Jump to content

Anthem AV Owners Thread


Recommended Posts

No problems mate. Yes everything is working perfectly except for one thing...the user. I ran ARC 3 days ago and my graphs showed the volume per speaker to be 60db which is wrong and was fixed with version 3.0 of the ARC software which I'm running. Short story I have just realised tonight after testing Hulk and the bass was average and not how I remember it, that I didn't remove the old MIC files from the previous install disc which had files that related to that MIC not my new one. This will of course throw out my readings and produce inaccurate sound and graphs. I have since replaced them with the new files and will perform an ARC calibration this weekend. I feel like a complete idiot that I didn't think of this before calibrating. Just too eager to get it setup and enjoy the purchase.

Keep us posted mate. End user reports are very valuable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites



I did have a peep a little while ago when people mentioned of some issues, Theres comment from macca earlier in this thread where he said it wasnt getting relative speaker levels right depending on decoding format.

also this post of his on avs, couldnt see a resolution that followed, but only did a brief scan and this was back in september, so maybe worth checking over there if interested.

A couple of thing that are really starting to bug me with the D2v.

1. Menu screen shows up about 50% of the time.......if it's not showing you might get it with a restart.

2. A break in the audio(ie pause movie/pvr etc) is increasingly causing the D2v to become mute even though when resumed it displays the audio signal is present(yep 'Auto DIG' is set to No).........I've tried flicking to/from another input but that doesn't work, only a power cycle will fix it

3. The front panel display sometimes(no particular pattern to it) doesn't show what listening mode you are in at the time(ie only shows the channels and volume on the second line) even though hitting the 'Mode' or 'THX' button confirms it is applying a particular processing.........sometimes hitting those buttons or going in/out of the menu or pause/unpause will bring it back.

4. The D2v will sometimes become completely unresponsive or sluggish to remote commands, as if it's run out of resources.........give it a few seconds and it wakes up again, though it runs through all the commands you've hit in the interim.

5. The startup cycle time seems to be inconsistent, sometimes quick sometimes takes a while.

6. Sometimes(but rarely) the video processing hiccups and you get a very choppy framerate look.........pause, switch inputs, etc will fix.

7. Sometimes(and quite often) colors go up the duff(yep video output is manually set), caused either by switching inputs or going in/out of the menu........switch inputs/menu will fix.

............and I haven't even mentioned the decoding level issues.........well, now I have;)

Since the system is not a dedicated movie system with just a BD player hooked up to a projector and only used occasionally, it's a lounge/HT that's constantly used for many different inputs and running dual displays so needs to be stable for not just one input and output but for the lot.........ie PJ, LCD, BD, HD DVD, PVR, Cable TV, PS3, WII.

As far as stability goes, my lowly Denon 3808 wipes the floor with the D2v..........when you consider that, it's quite frustrating putting up with the issues of the D2v. Hopefully firmware updates can bring some stability to it soon otherwise I'll be looking to move on unfortunately.

Anyway, just having a whinge as No. 2. popped up for the third time today.

cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did have a peep a little while ago when people mentioned of some issues, Theres comment from macca earlier in this thread where he said it wasnt getting relative speaker levels right depending on decoding format.

also this post of his on avs, couldnt see a resolution that followed, but only did a brief scan and this was back in september, so maybe worth checking over there if interested.

Thanks for the info Al.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Macca's concerns #1 & #5 I've seen but I have not experienced the others. I believe most of the level issues are between DVD/BD differing when played back. If you stick to BD HDMI you are generally ok. I haven't read Macca's findings on AVS Forum for a while so if I didn't get that quite right Macca I apologise. I have not seen the mute issue after Pause at all. If I had experienced all of those issues I would have had the unit swapped out long ago. Having said that Macca, uses his D2V as a true media hub and utilises many other inputs/outputs and devices that a dedicated HT probably wouldn't use. That's not excusing the D2V though, because if you use it in this manner it should all just work.

