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My audio stuff is here
Good old Peter Tyson (that's a mail order store, not a wrestler) gave me a nice surprise today, because I woke up to find that my amp and speakers had been delivered. This was a really nice surprise, because I wasn't even told they'd been sent! So, I've spent most of today hooking this stuff up and tweaking the sound.
Although my speaker placement is less than ideal (I'm strapped for space), I'm really pleased overall with how this sounds. (Right now I still have the centre speaker blu-takk'd to the top of my HDTV, because I can't bear to stick adhesive pads to my beloved Sony KDL-40W2000). Obviously it's a huge improvement over the TV's speakers, and everything I've thrown at it so far has come out sounding surprisingly weighty, especially for a £200 set-up.
The only big disappointment so far has been with how the analogue surround outputs from the Toshiba HD-A1 HD DVD player sound. I don't know if the problem is the amp, the cables, the player (unlikely) or my own error, but connected this way, the sound seems... flat, and nothing like as good as the digital connections - which apparently shouldn't be the case at all. Are cheaper amps are just really crap at processing Analogue Surround (anyone?)
The DTS track on "Wonderful Days" (Korean DVD) and the bathroom beating at the start of the American "Casino Royale" Blu-ray (downmixed to Dolby 5.1 as I'm using a PS3) both sound great to my ears. I'll also need to spend more time learning about how the hell Pro Logic II works so I can get the best sounding audio from the Wii and GameCube games.
All in all though, I'm very pleased, although having a new A/V toy that I don't totally understand the workings of is an unusual experience for me.
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Nice Lyris!
"Are cheaper amps are just really crap at processing Analogue Surround (anyone?)"
If you're going via analog, the A1 is decoding and processing the audio and bypassing the amp (or receiver) entirely. Of course unless you apply post processing like Pro Logic or Neo:6.
The A1 has a known low LFE decibel setting over analog. This results in the subwoofer barely registering. You should to try adjust the speaker settings in the A1's set-up menu. Try lowing all 5 speakers -10 db. Or jacking up the LFE +10 db. Also make sure the Dynamic Range Control and Dialog Enhancement settings on the A1 are Off. I notice in your A1 review over at DVDTimes they're set to On--Off they should be. ;-)
Also you can place the center in front of the TV (not on top), right below it centered with your listening position.