Will,
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But he says DPL II modifies the sound. Perhaps to me, the modifications make it sound better. But to him, it sounds like parts of the symphony's overtones are removed.
Are you hearing this yourself? A matrix decoder is, naturally, going to make the recording sound different than listening with a 2-speaker-only playback. Heck, even just using extra speakers (without any additional processing) will change how it sounds. Obviously you are enjoying some of the changes that PL II brings to a recording but, amongst the changes that you are personally hearing, can YOU actually hear overtones being removed? Or, are you going by his observations?
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If I have a good stereo recording that represents how an orchestra sounds, and if DPL II sounds sweeter, more pleasing to my ears, I wonder if maybe DPL II is changing the reality of the experience, by deliberately eliminating certain overtones in the sound, in particular, some of the harshness. If that's one thing DPL II does, it would make the sound more euphonic, sweeter, nicer, more pleasing, subtly less disconsonant, subtly less harsh.
But in my experience, those aren't the changes that PL II brings to a recording. When I play harsh sounding CD via PL II, I hear a harsh sounding recording in surround sound. When I play a smooth sounding CD in PL II, I get a smooth sounding surround presentation. I do notice changes, even slight tonal ones, that PL II can sometimes effect; but I've never heard PL II remove harshness or add sweetness to a recording. YMMV.

Best,
Sanjay
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Sanjay