Surround EX With Two Receivers
First off, I would like to say I love your magazine. No other print mag offers such insight into the world of digital home theatre, and the upcoming releases section really helps. Great Work! I’ve heard that you can install the Dolby® Digital Surround EX™ format via two receivers? Please carefully outline this procedure. Also when will Dolby Digital Surround EX be widespread, I mean commercially available via outboard decoders, etc.?
Simon Ross, New York City
Movie Sound Editor Perry Sun Comments:
Yes, it is possible to implement a home theatre system for Dolby Digital Surround EX playback using two receivers, one of which is equipped with 5.1-channel Dolby Digital and/or DTS® Digital Surround™ decoding (Receiver A), and the other with at least Dolby Surround ProLogic® (Receiver B). In order for this to work, Receiver A must have line-level multichannel outputs, namely the left and right surrounds. These two outputs are connected to any left/right source input of Receiver B. Be sure to select the appropriate source on this receiver and engage Dolby ProLogic decoding. The back surround for Dolby Digital Surround EX would be the center channel output from Receiver B, and the left and right surrounds would be this receiver’s front left and right outputs, via either the speaker-level or line-level outputs (to power amplifiers). In order to properly set up and calibrate this system, you need to position the back surround speaker so that it is at the same distance from the listening position as the left and right surrounds. Then, to balance the back surround output with the rest of your system, set Receiver B to bypass ProLogic decoding. Run the 5.1-channel pink noise calibration signals from Receiver A (either internally or from an external source via a test/demonstration DVD or LaserDisc) and balance the 5.1-channel system. To set the levels of the left and right surrounds, you need to take into account Receiver B’s volume control. Then, balance the back surround with the left and right, by using Receiver B’s test-tone generator, and adjusting the center channel level of that receiver until the back surround output equals that for left and right surrounds. If necessary, engage ProLogic decoding beforehand. If you are using bass management for your 5.1 system, and/or have a full-range back surround speaker, you will want to set the center channel mode in Receiver B to “wide,” unless you are actually intending to feed low frequency back surround signals to the left and right surrounds. Currently, two stand-alone decoder units are available for Dolby Digital Surround EX playback, the SMART® Devices CS-3X, Jr. and the Audio Design Associates ADA 6.1 Processor, though they are not officially licensed (THX® Surround EX™). Lucasfilm THX is not planning to certify such components at this time, preferring to incorporate THX Surround EX into their design/performance specifications for THX Ultra-certified 5.1 receivers and controllers.
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