Got HD sound my verdict

[Stu123]

Well for someone like me with not much money id say stick with your old system for now as although it packs more of a punch there isn't a huge difference.Obviously if you can afford it you're going to get it so you know you're getting the best possible sound but really you arn't missing out on a great deal and my opinion is the articles are right that have suggested it's hard to tell the difference between dolby digital 5.1 and dolby true hd 5.1.I wasn't dissapointed with the sound i was just dissapointed with the difference compared to dolby digital 5.1 as it wasn't as big as i'd hoped it would be.I was listening for rear effects that i couldn't hear with dolby digital and couldn't really spot anything new going from one to the other.So as i say the only difference i could tell is that it just sounded louder.

ps3 with onkyo htx 22hd

[JasonR]

If you don't mind me asking, what gear is included in your setup?

[ajvdbg]

Without details on you exisitng setup, there is little validity in your statement that there isn't a huge difference. With my low-endish system there is a huge difference for me (Klipsch Quintet II, Denon AVR 788, PS3)...

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by ajvdbg

Without details on you exisitng setup, there is little validity in your statement that there isn't a huge difference. With my low-endish system there is a huge difference for me (Klipsch Quintet II, Denon AVR 788, PS3)...

Especially with the surrounds and what you are listening from them....because if it HTiB surrounds, they are rather weak and always will be, even with Dolby True HD or DTS-HD, so it would be hard to get any real world audio improvement from them regardless of what type of audio you are listening to.

[Stu123]

ps3,onkyo htx 22hd

[Rob J in WNY]

To me, there is great difference on a lot of movies. It comes from the presence of sonic nuances and fine detail - even on older movies with dated recording techniques and aged audio masters.

Probably the most noticeable improvement is the naturalness of dialog speech. Overall, lossless audio sounds a bit less brittle, and much more "open."

My setup, too, is mostly mid-grade components, but the differences are noticable, and much-enjoyed.

I'm also very "geeky" about this stuff, and I can certainly understand there are those who may consider the difference negligible. There are plenty of people who feel that standard definition DVD video is plenty fine, even on larger displays, and don't feel the need to upgrade to Blu-ray at all. I would beg to differ, of course, but to each their own, understandably.

[Stu123]

Originally Posted by Rob J in WNY

To me, there is great difference on a lot of movies. It comes from the presence of sonic nuances and fine detail - even on older movies with dated recording techniques and aged audio masters.

Probably the most noticeable improvement is the naturalness of dialog speech. Overall, lossless audio sounds a bit less brittle, and much more "open."

My setup, too, is mostly mid-grade components, but the differences are noticable, and much-enjoyed.

I'm also very "geeky" about this stuff, and I can certainly understand there are those who may consider the difference negligible. There are plenty of people who feel that standard definition DVD video is plenty fine, even on larger displays, and don't feel the need to upgrade to Blu-ray at all. I would beg to differ, of course, but to each their own, understandably.

Well the difference between SD and HD picture is amazing where the difference between the SD sound and HD sound isn't

[Fors*]

Unfortunately, there are a ton of more variables to be considered with getting HD quality audio than with HD quality video. And it is those intangibles (the things you don't have direct control over) that do impact what you can and cannot hear. I find this to be the most challenging and educating part of home theater though, and I enjoy learning how it all works together too.

[BIslander]

An article that sheds some light on this issue:

http://www.hemagazine.com/node/Dolby...compressed_PCM

[crazyBLUE]

If this is what you have ~ http://www.eu.onkyo.com/products/HTX-22HD.html

I can understand your problem .

[Johk]

Originally Posted by stubiedoo

ps3,onkyo htx 22hd

I'm not surprised that with an HTIB you don't hear major difference in audio from lossy to lossless. Including lossless audio with HTIB is more marketing than actual value.

From a review of the HTX 22HD:

"It's also somewhat debatable as to whether a system like this can highlight the advantages of lossless surround sound codecs over the standard, compressed versions of DTS and Dolby Digital. But even so, Onkyo should be commended for including support for the latest sound formats, and given the choice, I'd always want to listen to the best possible audio stream."