Macca has raised his concerns with Anthem so hopefully they are allayed and Firmware updates rectify them. After Macca provided level data there is no doubt this is an issue between specific formats and media. Just how much is the fault of the actual codec implementation on disk versus the D2V's reproduction of it is unknown but I'm glad Macca approached the issue scientifically and took measurements. You can't argue with data.

For me I use HDMI for BD/DVD, 2-Channel via XLR and 6-Channel Analog for SACD and it's been flawless in operation. I do believe though the Japanese (generally) have implemented HDMI with far greater success than their European/U.S/Canadian competitors. For pure AQ though I'll take the Anthem D2V over anything I've heard to date and if it means I have to put up with a few idiosyncrasies so be it (Which I have yet to experience myself).

Blade

Edited by BladeRnR
Link to comment
Share on other sites



I performed ARC this morning and have posted the results here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread....37#post19410737

I have then changed the crossovers to 80hz for everything and posted the graphs but haven't applied/saved that config on the Anthem as yet until I get some feedback on what looks better, the default ARC solution or the 80hz one?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me I use HDMI for BD/DVD, 2-Channel via XLR and 6-Channel Analog for SACD and it's been flawless in operation. I do believe though the Japanese (generally) have implemented HDMI with far greater success than their European/U.S/Canadian competitors. For pure AQ though I'll take the Anthem D2V over anything I've heard to date and if it means I have to put up with a few idiosyncrasies so be it (Which I have yet to experience myself).

Blade

Unfortunately so,

good to hear (pardon the pun), its inability to convert DSD streams to analogue is an annoyance especially at the price point - depending upon the source I'd probably go with analogue anyway as opposed to converting to PCM.

Have you heard any of the Bryston pre's at all?

I checked out the Cary the other day, if they get the bugs fixed with the impending firmware update, it'll be close to the top of my list (I would like to listen to the D2v as well- but probably too many bells and whistles for me).

Edited by craigandkim
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unfortunately so,

good to hear (pardon the pun), its inability to convert DSD streams to analogue is an annoyance especially at the price point - depending upon the source I'd probably go with analogue anyway as opposed to converting to PCM.

Have you heard any of the Bryston pre's at all?

I checked out the Cary the other day, if they get the bugs fixed with the impending firmware update, it'll be close to the top of my list (I would like to listen to the D2v as well- but probably too many bells and whistles for me).

I haven't heard any Bryston Pre's no. Do they have anything that processes the HD Codecs as I could only find the SP2? If it's built like their amplifiers it should last you 40 years ;)

I did toy with the idea of Cary for a while but the litany of bugs and disgruntled owners scared me off. If you like versatility and run a variety of sources and would like to have a decent 2-Channel system and a Surround solution (The proverbial "I can have my cake and eat it too" scenario) then the Anthem D2V is a great choice. I've read the Cary sound is excellent but the requirement to purchase another component to handle a greater number HDMI inputs/outputs and other video-based functionality is a bit much (Cary Cinema 11v). With the Anthem D2V it's all in one box and is to me a more elegant/rounded solution.

Regards

Blade

Edited by BladeRnR
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't heard any Bryston Pre's no. Do they have anything that processes the HD Codecs as I could only find the SP2? If it's built like their amplifiers it should last you 40 years ;)

I did toy with the idea of Cary for a while for a little while but the litany of bugs and disgruntled owners scared me off. If you like versatility and run a variety of sources and would like to have a decent 2-Channel system and a Surround solution (The proverbial "I can have my cake and eat it too" scenario) then the Anthem D2V is a great choice. I've read the Cary sound is excellent but the requirement to purchase another component to handle a greater number HDMI inputs/outputs and other video-based functionality is a bit much (Cary Cinema 11v). With the Anthem D2V it's all in one box and is to me a more elegant/rounded solution.

