I don't doubt one bit that on whatever consumer DVDs that might be listened to that contain both DD and DTS, the DTS has sounded "better" to some listeners. I've heard this myself with LOTR, but that "better" was the result of goosed up surrounds, and an overall level increase in this instance.

I seriously doubt that anybody here has had the opportunity to be present when representatives from both DD and DTS were on the same dubbing stage, at the same time, with their best encoder-decoders, and have compared them in real time to an original 35 mm magnetic master of a 5.1 film. I have, and like I said in my original post, neither myself or anybody else present (all sound professionals, about 10 in all) could not tell a significant difference between the DD and DTS versions, except for hiss in my instance (with no program material).

I'm sorry if this flies in the face of some firm beliefs of some superiority of DTS, but when all variables are removed, and everybody is playing by the same rules, I'm afraid they are pretty equal in sound quality.

Like a lot of "hot" issues in audio such as cables or what-have-you that marketing types like to give great importance to, the reality is much more mundane in nature.

For the record, I think that both sound unaccaptable when compared directly to an original master, either digital or analog.



[This message has been edited by soundhound (edited May 21, 2003).]