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Author Topic: Hi-Res Audio - DVD-A/SACD/Multi channel and 2 channel FLAC and DTS setup  (Read 3574 times)

Hilton

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Hi All,

I've just finished ripping my collection of DVD-A, SACD's, Blu Rays and DTS CDs to multichannel FLAC and SACD ISO and I have some setup questions regarding DSP studio.
I guess I should give a system spec before i go any further with the questions as it may have a bearing on any advice offered....

I have a Sony STR-DA5200ES with
6x SS-X70ED mains and surrounds (all full range speakers)
with a matched SS-XCN70ED centre
2 x CT120 Velodyne 10" subs
Setup as 7.1 (dual mono subs calibrated 3db down individually to sum correctly to calibration tones) with subs sitting under left and right mains.
MC18 latest release. 18.0.106 (replacing my trusty old PS3 and Denon 2900)

My Media Centre interconnect is displayport to HDMI from a Lenovo M72e tiny pc with i5 3470T 8GB ram and 120GB SSD. (works great for all 1080P bluray and upscaled video content)
All content is served up via a 200Mbit ethernet over power connection from my main i7 system which has 2x e-sata Raid arrays with 12TB and 4TB with the 12TB for my media.

I made my own multi channel 5.1 and 2 channel test tone discs/flac files in Adobe Audition CS6 with pink noise, white noise and test tones and sweeps from 20hz to 200hz for each speaker to calibrate everything. I made both multichannel flac 96/24, 2 channel flac 96/24 and Blu ray DTS 96/24 6 channel and 2 channel tones.
I ripped my Video Essentials DVD and Digital Video Essentials Basic and Avia calibration discs so I could play them as source material from MC18 to cross reference my own calibration disc.

I recorded my custom 5.1 test tones @ -20db and the LFE -30db, that is, LFE 10db down from the main channels. Ive also done LFE test tones @ -20db (matching the main channels for testing purposes)

And here's where we get to the crux of the problem.

My understanding is that unfortunately the Sony Amp can't provide the +10 to LFE over HDMI with LPCM source decoded streams (decoded in MC18 and sent as LPCM) It will process any bitstreamed content fine if its AC3, DTS etc and happily apply the +10LFE, just not for LPCM.
A work around I THINK I have found for this is to calibrate the system using 2 of the seating position calibration memories and drop the LFE -10 for bitstreamed content from TiVo and all other bitstreamed or analogue content, and then set the second calibration memory with sub 10db up for LPCM content from MC18.

Apart from mastering level differences all calibration discs give me the same results, switching MC18 over from DSP studio to bitstream the LFE jumps the extra 10db with bitstream because the amp now adds the +10db, switching the amp to my bitstream calibration memory brings LFE back down again so everything matches. So in summary, the system plays bitstreams with LFE +10 from amp and DSP studio LPCM with all channels matching as long as I remember to switch calibration memories, which is great.

Im using JRSS with 7.1 and 2 channel mix to 2.1 and with the sub set for room correction crossover.
My mains and surrounds all go down to 40hz @ -3db which means Ive crossed over @ 60hz for all speakers and routed the bass to sub so that the natural roll off doesnt effect the cross over.

Using the DSP studio I was able to tame the 40hz room resonance which allowed me to bring the sub level up again to get 30Hz and 50Hz back and also boost the 90Hz hole with 2 parametric equalizers, and my system sounds the best it ever has... I can say it made such a huge change... All thanks to MC18 DSP studio! :)

The problem I have is that some of my 2channel DVD-A 96/24bit material I notice the bass is a bit heavier than it should be.
The Fourplay DVD-A is the main culprit and it may be a mastering issue or a bass management issue with JRSS or my settings for JRSS.
In 5.1 the LFE level is correct and shows in DSP studio analyzer as 10db down as it should, but in 2 channel this particular disc shows 5db down from mains in the studio analyzer.

I know that some DTS 5.1 CDs have the LFE at 0db instead of -10db. Steely Dan - Gaucho is an example because I can see in the DSP studio Analyzer the LFE is aligned with the main channels instead of being 10db down. But thats a Multichannel recording and my current problem is with some 2 channel content where the LFE is either aligned or 5db down from mains which means its either 5 or 10db too hot!

So do you think this is:

a) a mastering issue with certain discs
b) JRSS processing error or behaviour (might be by design I dont know!)
c) configuration issue with JRSS

How does JRSS handle bass management these days with LFE and room correction in effect?  I read several threads here discussing this particular topic but it was unclear to me how LFE and bass routing works in JRSS between 2 channel and multi channel?!?!?

Thanks for any advice!

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