Lexis11

Ok I was talking to my rep from Alpine and he was telling me about Dolby 5.1 surround for the car and it got me thinking. I currently have the IVA-D300 as my head unit, which I love. He told me that I could add there PXA unit to complete the surround sound for my car. My question is this (and I know there will be many diff. opinions) is it really worth it in the car????

My installer seems to think it isn't but he is a stubburn typical installer brainiac that is stuck in the 80"s lol (just joking) But seriously is it really worth it? I can get it at cost so price isn't an issue at all. I just hate to add this and not get any improved sound in a normal everyday music cd. I know it will sound better in movies but what about cd's?
Ok so all you audio enthusiasts let's get those opinions voiced in this thread.

GammaLex

Only if the cds are encoded in dolby 5.1 or similer which most music cds arent. It would only be worth it if u watch alot of dvds in your car on that tiny screen

Lexis11

Come on there muct be more opinions out there. Where is engine_ear, you are never at a loss for words lol Seriously Iwould appreciate the feedback
Thanks Gamma, I am not sure what to do as I do watch a lot of dvds in the car. Hey the screen isnt THAT small lol.OK well maybe it is

LS007

Having lived with Dolby Digital, DTS, Prologic and DVD-Audio in my Honda Odyssey van and installing it in my Lexus I'm probably qualified to talk about this. Hope my ramblings help...

For movie watching in a car Dolby Digital sound is really intended for front seat passangers. And mainly for the passanger when the vehical is in montion Rear seat passangers have difficulty hearing center channel dialog. Yes, it really does require a good center channel speaker that's just as loud as your door speakers. I'm installing a Pioneer TS-CX7 for my LS430 center channel speaker. For music listening Dolby Digital will be of no benefit, unless your DVD player is capabale of playing DVD-Audio (DVD-A) discs. This 5.1 format sounds outstanding in car environments and has been introduced by Acura in the newest TL. Other 5.1 audio formats such as DTS audio and SACD also sound great in both home and car environments. The older ProLogic or newer ProLogic II formats will produce multichannel sound from 2 channel stereo CD, provided it has been surround encoded. However the multichannel sound is only a matrixed sound of the original 2 channel mix and not very impressive. The best surround effects for music in your car would be if the PXA has Digital Sound Field effects for stereo sources, such as Live Concert, Stadium, Jazz Club etc. Here ambiance, time delay and echo are all added to each of the 5 channels to create a unique listening environment.

Additional thoughts to consider for Doldy Digital -

Dolby Digital has a wide dynamic range and two features you will want your decoder (PXA unit) to have are Dynamic Range Compensation and a Down Mix function. This dynamic range control will make the quiet passages of audio louder and louder slightly softer. This compensates for the road and wind noise that can make your sound almost impossible to hear when driving. The Down Mix will turn your 5.1 channel material into 2 channel stereo. Very handy when more than front passangers are listening (as stated above).

Lexis11

LS007,
great writeup and glad you did because it answers some of the questions I have about this setup. I have do some serious research on the product to know the answers to the questions you brought up but I appreciate the feedback. I have this feature that is most new Alpines, called time correction so I think that would allow me to setup the surround sound for my ears on preset1 then the middle of the car on preset2 and the passenger on preset 3?

engin_ear

iTrader: (1)

Well here I am, ringing in...
Most of the issues were already stated. I have many personal opinions on this. It mostly depends on the kind of music you listen to, whether any of it is actually available in 5.1 on CD, and whether you like the whiz-bang of artificial surround or not, or if you like your music to be closest to the original. I've heard a few really awesome 5.1 encodings that were orignally mastered in 5.1 and played back on Krell 5.1 home components with Martin-Logan speakers. Otherwise, you get some engineer's phony re-interpretation of what the 5.1 is supposed to sound like, even though the music may have been mastered on only 2 channels. Great if you like added effects in your music, but if you're a purist, no.
I think the best way to find out if you like it is to listen to the new Acura TL. 5.1 system, DVD Audio with XM satellite radio. Probably would give you a good idea whether you're interested in it at all. I heard it at the AES show, thought it sounded great, but I could certainly do without it, mainly because I mostly listen to loud dance/house music in the car, and what I have set up is more than enough, especially with all that stuff being 2-channel encoded. When most music becomes mastered in 5.1 and put on DVD-Audio CDs, it will be worth it, but for me, I don't see any great advantages over a good 2-channel system. Don't get me wrong, though, if you decide to put in the extra expense and effort, you'll still have a great sounding system that will also be ready for what's coming in the future.

Lexis11

Thanks engine, I believe we are on the same wave length here because I also listen to a lot of house music and I like the way it sounds right now. I have my time correction set up with 3 presets which allows me to move the stagin around. It still isn't the best car for staging but time correction helps. As for the 5.1, I am not sold completely. like you said I am more than happy with my setup now but am looking to maybe get a little more serious and thought this may be something that will help. It will help with movies but the music hasn't caught up yet so maybe wait or just do it. Either way it thanks for your input.