4 speaker Dolby 5.1

[Hoerninger]

Wondering how a 5.1 Dolby recording can be played back with two stereo amps and four equaly sounding full range speakers for testing. I have looked around in the web but had no success so far.

May be there a hints for a circuit beween DVD player and amps to mix down the six channels to four channels which meets Dolby specifications as far as possible.

Thank you in advance.
___________
Peter

[Titanium Dome]

The key is to locate the "phantom center" setting. If you use a digital connection between the DVD player and the pre/pro or receiver this is possible. If you use analog connections, it may or may not work, depending on the individual units.

Using a digital optical or coaxial cable connection from the player to the pre/pro or receiver, you need to select "none" for center channel in the speaker set up menu, and the Dolby system will create a phantom center using the FL and FR speakers. There are some users who actually prefer this to having a center channel speaker.

With analog cables, you'd need to locate a setting in the DVD player that creates the phantom center in the player before sending the signal to the pre/pro or receiver, then connect FL, FR, RL and RR and leave the FC unconnected. Most inexpensive players won't have this, and any player that requires an external DAC will not have this.

Many older CD players will not have this either for obvious reasons, as they only send out a stereo signal. However, any pre/pro or receiver with Dolby ProLogic will still be able to put out surround sound and create a phantom center even from the analog stereo signal. The results are, as they say, a matter of taste.

[Titanium Dome]

As for the .1 or LFE channel, you'd select "none" for subwoofer, and that material will be sent to your full range speakers, which you have set to "large" of course.

[Hoerninger]

Thank you, that was an easy way.
The Pioneer showed all these settings.
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Peter