(1991-12) Audio mag - DS encoded CDs

[kfbkfb]

https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Audio/Archive-Audio/90s/Audio-1991-12.pdf#page=52

I'm making a DVD-R copy [personal use] of the Sample Surround Sound DS CD w/Sony D-5 [w/1 DAC] and then another copy using a CD player w/2 DACs, I'll try it using original DPL and DynaQuad, the small time delay caused by 1 DAC does disrupt DS decoding, but I never tried it to see if it's audible.


Kirk Bayne

 

[fizzywiggs41]

I didn't go into the pdf ,Kirk ....but which Dolby Surround Sampler are you playing with ?

(There are many .)

 

[kfbkfb]

It's the Pro Arte Sampler (CDX 013), I also plan to copy part of the Delos DS test CD (my ~37 year old Sony D-5 works for ~30 minutes before acting up).

Casual DPL listening to DS encoded content with my D-5 hasn't revealed any major directionality problems.


Kirk Bayne

 

[jefe1]

Hi there are two Pro Arte samplers very nearly the same. One is encoded with Shure Surround the other Dolby.

 

[kfbkfb]

Yes, it was a strange choice by Pro Arte to give 2 similar albums the same catalog number, I have both of them.

I'm using the one with the official Dolby Surround logo across the top for my D-5/1 DAC listening tests (this 1 DAC issue has been a moot point for ~30 years, but since I found out that my D-5 works, I decided to make myself a test DVD-R and see if this [unique to early consumer digital audio] issue actually does cause DS decoding problems).


Kirk Bayne

 

[jaybird100]

Great article from the archives of Audio Magazine. Imagine what they'd be saying about these recordings if, say, a decoder, with the capabilities of the Surround Master, were available when this was written. I have many of these CD's, and they deliver some amazing surround sound in the Involve 4.1 mode.

 

[kfbkfb]

I also bought several of these DS encoded CDs, although my first (labeled) matrix encoded (UHJ) CD was a Nimbus classical single.


Kirk Bayne

 

[fizzywiggs41]

Personally I found the Shure HTS matrix decoded by a Yamaha Dolby Surround decoder , and my Fosgate 101a to be ....ummmmmm well more defined.

That Telarc Spies By Waý Of The World (HTS) CD is incredible sounding in Surround as are some of the Pro Arte CD'S , ...Most of which were encoded with Shure HTS. I think there were only about 10 Dolby Pro Arte , and then they signed on for their future mixes to be soley HTS.

But they did return to Dolby for some of their final box multiple Cd's, as I found out one day . But you could still find plenty of their former HTS encoded CD'S .

It's a shame Dolby had so much clout with their Matrix back then , but they do deserve credit for keeping Surround alive in ......a world of surround and quad drought.

 

[fizzywiggs41]

Here's a couple ..well maybe.3 or 4 Dolby type Samplers I enjoy.

 

[fizzywiggs41]

Telarc's multiple matrices (4) on . Sampler ONE ;

And on Sampler TWO ; Circle Surround with Spatializer , plus
track #13 in Roland Sound (Surround) Space System.


And a Stereophile Sampler , with Dolby and Binaural tracks.

 

[kfbkfb]

It's kind of too bad that Dolby Labs didn't sneak in a music surround sound encode/decode mode along with Dolby Surround (maybe revive the old Electro-Voice Stereo-4 matrix and call it "simulated surround sound" in the decoders).

I haven't read about the deliberations at Dolby Labs when they were evaluating how to reintroduce quadraphonic sound, maybe they felt that including any kind of music mode would remind people of the quad debacle so they designed Dolby Surround for the needs of movies only.


Kirk Bayne

 

[jefe1]

I just ordered the Pro Arte surround sampler encoded in Shure StereoSurround to compare. It was cheap. I believe Shure did not a impose a frequency limitation on the surround channel so should sound better than dolby.

 

[kap'n krunch]

I just ordered the Pro Arte surround sampler encoded in Shure StereoSurround to compare. It was cheap. I believe Shure did not a impose a frequency limitation on the surround channel so should sound better than dolby.

I just decoded an SQ LP from 1975 (NOT digitally recorded, obviously) which is VERY Discrete!
https://www.discogs.com/release/561...bor-Hlaváček-The-Four-Seasons-Concertos-For-V

 

[fizzywiggs41]

It's kind of too bad that Dolby Labs didn't sneak in a music surround sound encode/decode mode along with Dolby Surround (maybe revive the old Electro-Voice Stereo-4 matrix and call it "simulated surround sound" in the decoders).

I haven't read about the deliberations at Dolby Labs when they were evaluating how to reintroduce quadraphonic sound, maybe they felt that including any kind of music mode would remind people of the quad debacle so they designed Dolby Surround for the needs of movies only.


Kirk Bayne

No I think that was left up to the component manufacturers, such as Yamaha....with all those DSP Modes.
The rest of them followed suit.

 

[kfbkfb]

Just finished making my DS encoded test DVD-R from the Pro Arte DS sampler & tracks 30 to the end of the Delos DE 3179 DS test CD (Sony D-5 & Panasonic DVD-S1 CD players).

I'll add edits once I listen to my test DVD-R via DPL2 movie, original DPL, DynaQuad (just casual listening while I was recording the DVD-R seemed like 1 [not time aligned] DAC didn't affect the DS decoding very much).


Kirk Bayne

 

[MidiMagic]

It's kind of too bad that Dolby Labs didn't sneak in a music surround sound encode/decode mode along with Dolby Surround (maybe revive the old Electro-Voice Stereo-4 matrix and call it "simulated surround sound" in the decoders).

I haven't read about the deliberations at Dolby Labs when they were evaluating how to reintroduce quadraphonic sound, maybe they felt that including any kind of music mode would remind people of the quad debacle so they designed Dolby Surround for the needs of movies only.


Kirk Bayne

Actually DS PLII is fully music compatible. I have been using it to monitor my RM music mixes and have heard no frequency response reductions in the back channels in the way the original Dolby Surround had.

 

[kfbkfb]

no frequency response reductions in the back channels in the way the original Dolby Surround had.

I was thinking that, back in ~1982, Dolby Labs could have licensed the EV Stereo-4 matrix system and allowed DS decoder makers to include 2 decoding modes:
Dolby Surround (B NR, 7kHz FR, delay) &
A "simulated surround sound" option that was actually Stereo-4.

Sneaking in Stereo-4 would have allowed record companies to release their quad content encoded in Stereo-4.


Kirk Bayne

 

[kfbkfb]

https://www.discogs.com/release/2909101-Various-Surround-Spectacular-The-Music-The-Tests
Finally did the listening test ([original] Dolby Pro-Logic):

Magnavox Blu-ray -> CD digital in (no time delay between L & R):
Track 45 - pink noise from surround channel only.

Sony D-5 -> CD analog line in (1 shared DAC, results in a time delay between L & R):
Track 45 - some pink noise audible in the front channels.

Seems like the loss in directionality caused by 1 shared DAC is minimal w/DPL, although in 1985, when the Pioneer CLD-900 LD player with LD digital audio became available, only non-logic Dolby Surround decoding was available.


Kirk Bayne