounds much better than the 2-channel stereo cd. Resolotution isn't everything...I have several DD mixes I prefer to the cd mix, and some others that don't sound that great at ll. On the Diana Krall disc, the DVD-A track sounds better still.