DTS-CDs

I'd never even heard of these until yesterday. Couldn't resist looking into it a bit more.
In short, these are normal CDs, but with a DTS soundtrack on it, typically in APE or WAV format. The music is as you'd expect in surround, and apparently most are 16bit files. Quite clearly, you need a DTS decoder on the back of your transport. The good news is that I'm already using an AV processor as a DAC on the backend of my SB+, so it was a simple job to find some free test files on the net and give them a go.

And the result....frankly why bother.
All it really did was confirm my thoughts that music still sounds best in stereo. Regardless of sound quality, I'd just can't get around how off putting it is to have a guitarist over my left shoulder, the keyboards behind my right shoulder whilst the rest of the band is at the front. It's just...wrong.

For those who really fancy trying these, there's not a lot around (I believe 192 in total) and the format was replaced by DVD-A and SACD surround.

 

Must admit, I never saw the appeal of sitting in the middle of a band... I could see it working for live performances as I find it quite odd to hear audience noise coming only from in front of me. However, that's a tiny tiny irritation.

Always thought that the money spent on the additional speakers would be more wisely spent on getting better front speakers.

 

yeah, even DVD-A and SACD music doesn't do much for me either...bit gimmicky - especially on some of the mixing (i.e. Aero by Jean Michel Jarre and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by the flasming lips..)

 

The only stuff that works for me in surround is the more ambient side of things. Most of the output on Pete Namlook's FAX label is in dts surround these days and due to its nebulous floaty nature works quite well. As that label outpts bucket loads of discs on a regular basis I've enough there to keep me amused.

HERE is a list of releases still available from 2003-2008 and if you click on an individual release you'll see which are DTS.

 

I agree

I agree with Zygote 23 about ambient being good in surround but everything else NO. Most Dvd A's and DTS cd's(i think )allow two channel sound and at high resolution. Try listening to these especially DVD Audio discs. While not quite as good as SACD the sound is still much better than standard PCM IMHO.

I have stood back stage on a stage during a gig once and it still didn't sound like surround. I just don't understand why you would want that but if it floats your boat.

Regards D louth 77

 

That's why Brian Eno gave advice on the ambient 3rd speaker set-up on the back of "On Land".

Cheap surround sound.

 

Ah, but for classical music surround really does bring benefits - just so long as the engineers don't mess things up. You don't want to be in the middle of the orchestra, but some hall reverberation in very nice. Most of the classical sacds I've heard use multichannel very well.
DTS CDs could have been a very nice idea, but I've never see one.