dvd audio question

[aardvark baguette]

I'm planning on getting a universal player within the next few months, so I can play dvd audio discs. Probably the Ayre DX-5.

Headphone rig only for now, so stereo only.

I noticed some dvd audio releases are advertised as a standard cd and dvd with 5.1 surround.

If the release does not specifically mention a high resolution stereo version too, will the surround mix not get sent to stereo correctly?

I want to avoid getting something if I can only listen in surround, basically.

[aardvark baguette]

thats good news. thanx

[Iron_Dreamer]

Best solution for headphone listening is running the multi-channel output to a Smyth Realizer, that's a fantastic sounding setup for DVD-A.

Otherwise, I rip the DVD-A's on the PC, and downmix them there, using the right software, you can get a better sounding downmix than the standard DVD-A downmix, in my experience. Look up DVDA Explorer if you want to go that route.

[Dusty Chalk]

Yes, you could always mix them down, but no, there's no promise that they will sound right. The problem is cancellation, which is most largely a problem with heavily processed modern music, or (artificially generated) electronic music, less so with classical and jazz.

I agree with the Smyth Realizer, even though I've never heard it -- it's going to try to maintain the essence of the surround mix in a stereo mix. There are other ways of doing it, of course. There was a column on the subject in ...Absolute Sound, I think?...several years ago. He did it the other way, too -- used an artificial surround enhancement to make surround out of stereo mixes.

The other thing you need to worry about is whether or not you are buying a DualDisc -- those were thicker than either CD's or DVD's, so didn't play in all players.