Kenwood VR-7070 Instruction Manual page 32

Ambience effects
THX Surround EX mode
THX Surround EX-Dolby Digital Surround EX is a joint development of
Dolby Laboratories and the THX division of Lucasfilm Ltd.
In a movie theatre, film soundtracks that have been encoded with
Dolby Digital Surround EX technology are able to reproduce an extra
channel which has been added during the mixing of the program. This
channel, called Surround Back, places sounds behind the listener in
addition to the currently available front left, front center, front right,
surround right, surround left and subwoofer channels. This additional
channel provides the opportunity for more detailed imaging behind
the listener and brings more depth, spacious ambience and sound
localization than ever before.
Movies that were created using the Dolby Digital Surround EX
technology, when released into the home consumer market may
exhibit a Dolby Digital Surround EX logo on the packaging. A list of
movies created using this technology can be found on the Dolby web
site at http://www.dolby.com.
Only receiver and controller product bearing the THX Surround EX
logo, when in the THX Surround EX mode, faithfully reproduce this
new technology in the home.
This product may also engage the "THX Surround EX" mode during
the playback of 5.1 channel material that is not Dolby Digital Surround
EX encoded. In such case the information delivered to the Surround
Back channel will be program dependent and may or may not be very
pleasing depending on the particular soundtrack and the taste of the
individual listener.
SRS Circle Surround II
SRS Circle Surround II™ improves on its predecessor CS-5.1™
resulting in the CS-6.1™ system, enabling you to listen to realistic,
multi-channel, surround sound playback from a stereo source or
conventional surround-encoded video source. You already enjoy
listening to Dolby Digital/DTS multi-channel sound with your multi-
speakers. Now you can listen to audio CDs, MDs, Broadcast and
Home Theater using your multi-speakers. You will discover a new
type of sound through SRS Circle Surround II.
The CS system dramatically reduces storage space requirements for
multi-channel content. It creates a listening environment that places
the listener "inside" music performances, and dramatically improves
both hi-fi audio and conventional surround-encoded video material.
The CS decoder also includes the SRS technologies Focus™ and
TruBass™. Focus electronically raises the sound stage from the
speaker location to an optimal position. TruBass creates deep, rich
bass in small speaker systems without the need for a subwoofer.
DSP mode
The DSP mode lets you add the atmosphere of a live concert or hall
to almost any type of program source. These modes are particularly
effective when used with stereo program sources, like CD, television,
and FM radio. You might enjoy trying the ARENA, JAZZ CLUB,
THEATER, STADIUM or DISCO mode the next time you watch a
concert or sporting event!
What's DSP?
DSP stands for Digital Signal Processor.
The way a sound is heard in an actual environment depends on a
variety of different factors. One of the most important is reverberation
(the act of decaying elements of sound echoing in various places).
The DSP modes produce the feeling of presence by using the DSP to
create reverberation, without spoiling the sound quality of the original
signal.
32
EN
THX
Movie soundtracks are mixed in special movie theatres called dub-
bing stages and are designed to be played back in movie theatres with
similar equipment and conditions. This same soundtrack is then
transferred directly onto Laserdisc, VHS tape, DVD, etc., and is not
changed for playback in a small home theatre environment.
THX engineers developed patented technologies to accurately trans-
late the sound from the movie theatre environment into the home,
correcting the tonal and spatial errors that occur. Activate THX
whenever watching a movie that was intended for the playback in a
Cinema. On this product, when the THX indicator is on, the following
THX features are automatically added in movie playback modes (e.g.
Dolby Digital+THX, DTS+THX, THX Surround EX, etc):
Re-equalization (Re-EQ)
The tonal balance of a film soundtrack will be excessively bright and
harsh when played back over audio equipment in the home because
film soundtracks were designed to be played back in large movie
theatres using very different professional equipment. Re-Equaliza-
tion restores the correct tonal balance for watching a movie soundtrack
in a small home environment.
Timbre Matching
The human ear changes our perception of a sound depending on the
direction from which the sound is coming. In a movie theatre, there
is an array of surround speakers so that the surround information is
all around you. In a home theatre, you use only two speakers located
to the side of your head. The Timbre Matching feature filters the
information going to the surround speakers so that they more closely
match the tonal characteristics of the sound coming from the front
speakers. This ensures seamless panning between the front and
surround speakers.
Adaptive Decorrelation
In a movie theatre, a large number of surround speakers help create
anenveloping surround sound experience, but in a home theatre
there are usually only two speakers. This can make the surround
speakers sound like headphones that lack spaciousness and envelop-
ment. The surround sounds will also collapse into the closest speaker
as you move away from the middle seating position. Adaptive
Decorrelation slightly changes one surround channel's time and
phase relationship with respect to the other surround channel. This
expands the listening position and creates - with only two speakers
- the same spacious surround experience as in a movie theatre.
THX Select
Before any home theatre component can be THX Select certified, it
must incorporate all the features above and also pass a rigorous
series of quality and performance tests. Only then can a product
feature the THX Select logo. Hundreds of parameters in both the
digital and analog domain are tested and required to meet very
specific high quality standards which is your guarantee that the Home
Theatre products you purchase will give you superb performance for
many years to come. THX Select requirements cover every aspect of
the product including pre-amplifier and power amplifier performance
and operation