Q&A # 294 - June 19, 2002

Staff

Q I enjoyed your review of the Consonance tube preamp, but why are old tubes better than the new ones?

A Not all old tubes are better, just certain ones. For example, in the 12AX7 type, the Telefunken ECC83 (made in Germany) is highly sought after, particularly the version with the smooth plate. Also, the Mullard CV4004 (made in the UK) is prized. There were lots and lots of 12AX7s made in the 50s and 60s. These specific ones just turned out to be spectacular.

Q I am in the market to buy a second DVD player to go along with my new Toshiba 36AF41 Flat screen TV (analog). Will getting a progressive scan DVD player make much difference? I heard that progressive scan players only make a difference if you have a HDTV-ready or digital television. Please enlighten me.

A Not only will it make a difference, but you can only use the progressive scan with an HDTV or digital TV that has progressive scan capabilities itself. Progressive scan requires at least twice the normal scan rate. NTSC TVs scan at 15.75 MHz. Progressive scan's lowest rate is 31.5 MHz (twice the 15.75 MHz), and goes up from there, depending on the signal, such as 480p or 720p. Major manufacturers have announced that they are making only digital TVs beginning this year, so the issue will soon be moot.

Q I recently built a bandpass box that contains a 15" sub for my home theater system. It is powered by a 1000 watt legacy amp which is run off a AC to DC power converter. I cannot get the sub to play when I run the line out from my receiver to the amp, but it DOES play when I run the audio line out from my computer to the amp. Is there anything Ican do to get my receiver to play this sub?

A It sounds like you have the receiver's bass management configured incorrectly. Make sure that you select Subwoofer On or Subwoofer - Yes, whatever it is, in the receiver menu. Also, just to check, select "Small" for the speaker setting and see if that gets you some subwoofer frequencies at the sub-out jack. Also, check the subwoofer volume setting in the receiver. Try connecting the receiver's rec-out jack to the subwoofer as well.

Q  I have a question about center channel compatibility. I have NEAR towers for fronts, Paradigm Micros for rear/surround, and a HSU subwoofer, all driven by an H&K 300 5.1 receiver. I haven't purchased a DVD player yet, but hope to get one with DVD Audio playback. Since I am more interested in audio than video, should I go for an expensive center that will handle DVD-A as well as movies? How much of DVD-A goes through the center channel usually, or does that vary with each disc?

A You need a good center channel regardless of whether it is movies or music, because the center is very important. It does not have to be expensive, but it should be neutral in sound. Go to your dealer with some CDs that have female vocals, and have the dealer switch the receiver to Pro Logic. That will give you the voices in the center channel. Listen for a natural sound, rather than one that is boomy, chesty, nasal, or tizzy. Make sure the center speaker is sitting on top of a TV similar to the one you have during the test. Especially for DVD-A, it will be important that your center match the front left/right as closely as possible.

Q I read Mr. Johnson's review of the Sony SCD-CE775 CD/DACD player in the Secrets April 2002 issue. In it he states, " Sony does not produce hybrid SACDs, so I used the various Telarc SACD releases which are hybrid. Remember, the CD layer on hybrid discs are simply the DSD recordings that are converted to CD PCM, so it is not a true comparison."

Does this mean that the regular CD is always different from the CD layer of a hybrid SACD? For example, I purchased the Telarc CD "Berlioz: The Symphonie Fantastique," Paavo Jarvi, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (80578). Then I purchased the hybrid SACD from Telarc (60578). From Mr. Johnson's statement, the regular CD is different from the CD layer of the hybrid SACD. Are these really different since both are DSD recordings?  What about the regular CDs that start out as DSD recordings? Shouldn't these CDs be the same as the CD layer of the hybrid SACD?

In short, are there exceptions to Mr. Johnson's statements?

A Due to economics, the SACD layer and CD layer of hybrid discs are both engineered from one DSD master recording. They down-convert the DSD signal for the CD track. The CD version of the Berlioz recording you bought is undoubtedly the same as the CD layer of the SACD/CD hybrid disc. For a true comparison, we would need a recording that was made with two recorders simultaneously, one a DSD machine, and the other a conventional 16/44.1 CD machine (usually they are 20-24 bit recorders with high sampling rates for the master tape).

Q I am hoping you can help me. I own one of the first AC-3 receivers (Pioneer Elite VSX-99). It was compatible with laserdiscs that had an RF out.  Of course, I now own a DVD player and can find no set-up that will play Dolby Digital (AC-3).

A If your receiver has a set of analog 5.1 input jacks, and your DVD player has 5.1 analog out, then you are in business. Just use those connections. Otherwise, you would need a Dolby Digital and DTS outboard decoder, but you would still need to have those analog 5.1 input jacks on your receiver. If your receiver and DVD player don't have the 5.1 analog jacks, then it is time for a receiver upgrade. All the new ones have DD and DTS decoding built-in, with digital input jacks to connect to your DVD player.

Q I am considering purchasing a set of surround speakers and like the size of  some of the small speaker packages. However, I am concerned about the quality of the audio from these speakers when listening to music. What are the tradeoffs being made between a system using a 3" woofer versus one using a 5" woofer?

A The smaller the driver, the less air it can move, so the low end frequency response is not as good. From your question, I assume you are talking about the small modular speakers that you can hold in one hand. They won't give much of a response below 100 Hz, and you would need to use the "Small" speaker setting in your receiver. This will result in some parts of voices coming from the subwoofer, and it will be directional, throwing off the sound stage. I recommend you get the 5" model.

Q I'd like to know if component video connected via a component video switching mechanism (in the Anthem AVM20, to be specific) will be noticeably worse than a direct connection from the DVD player to the TV? My first choice for a television is the Philips 32PT8419 which has only one component video input. If a direct connection is preferred because it provides a noticeable difference (i.e., more than just "splitting hairs"), then I would consider a television with two component video inputs (one for DVD and one for Satellite).

A The Anthem has a good bandwidth, but any switching device, no matter how good, will degrade the signal. That is just the nature of having mechanical contacts in the signal path (plugs and jacks). The difference might be small, but it is there. I always go direct from the DVD player to the TV. My current system has two sets of component video input jacks. That is the way to go for critical viewing. I saw one recent new receiver that says on the back to connect your DVD player direct to the TV rather than go through the receiver.

� Copyright 2002 Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity
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