Red dot version not auto detecting properly

...if I play CDs (5 disk changer) on random, one of which is a DTS CD, the new 950 does not want to switch to DTS to play it, it continues with Stereo, if I 'tell' it to play in DTS it does, and then when a regular PCM disk loads it plays in NEO:6. My original 950 did not have this problem, it would correctly auto switch from Stereo to DTS and back to Stereo depending on the CD.

Can anyone else confirm if their red dot version is doing this?

I don't have a DTS CD's to test with, but I would first make sure that the CD input is set to auto-detect. (There are some specific instructions on page 31 of the manual, but the basic idea here is that you need to hold down one of the format buttons -- I just did this using "STEREO" -- for five seconds, and when the second line of the display changes to "MODE: DTS" use the left and right navigation buttons to scroll through to "MODE: AUTO"). That *may* solve your problem. If not, let us know.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

I just checked both Optical 1 and Optical 2, DVD and CD players respectively, both were set to Auto. It's as if the Auto setting is irrelevant, the last 'detected' format is the one that continues to be used as if I locked that format for the input.

I do like the sound of the new one vs. the first rev.

Email to Scott?

Gonk, Page 31 of the manual recommends leaving the default data format in AUTO since otherwise signals that are not in the selected format won't be recognized.

I had a problem like bbarden's in my red-dot 950. If I put a regular CD in the DVD player and set the 950 mode to stereo, the 950 played in stereo. If I then put a DTS CD in the player, the 950 played in stereo (not DTS), although I could switch to DTS manually. But if I played a DTS CD in DTS and then put a regular CD in the player, the 950 played it in PL II-C (not stereo or even DTS NEO) although I could manually switch it to stereo.

Will, I agree that in general it's best to stick with "AUTO" so that it properly detects the incoming signal. If you are getting this sort of confusion with the unit in auto mode, I'm not sure what the problem might be.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

This operation is correct. The last output configuration (processing mode) was stereo,
not 5.1. The system was still decoding DTS and downmixing the 5.1 channel source
to 2 channels in order to comply with the fact that the last listen mode (or output
configuration) was set to stereo.




This operation is correct. The last output configuration (also known as
processing mode)was DTS 5.1, not stereo. The system was still decoding
DTS, but now it was NOT downmixing the 5.1 channel source to 2 channels
in order to comply with the fact that the last listen mode (or output
configuration) was no longer set to stereo, but instead was set to 5.1
channel output mode ("DTS").





This is also proper behavior. If the user was listening to audio over 5.1 channels,
when the source changes to PCM, the 950 automatically sets the
DSP processing mode to try to deliver audio over the same number of
channels. The DTS PCM processing algorithm which correctly succeeds in doing this
is DTS Neo:6.

That's interesting. Mine exhibits a slightly different behavior. After a DTS CD plays in DTS, a subsequent regular PCM disk would play in DPL II-C, not NEO:6. I'd prefer that it would play the regular PCM disk in NEO:6-M, but find I have to switch it myself, manually, after a DTS CD plays, even though it was NEO:6-M before the DTS CD played.

Fortunately, in my 950, it auto-switches to DTS for a DTS CD if previously a regular PCM disk played in DTS NEO:6-M. It doesn't remember the DTS setting when the order of CD's is reversed, in mine...

[This message has been edited by Will (edited September 10, 2002).]

This is in many ways similar to the behavior on my regular 950 (not exchanged yet, as I'm trying to see if I can wait a little bit and make an exhange for a brand new factory model with the fixes built in) as it will not remember certain modes.

As one example, I put another DTS DVD into the player on the DVD input. The last disc was set to play DTS-ES matrix, which it did (although, not flagged as such-- I manually set it). The opening menu comes up with sound in Dolby Digital 2.0 or 5.1. I select the DTS track on the disc and hit play. The decoder goes back into normal DTS 5.1 mode without DTS-ES decoding (even though that was the last DTS setting I used), and I have to manually force it back to DTS-ES mode (I like some non-ES encoded action movies with ES engaged for a better soundfield). Obviously, if the disc is flagged for ES there is no problem.

It's also an annoyance if I want the 5.1 flying disc DTS intro in DTS-ES matrix (sounds great) and the movie that way too since many times the studio will start with that intro, then switch to DD 5.1 for the THX intro, and then go back to DTS 5.1 for the feature. Meaning I have to manually switch it to ES mode twice.

The same thing happens with Dolby Digital in EX mode, where it doesn't remember from source to source that I had EX engaged for 5.1 Dolby Digital material unless the disc was already flagged for it.

Now, on my neighbor's Denon 3802 you have a user selectable 6.1/7.1 mode that allows you to use DD EX (their version of it) or DTS-ES matrix decoding all the time if you want for DD or DTS 5.0/5.1 tracks if there is no flag present on the disc. You then do nothing. If it detects Dolby Digital or DTS in 5.0 or 5.1 it pops the decoder into the corresponding 6.1 matrix format. I find that rather handy instead of having to manually go back to that mode at the start of the movie leaving a split second break in the soundtrack like with the Model 950.

Just a suggestion for any future surround processor...

Dan

[This message has been edited by Dan Hitchman (edited September 10, 2002).]

[This message has been edited by Dan Hitchman (edited September 10, 2002).]