Good used surround processors??

Hello Bismarch1

If you are going the used route to put together a home theater system (which is not a BAD idea when you stop and think about it. I got both of my VCRs that way, a JVC HR-VP638U VHS/Hi-Fi deck and a 1991 vintage Sony SLV-R5UC S-VHS/Hi-Fi "Prosumer Type" deck. The TV and the rest of my gear was purchased brand new), then I would definitely look for a 2 or 3 year old Fosgate with Dolby Digital Decoding, Dolby Pro-Logic, DTS (if that's what you want), and THX (again, if that's what you want). It should also have enough jacks in the back to connect all of your gear, and it should have a lot of S-VHS Jacks. I believe that some of the newer high-end standalone processors have "Component Video Jacks". If that doesn't concern you all that much, this would be a feature I would bypass if you happen to have these jacks on the back of your TV.

Now, about DAC's. I don't know what kind of DVD Player you have, but if you have a player that is equipped with good DAC's in the beginning, then I would forget about getting a DAC at this point. If not, then I would hunt down a used Theta Chroma for about $300.00 to about $450.00.

And finally, as for amps. I would say that you should listen to your Energy's first with both of your existing amps and see which amp sounds best with them, and then I would pursue a used stereo amp that either like one of your existing amps or one that is strikingly similar to it in sonic signature. Since everyone seems to be going for "multi-channel" sound right now, a good stereo amp may be had on the cheap. I would look here at "Audiogon" or at a site like "Audio Shopper", "Audio Review (if you are willing to put in the time)", or "E-Bay" to see if any bargains exist. If you see one that fits your ideal, jump on it then.

As for cables and a subwoofer. I think I will reserve comment until things on the speaker/amp front are resolved. I hope this is helpful enough for right now.

Good Luck,

--Charles--

My big relief was being able to use the amps at all. As I _thought_ I understood digital surround, you had to have equal power all the way around--a local dealer told me much like my dolby pro logic processor, the digital processors can compensate, as well. Good thing because the Cambridge Audio amp I described is a giant killer, and way more powerful than the B&K, doubling its output into 4 ohms.

What is the difference between DTS and Dolby Digital Decoding? In reference to your question about DVD and DACs, my DVD player is a Circuit City-grade Sony given to me as a gift this past Christmas. I have to check to verify it has a digital out, but I suspect it should. The DAC would be a later upgrade, nonetheless--I'm also buying dryers and hedge trimmers and furniture and, etc., etc.!

I'm in good shape for shelf space--I have to add a new rack upstairs for the high-end rig, but that's another story. From what I'm reading, S-video is better than component video jacks?

BTW, since posting as a guest under my bismarck email address, my registration has been activated, hence the user name Kitchener rather than bismarck1@home.com.

Bismarch1:

I don't know right off of the top of my head the difference between Dolby Digital and DTS. Both decoding methods use the 5.1 recording system. Dolby Digital is what you should be concerned about. It seems as though manufacturers also add DTS as an afterthought. DTS is a format that had some promise when it was launched about three or four years ago, but for some reason or another, it never caught on, and therefore, it was hardly mentioned. I hope I am right about this. But then again, you never know, because some of my DVDs at home can be decoded by either format, Dolby Digital and DTS. That may sound like a good subject for another thread altogether.

Now as for your Sony DVD Player, more than likely, it will have a digital output (in the form of both, a coaxial and a fiber optic toslink). Most DVD Players will have both of these jacks. My Pioneer Elite DV-37 certainly has them. The only ones that I have seen to have omit one form of the digital outputs so far seem to be the entry-level Toshibas (a friend of mine has an SD-1600..... he was someone who wanted a decent DVD Player that has a great picture, but doesn't cost a lot of money, so I told him about the Toshiba SD-1600/SD-1700), so you can add a DAC later on if you like.

And yes, in Dolby Digital, equal power goes to ALL channels (front, center, rear, and sides (if you have any), leaving only the subwoofer to fend for itself, hence the name, 5.1 channel sound. However, the surround sound processor should blend the subwoofer with the rest of the channels of your home theater system).

--Charles--

Kitchener - you can definitely utilize amps that you already have. As the dealer told you, the pre/pro will allow you to calibrate the sound level by channel (you'll need an SPL meter), so power differences can be compensated for.

Dolby Digital and DTS are both multi-channel digital encoding techniques. DD is encapsulated in AC-3, which allows for many different encoding techniques. The two are used interchangably which, for most conversations, doesn't matter much, but isn't technically accurate. DTS is an alternative encoding which, therefore, requires a different decoder. It's higher-bandwidth and, therefore, assumed to be superior and may well be. There is no doubt that DD is universally accepted by DVD manufacturers. DTS soundtracks are often included now, but not on every DVD by a long shot. Most pre/pros include DTS decoding now, though it used to be a premium feature and if you buy a used one you may not get it. The most straight-forward approach would be just to be sure that the pre/pro you buy does DD 5.1 (again, there are new versions of DD that you can pursue, but at some expense), that the DVD player you get outputs a digital signal (so that the pre/pro is the box doing the decoding), and get a 5.1 channel setup going and sit back and enjoy. A few years from now, you may want to pursue one of the myriad of new multi-channel HT encoding schemes, but after some of the dust has settled. -Kirk