Do you agree DVD-A has a lot more bass than SACD?

Steve, do you agree DVD-A has a lot more bass than SACD?

It sounds like DVD-A is eq'ed or something.

 

Are you talking about 2 channel or multi channel?

I have SACDs that have amazing bass.

 

Most of the DVD-A discs I have have TOO MUCH bass

 

Most DVD-A players totally lack bass management. You may be hearing a result of that rather than any mixing issues. My first SACD player lacked bass managment and I did not like the bass, it was too high. My replacement unit has basic bass managment and that is no longer an issue. Sounds real good.

 

Do you just mean an eq where you can turn down the bass?

 

Yeah. Most every DVD-A I have in all playback respects have plenty or too much boom.

If yer getting too little, something's seriously not working. Are you listening with a discreetly wired woof?

 

My understanding of essential bass management for DD/DTS/SACD and DVD-A is this:

The sub crossover should be either fixed at 80Hz or variable between about 40 and 120Hz. There should be a choice to send everything from all the speakers below the cutoff to the sub or, if large speakers are selected, just the LF channel to the sub. The center and each pair should be selectable for this process. In addition, balance and speaker levels should be adjustable. Also it should select and direct sub levels to the sub in stereo SACD mode and stereo DD and DTS mode.

Not part of Bass Management, but often just as important, is time adjustments, so that the distance from each speaker can be adjusted with a time delay so that a proper time field is heard from the listening position.

My 500V from Sony does everyting in DD but does not process DTS and only provides basic Bass Management for SACD. 120Hz fixed crossover (too high if you have larger then mini speakers), and just basic large and small adjustments. It does not do stereo Bass Management in SACD mode.

Next year's model to replace the 500V has been announced and should hit the street in late Spring. Phillips will also have a basic bass and time adjustment model out this spring and advanced bass managment by the Fall. This must be done in DSD format so it takes time to work out the chip set designs (or convert to PCM, but Sony and Philips won't do that with SACD). Without proper full bass managment you cannot properly judge what the producer had in mind.

Few if any DVD-A players sport any Bass Management, but they are starting to add that feature as well in top of the line units and it will hit mainstream this year.