Regards

Blade

Unfortunately the Bryston SP3 was slated for release at the end of 2008-however HDMI issues seem to be causing them headaches (surprise, surprise)- best they do not release anything at all.

Yeah, the way I see it is that the Cary is like the SP1.7/2 it does audio- no need to do any video. 4 HDMI ports would have been nice, but if your running a single HDMI source (2 will suffice) it will cater for every audio signal and process it and pass any video content straight through. To be taken seriously the 11A needs to get rid of the most annoying bug- its inability to successfully lock onto a hdmi stream instantaneously and without the snap,crackle and pop.

Here is a hypothetical question for you- if your Marantz passed SACD through HDMI and your D2v was able to process it what would you do? Stick with the analogue conversion in Marantz or stream it to the D2v?

This is one of the factors for me dwelling on HDMI/DAC DSD processing and the importance of the highest quality analogue path- currently it seems the options are limited- why because manufacturers are not giving the consumer the choice.

Regards

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, the way I see it is that the Cary is like the SP1.7/2 it does audio- no need to do any video. 4 HDMI ports would have been nice, but if your running a single HDMI source (2 will suffice) it will cater for every audio signal and process it and pass any video content straight through. To be taken seriously the 11A needs to get rid of the most annoying bug- its inability to successfully lock onto a hdmi stream instantaneously and without the snap,crackle and pop.

This is one of the factors for me dwelling on HDMI/DAC DSD processing and the importance of the highest quality analogue path- currently it seems the options are limited- why because manufacturers are not giving the consumer the choice.

I dont expect the 11a to lock on straight away in the forseable future craig ;mainly because the hdmi tmds handshake was made more robust . Wavetrain just let me know he has the new firmware which is directed to crackle /pop eradication so will soon see ;) Did an experiment with the cary the other day as I was curious when the d2v2 was mentioned as having a dsp or analog direct function on the analog inputs and was happy when pl2x was applicable like you would expect [ the manual skips this entirely and just covers bass management ; par for the course ;very frugal ] .

More upmarket offerings like the anthem and the cary at least give passthrough /dsp options . In the past the cary didnt particularly like being fed sacd's lpcm from my oppo [ or maybe its a disc authoring thing] ;it has always had a liking for dsd but - no pcm conversion :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites



The SP3 should be launched this year before Christmas, was announced at Cedia.

Thanks Yartle,

Xmas 20?? (just kidding)

PS You can see why I'm skeptical:

http://www.avguide.com/article/bryston-pre...dia-discoveries

http://www.whathifi.com/news/us-news-bryst...-at-cedia-expo/

Anyway thats Bryston not Anthem

Edited by craigandkim
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unfortunately the Bryston SP3 was slated for release at the end of 2008-however HDMI issues seem to be causing them headaches (surprise, surprise)- best they do not release anything at all.

Yeah, the way I see it is that the Cary is like the SP1.7/2 it does audio- no need to do any video. 4 HDMI ports would have been nice, but if your running a single HDMI source (2 will suffice) it will cater for every audio signal and process it and pass any video content straight through. To be taken seriously the 11A needs to get rid of the most annoying bug- its inability to successfully lock onto a hdmi stream instantaneously and without the snap,crackle and pop.

Here is a hypothetical question for you- if your Marantz passed SACD through HDMI and your D2v was able to process it what would you do? Stick with the analogue conversion in Marantz or stream it to the D2v?

This is one of the factors for me dwelling on HDMI/DAC DSD processing and the importance of the highest quality analogue path- currently it seems the options are limited- why because manufacturers are not giving the consumer the choice.

Regards

I agree 2 HDMI's is enough for most people and dedicated HT's. Hopefully Cary will sort the HDMI issues out. NAD/ARCAM have both had those crackle issues.

