Integra DRX-8.4

[Bren Derlin]

That's great. Where does the program material from the center go?

It’s split into stereo, like music with great imaging. It doesn’t magically disappear.

 

[Rottmannash]

It’s split into stereo, like music with great imaging. It doesn’t magically disappear.

I don't understand. How does one route dedicated center channel content into 2 channels? Downmixing from 5.1? Can an AVR do this?

 

[Bren Derlin]

Does anyone who says they prefer a phantom center have identical speakers in all 3 positions? I suspect that's really the issue - a subpar, not timbre matched, center

Are you saying Polk, Revel, Elac, KEF, Focal, Sonus Fabre, Et Al are fibbing when they say their family matched centers are timbre matched?

I had the LSi15 towers and the LSiC, which, when you flipped vertically, matched the top third of the LSi15. …just had no room to flip it vertically, much less add a third LSi15 below the TV.

I wonder, if people who don’t like a phantom center, sit too far away from their front channel speakers, and outside of “the triangle”, and/or have their speakers buried in the corners of their space, and just don’t get that beautiful holographic stereo imaging from the front L/R speakers.

 

[Bren Derlin]

I don't understand. How does one route dedicated center channel content into 2 channels? Downmixing from 5.1? Can an AVR do this?

It’s magic….Yes. The receiver does the work for you.

 

[Rottmannash]

It’s magic….Yes. The receiver does the work for you.

At this point I assume you're trolling.

 

[Bren Derlin]

At this point I assume you're trolling.

Um. No. The receiver figures out how it’s going to split the center channel audio between the LR speakers.

When you listen to good stereo music, with good speaker placement, the singer is usually front and center, and you can place the instrumentation around the stage — the term “soundstage”. In other cases, the music is just holographic, and the music surrounds you, all from two speakers. …this can and will happen with a 4.1 (two front channel) HT rig.

With good speaker and sitting placement (read, not too far away), the soundstage from the stereo imaging is huge. In my basement HT, the front audio imaging exceeds the walls. Actually feels like we have height speakers during the right sequences. And the audio transitions from the rear channels to the fronts blend beautifully where the side channels would otherwise be.

…the perks of a smallish 12 ft deep by 14 ft wide viewing/listening space. …we sit 7.5 ft from the TV, and about 8.5 ft from either front channel speaker. I can pretty much sit in any location on the couch, and the dialogue is still centered. But just…bigger.

Here’s a pic of our space when I was using our Revel M16 speakers and a Denon x2600H.

The M16’s and x2600H are now on the main floor living room, and this space has Revel M106 speakers and an Anthem 540 8K receiver (still working on the set-up of the receiver - it was delivered yesterday).

 

[Rottmannash]

We're totally OT but you're listening to 2 ch PCM movie content playing through L/R and a sub? No upmixing? In "stereo"?

 

[Bren Derlin]

We're totally OT but you're listening to 2 ch PCM movie content playing through L/R and a sub? No upmixing? In "stereo"?

I’m listening to movies in a 4.1 rig (two fronts, to surrounds, and a sub). No center channel.

 

[lessthanjoey]

Are you saying Polk, Revel, Elac, KEF, Focal, Sonus Fabre, Et Al are fibbing when they say their family matched centers are timbre matched?

I had the LSi15 towers and the LSiC, which, when you flipped vertically, matched the top third of the LSi15. …just had no room to flip it vertically, much less add a third LSi15 below the TV.

I wonder, if people who don’t like a phantom center, sit too far away from their front channel speakers, and outside of “the triangle”, and/or have their speakers buried in the corners of their space, and just don’t get that beautiful holographic stereo imaging from the front L/R speakers.

I'm saying a lot of dedicated centers are awful. Anything mtm is definitely awful. Comb filtering is a fundamental problem that center speakers solve, if they don't introduce other issues.

 

[dlaloum]

Couple of other interesting things about the 8.4

It has 3 channel biamping - L, C, R...

And the info specifically states the ability to run 2 x passive subwoofers.

This is an unusual feature...

And of course, having a sub, does not necessarily imply that it is dedicated to the LFE x.1 channel....

 

[Rottmannash]

I’m listening to movies in a 4.1 rig (two fronts, to surrounds, and a sub). No center channel.

In 2 channel PCM?

 

[dlaloum]

In 2 channel PCM?

2ch pcm via PLII or DSUR, to 4.1 sounds reasonable to me...

 

[Rottmannash]

2ch pcm via PLII or DSUR, to 4.1 sounds reasonable to me...

But what happens to center content? I suppose it's not dedicated center content if it's upmixed?

 

[danstahl]

But what happens to center content? I suppose it's not dedicated center content if it's upmixed?

If you set up an AVR with no center channel, it will map 5.1 sound to 4.1 speakers; mixing the center channel to the front two channels on the fly.

 

[Rottmannash]

If you set up an AVR with no center channel, it will map 5.1 sound to 4.1 speakers; mixing the center channel to the front two channels on the fly.

Ah. I forgot that-I believe I used that method early in my audio adventure. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[dlaloum]

But what happens to center content? I suppose it's not dedicated center content if it's upmixed?

Phantom Center

 

[CyrusTheGreat_600BC]

With respect, what are these center channel talks have to do with the new Integra?

 

[Bren Derlin]

With respect, what are these center channel talks have to do with the new Integra?

It's called a tangent. It's ok. These things happen on messageboards.

 

[AdamG]

Back on topic please. Take this side conversation to pm or create a different thread.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

 

[NeedForSpeed73]

I too waiting for a new substitute of my Onkyo PR-RZ5100. I tink, and hope, that Onkyo will come back, after about 6 years, with a new surprising prepro. If Onkyo wants to return great and competitive on prepros market, then he must to made something of valid. This DRX-8.4 with Dirac Live is a good news for the future.

I hope too, but I'm afraid that the "cheap prepro" market segment has disappeared and ATM prepros are just offered at ultra-highend price tags.
I was planning to replace the PR-RZ5100 at the beginning of this year with an AVR with integrated amplificato (better if switchable off), don't wanna wait another year for a product that maybe will never come out and the Denon X4800H review results are tempting me (though I'd anyway still wait for its Dirac firmware upgrade).