Also, improvements in PQ from HD are easier to notice than difference in lossless audio. Anyway, I'm not saying that your system is not good. It's way better than TV speakers. But if you check out a higher end system you will notice difference in SQ for both DVDs and Blu-Ray and the gap between DVDs and Blu-Rays will be clearer in systems with better components.

Anyway, don't dismiss "HD sound" without hearing its full potential first!

[emoxley]

My wife even noticed.............
When I played the first movie we watched (Independence Day), after getting our BD player, my wife said, "It sounds better too. It's a lot clearer!" This is from someone that usually doesn't notice stuff like that.

[Johk]

Originally Posted by emoxley

My wife even noticed.............
When I played the first movie we watched (Independence Day), after getting our BD player, my wife said, "It sounds better too. It's a lot clearer!" This is from someone that usually doesn't notice stuff like that.

Your lucky, my gf only tells me to turn it down...

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by emoxley

My wife even noticed.............
When I played the first movie we watched (Independence Day), after getting our BD player, my wife said, "It sounds better too. It's a lot clearer!" This is from someone that usually doesn't notice stuff like that.

The same is true of the lossless codecs on Blu when output over optical or coax. Optical and coax do not support lossless and the player will output DD 5.1 and DTS instead of TrueHD and dts-MA. But, those lossy outputs are less compressed on BD than on DVD and most would agree they sound quite a bit better as a result. There is less agreement about whether lossless sounds better than the higher bitrate lossy outputs and, if so, how much better.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by emoxley

My wife even noticed.............
When I played the first movie we watched (Independence Day), after getting our BD player, my wife said, "It sounds better too. It's a lot clearer!" This is from someone that usually doesn't notice stuff like that.

That is not a surprise. On the average, women have better hearing than men. Men suck at most things, but their ego won't allow them to admit it.

[JunkBoy]

I was like you too in thinking that lossy sound was a "good enough" sound but when I made that switch to lossless...the difference was truly night and day! Our household not only watches movies now we get to experience the movies that we watch. And for me personally it's so much more satisfying this way.

Since there's not much of a noticeable difference for you with lossy vs lossless sound maybe you should look at upgrading from HTiB to seperate components. You don't have to do everything at once because I took the baby steps route when it came to upgrading my system (and I'm still not finished). But be careful because once you take that step away from HTiB there won't be no turning back for you!

[rpneuss]

Originally Posted by BIslander

The same is true of the lossless codecs on Blu when output over optical or coax. Optical and coax do not support lossless and the player will output DD 5.1 and DTS instead of TrueHD and dts-MA. But, those lossy outputs are less compressed on BD than on DVD and most would agree they sound quite a bit better as a result. There is less agreement about whether lossless sounds better than the higher bitrate lossy outputs and, if so, how much better.

I've heard from many people that its a bigger jump from the lossy on a regular dvd player to the lossy on a blu ray player than there is from a blu ray playing lossy to a blu ray player playing lossless. Whatever the case I sure love it!

[quest88]

Originally Posted by stubiedoo

Well for someone like me with not much money id say stick with your old system for now as although it packs more of a punch there isn't a huge difference.Obviously if you can afford it you're going to get it so you know you're getting the best possible sound but really you arn't missing out on a great deal and my opinion is the articles are right that have suggested it's hard to tell the difference between dolby digital 5.1 and dolby true hd 5.1.I wasn't dissapointed with the sound i was just dissapointed with the difference compared to dolby digital 5.1 as it wasn't as big as i'd hoped it would be.I was listening for rear effects that i couldn't hear with dolby digital and couldn't really spot anything new going from one to the other.So as i say the only difference i could tell is that it just sounded louder.

ps3 with onkyo htx 22hd

HTX-22HD 2.1-channel digital home cinema system

How can you base HD Sound off an 2.1 system ?

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

That is not a surprise. On the average, women have better hearing than men. Men suck at most things, but their ego won't allow them to admit it.

I don't suck at anything BD, no matter what my wife tells me!.......

[dewd]

It works both ways... The better your speakers, the more revealing they are. Junk (compressed audio - mp3, wma, etc) sounds much worse, poorly recored CD's become evident, and HD formats sound better.