To the question of what I would do with SACD / HDMI and if everything was DSD. I'd almost certainly use HDMI due to the simplicity. For now though I have become a big fan of Analog Direct Mode on both 2-Channel and 6-Channel. In this Mode there is no ARC Processing being applied and Bass Management is governed by the Marantz. Analog Direct is so much clearer / cleaner with no processing. To be fair though I didn't calibrate for the music part of ARC so perhaps I'll give that a go just so I can perform a fairer A/B. I think the 2-Channel folk here would agree that the less happening in the chain the better the result will be.

The Diana Krall SACD - "The Girl In The Other Room" is one of my more recent benchmark albums (Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon is still No #1) and I've come to the startling revelation after multiple sessions that I actually prefer straight 2-Channel rather than 6-Channel processing! I would never have believed that. Once I calibrate with ARC so I can have separate Movie / Music modes I can't come to a conclusion just yet.

What I do love about the Anthem D2V is there is generally more than one way to skin a cat and you have so many choices as to how your media is processed and how you might want to enjoy it. The fact you can have 4 separate Audio/Video setups per input is pretty amazing for a start and makes for a very flexible component.

Regards

Blade

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree 2 HDMI's is enough for most people and dedicated HT's. Hopefully Cary will sort the HDMI issues out. NAD/ARCAM have both had those crackle issues.

To the question of what I would do with SACD / HDMI and if everything was DSD. I'd almost certainly use HDMI due to the simplicity. For now though I have become a big fan of Analog Direct Mode on both 2-Channel and 6-Channel. In this Mode there is no ARC Processing being applied and Bass Management is governed by the Marantz. Analog Direct is so much clearer / cleaner with no processing. To be fair though I didn't calibrate for the music part of ARC so perhaps I'll give that a go just so I can perform a fairer A/B. I think the 2-Channel folk here would agree that the less happening in the chain the better the result will be.

The Diana Krall SACD - "The Girl In The Other Room" is one of my more recent benchmark albums (Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon is still No #1) and I've come to the startling revelation after multiple sessions that I actually prefer straight 2-Channel rather than 6-Channel processing! I would never have believed that. Once I calibrate with ARC so I can have separate Movie / Music modes I can't come to a conclusion just yet.

What I do love about the Anthem D2V is there is generally more than one way to skin a cat and you have so many choices as to how your media is processed and how you might want to enjoy it. The fact you can have 4 separate Audio/Video setups per input is pretty amazing for a start and makes for a very flexible component.

Regards

Blade

Hello Blade!

What I don't understand is the following. With "Analog Direct is so much clearer / cleaner with no processing." you are basically saying you get the best sound out of the Anthem D2V by NOT using it at all. AFAIK Analog Direct is a straight and simple analog passtrough. So you pretty much get exactly what you would get by connecting the Marantz directly to your Catalysts/Submersives (yes, you would need a cinch/XLR adapter or converter for that). The D2V is nothing more than a $7500.- volume control in this case.

So you are hearing just and only the Marantz sound in Analog Direct. The best thing the D2V does in this mode is being transparent - which isn't that hard considering it doesn't touch, process or convert the signal other than analog gain control. And this is the mode you describe as being "much cleaner/clearer" than actually using the D2V for sound reproduction? What am I missing?

Edited by TheLion
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Blade!

What I don't understand is the following. With "Analog Direct is so much clearer / cleaner with no processing." you are basically saying you get the best sound out of the Anthem D2V by NOT using it at all. AFAIK Analog Direct is a straight and simple analog passtrough. So you pretty much get exactly what you would get by connecting the Marantz directly to your Catalysts/Submersives (yes, you would need a cinch/XLR adapter or converter for that). The D2V is nothing more than a $7500.- volume control in this case.

So you are hearing just and only the Marantz sound in Analog Direct. The best thing the D2V does in this mode is being transparent - which isn't that hard considering it doesn't touch, process or convert the signal other than analog gain control. And this is the mode you describe as being "much cleaner/clearer" than actually using the D2V for sound reproduction? What am I missing?

