DD / DTS processor advise please!

Pougle

Hello all,
I'm new to this forum so I hope this hasn't been asked before.
I was a bit of a hi-fi fan several years ago.
Travelling and living in houses (renting a room) meant my stereo spent a lot of its time in an attic.
I have resurrected my system and everything is working as good as it did the day it was packed away.

When I purchased my amp ('98) Dolby pro-logic was the norm and Dolby Digital was only for the wealthy.
The amp has a 'future-proof' feature of 5.1 input for direct amplification from a processor.
As I'm getting a DVD player for the crimbo, I need a processor.
These seem very rare, what happened? I thought separates was the way to go.
The top end CD players (in my day) where a two box combo cd transport / external dac.
Have I been out of the game too long.
Where can I get a digital processor for Dolby Digital / DTS?
Is it worth it? Will Pro-logic suffice?

Thanks in advance.

Amp : Sony TA-VA8ES
CD : Marantz CD63 MkII KI Signature

Speakers : Main Tannoy Profile 633 Plus
: Rear Mordaunt-Short MS10i Pearls
: Centre Mordaunt Short MS10i

TV : Sony 28" WS (about 10 years old) Still good.

Cabletalk interconnects and other stuff not worth mentioning.

DVD : Soon to be Denon DV1740 (crimbo present)

mathias

Heres two that popped up on a quick search ,

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/v3/pg/support/details/0,,2076_310070351_35033,00.html

http://www.arcam.co.uk/prod_diva_AVP700_intro.cfm

Separate processors are indeed available , but you'll most likely be shopping online , Ive yet to see one of these in any high street shop ,

The need for a separate drive mechanism for CD's these days has moved to the very high end and expect to pay a lot , if thats the way you want to go , excellent players ( combined drive and electronics ) are available these days that would easily rival separate boxes from the nineties.
The reason being that the need for separate enclosures went away when optical and co axial digital output feeds to the amp became the norm. Only a poor man uses the analog outs these days.

As regards the difference between pro logic and 5.1 , there is a world of difference , 5.1 consists of 6 discretely recorded channels , pro logic is a mere stereo manipulation , there is a wealth of material recorded in 5.1 these days , not just movies , but music in the form of SACD and DVD Audio etc.

You may want to have a look at some of the amps available today , things have indeed moved on , top of the range at the moment is HDMI 1.3 uncompressed digital audio , available starting at the bottom of the range for about 500 euro , and obviously the skys the limit after that.
Even the lowest end comes with a mike these days that will automatically calibrate and set up the speakers for your room. That kind of stuff wasnt around , ( at least not in my budget ) during the nineties.
Have a look at this , how does it measure up to your Sony amp ?

http://www.eu.onkyo.com/products/product_en_5710611.html

And thats the cheap one I was talking about !!

Pougle

Thanks for the prompt reply Mathias.
The CD thing makes sense and was always a High End thing.

The Pioneers DEQ-P7000 is for ICE (in car entertainment)

The Arcam Diva AVP700 costs €2000.

The reason I'm looking for a processor (€200) is that I'm quite happy with the sound from the combination of my amp and cd player.
If it's not broken, don't fix it.

Several years ago I spent quite a bit of time in demo rooms selecting different bits of kit (my system and friend's systems). I remember being quite surprised how some of amps and cd players didn't live up to their reviews in 'What Hi-Fi'. Some of the 'Arcam 7' 'Arcam 9' equipment I wouldn't have been able to live with. Very harsh transperent sound.

In regards to a new AV Amp. I doubt I could get anything comparable to my current amp for less than €1200. (All those bells and whistle cost money and cause interference) and I'm quite fond of the old work horse.

There doesn't seem to be the same amount of shops that provide demos and buying an amp based on reviews is a big gamble.

I just noticed that if I spend an extra €150 on the DVD player to upgrade it to a Denon 1940. I would get a 5.1 out on the player and SA-CD/DVD-A to boot. Is this a good option or is digital connectors to AV amp/processor the far superior option.

Cheers

mathias

5.1 analog out is a good option , but you need to check on its capabilities , for instance I have a Pioneer DVD /multidisc etc , with SACD/DVD-A but it only outputs said discs on the analog out , it wont for instance , output CD or movies on it.

Maybe you can download the manual and see what it does , if it outputs the lot then that would certainly be a cheaper option , as the only separate processors I can find so far are quite expensive.

Sorry about the car link , there are tons of processors for cars.

Pougle

Hey mathias,
Thanks again. Sound advice (no pun intended).
I've downloaded the manual but I'm not sure if I'm interpreting it correctly.

On Page 7 it says

"Analogue 5.1-channel Dolby and DTS surround output
This player is equipped with analogue Multi-channel
Dolby and DTS surround audio out jacks for playback."

Am I just seeing what I want to see. It doesn't state if it's DVD playback.

http://www.denon.com.hk/files.download_zone/manual_dvd-1940_en.pdf

Cheers

mathias

Page 16 of the pdf says you are good to go , it outputs on the multichannel for just about everything although you do have to select certain options for certain outputs ,

All in all , looks like a very good option.

Pougle

Cheers Mathias,
I've changed my order from a Denon DVD-1740 to a DVD-1940.
My av amp still has alot of life in it yet.
Its also very musical for cd playback.
Looking forward to giving DVD-A / SA-CD a whirl.
Thanks again