Denon 3310CI Owners Manual Addendum - English - Page 2

ENGLISH n Additional functions n Contents • Addition of Audyssey DSX™ (Dynamic Surround Expansion™) Audyssey Dynamic Surround Expansion™ (DSX) Realistic reproduction of sound relies on the ability of audio systems to match human hearing performance. Three key requirements are: (i) frequency response; (2) dynamic range; and (3) accurate spatial reproduction. The requirements for frequency response have already been surpassed with sampling rates that exceed human hearing. The dynamic range limits of human perception have also been met with current digital audio systems operating capable of signal to noise ratios that approach 120 dB. Accurate spatial sound rendering, however, has not yet reached the limits of perception as human perception relies on the combination of sounds arriving from many more directions than what 5.1 surround sound systems provide. Audyssey DSX™ technology was developed to overcome the spatial sound rendering limitations faced by 5.1 surround sound formats. The ITU 5.1 channel standard recommends three front loudspeakers and two rear loudspeakers.The Left (L) and Right (R) front loudspeakers should be placed at ±30° relative to the central listening position. The Center (C) loudspeaker should be at 0° and the surround loudspeakers (SL, SR) should be placed between 100° and 120°. All loudspeakers must be equidistant from the center listening position or compensated with time delay if that is not possible. A separate lowfrequency effects (LFE) channel is used to reproduce additional bass content from the subwoofer. There are certain things that 5.1 surround sound systems do well compared to 2-channel stereo. For example, it is possible to move sounds across the front seamlessly. It is also possible to create ambience behind the listener. But 5.1 channel surround systems do not provide enough channels from which to render the required reflected sound components for a seamless and enveloping soundstage. Unfortunately, the additional two back surround channels in 7.1 systems are not in the right place to provide a significant perceptual improvement. Adding more channels to a surround system is not for special effects. Accurate spatial sound reproduction requires rendering of directional sound cues and non-directional ambient cues. Reflections arriving after the direct sound play a critical role in the perception of soundstage width and depth.To have the most impact, additional surround channels should be used to control the direction, time of arrival, and frequency response of the reflected sound to render an expanded soundstage that reproduces sound with better localization and envelopment than what 5.1 systems provide. Research in the perception of auditory source width has shown that there are strong preferences in the direction of reflected sound and the perception of soundstage width and spaciousness. The single most important direction of side-wall reflections is ±60°. Audyssey DSX provides a pair of Wide channels (LW and RW) at ±60° with appropriate frequency response and perceptual processing to match the requirements of human hearing. In fact, the Wide channels are much more critical in the presentation of a realistic soundstage than then Back Surround channels found in traditional 7.1 systems. A more enveloping 7.1 channel system is one in which Wide speakers are used instead of Back Surround speakers. Adding surround channels behind the listener has a very small impact compared to the increase in envelopment and soundstage width that the front wide channels will provide. After side reflections, the next most important acoustical and perceptual cues come from reflections above the front stage. Audyssey DSX provides a pair of Height channels (LH and RH) at a ±45° azimuth angle and elevated to a 45° angle in the median plane. In addition to creating new Wide and Height channels, Audyssey DSX also provides Surround Processing to enhance the envelopment of the Surround and Back Surround channels (if present). Audyssey DSX Surround Processing processes the standard surround signals in the time and frequency domains to improve the perceived sense of envelopment and blending with the other speakers in the surround system. Audyssey Dynamic Surround Expansion is a scalable system that can adapt to the practical needs of the user.The first level of surround stage enhancement comes from adding the Wide channels. The second level comes from adding the Height channels. If it is practical to have both Wides and Heights then the surround performance will be further enhanced. Audyssey DSX automatically reconfigures its processing to optimize surround rendering over any number of available speakers beyond 5.1. Manufactured under license from Audyssey Laboratories™. U.S. and foreign patents pending. Audyssey MultEQ® is a registered trademark of Audyssey Laboratories. Audyssey Dynamic EQ® is a registered trademark of Audyssey Laboratories. Audyssey Dynamic Volume™ is a trademark of Audyssey Laboratories. Audyssey Dynamic Surround Expansion™ is a trademark of Audyssey Laboratories. Getting Started Part Names and Functions 2 Remote Control Unit 2 Connections Installing / Setting the Speakers 3 Speaker Connections 4 Settings GUI Menu Map 5 Make the Optimal Speaker Settings, and Correct the Room Acoustics (Audyssey™ Auto Setup 6 Making Detailed Settings (Manual Setup 8 Playback Adjusting the Sound and Picture Quality (Audio/Video Adjust 11 Adjusting the Sound (Audio Adjust 11 Other Information Surround 17 Surround Modes and Parameters 17 Unavailable Functions After Upgrading 19 Specifications 20 NOTE When upgrading, the RS-232C connector cannot be used for the DENON RF remote controller. For details, see "Unavailable Functions After Upgrading" on page 19.