I would think it's still utilising the ADC chips in the Anthem D2V. It would not go through the DAC in the Anthem D2V so would not benefit from the Upsampling done there. I could be wrong but I thought "Analog Direct" does precisely what "Analog DSP" does minus the overlay of ARC Processing/negates use of any DSP Modes/No BASS Management. The Seatons have their own DAC (For DSP Processing) so I assume the signal coming in (Regardless of how) would still initially need to be Digital. More than happy to be wrong though. On the other hand If the Anthem DAC/ADC is bypassed entirely and a clean/untarnished Analog signal (Performed by the Marantz DAC) is sent straight to the Seatons then they still have to convert to Digital first for the DSP processing. I can't speak for the Seatons though as I'm not sure what happens at that stage. Still, if what I'm hearing is ultimately because of the Marantz UD9004 then good on it for providing such a superb result.

Because I had no calibrated separately (With ARC) for Music (I had it set the same as "movie") the processing was far to aggressive (And certainly invalid with gross Room Gain applied) for music and was tainting the experience too much. That is why I determined Analog Direct was "much cleaner/clearer" than what I had experienced with ARC/Music. In fact, it wasn't even a fair fight. I was going to calibrate for music "with" ARC separately but decided I much prefer Analog Direct and have decided to leave it at that.

If Macca or LD want to step in and correct me on my understanding of Analog Direct Mode please feel free. If you want a definitive answer straight away Lion perhaps post in the dedicated AVS Forum thread where Bob will gladly answer you with a degree of certainty.

So 1 of three things is happening:

Marantz DAC > Anthem D2V Bypassed entirely > ADC>DAC in the Seatons OR

Marantz DAC > Anthem ADC>DAC > ADC>DAC in the Seatons OR

Marantz DAC > Anthem D2V Bypassed entirely > Analog Direct in the Seatons (DAC Bypassed)

Blade

Edited by BladeRnR
Link to comment
Share on other sites



Blade, in context to 2ch music, the last option you list there is what you would want and what *should* deliver the best sound quality.

"TheLion", being transparent is actually very hard and is something that 99% of AVR's, processors etc fail to achieve for the discerning listener. most dont even offer a true analogue pass-through, instead performing an ADC then DAC, to the detriment of the sound quality.

thats why people still buy simple, pure analogue pre-amps or integrated stereo amps and incorporate them into their HT system via HT bypass inputs.

if the anthem delivers on this (which reviews etc suggest it does fairly successfully), then thats quite an achievement for its price (imo).

edit: just re-read that last scenario of your's blade and wondered if you actually meant connecting the marantz straight into the seatons - where i thought you meant still connecting to the D2v, but using the analogue input to "bypass" the guts of the D2V, so:

Marantz > D2V analogue direct > Seatons

Edited by Dissociative
Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ further to that, if there is an option to connect direct via analogue from the marantz to the seatons, then thats an even more direct signal path. Not something i have much experience with, but would have to be worth a comparison against the other (more conventional) analogue scenario i suggested.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Blade, in context to 2ch music, the last option you list there is what you would want and what *should* deliver the best sound quality.

"TheLion", being transparent is actually very hard and is something that 99% of AVR's, processors etc fail to achieve for the discerning listener. most dont even offer a true analogue pass-through, instead performing an ADC then DAC, to the detriment of the sound quality.

thats why people still buy simple, pure analogue pre-amps or integrated stereo amps and incorporate them into their HT system via HT bypass inputs.

if the anthem delivers on this (which reviews etc suggest it does fairly successfully), then thats quite an achievement for its price (imo).

edit: just re-read that last scenario of your's blade and wondered if you actually meant connecting the marantz straight into the seatons - where i thought you meant still connecting to the D2v, but using the analogue input to "bypass" the guts of the D2V, so:

Marantz > D2V analogue direct > Seatons

I know that it isn't a given to provide a transparent analog pass-through. It certainly is a nice feature the D2V provides.

