DTS neural x mode for music

newlash09

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2014
Messages
976
Points
113
Location
hyderabad
Hi all...

I've been listening to lots of music in DTS neural x mode these days, and I find that I prefer this to my pure 2 channel setup.

But to get optimal results the front 3 speakers have to be absolutely the same make and model . And the centre speaker has to be angled to point to our head .

Once engaged, the vocals come from the centre speaker, the background score and chorus comes from all the other speakers, including in-ceiling speakers. It is like being surrounded by a bubble of music. And iam liking it a lot.

Of course audiophile purists will balk at the idea. Being an audiophile is about pursuing the truth in the recording. Trying to get sound stage and immersive audio from 2 channels alone. I will admit that the DTS neural x mode is far from that truth. But iam enjoying it immensely.

So after much deliberation, I have decided to give weightage to my musical enjoyment, more than the pursuit of the truth. So I've junked my entire 2 channel setup, and settled just with a single HT system.

Just my 2 cents, and if other folks have a Atmos setup with in-ceiling speakers, please try this mode and please share your impressions/experience.
 
Once engaged, the vocals come from the centre speaker, the background score and chorus comes from all the other speakers, including in-ceiling speakers.

So after much deliberation, I have decided to give weightage to my musical enjoyment, more than the pursuit of the truth. So I've junked my entire 2 channel setup, and settled just with a single HT system.
The human voice is not a dual-mono, comb-filtering, phantom image. Instead, it is produced as a point source. Which reproduction is closer to the truth: having the voice come from a single speaker or from two different directions?

If you've heard a live music event, then you know that (even with your eyes closed) you hear the direct sound from the performers in front of you and the diffuse sound from all around you. When that event is captured as a 2-channel recording, some of the spatial resolution (directionality) is lost. Which reproduction is closer to the truth: having the diffuse sounds come from the same direction (same 2 speakers) as the direct sound or having the diffuse sounds come from speakers around you?

Deciding to prioritize musical enjoyment doesn't mean you've sacrificed any "pursuit of the truth". Quite the opposite.
 
The human voice is not a dual-mono, comb-filtering, phantom image. Instead, it is produced as a point source. Which reproduction is closer to the truth: having the voice come from a single speaker or from two different directions?

If you've heard a live music event, then you know that (even with your eyes closed) you hear the direct sound from the performers in front of you and the diffuse sound from all around you. When that event is captured as a 2-channel recording, some of the spatial resolution (directionality) is lost. Which reproduction is closer to the truth: having the diffuse sounds come from the same direction (same 2 speakers) as the direct sound or having the diffuse sounds come from speakers around you?

Deciding to prioritize musical enjoyment doesn't mean you've sacrificed any "pursuit of the truth". Quite the opposite.

Wow! Very nicely put.

Regards,

Ravindra.
 
Hi all...

I've been listening to lots of music in DTS neural x mode these days, and I find that I prefer this to my pure 2 channel setup.

But to get optimal results the front 3 speakers have to be absolutely the same make and model . And the centre speaker has to be angled to point to our head .

Once engaged, the vocals come from the centre speaker, the background score and chorus comes from all the other speakers, including in-ceiling speakers. It is like being surrounded by a bubble of music. And iam liking it a lot.

Of course audiophile purists will balk at the idea. Being an audiophile is about pursuing the truth in the recording. Trying to get sound stage and immersive audio from 2 channels alone. I will admit that the DTS neural x mode is far from that truth. But iam enjoying it immensely.

So after much deliberation, I have decided to give weightage to my musical enjoyment, more than the pursuit of the truth. So I've junked my entire 2 channel setup, and settled just with a single HT system.

Just my 2 cents, and if other folks have a Atmos setup with in-ceiling speakers, please try this mode and please share your impressions/experience.

No need to be defensive about the way you enjoy the music, I often listen Trance /Psychedelic tracks this way. The immersive sound can be easily achieved in a well calibrated surround system. Also I use this when my kids want to dance with friends, they enjoy it a lot. You can keep the volume low with added bass thump ; this is quite a indulging way for listening music. Also playing the bluray disc songs after switching the display off & in 5.1 pure direct mode which is quite awesome experience.

You need to have a very good (huge) center channel and all satellites of same configuration to get a better results. The monitor audio MASS system and Bose Surround system were equally good for music in 5.1 mode. (by the way, I often watch 5.1 web series in 2.1 configuration many a times also).

In fact, one of the hallmark of good Stereo Sound is, that it achieves a surround sound with just 2 speakers with least amount of coloring. Keep experimenting and most importantly, keep enjoying.
 
Thanks dr.krack...

I've been told numerous times that 2 well positioned speakers have to give that surround sound. But try as hard as I may, I could'nt achieve it :)

Sound stage is there, but the perception of depth has never been there. I've heard a few of my friend's well setup systems too, and I felt the same thing . Hence I find this DTS neural x mode to be more immersive.

And yes the centre channel does have to be big to get the vocals right in this mode. This only struck me yesterday, when I was listening to some vocal tracks with very less background score. The entire track was almost playing only through the centre channel.

This has got me thinking if I should use two centre channel speakers , placed next to each other now. I have a 2 channel amp that can be used to run 2 centre speakers . And I can feed this 2 channel amp from pre-outs of centre channel via RCA splitter.

