Tom Adams Posted March 20, 2001 Share Posted March 20, 2001 Watched a DVD last night (Cyote Ugly. The wife wanted to see it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. ) and I had a choice of DTS 5.1 or Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. I selected DD and off we went. However, the choice I made kept bugging me. You know, nagging thoughts like, what does it sound like in DTS? Should I have selected DTS? Was DD the correct choice for my HT system setup? So, which mode (DD or DTS) do you guys prefer and why? Tom Adams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted March 20, 2001 Share Posted March 20, 2001 Tom - You let the Holy Grail slip through your fingers I like DTS for the following reasons: 1) It's cool - not everyone can play it on their equipment. 2) I think the clarity of the surround channels is better (but I'm probably just crazy). 3) They usually have a real cool DTS sound-blast (like the THX trailer) that plays after you select DTS on the DVD. As you can see, I have a totally scientific, rational approach to this. If your receiver handles DTS (which it does, since it's a Denon 3300, right?), pick DTS next time and see if you can tell a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Garrison Posted March 20, 2001 Share Posted March 20, 2001 Tom, tom, tom... You have a DVD with DD and DTS on it. You have a receiver that will play DD or DTS. (BTW, My life is becomming one sea of acronyms, lol, but that's another story...) and YOU'RE asking US which one sounds better? Dude, pick a chapter whose first few minutes have a lot going on audio-wise and really use the surrond channels. Cue up the DVD in DD, hit chapter select, and play a couple minutes. Stop, reset to DTS, go to chapter and play again. Then tell US what you think. Please? Ray ------------------ Music is art Audio is engineering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decibel man Posted March 20, 2001 Share Posted March 20, 2001 Tom, if you go to www.dts.com or I believe www.dolbylabs.com you can read about the differences. The DTS format uses different compression than the DD format. The DD format may be lacking some detail as it uses less space for its information (meaning it is more compressed on the DVD). I don't remember all of the details, but even on paper the DTS has a slight advantage. I prefered DTS before I knew this, but now that my brain knows it tells my ears that there is a bigger difference (kind of similar to the continuing debate on speaker cable). Some people still prefer DD, so I think it is a matter of choice. JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Adams Posted March 20, 2001 Author Share Posted March 20, 2001 Well guys...I didn't tell ya the whole truth. And that is, after we watched the entire movie, we went back and watched about 20 minutes of it in DTS. The reason I didn't say anything initially was cause I wanted to know if the wife & I's ears really did hear a difference. So I wanted to hear what other folks' ears have discerned. My wife's opinion was that the sound was, and I quote, "more in your face". When asked to explain what that statement meant, she used short, imcomplete sentences followed by hand gestures. It was kinda funny. LOL WHAP!! Owwww...that hurt. I was just kidding Trudy. Anyhow, I too felt the sound was a bit more detailed and that the rear effects gave a sense of more spacialness (sp?). I also felt that the content from the center channel wasn't as harsh and blended with the R/L front mains much better. Right/left pans were better too. Was kinda bummed we didn't watch all of it in DTS. And I'm really pissed cause I'm sure I didn't watch U-571 in DTS. Oh - dougdrake...yes I have a 3300. BTW, I'm dense today - Holy Grail?? Wazzat? Tom Adams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilH Posted March 20, 2001 Share Posted March 20, 2001 So far, I have preferred the DTS sound on all DVD's listened to. Try a DTS only DVD sometime (has DTS 5.1 and DD 2.0 only) which has about twice the bps rate as a DTS/DD 5.1 shared disc. Gladiator is one and I just picked up King Crimson's "Deja VROOM" concert DVD in DTS "only". Man, turn off the lights and be amazed by 6 of the 60's and 70's ultra-talented musicians...this one will totally immerse you from beginning to end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted March 20, 2001 Share Posted March 20, 2001 phil, thanks for the tip. i'll look for that. luved that "21st century schitzoid man" tune Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOOMIS914 Posted March 26, 2001 Share Posted March 26, 2001 It is DTS hands down over DD for me....I heard it first and then researched/compared it on-line and live in my HT. It was most noticeable in the rear surround channels where normally I am tweaking my KSP-S6 rears up in the levels to try and keep up with my KLF-30 fronts and C7 center. Although the best overall soundtrack has to be Toy Story 1 or 2, both in DD, not DTS....either one is best-in-class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afraid Posted March 26, 2001 Share Posted March 26, 2001 Hands down best DTS DVD is Titan A.E. Crank it loud! I get chills every time i listen to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afraid Posted March 26, 2001 Share Posted March 26, 2001 Titan A.E DTS!!! The best sounding dvd ever made. Awsome!!!!!! ------------------ Yamaha HTR 5150 Klipsh SB-1 (front left and right) Toshiba SD -3109 dvd player Zenith 27" TV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afraid Posted March 26, 2001 Share Posted March 26, 2001 Titan A.E DTS!!! The best sounding dvd ever made. Awsome!!!!!! ------------------ Yamaha HTR 5150 Klipsh SB-1 (front left and right) Toshiba SD -3109 dvd player Zenith 27" TV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Mazz Posted March 27, 2001 Share Posted March 27, 2001 I know DTS is suppose to be better, but I wonder how much of this is due to the fact that it's recorded to be louder at the same level of amplification. That's why it seems more in your face. I think the real differences are more subtle if you play the sound tracks at the same volume. Still I have a slight preference for DTS. P.S. Deja Vroom does not have "20th Century Schitzoid Man" on it. It's still excellent but the band has evolved and is very different than from 1969. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Horst Posted March 27, 2001 Share Posted March 27, 2001 I really like DTS, and some discs that were redone in DTS show it does make a difference. I like Twister in DTS, Seven (Special Edition), and a bunch others I cant think of right now. The Matrix though just sounds great, even if it is just DD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted March 27, 2001 Share Posted March 27, 2001 &*^%$ darnit. just ordered it from cdnow & didn't even look at the song list that's ok i guess; still like the band. saw them actually a few yrs back at the HORDE fest as the lead off band. didn't play that or their crimson song either. still sounded good to this hard rock fan. actually they only played about 20 min as no crowd had really arrived yet. thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Mazz Posted March 27, 2001 Share Posted March 27, 2001 Whoops. When I made made my post, I was thinking of the video concert section of the disk. The DVD has a special audio feature called 20th Century Schitzoid Band where you can mix your own version of the song from several different versions of King Crimson. For example you can mix vocals from the 1969 band with the rhythm section of the 1974 lineup. Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffgeorge Posted March 27, 2001 Share Posted March 27, 2001 I agree with the group. I too prefer DTS due to the fact that it has a more spacious and accurate sound overall (My opinion, of course). Some DD mixes sound great, and others are a little harsh. Two really great DTS releases that I have are "Gladiator" and "The Road to El Dorado". ------------------ RF-3's : mains RC-3 : center RS-3's : surrounds KSW10 X 2 : subwoofers Receiver: Denon 2801 DVD: Panasonic DVD-A120 CD: Yamaha CDC-765 Cables: Tributaries Sat Receiver: Hughes Direct-TV DD5.1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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