BUT my message is that D2V as a preamp doesn't sound as good as using the Marantz for preamplification. The Marantz is a very good Blu-Ray source with excellent analog stage but still we are not talking about a dedicted "audiophile" stereo device here...I would expect a high end prepro like the D2V to match it's performance at least with multichannel content.

Blade,

in your preferred "Analog Direct" mode you are listening to Marantz DAC > Anthem D2V Bypassed entirely and the obligatory ADC>DAC steps in the Seatons (you cannot bypass these conversions in the Catalyst because eg. all the crossover functions are done in the digital domain).

So basically you are listening to the Marantz. It could even be a touch better if you connect the Marantz directly to the Catalysts. You are not using/hearing any AD / DA conversions in the D2V in this mode. The D2V is just acting as analog gain control. That's the whole point of a direct mode - to hear the analog source as it is.

If you rwally want to make a valid comparison of the Marantz versus the D2V as prepro you have to feed the D2V with digital signals from the Marantz and disable all processing but bass management in the D2V. That way you will be hearing:

Marantz > Anthem DAC > and the obligatory ADC>DAC in the Seatons

That way you would compare the analog stage (eg. DACs) in the Marantz with the one in the Anthem.

i hope adapting the ARC calibration for "Music" with less applied room gain will shift your preference towards the "Anthem sound".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wouldn't underestimate that marantz, it borrows the analogue section from the flagship sa7s1 and marantz themselves in their marketing blurb say it sounds basically the same - so definitely not to be confused with other universals.

That the seatons (from what's been said) force an adc - dac obviously isn't ideal and complicates matters. In theory then, connecting the marantz to the seatons via a digital connection (if possible) should be the best path, but of course anything is possible in practice so it's one of those things where you would have to try for yourself and decide what sounds best to you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know that it isn't a given to provide a transparent analog pass-through. It certainly is a nice feature the D2V provides.

BUT my message is that D2V as a preamp doesn't sound as good as using the Marantz for preamplification. The Marantz is a very good Blu-Ray source with excellent analog stage but still we are not talking about a dedicted "audiophile" stereo device here...I would expect a high end prepro like the D2V to match it's performance at least with multichannel content.

Blade,

in your preferred "Analog Direct" mode you are listening to Marantz DAC > Anthem D2V Bypassed entirely and the obligatory ADC>DAC steps in the Seatons (you cannot bypass these conversions in the Catalyst because eg. all the crossover functions are done in the digital domain).

So basically you are listening to the Marantz. It could even be a touch better if you connect the Marantz directly to the Catalysts. You are not using/hearing any AD / DA conversions in the D2V in this mode. The D2V is just acting as analog gain control. That's the whole point of a direct mode - to hear the analog source as it is.

If you rwally want to make a valid comparison of the Marantz versus the D2V as prepro you have to feed the D2V with digital signals from the Marantz and disable all processing but bass management in the D2V. That way you will be hearing:

Marantz > Anthem DAC > and the obligatory ADC>DAC in the Seatons

That way you would compare the analog stage (eg. DACs) in the Marantz with the one in the Anthem.

i hope adapting the ARC calibration for "Music" with less applied room gain will shift your preference towards the "Anthem sound".

Thanks for that Lion. This kind of testing is not my fort-ay - it's more like, "something to do" on a rainy day. My setup is 95% HT so this Analog testing is little more than a tryst for me. I'm aware the ADC/DAC processing is unavoidable in the Catalyst given it controls the X-overs so that's a known quantity.

I actually wasn't aiming to compare the Marantz UD9004 to the Anthem D2V DAC's. It was more comparing Analog to Analog DSP (With ARC) within the Anthem. I'll include HDMI in that I guess. In the latter 2 processing modes keep in mind the Anthem D2V is utilising it's 24-bit/192kHz up-sampling as well.

With your suggestions I can do that.