Has anyone tried this before, or am I a genius :)
 
Thanks dr.krack...

This has got me thinking if I should use two centre channel speakers , placed next to each other now. I have a 2 channel amp that can be used to run 2 centre speakers . And I can feed this 2 channel amp from pre-outs of centre channel via RCA splitter.

Has anyone tried this before, or am I a genius :)

Hello Newlash,

I am in a discussion on speaker quality elsewhere with another FM. I certainly know that adding another speaker of the same type will not improve the performance. You will only get more power with same quality. For better quality, you need better speakers.

Regards,

Ravindra.
 
Thanks Ravindra...good morning :)

I was thinking that I would have a larger centre channel presence for vocals if I had two centre channels side by side. Iam happy with the quality of my present centre channel, though I have a Frankenstein system at the moment that has to be sorted soon.
 
Since the time I got my Quad S-C centre speaker a week back, I have been listening to music in HT formats, mainly to listen to the lovely mid and top range of this centre speaker. In my friends circle (who are btw, not audiophiles) , a stereo system is judged by playing a well recorded CD, sit in the perfect place and look for the phantom centre. If they find it dead centre, then the system got a thumbs up. Well with a decent centre channel, the vocals are dead centre all right. No matter if you are not sitting in the sweet spot.

Also, if two speakers can create a wide soundstage, should not three speakers do it even better ? A phantom centre between the centre and left speakers and a phantom centre between the centre and right speakers etc. Lots of theory lol. But the great thing is that it gives us a choice. Tired of multi channel, well go back to pure direct stereo. I will have to wait a bit longer to try out music in 5.2.4 :)
 
Yesterday evening i also tried DTS neural x mode with my marantz avr but it gave me some kind of echo effects that i did not like.
For digital music- the best sound i get with auto or stereo mode- accurate sound stage & detailed instrument positioning. If i increase volume by 55+ then i enjoy more wide + 3D sound stage, is it normal? because it only happens while increasing volume level above 55. In fact i also get immersive 3D sound with some of stereo movies downloaded from web but only above 55+ volume level.
 
This is a nice discussion, please keep em' coming.
I also listen to most of my vocal trance & pop music with the Neural THX engaged. I love listening to Enigma with NeuralTHX or Dolby PLiix - music engaged during late night sessions as it gives a very beautiful atmospheric effect. On certain passes it just teleports you to some strange places kinda feel which is hard to describe in words. Moreover in Onkyo (SR876) , neuralthx mode sounds more full bodied than any other DSP.
I also for some strange reason like Vocals to have some reverb attached to it, else it sounds rather too flat for me sometimes.
Again thanks newlash09 for this thread & all members pitching in. Yeah I'm not alone too ;)
 
Most welcome samuel...glad you like it too...

This is in continuation of my promise to keep posting my experiences with different genres of music. The other day I was listening to some old tracks, and found that on tracks without any background score worth mentioning, the whole track just comes through the center channel, which feels a little congested. Of course I could have changed the sound mode to stereo. But felt it defeats the whole purpose of dts neutral x in the first place, which is about immersive surround sound. So iam considering adding 2 centre channel speakers, flanked by the floor standing L&R speakers for effects and sound staging. Will let you all know how I get along :)
 
See if you can get 5.1 encoded DTS music tracks. They are designed to be heard on 5.1 systems.
 
Most welcome samuel...glad you like it too...

This is in continuation of my promise to keep posting my experiences with different genres of music. The other day I was listening to some old tracks, and found that on tracks without any background score worth mentioning, the whole track just comes through the center channel, which feels a little congested. Of course I could have changed the sound mode to stereo. But felt it defeats the whole purpose of dts neutral x in the first place, which is about immersive surround sound. So iam considering adding 2 centre channel speakers, flanked by the floor standing L&R speakers for effects and sound staging. Will let you all know how I get along :)

i too love listening to music on dts x. found dts x better for music & dolby upmixer better for movies with 2 channel audio.

for music with mainly vocals you can try the dolby surround upmixer which has a "center spread" option which feeds more of the center channel to the 2 fronts.
 
i too love listening to music on dts x. found dts x better for music & dolby upmixer better for movies with 2 channel audio.

for music with mainly vocals you can try the dolby surround upmixer which has a "center spread" option which feeds more of the center channel to the 2 fronts.

Great...thanks filmguy :)

Can you please suggest where I can enable the dolby surround upmixer. I have a marantz. So not too sure if they provide me that option.
 
Great...thanks filmguy :)

Can you please suggest where I can enable the dolby surround upmixer. I have a marantz. So not too sure if they provide me that option.

Did you try Dolby Pro-Logic mode? It takes stereo input and outputs L-C-R-S-SW with vocals anchored to center channel.
Most of the time, I like its decoding logic much better than discreet decoding modes liek TruHD etc. But that's just me.

Regards,

Ravindra.
 
Great...thanks filmguy :)

Can you please suggest where I can enable the dolby surround upmixer. I have a marantz. So not too sure if they provide me that option.
The Dolby Surround mode should enable Dolby Surround Upmixer. It should be the option just before the DTS X in sound mode.
 
Get the Award Winning Diamond 12.3 Floorstanding Speakers on Special Offer
Back
Top