MrBill-
Check it out....I found this on Denon's site. They have a mode called "D. Compressor" on some of their units:
12) WHEN AND HOW DO I USE THE "D. COMP." (OR DIGITAL COMPRESSOR) CIRCUIT? IS THAT THE SAME AS DIALOG NORMALIZATION?
Digital compression and Dialog Normalization are both part of Dolby Digital technology. Although they deal with a soundtrack’s loudness, they’re very different indeed.
You can use the digital compressor (called "D. Comp." on Denon products) whenever you’re listening to a Dolby Digital source. It’s a truly useful feature we’ve included on many of our Dolby Digital-capable products.
D. Comp. circuitry progressively reduces the dynamic range (the difference in loudness between very soft and very loud sounds) of any Dolby Digital source. Denon products give you four different D. Comp. settings (Off, Low, Mid, and High) to match specific needs. "Low" provides the least compression, Mid contributes moderate compression while "High" really stomps on dynamic range with a maximum peak reduction of 15 dB and a 10 dB upwards expansion of very soft sounds -- that’s a maximum 25 dB reduction of dynamic range. .
You’ll find D. Comp. Circuitry particularly useful while watching an action movie late at night when the kids are asleep in the next room. By compressing the sound track’s dynamic range, you’ll be able to hear soft dialog without blasting yourself out of the chair when explosive sound effects appear.
Experiment with different D. Comp levels to find the one that’s best for your needs. We recommend that you use the least amount of compression to preserve the source’s natural dynamic range but the final choice is up to you! Enjoy.
Dialog Normalization, on the other hand, helps you avoid the "this one’s too loud, this one’s too soft" level differences often encountered when changing inputs or sources. Dialog Normalization, which takes its clues from information embedded in the digital audio data stream, makes sure everything’s "just right" -- that levels are roughly the same as you switch sources.
So they DO use a compressor! lol...
-Ed