Blade

Link to comment
Share on other sites



Already pretty much covered, but just for for the sake of it:

Analog Direct is an analog bypass mode. Analog input is routed directly to the analog volume then to the analog outputs(XLR and RCA)......sure it passes through some operational amps etc but it's pretty much a direct line through the D2v.

All digital processing is bypassed, this includes:

Speaker delays

Bass management

ARC equalization

All DSP modes, ie THX, PLIIx, Dolby Volume, etc

Analog adjustment available:

Input level adjustment

Speaker level trims

Volume control

Analog DSP is a digitizing mode. Analog input is routed to the ADC then DSP for processing then DAC to be converted to back to analog then Volume control then out the analog outputs. The analog route pre ADC and post DAC is usually identical to the Analog direct mode, the difference is the route through the digital section(ADC to DSP to DAC).

All digital processing and analog adjustments listed above are active.

..................

If you want to determine the transparency of the Analog DSP mode when compared to the Analog Direct mode you will need to ensure all digital processing(listed previously) is turned off or nullified and speaker levels are identical in both modes(calibration disc).

If you want to compare the DAC's of the player(Analog Direct) to the D2v(Digital input, ie HDMI) you will need to do the above but also, as Lion mentioned, ensure the D2v's bass management matches the players..........oh and make sure both can decode the signal properly.

I think i got that all right :mellow: the point in this is to have a comparison that reveals what you intend to compare, ie so other things aren't coloring the result...........only thing is, that's generally time and effort most would prefer spent enjoying their system ;)

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Macca. As I suggested earlier this was not a scientific undertaking - it was just an impression I thought I'd pass on in regards to my experience with Analog Direct & 2-Channel which has since branched into 6-Channel Analog Direct for SACD.

I too prefer to just turn it on and listen. The time and effort you spent on identifying level differences between different inputs and formats was worthwhile though.

I'll still pursue my "testing" if for nothing more than to familiarise myself with the varying modes/settings. Frankly though, I enjoy the untarnished and un-processed sound of Analog Direct and will likely stick with that for music.

Blade

Edited by BladeRnR
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Macca. As I suggested earlier this was not a scientific undertaking - it was just an impression I thought I'd pass on in regards to my experience with Analog Direct & 2-Channel which has since branched into 6-Channel Analog Direct for SACD.

I too prefer to just turn it on and listen. The time and effort you spent on identifying level differences between different inputs and formats was worthwhile though.

I'll still pursue my "testing" if for nothing more than to familiarise myself with the varying modes/settings. Frankly though, I enjoy the untarnished and un-processed sound of Analog Direct and will likely stick with that for music.

Blade

Blade,

why do you make this difference between (multichannel) music and movie playback? As I understand it you should prefer Analog Direct for movies for all the same reasons you do for multichannel music.

I am interested in the reason why you feel movies and (multichannel) music playback should be evaluated seperatly. Is it the extented bass response of movie content that shift your preference toward the calibrated ARC solution?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll still pursue my "testing" if for nothing more than to familiarise myself with the varying modes/settings. Frankly though, I enjoy the untarnished and un-processed sound of Analog Direct and will likely stick with that for music.

It's very likely that the digital processing in DSP mode is doubling up on a few things which will likely make it sound worse than Direct mode. Things like speaker delay, speaker level and bass management being applied in both the player and D2v can really be detrimental to sound quality.......ie resulting incorrect delays can destroy imaging.

The DSP mode with all processing disabled is supposedly transparent to Direct mode(according to Anthems testing and listening evaluations), so the fact you find the DSP mode so much poorer would suggest the cause is the engaged processing.

When you get a chance, try turning off or nullify all processing(that list I put up earlier, plus others) and compare to direct. You should find the result similar, then you can add in some processing and hear what effect it has.......ie nullify the player delays, levels and bass management and let the D2v handle it.

Fun and games :D

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.




×
×
  • Create New...
To Top