DTS audio music (5.1 channel) is better or CD Audio (Stereo Audio) music?

i have half a dozens of dts audio cds. what i feel is, its just as same as stereo while hearing dts.. except in few occations where the format can produce a sonic sound stage. And sure the fidelity level of dts disc is far more better than that of stereo but fidelity is not the only factor to produce a enjoying music.
 
Hi,

Yes you are right buddy ! even I have more a dozen cds but rarely play them !

Only a handful of them can actually immerse you in the sound field rest all just a name sake stuff with no actual surround ( just a plain 5 channel stereo)

And yes I do agree with you again that more then fidelity there's more to music ! otherwise most the Audiophile labels producing pure 2 ch cd's would've ceased to do so and would've made dts discs instead !

Regards.
 
Interesting discussion. Let me add my 2 cents.

For years I have been listening to music on my PC i.e. the standard mp3s at 192 to 384 kbps which are considered good quality at least in mp3 terms. Ditto for audio CDs and also tapes. Most of this listening was done on Creative 5.1 speakers connected to my PC. I was in the market for new speakers when a friend suggested I look at going the HT way instead of PC speakers. I decided to take the plunge and invested in Onkyo HT3100 at under 20K and the sound just blew me away when watching movies on DVD and DivX.

I have since started listening to music on the HT and to tell you the truth they rock on the HT and sound way better than they ever did on the 5.1 Creative on the PC. I have now started listening to music on DTS 5.1 and to tell you the truth they just blow you away. There is no way you can compare DTS 5.1 to anything else (at least per my ears). Not audio CD, tape or mp3s with high bit rates. Surround sound in 5.1 may not be music to everyone's ears and some might prefer it in 2 channel, but not me. After having experienced music in 5.1 DTS there is no way I want to go back to 2 channel. Also I have to state that even 2 channel mp3s rock on the HT system. Guess there is no comparision between a HT system and a PC speaker system. But to my ears at least 5.1 DTS absolutely rocks!
 
When done rightly 5.1 music sounds great. I think the 5.1 mixing plays a major part when it comes to enjoying 5.1 music. Some of the Yash Raj films like Dhoom-2 which had 5.1 DVD-Audio release were disappointing. But some of A.R Rahman's Tamil 5.1 DTS Audio CDs had superb 5.1 mix. One of the best 5.1 mix that I have heard till date is Sting's Brand New Day DTS CD.
 
Due to the way the music tones are present, its very hard to mix it in more than 2 channels (even sub is very hard). The best music experience is stereo unless you are speaking about SACD and DVD-A, even then it has to be properly mixed otherwise you will feel out of phase very quickly and will not enjoy it one bit.

Thats why the original Alan Parsons project for Floyd DSOTM was mixed in 4 channels and he was against the 5 channel mix later put out since the frequencies did not sit right. So, thats the holy grail of multi channel music.


Movies are very forgiving since they shoot different freq in diff channels (planes flying (SL/SR) while a bunch of guys screaming (C) + shooting (L/R)
 
With the kind of recording and mastering we get on modern albums, I think the formats are irrelevant. When commercial pressures lead to over-compression and resulting distortion on a great album like Mark Knopfler's last, it's time for me to go back to my older CDs.

This is not entirely right! I can quote more than 20 recordings that have come out in the past 2 years that are excellent, but again I listen to a very broad genre of music.

Coldplay - Rush of Blood or Parachutes
Remember Shakti - Zakir, John McLaughlin and others
Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms (remastered version)
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
Brazilian Bossa - Brazilian Bossa
Pink Floyd - DSOTM
Dave Brubek - Time Out
Patricia barber - Modern Cool


its not so much the commercial pressures, rather the willingness of people to buy crappy music that has downgraded the quality. This is one of the reasons that I am not in the "iPod or mp3 changed the world for good" camp. It made is more accessible at a great loss of quality.

Comparitively CDs are still the best source for music and I tend to invest in them a fair bit.

The good thing about SACD and DVD-A is that a little more attention is paid (hopefully) to the mastering and they don't compress the living daylights out of everything on the disc.

A lot of attention is paid to the high rez recordings. But again the remastering takes a lot of effort and hence you pay a premium for these things. I have a bunch of originals as well as the high res versions and I am still torn between these two, which is a good thing and is a testament to the remastering efforts. But like you said, the engineer should have done a good job.

That apart, since most recordings are made in pure stereo they're best listened to in stereo.

Absolutely agree!
 
