Masamune

I have a 5.1 system, not a 6.1 like the TWO TOWERS: EE can offer.

I want to try it, but not if I am missing out on sounds and might as well go for the Dolby 5.1

Anyone tell me what the diff between the 5.1 and 6.1 is? Aside from the obvious. Should I just play the DTS on my 5.1 or what?

Thanks!! =)

vivarey

I'm pretty sure the extra channel in 6.1 will be dispersed between your two 5.1 surrounds. If your system can decode DTS, definitely go with the 6.1 mix.

C_Fletch

"Should I just play the DTS on my 5.1 or what?"

Absolutely and unequivocally YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You will hear a 5.1 DTS Track. Regardless of whether the extra rear channel is incorporated or not the sound SHOULD sound more life like with the DTS track. This is just my opinion of how I HEAR the track.

Low RG

DTS 6.1 is always compatible with DTS 5.1 decoders, and as the previous posters have mentioned you will not be missing out on any sound. Go with the DTS track.

REL77

Here is a Thread that is exactly the same. Search is your friend... Check it out

http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=330897

Masamune

Hmm.

That thread you mentioned just said that the audio in general sucks.

Anyone else?

DTS does 99% of the time rule all, but I'm worried that since I dont have the back channel for 6.1, that in 5.1, it would "add it" badly and it would sound worse than the Dolby 5.1 track.

Iron_Giant

The DTS sound is a little better on the higher tones, like music or when they are marching and you can hear the dirt being crushed under their feet.

I would say the DTS makes a noticeable difference only a few times throughout the movie.

I enjoyed the sound better (the sound for the movie, not the DTS/DD) in the 1st movie, it had more variety than the 2nd movie did.

Masamune

Do you have a 5.1 or 6.1 setup tho?

emoxley

dts all the way! I just have 5.1 setup, and dts track sounds better.
find a chapter or two, play them both ways, and see which you like.......... you're not gonna hurt anything.

Dammit

The DTS track on TTT EE is disappointing. You don't need 6.1 though and that has nothing to do with it. The rear center information will be played through the other surrounds.

It's the LFE channel in the DTS track that is lacking. If you have a normal subwoofer (the kind you typically find at Best Buy and the like for a couple to a few hundred bucks) that can barely reach 30 Hz then you probably won't think anything is wrong with the LFE but if you have something more high end that can go down to 20hz and beyond, there's no contest. The famous "wing flap" for example, where the black rider appears over the marshes suffers greatly. It still sounds "good" mind you, but there's this wave of air pressure you'll feel move across the room (assuming proper equipment) with the DD track that is absent when playing it in DTS. I was hoping that scene would be even more impressive in DTS but that isn't the case.

I was hoping to get someone over at AVS to make a waterfall chart of the two different tracks in one particular section but nobody bit.

Other than the weak LFE, the DTS track sounds very good. I definitely give the edge to DD this time though. Dynamic range is better (although some people don't like that), LFE is better and it seemed like the surround use might have even been a little better. This is all splitting hairs though. Both are excellent. One just gives you a lot more BOOM.

The Void

I also noticed that "wing flap" scene had less bass in the EE's DTS soundtrack. I watched the theatrical version a couple days ago and remembered alot more bass in that scene. I had to turn it down during that scene on the theatrical version (I live in an apartment), the EE wasn't that loud though.

Masamune

Hmm.

So basically most of you are saying go with the DD over DTS this time?

Masamune

Yes?

PinwiZ

Here's an idea, how about you listen to it and decide for yourself?

Masamune

Think before you post.

If I had 6.1 then I COULD compare.

talemyn

Well, PinwiZ probably could have phrased it a little nicer, but he does have a point. Give both the 5.1 DD and the 6.1 DTS a try on your system and see which one sounds better. It'll give you a better idea of which sounds better than relying on other people to tell you.

emoxley

I agree............listen for yourself. We can't say what you'll hear with YOUR ears. It's a matter of personal opinion, and that's all. Mine sounds better, to ME, in dts, on my 5.1 system. I don't find the LFE(bass) lacking anywhere. I say it's personal taste because guys on other forums, with $30,000 - $40,000 systems, are saying they find this dts track to be reference quality, as well as the video. My system is far from that price range, but is still impressive to me and everyone that hears it.
So, again, listen for yourself.............

BTW Dammit..........
My sub was tested and goes to 20.x? hz. and it didn't miss anything in the wing flapping scene. Maybe something is wrong with your disc?

The Void

I too prefer the DTS. I only noticed the bass to be less in that scene in the bog. The bass may have been a tad lower but it was still good enough. That is the only scene that I noticed it.

Overall the DTS is a great track. I wasn't dissapointed at all.

