Advice on receiver/decoder

[introvert]

I need to outfit my home audio studio with a receiver of some sort. I am working on a pair of game projects and I need access to DD5.1. I only have a few simple requirements for it:

It needs to decode DD5.1
It needs some sort of output (1/4", RCA) of each isolated channel

I'm not really concerned with amplification specs or anything else, as I will be feeding the signal through a console and into a 5.1 Genelec system with its own amplification. I purely need a receiver for DD decoding, and the Dolby rack-mount unit is out of my price range. ProLogic II and DTS would be nice, but not a requirement. I would like to keep things as cheap as possible (a few hundred bucks would make me a very happy sound guy).

Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks!

EDIT - It seems that in home theater speak, what I'm looking for is called a PREOUT. I've just been surfing Best Buy's web page and found a Pioneer unit (Model # VSX-816-K) that will do it for $270. Any thoughts?

Mark Kilborn
Sound Designer
www.markkilborn.com

[Otto]

Hi introvert,

Yep, if that's all you care about, the Pioneer will work for you. And you're right, the PREOUT is what you're looking for. It's noted as "7.1-channel preamp" in the Best Buy page. If you want to save more cash, you can probably find something on craigslist or ebay even cheaper. Maybe something with a bad amp channel would go really cheap, and you don't care about the amps...

Good luck!

[brucek]

Pioneer unit (Model # VSX-816-K) that will do it for $270. Any thoughts?

I guess it all depends on the quality of sound you're willing to accept in this specific application.

It always strikes me as quite inefficient to purchase a receiver with a full compliment of 7 power amplifiers with associated power supply large enough to drive them, video switching with fairly complex shielding at todays frequencies, etc, etc, when you only want to use the preamp outputs. At $270, you can imagine the quality of that decoder, DAC and seven low level analog preamplifiers.

The problem of course is finding a audio processor (which is what you need) at the low price point.

In the end, I guess I agree with Otto.

Those are my thoughts..........

brucek

[introvert]

Well, the only dedicated decoder option I've found is the Dolby rackmount unit, which lists for $3,000. That's way out of my price range. At the office I'll have one of those, but for my work from home I need to keep it cheaper.

I wish there were a cheaper option for dedicated decoding, but I haven't seen it anywhere. Dolby's the only game I've found in pro audio, rackmount equipment, and for home theater receivers a lot of them don't even have PREOUTs.

The saving grace of this situation is that for actual sound creation, I will be coming out of a very high quality D/A converter and into the Genelecs. I'll only be using the receiver to check how things are sitting in game, and most of the players are probably going to be using a low-spec receiver as well. So I'll get a realistic idea of what they're going to hear.

Any further thoughts on this topic? Or should I just order the Pioneer?

[MrPorterhouse]

The Pioneer 816 is actually a very good option. One of the great features of the Pioneer receivers as of late is their great processing power and accuracy. If that is the feature that you really need, then the Pioneer will do a stand out job, and at $270 its also a great value. A further benefit is that if you ever need to use the other features, you'll already have it on hand. I'd say go for it.

[brucek]

I only have a few simple requirements for it:

It needs to decode DD5.1
It needs some sort of output (1/4", RCA) of each isolated channel

The Creative standalone decoder DDTS-100 handles almost all type of signals; the built-in decoders can do Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS, DTS-ES, and DTS Neo 6 decoding as well.

"The shiny front holds a large knob, which is accompanied by an equally large dial that takes care of the various modes. The back of the decoder has all the in-put connections, apart from the analogues inputs; the player has three optical and one coaxial input. Right below the optical inputs lies a small switch, which switches between 5.1 and 7.1/6.1 speaker setups. At the front lies all the controls and buttons to switch between various modes and the large knob takes care of the volume. A couple of headphone jacks are also provided for a personal audio experience. All in all, it is a very handy and useful device for an all-in-one audio solution. "

Includes cabling, switch box and remote.............

Downloaded the manual pdf... looks pretty good.

See one just sold on e-bay for $157.

brucek

[introvert]

I'll have a look at it. As long as it's got RCA or 1/4" outs I should be good.

[Pupton]

Another option may be to look at a Technics SH-AC500D (if you only need DD5.1 with analog outs)... can usually find one on ebay for around $75.

Mike