So why is it you found the Q’s worked better as heights and directional better as the widths Dean? Did you find more directionally focused sound from the width channels and more ambient, non-directional stuff from the heights?
Yes that was exactly my experience:
http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/ubbthre...true#Post279710I should clarify that I preferred the Dolby PLIIz rather than the DSX height effects. In general their effects were similar though DSX height sounded stronger than PLIIz, Dolby had less issues as better described in this review.
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/newproducts/3250/first-listen-audyssey-dsx.html
However, DSX’s effect on the dialogue that immediately follows was weird. It didn’t impact dialogue that was “hard center”—i.e., coming entirely from the center speaker. However, the voiceover that begins the movie is spread into the other speakers a bit to give it more of a “voice of God” effect. DSX gets hold of this and blows it all out of proportion. The voiceover becomes unfocused and phasey-sounding, almost as if it has a bit of chorus effect added from a guitar player’s stomp box. While this worked great on Andy Summers’ guitar track in the Police’s “Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” I didn’t dig it on a movie voiceover.
I’m coming to the conclusion that I prefer Dolby PLIIz to both Audyssey DSX height and wide. Both the DSX channels IMO draw to much attention to themselves which actually distracts from the on screen action. don’t’ get me wrong when they’re hitting the mark they both sound great but they do it at the expense of sounding overbearing and drawing your attention away from the screen (hard to do in my rooms as it fills most of the wall). I haven’t checking into whether DSX has various settings ala PLIIx panorama to tweak it‘s performance.
Also I know you were trying to get a better side surround effect due to the length of your seating. IMO the Audyssey wide channels will not help this. They seem to pull most of their information from the L/R channels. So pans across the front sound much wider however I don’t hear it helping front to back pans any if at all. I haven’t tried it but I think running a double pair of side surrounds as you once mentioned will give a more expansive surround effect than adding wide channels.
So basically I’m finding that the DSX height pulls to much sound up high and screws up the front soundstage as often as it helps it. The effect from the wide channels while sometimes helpful for side pans does little for front to rear pans and often inappropriately IMO draws the audio queues to far to the sides. You could get about the same effect just by moving your L/R mains farther apart.
So for now I’m preferring PLIIz. While not coming into play as often and more subtle when it does I think it works better overall in my room (13 x 21 x 8-11 vaulted)
Cheers,
Dean
