From: gregr@tekig5.pen.tek.com (Gregory S Rogers)
Newsgroups: rec.audio,rec.video
Subject: Re: Sony TA-E2000ESD DSP A/V Surround Preamp
Date: 23 Jan 93 19:49:46 GMT
Followup-To: rec.audio
Distribution: rec
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.

A few comments on the audio and video applications of the TA-E2000 preamp.

First video.

I recently purchased a Sony TA-E2000ESD to use for a video theater type 
setup.  It has an amazing combination of features and capabilities.  For
applications as a surround source for video its flexibility is almost
overwhelming.  There are so many different programmable parameters that one
can spend hours trying out different combinations to adjust the apparent
size, apparent reflection characteristics of walls, etc. I have settled into
about four different setups, each using the digital Prologic decoder as a
base, with different combinations of room characteristics, expansion and 
parametric equalization which I use for movies.  The audio portion of the
movies I watch vary widely in their quality, noise levels, sense of surround
effects. For me this means picking the most pleasing of the four setups I've
programmed depending on what movie I'm watching.  It's quite distracting to
start fine tuning these adjustments once the film is underway so I usually
pick a short section in the middle of the movie which I know well and do
the setup there first.  Then hopefully I start the movie from the beginning
and just enjoy it without further tweaking.  The newest movies with the best
soundtracks are the easiest to adjust and then forget. The older films with
obvious audio difficiencies require the most experimentation to "recover" 
the best possible audio presentation.

Since this is going to both an audio newsgroup and a video newsgroup let me 
wrap up quickly for now. If someone wants to continue the discussion in 
net.video I would be happy to discuss this amazing "video" product much more 
extensively.

Answer to the question:  Can the parametric equalizer be used with the 
Prologic decoder?  Yes!  Each of the 10 user programmable setups can choose to
use the prologic decoder or not.  Then each of the 10 setups can choose to use
the 3 band per channel parametric equalizer or not.  Each of the 10 setups
has 3 channels, front, rear, and center.  These can have completely independent
equalization curves (but only 3 bands per curve).  Hence the front, rear, and 
center speakers can be indepently equalized.  This is great to compensate
for diffiencies in the small center channel speakers for instance as well as
correcting for the room overall.

My biggest complaint relative to using the product for movie audio?  There
is no way to simply copy partial setups from one user setup to another.  For
instance once you have determined the best equaliztion curve for that center
speaker you can't copy just the center equalization curve to another setup.
Instead you must enter the center frequency, the bandpass Q, and the cut or
boost for each of the 3 frequencies for that equaliztion curve by hand for
each of the programmable setups you wish to use (up to 10).  Then if you 
change your mind about the Q later, you have to go to each of the (up to) 10
setups and change the Q for each.(You don't have to enter the entire curve
over, just the Q.)  This is a lot of work and a simple copy command could
save a lot of time.  So my major complaint is ease of entering the setup data.

I could spend hours writing about this product.  Good and bad points.  My
advice is to simply try it.  Borrow one for a weekend - try it at home.  It will
take you hours of experimenting and you won't even scratch the surface of what
it will do.  Simply changing the apparent seating position from the tenth row
in front of the center row of the hall, to the tenth row behind the center
of the hall will change your opinion of the sound.  There is simply no way to
judge your satisfaction with this product without hours and hours of 
experimenting.  However you think it sounds in an hour audition in the store
is meaningless because it will sound totally different as you learn to adjust
the millions of combinations of the DSP parameters.

Finally, How good is the product as a pure Audio preamp? Would you ever consider
using this product to listen to Mozart with TWO Audiophile quality speakers?
With FOUR Speakers to simulate a concert hall?  How good is the sound quality
of the parametric equalizers for room equalization for Audio?  How good is the
phono preamp stage?  How good is the product as an external D/A convertor for 
CD transports. (It uses Sony's latest generation 1 Bit D/A convertors, same as
their top ES line CD players).

Well let me say this.  The previous generation TA1000 preamp which used the
multibit D/A convertors, different DSP chips, a different phono input stage,
etc. was rather commonly regarded as not adequate as an audiophile preamp.
When I tested and listened to it extensively when it first came out I 
completely agreed with that assessment.  Since I was primarily interested in 
it as an audio preamp at that time I obviously chose not to buy one.  This
time I was looking for a video surround preamp and I am totally satisfied with
the TA2000 for for that purpose.  So what about Audio??  Well that's the sort
of thing that starts arguements in net.audio and gets me involved in long
pointless discussions without hope of resolution.  So listen for yourself. If
you see me on the street, stop and ask.  I'll tell you what I really think. :-)


Greg Rogers
Newsgroups: rec.audio