Thy shall always swear by 2 channels for music anyday

To be or not to Be is the question.
Thou shall pronounce on us that we are retrenched and condemned to the owes of binocular hearing
But to remain indifferent to revolutions seems a virtue
We have seen more than once the format wars and let down by our brothers in arms
The propaganda of the perfect sound and a free ticket to piracy
I choose to be loyal to the camps that advocate that less is sometimes more

Guys who have the 5.1 and the stereo version of the same album try listening to both. 5.1 definitely has more gimmickry and showoff value but which do you think is more honest to the music and offers better listenability? Try listening to the entire album in 5.1 and then in stereo.
In multi channel the mind is more focused in the distance and direction of sound rather than depth, location and timbre which is so essential to enjoy a music session

Ya I know I am on the minority side as it is so much evident when ever I type something on forums, converse with people and walk into any audio showroom but maybe its written deep down in my DNA that I will be a stereoholic. Ya maybe people like me do not embrace change but why accept it when something deep within you says the change is not a healthy one, you have fought back saying I just cant be bogged down by old technology and sincerely give it a try only to find that the voice was correct in the first place
 
As far as I know, most Beatles numbers were recorded using 4 independent mikes, and stored in separate tapes. CDs and tapes were cut by mixing these four tapes into stereo format. Similarly, many Western Classical recordings were done this way.

So if some one does takes the effort, these can be re-mixed very well for 5.1.

I am sure many of you will not agree with me, But there is certain charm to 5.1 music. If you take the case of Sivamani, he is surrounded by drums all around. How would it be if you can feel you are Sivamani and hear the drums all around you, at least 270 degrees?

On a stage, the singers and musicians are all placed to face the audience. But that need not be the case in a studio. You can record in such a way that the audience feels they are sitting inside the stage amongst all the players.

For most of us, good music is only Stereo played well with precise positioning and timbre. I am also a staunch believer of this. But I also keep my mind open and I am ready to hear 5.1 music whenever I get the chance. When I am auditioning equipment, what impresses me most is the capacity of the system to create a holographic image of the voice and instrument. I am sure a 5.1 system can do this easily.

Cheers
 
my apologies cranky, i should have mentioned few years instead of 2. i take your point though re; the release years.

now i dont get your clipping issue! have you isolated to the track? if you let me know the exact time i have a sound capturing device that tracks the analog frequency of music over any speaker and i can check to see if it is indeed in the track or your system.

thx again for the catch!
 
Hi friends,
I have a question.
Where the true multichannel DTS or Dolby Digital music (only in audio format) is available. I could not find multichannel music comparable to 5.1 channel DVDs available at dirt cheap price starting from Rs. 50/ or so.
My interest is limited to Hindi music only.
Can somebody repy.
Regards
Vinod
 
Where the true multichannel DTS or Dolby Digital music (only in audio format) is available. I could not find multichannel music comparable to 5.1 channel DVDs available at dirt cheap price starting from Rs. 50/ or so. My interest is limited to Hindi music only.

There have been very few DVD-Audios released with 5.1 Hindi music. The only one that comes to my mind is Dhoom. And even that is not available any more.

You will find may dealers and shops selling Hindi music in DVD. These are not true 5.1 audio.

Cheers
 
I guess there are a few others - veer zaara and jhoom baarabar jhoom etc..
I saw them in the stores last week - landmark to be precise.
You can also check in their web site @ landmarkonthenet.com and search for "DVD Audio"
 
I dont like multichannel music.

For me, music is about live performances. If I am watching the doors perform live, I want to be standing in front of the band, not where jim morrison is standing:lol:. Multichannel music makes you stand in the middle of the band instead of in front of the band. thats the single biggest put off for me.
 
I dont like multichannel music.

For me, music is about live performances. If I am watching the doors perform live, I want to be standing in front of the band, not where jim morrison is standing:lol:. Multichannel music makes you stand in the middle of the band instead of in front of the band. thats the single biggest put off for me.

Hey, you are right.....................and if you need to hear the claps of the audience behind you (assuming that you are in the front most row) only then you may need the surround speakers to play.:lol:
 
I dont like multichannel music.

For me, music is about live performances. If I am watching the doors perform live, I want to be standing in front of the band, not where jim morrison is standing:lol:. Multichannel music makes you stand in the middle of the band instead of in front of the band. thats the single biggest put off for me.

This is not completely true. In a live performance, sound arrives from multiple directions with delays et all. Two channel music does not (and theoretically cannot) capture the actual event. I've just attended a very interesting workshop on dts and multichannel sound recently... I'll put up what I've learned from the folks there on this forum shortly...it really was an eye (ear?)-opener.
 
a very late entry to this discussion , for me music is strictly 2 channel , and no multichannel format can beat 2 channel audio for music, i may sometimes use a sub (rarely)---thats about it , and i dont believe in downloaded music

multichannel is best for movies alone
 
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