Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo IMPROVED SOUND!

Hey there everyone,

You guys have been putting up with my complaints about sound volume, and cables and such. Well today I have good news. I just recently discovered *blush* the benefits of digital over analog when I switched from RCA red and white cable to coaxial for my dvd-receiver connections.
After a few doofus hours of fiddling with my receiver settings to get it to work digital, there was finally sound from my speakers.

I must say I didn't think I'd notice any difference after months of owning the speakers but I did!

1. I didnt need to crank up the volume as high to get good sound
2. Dvds set to dts sounded just pretty darn fabulous
3. Just mindblowing clarity and detail that was good even at low volumes

I had the same eye (or is that ear) opening experience. I had my DVD hookup using digital and my 5-disc CD player using analog. When I got my speakers I was playing lots of CDs. One day I put the CD into the DVD player and I was amazed at the huge difference. So I ran out and to buy another digital cable.

You're not alone my friend!!

John

YES, YES, YES...

i too, am a believer. using the optical/digital cable from the dvd/cd to the receiver has greatly increased my quality of sound.. in fact, without the dig/opt cable, you wont get the 'true' digital signal that is required for DTS and dolby digital movies.

i have a buddy who is linked with the standard rca cables, he he couldnt figure out why his receiver wouldnt go to the DTS option.. i had to tell him it was because it isnt receiving a digital signal.. he went and got a dig/opt cable, and has been good to go ever since.

bigjohn

I think the only case in which this won't hold true is if you have a cheap-o receiver and a high quality cd player. Which, given the priority we would give to our components, seems an unlikely situation. That said, I use a digital connection for all my components, and am looking forward to upgrading my receiver (which is borderline cheap-o) sometime around the winter holidays as a gift to yours truly.

I had the same experience.
Quick question though. If you use the digital out from dvd to the receiver, are you using the DACs from the receiver then?

jr

well, no.. the onkyos have the up conversion.. as long as the audio part of the signal is digitasl to the receiver, the video portion of the signal can go to the video source any way.. i use s-video to the TV, cause it wont convert-up to component cables.

i hope i am thinking the same thing you are?

bigjohn

Yes.

james-

sorry, i misunderstood your question. i thought you were asking if i am using a dig/opt connection out from the receiver to the TV.. sorry, may bad..

but to answer your question, YES. the receiver will convert the digital signal it is receiving from the dvd/cd.

bigjohn

John,
Its such an incredible thing to be slowly discovering new ways to improve the sound of my m60s! Now I am know why this is such a longterm addiction. I'm really glad I went with the m60s, which leaves me lots of room to improve on my equipment, connections over time and still have room to grow!

When you discover something that seems in theory so amazingly simple, don't you guys just want to slam your head on the wall for not figuring it out sooner?

Bigjohn, I was playing around with DTS and dolby digital, am I correct in assuming, DTS is much better than the former? Because that is what I observed. I'm wondering if its not so apparent because I'm only running two channel with the m60s.

Can't wait till I can upgrade my cheapo dvd player to a better one! Does anybody know if there is available an AFFORDABLE SACD, DVD-Audio, MP3, CD and DVD carousel player? Last time I checked they were either crazy expensive, is not universal, or plays just single cds....

Even without making any changes I still find myself turning into a wooden Keanu Reeves (ok that is redundant) and saying "whoa" when I listen to music on my 22s. I borrowed the soundtrack to Kill Bill vol. 1 this weekend and listened to it. I played around with the various DSPs I have and PLII sounded pretty great on track 9: Battle Without Honor or Humanity. That is the track playing when Uma heads off to take on Lucy and the Crazy 88s. It made me say 'wow' out loud alone in my home. ---- I love that!

jr

rptipom, I'll give you another head banging experience. For a couple of weeks, I have been disappointed with the output from my VS sub. The punch was missing. Using the receiver, turning it up a few db didn't seem to help. Then I tried moving it around a bit in the corner it sits in. Still no improvement. Couple of days later, I decided to see if the amp on the sub was warm. THAT'S when I noticed the "power" light wasn't on. Some quick checking showed the plug going into the sub was loose and explained why I wasn't being shaken. Sometimes it's hard being me.

A little remedial plug work and pictures are once again tilting on the walls.

The plug???? It's so nice to see it's not just me. I am continually amazed at reading about the "stupid" things that are done....and even more amazed when I realize that I do the same "stupid" things!!!!

Gotta love it!

Nope, sorry John. The doofus line forms behind me.

Ray, OK fine. After 6/25 when I officially start looking for a new job, I will also create some personal growth goals. One will be to aspire to your lofty position as "The King"

John

rotipom-

YES, i think the movies with DTS, sound much better than the ones with dolby digital. it is a much more enveloping sound stage, and is usually mixed better. not that DD is bad, but DTS is just better.

bigjohn

You need to look at the new Samsung DVD-HD941 that is coming out. The specs on this puppy are amazing, and I feel it is leading the HDMI, HDDVD, and DCDi revolution. Don't bother with players that are trying to do Himat or WM9 Format. Also, based on your system, I wouldn't spend the money on a high end name brand system, because you will not get as much technology out of it, and you probably will not get better performance out of it. You can find this product on Amazon for $299. It comes out on September 30th. Don't bother with the HD931 because it had a lot of problems. If you want a carousel, then I would go with the Onkyo DV-CP802, for $499. This is a great system for the price. Good luck!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001H4BZC/102-5429569-7896913?v=glance
or
http://www.onecall.com/PID_23169.htm