PinwiZ

It has nothing to do with having 6.1 . Just try both, see which sounds better to you.

As many people have already said, you aren't losing anything by having a 5.1 setup. It just mixes the 6th channel into the 2 rear channels.

The DTS track sounded just fine to me this way, though in comparing a couple scenes, I didn't notice too much of a difference between the 2 tracks. Though I generally don't.

Dammit

Actually, the more high end you go, the more likely you'll be to hear the differences. It's not a huge big deal. Only bass nuts are going to notice (or care). Both tracks sound excellent but the DTS track, at least in certain scenes, is without a doubt not as strong in the low, low frequencies than the DD track in this case. Even compensating by turning up the LFE channel doesn't make up for it. (edit: I'm still trying to find a good comparison chart to verify what I and some others are hearing)


Not likely. I'm not the only one that's noticed it. In fact people with far better equipment than me have had the same results. You also have to keep in mind that the rating a sub gets as it's lowest freq. isn't as important as how many decibels it puts out at that frequency. Most subs start to taper off pretty steeply long before they get down to the sub 25hz range. Even though they can technically produce sound at in that range, it isn't loud enough to be useful because it's overpowered by the upper bass frequencies. What kind of sub do you have? I might be able to dig up a chart on it somewhere. Where it's placed in the room will have a huge impact on it's output as well as where you sit in relation to it. I've got a SVS 25-31PC+ tuned to 20hz and corner loaded. In the seating position I should be getting very strong bass down in the 18hz range. I need to download some software to get an actual readout though. Have I mentioned that I've spent WAY too much time on this stuff? lol

One thing I've learned recently is you have to think of bass in terms of layers. More and more DVD's are coming out with bass info even below 20hz now. A lot have STRONG bass as low as 10hz which is just nuts (10hz is below the threshold of human hearing I believe... you can feel it though). Few people have subs that can go as low as what is on a lot of DVD's. If a sub can't go that low (or at least not strong enough that low to be distinguished from the upper freq's) you simply don't hear it and don't realize anything is missing. Until not long ago I was using a Polk Audio PSW450 sub and had absolutely no idea there was bass info on a lot of my DVD's that I had never heard before (actually, felt might be a better term than heard). When I bought my SVS I was pretty amazed by the difference. The exploding sock scene in Monsters Inc for example. I always thought the gag in that scene was supposed to be that everybody shielded themselves from the blast and it was only this wimpy little thud. With the new sub it's not so wimpy anymore.

By the way, Finding Nemo has probably the most impressive bass I've heard so far. Inside the whale, Darla knocking on the aquarium and the sub falling off the ledge are just ridiculous.

Check out this page. Click on some of the scenes for a nice graphic of how low the bass really goes on these examples. Makes me wish I could afford a SVS B4... or maybe even two of them.

http://www.svsubwoofers.com/faq.htm#moviedemos

It's a little out of date now. Some dvd's have been released since this was made that are just sick in the LFE department.

Edit: I should add that 99% of the time, I choose the DTS tracks when watching DVD's. This is just one of those rare exceptions for me.

emoxley

I have a JBL PSW-1200 sub............the paperwork rates it to 23 Hz, but a friend brought a guy over one day with a meter for measuring this. It was better than the spl meters at Radio Shack. I'm going by his readings. I guess JBL was being conservative in their specs. My sub is 10 yrs. old and just seems to get better with age.
Yeah, Finding Nemo was one of my favorites for sub use. Also Terminator 3. If you haven't seen that yet, you need to. It uses the sub more than any movie I've seen.

Masamune

I will of course compare one day, but I wanted to pick the BEST one by your opinions for the 1st viewing experience.

Spiky

The DTS is weak in bass, period. The DD track is much better. If people with high-end systems are really claiming this is a reference-level track, they must be discussing something like quality for what is there. The issue is the stuff that is MISSING. The theatrical (both in theaters and on DVD) had FAR more bass in certain scenes. Wing-flaps a good example. The DD on the EE has this bass, DTS does not. It's a levels issue, not quality issue.

My piddly audio system is well under $10,000 MSRP, but I'll stack my observations against anybody with a more expensive system. Klipsch, Onkyo rec, Denon DVDp, SV sub. My sub can kick the shit out of most subs.

Oh, Dammit, I have the 2039PC+ tuned to 16Hz corner loaded and I definitely CAN get 18Hz over 100db at my listening position. I try not to as it starts my ductwork rattling something fierce!! I can start hearing the sound with my own ears around 23Hz. Get a Bass Mechanik CD for testing, save a bit 'o cash. You apparently have an SPL meter, right?

emoxley

Whatever.........

QuiGonJosh

I did a comparison yesterday and to me ears...the DTS track has deeper and more aggresive bass and surrounds and...well everything...