Dolby Virtual Speaker/TrueTheater Surround with PowerDVD Ultra9

OK so i just got Power DVD 9 Ultra so that I can play Blu-Ray on Windows 7. Here's my dilemma:

I have a 2.1 setup with my externals. Just a 30-watt sub and 2 10-watt satellites. PowerDVD offers 3 different audio options: Stereo, Dolby Virtual Speaker, and TrueTheater Surround. The latter 2 options are supposed to enhance 2.1 setups.

I'm no audiophile, but it seems weird to me listening to the last 2 virtual enhancement settings. Does anyone have any experience with these types of setups? The sound seems a little echoey, and the dialog is a little more dull than just the regular Stereo setting.

Any recommendations?

 

just a note about this...

when playing a blu-ray, the surround sound actually sounds pretty good. the difference is very small.. but when playing a low quality AVI movie, that's when using the surround sound will cause a lot of noise to the sound. should i use different settings depending on blu-ray or low quality avi?


also, what should i set the virtual speaker mode to? living room, theater, or stadium??? i have 2 satellites and a woofer right on my desktop...

also mention that i do uses SRS sound enhancement through my IDT sound control panel

 

keywords here are "virtual enhancements". I think those settings are trying to spread the sound through your two satellite speakers, so the cripsness or power of the dialog won't be as good as a stereo setting for your 2.1 setup.

Another compounding reason that most people tend to forget is onboard sound card. You need a sound card that can decode true loseless blu-ray audio to get the most out of watching and hearing blu-rays. Unfortunately many manufacturers skimp on this component. Right now, you will be hard pressed to find a laptop with a soundcard that can decode blu-ray audio, even the more expensive ones. They are just now starting to make blu-ray supported dedicated soundcards for desktop motherboards.

Your best bet would be to find an external 5.1 soundcard for you laptop and buy a 5.1 speaker setup. My alienware m17x onboard audio is 5.1 capable so i just paired it with a logitech x-540 5.1 set and watch blu-rays on that. The audio sounds great on truetheater, but it could be better because of the limitations of the soundcard.

 

well, my laptop has the IDT hi def audio codec, which is probably the equivalent to crap.

i already use the IDT SRS enhancement settings, which do wonders for the sound quality. although i have not messed with any surround sound features thru the IDT settings.

would it be recommendable to avoid these TrueTheater or Dolby settings in PowerDVD given the limitations of my setup? i mean, you might tell me to go with whatever sounds better to my ears, however, my ears are so used to just using the stereo setting at this point.

 

To be honest, with your set up, I think you'll get better performance and sound with stereo settings on your 2.1 setup. Since blu-ray isn't the industry standard manufacturers want to keep cost low by putting basic components in laptops specifically. Even external (sound card) solutions are rare for laptops (when your talking about blu-ray and surround sound) because noone has really manufactured anything at this point. However for standard dvd and dvd quality audio, there are a few external sound cards available.

So unless you plan on getting a 5.1 speaker setup, the "enhancements" you get from a 2.1 setup using truetheater etc. just isn't going to sound as crisp dialogue wise as stereo in my opinion.

Edit: Your ears may be used to stereo, but the 2.1 just isn't made for surround sound. It seems the IDT SRS settings work for you, just aviod the TrueTheater and Dolby settings until you upgrade your whole setup.

 

Well I've decided to stick with stereo for now. You know, IDT offers surround sound enhancement, Windows sound manager offers it, Power DVD offers it... I just don't think I like it. Just seems to create a lot of noise and distortion. As I mentioned before though, I rely heavily on SRS enhancements. They really do a great job in my opinion.

 

like i said, you need a true 5.1 (or higher) sound card solution paired with a 5.1 (or higher) speaker set, so there is less distortion and virtualization.