I have a Dennon Amplifer AV109 which in my model provides

Dolby DTS
Dolby Digictal 5.1
AC3 Digital
Pro Logic 2
as well as a host of inputs enough for any ones needs

The most interesting point that many HIFI shops tell me otherwise is

Pro logic2 has the ability to take a standard stereo input and extrapolate a center channel and ever surround rear channels from the background noise.

This could be a must for home videos which are only recording a stereo sound source


check out the Dolby site for lots of info about te latest specifications and new sound standards

most notable is that a decent amplifier can make even quiet sounds audible where a cheaper one will miss the detail

I find now i have this in my living room for 4 years, That when i go to friends houses and they have a basic TV the sound is odd it just does not sound real enough

Ive been spoilt
hehe

There are so many variables about sound reproduction that you can't say that surround is the only way to go. I have never heard a surround system which sounds anywhere near as good as my simple stereo set-up. A few people who have heard it and have surround themselves agree. Does that mean that stereo is better than surround?

No. It just means that when you put your sound through a very good amp and the best Bowers & Wilkins speakers, you're gonna blow a Bose surround system out of the water!

So I wouldn't get too fixated about "surround" sound but rather concentrate on getting the best chain with what you've got.

I am an ex hifi junkie and I totally agree with the Guru - cracking stereo beats second rate surround every time.

Remember the importance of the source - garbage in, garbage out - 50% dvd player, 30% amp, 20% speakers.

Hifi surround costs - I auditioned some systems last year in a upmarket hifi shop... the £1000 amp speaker package sounded tinny and weak compared to my 250 quid gales and old old pair of musical fidelity p140, £300 each ages ago.

£3000 and I starting to be impressed, £5000 sounded better then my own system but that is silly money, and on just music in stereo the £5000 system was not really that impressive.

Smell the coffee - it's a mrketing dream - we have been convinced we have to have a dozen speakers and a tower of amps - rubbish I say.

Most times I go to the cinema the surround sound is far far to loud on the effects channels, as are most peoples home systems, they end up just sounding boomy and discoloured.

The action is in front of you, so the sound should be.

If I sound like a luddite, so be it, but I do speak from personel expirience after having sold the exotic stuff years ago. I actually really wanted the surround - cool mans stuff ! But it dissapointed...

Also setting up stereo speakers is a fiddly job to get right in your average room, accomodating 6 speakers in a room with furniture is almost impossible. You need a dedicated room, and that is for rich show offs.

__________________
I have one prejudice - I am anti HDV for consumer camcorders.

www.zaskarfilms.com You tube channel 'zaskarfilms'
JVC DV5001e (big cam), Sony PC6E (tiny cam), Vinten pro5, PAG light, SM58, Sony ECM50, Sony C-76, 0.5x convertors for sony, Rode video mic, Vegas 7.

Indeed its only as good as the source , but who said that a dennon amp with warfedale speakers were second rate

i don't care how expensive or large the speakers are

there are many speakers available that are considerably less money for only a slight amount of audio range which 95% people cannot detect

i happen to have strange hearing by which meaning i can hear frequencies at 10 hz with my ears (atomically perfect eardrums as certified by a doctor) she was so impresses she spent 5 minutes just looking at them even tho there was nothing wrong.

good sound does not equate to big cones with so much base that you set of the USGS sensors

my question is

how does good quality surround compete to good stereo

if second rate surround is poor that good surround must easily be better

never assume someone else's setup is inferior just because they didn't spend al ot on setting it up

After much expirience of many systems I remain totally convinced that 'domestic' surround is not for me.

It is all hype.

__________________
I have one prejudice - I am anti HDV for consumer camcorders.

www.zaskarfilms.com You tube channel 'zaskarfilms'
JVC DV5001e (big cam), Sony PC6E (tiny cam), Vinten pro5, PAG light, SM58, Sony ECM50, Sony C-76, 0.5x convertors for sony, Rode video mic, Vegas 7.

Who said my surround sound system was Domestic
just because it happens to be in a living room does not make it a domestic system
domestic systems in my opinions are the cheap technics built in hifi things
or those crappy ones that come with computers

personally i find DTS far better than AC3

well i do not know if you have been in a cinema lately but last time i went i felt let down by the sound and the screen was not much better if thats top of the game then sorry id rather stay at home

my system is far better and does not give me a headache just for 1 hours of watching and i can see what im eating when watching my films

see my profile for messenger links