Bloody clever this Pro Logic II

N

nc30andy

Guest
I was watching Twelve Monkeys on the Sci Fi channel last night using the Pro Logic II mode on my new Marantz SR5200 and I was amazed by the discrete two-channel rear effects. There's a bit where Bruce Willis is in his cell hearing a disembodied voice; you could clearly hear it moving from one side to the other across the back. It seems like magic that the decoder can get two discrete channels out of the single effects channel in the Dolby surround sound track! Bloody clever these Dolby chaps.
...Andy
 
Got to agree mate

I think P/L2 totally transforms normal TV viewing, certainly makes bog standard Pro Logic sound rather flat
 
yep, just after getting my Denon A11SR amp I watched '24' and the 'X Files' on BBC and it totally blew me away.
 
Yep, Mission Impossible on BBC1 last week was transformed by the PL2 on my 1602! Well worth the investment!
 
not got PLII, but have neo6 and like that very much. has anyone got the two and how much better is the dolby variety? the reason for asking is that i may upgrade my avc a1se if it is still possible as i now have the money to do so!
 
but have neo6 and like that very much
has anyone got the two and how much better is the dolby variety?

I have both options on my Denon Amp and really there is not that much difference, but P/L2 does win the day in my opinion it seems to have better seperation,

not really sure how to explain it, but its very rare that I use anything but P/L2 is all I ever use for TV viewing

(its that good)
 
I wrote a review on the two options on Tag a while ago and it is floating around the site somewhere.

I remember back to the early days on PL2, everyone one said it a waste of time, we didn't need it!;) Haven't times changes quickly.
 
Hi, Just wanted to ask a few questions about prologicII ive got a yamaha RX-V630RDS and mission 77 speaker setup, and just wanted to know if im doing everything right, i get sound from the rears when using prologicII but cant say that im that impressed, just sounds very echoie doubt thats a word but hey LOL
 
Hi Geezer,

Unimpressed in the sense that it doesn’t sound like DD or DTS or unimpressed because you expected more?

Pro-logic II (well....too me) is really an enhancement to the sound of Dolby Surround produced TV programmes. TV like, Next Generation and similar programmes benefit from the fuller range that PLII offers. Atmosphere setting and effects…..

Its never going to be as good as DD/DTS encoding (as these are 5/6 discrete channels) but it certainly beats PL1 and certainly beats a normal 3 inch TV speaker!!

It might be a bit 'echoie' because you have the rears a bit too loud and over powering. Try adjusting and experimenting a little. Also, if possible, make sure the program is broadcast in Dolby surround. Most of the newer Simpson’s are Dolby surround.

Brad
 
I love the Pro Logic II Music option on my Tag AV32. It's not science, but magic. I can't understand how PLII knows to have really dynamic surround effects on rock music (eg amazing left-right pans of guitar flicks or cymbal splashes in the surround channels on the early Queen albums I've been listening to recently), but on classical music there is a much more refined 'all-embracing' sound from front and rear speakers. The PLII upgrade for the Tag was definitely money well spent, and I've been rediscovering a lot of my old CDs with renewed enthusiasm.

PLII Movie makes a big difference to my TV viewing as well, not so much for viewing movies on TV (I guess with 5.1 I have become blase about surround sound) but for regular TV programmes. A recent Horizon programme had a narration track underscored with background music. The music was clearly separated from the voice over, balanced nicely between front and rear speakers, while the narration was as clear as a bell anchored in the centre channel. This was a huge improvement over PLI. If anyone is in the market for a new amp I would put PLII near the top of the list of things to go for.

Regards

Rob
 
Geezer,
At the risk of being shot down in flames for duff advice. If it provides echo doesnt that indicate that the speaker delays are wrong. bacause the channels are not discrete as in DD/DTS the fronts still carry some of the rear signal. If the rears are delayed too much then the effect comes from the front first then echoed by the rears. It kind of suggests that the speakers are set so that the rears are further away than the front ones. Is it worth detailing where your speakers are and what the delays are set to. There is a standard equation to work out what they should be

With incorrect delays DD and DTS would still work as all channels are discrete, but the transitions from front to rear/rear to front may not be as fluid as they could be.

I have the mission 77s there is nothing wrong with them!
 
I've just got PL2 and must say I'm initially impressed. I havn't given it a good burn out with the Xfiles yet but I did try Jurassic Park VHS and it was almost, almost there. Blew PL1 into pieces anyway. It really is good.

I find it superior to Neo 6 but I'm only using a modest Sony reciever so may not be getting proper implementations. I also found it to have a lot of echo when first used but a bit of fiddling sorted that (speaker distances mainly).

As for music, I'm afraid my rear speakers are naff (Kef Cresta 1) so until I complete get the Ruarks to match my front and centre speakers, it sounds naff, the Kefs just ruin it and I'm better off in 2ch.

Well worth the upgrade for me though.

S
 
Sorry for sounding a bit dim, but does this DPL2 work off stereo sources?

Do I need Sky or something to hear the benefits or would it work just as well as ordinary terrestrial V coming out of my stereo VCR??
 
When listening to my Dark Angel DVDs, which are Dolby Digital but 2 channel only, Pro Logic II makes it sound like a 5.1 soundtrack - absolutely amazing!!!!
 
gz5ztg - yes it does work off stereo sources, so can make music sound all surroundy too!

Some things sound better than others.

My amp (Marantz4200) has 2 versions a "Movie" and a "Music" for pro-logicII.

You use the Movie setting for stuff in regular Pro-Logic, and Music for non-prologic'd Stereo sources.
 
Thanks for the advice, just one more thing i seem to get modt of the sound from the center speaker is this normal?
 
I've found that the CS5.1 on my Marantz 6200 sounds better than PL2. It's just a little louder all round and a bit more "surround". I'll go check out PL2 again though :)

Dave
 

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