Dreamcasts sound output

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DCUltrapro
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Dreamcasts sound output

Post#1 » Thu May 24, 2012 5:30 am

hey guys, I've been away on honeymoon for a few weeks as I got married and I'm going to buy a speaker system for my home cinema etc

I wanted to know about the sound that Dreamcast outputs... if I send the sound to the ONKYO AMP I will be getting will it actually be worth doing? I mean does it support 5.1 or anything like that? at the moment I only connect sound from anything I run in the front room to the TV and I want to make sure I'm getting all the sound I can

For example: on certain dvds/blu rays there are sounds that you don't hear because the tv can't emulate surround sound correctly, an example would be the scene in the Lord Of The Rings The Two Towers when the Nazgul fly over the dead marshes and you hear the first ear splitting screech from the wraith, I know the noise should be there but you don't hear it, you just see gollum and Frodo look up in terror... so it made me wonder, am I loosing sound from my other devices as well? the Dreamcast for example

so if I send sound etc to the amp will it actually improve the DC sound or not? what kind of sound output does the DC actually provide? I can't find any accurate info that says whether it does 5.1 or if not what it does instead


Thanks!
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elmagicochrisg
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Re: Dreamcasts sound output

Post#2 » Thu May 24, 2012 5:47 am

Just audio L and R. There are no other output pins for sound on the Dreamcast...
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Re: Dreamcasts sound output

Post#3 » Thu May 24, 2012 5:58 am

ok so then if I use the unofficial VGA box and output the video via VGA to the TV I can send the sound to the AV system can't I? The system can then either play the sound as it is or emulate 5.1 via Pro Logic 2 right?

The system I'm planning to get is this:

http://www.richersounds.com/product/1-b ... ts3405-blk

it has about 6 audio Composite in ports so hopefully this will do the trick
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elmagicochrisg
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Re: Dreamcasts sound output

Post#4 » Thu May 24, 2012 6:10 am

Sounds like a plan... 8-)

I do know some DC games support Dolby Pro Logic. But maybe someone can elaborate on this better than I can...

EDIT here's some more info...

http://www.mobygames.com/attribute/sheet/attributeId,136/p,8/
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Re: Dreamcasts sound output

Post#5 » Thu May 24, 2012 10:14 am

hhmmmm.... interesting! well basically whatever I get will be better than what I currently have hands down, my sound is only played through my LCD tv so it just doesn't cut it, so even if the system doesn't support every type of sound that you can get it should still play it in 5.1, even if its just the Dreamcast or another console
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Re: Dreamcasts sound output

Post#6 » Thu May 24, 2012 1:18 pm

Congrats Ultra !! :) Good to see you're straight back to DC-Talk to sort out the real important stuff ;)

Anyway, I've already explained this to you once before !! :roll: :

Like Elmagico says, there are only a few DC games which support true 'Dolby' surround sound (the signal is encoded on the stereo track). BUT, you can simulate surround sound if you get hold of an AV amp and speakers. Dolby Pro Logic is one such method. That is, it takes your DC's stereo output (from say your VGA box) and turns it into a 5.1 signal. Your amp and speakers will amplify that, giving your DC a mindblowing SONIC BOOST lol It is DEFINITELY worth doing !!

Thing is, that system you've linked to isn't the best for your needs. For a start it has no upscaling, S-Video input or VGA input. Considering you would be using this for your DC gaming, amongst other things, these are quite big omissions. If you could scrape together an extra £200 I could show you something that would piss all over that. Ok, I will :lol:

Here you go:

http://www.richersounds.com/product/av- ... xnr609-blk

and

http://www.richersounds.com/product/spe ... -nsp40-blk

You'd be thanking me for the rest of your life if you went for these over the one you listed :lol: . No, honestly you would ;)

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elmagicochrisg
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Re: Dreamcasts sound output

Post#7 » Thu May 24, 2012 6:52 pm

Neohound wrote:Thing is, that system you've linked to isn't the best for your needs. For a start it has no upscaling, S-Video input or VGA input. Considering you would be using this for your DC gaming, amongst other things, these are quite big omissions. If you could scrape together an extra £200 I could show you something that would piss all over that.

I have never felt the need to pass video signals through my amplifier. Nor have I ever felt upscaling the DCs VGA signal to be mandatory. Dreamcast in 480p VGA is already as crisp as it needs to be, even on a big screen. On top of that, a good TV will already have an upscaler built in...

Also, from £229.95 to £479.90 is more than double. Of course that's going to sound better. I could tell you that for only double what you suggest you could buy a low-end Harman Kardon amplifier with decent low-end speakers like the ones you suggest, and it's going to sound so much better than the set you suggest. But if I do that, where does it end?...

Ultra, if you have the possibility to go listen to this set you want to buy, do so. If you like what you hear, then it's worth your money...

Also keep in mind that sometimes you can buy very good equipment second hand for a cheap price. Especially from people that want to upgrade their current setup. Just take someone with you who knows a bit about this stuff in case you don't. And always do some research online for the product you want to buy...
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Neohound
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Re: Dreamcasts sound output

Post#8 » Thu May 24, 2012 9:26 pm

Oh, absolutely ! I agree with most of what you say, and most of all it's important to listen, if possible, to any audio gear before you buy. I wasn't trying to say "go spend loads of your money!!". There are plenty of sites on the internet where you can have conversations/arguments such as "my amp/dick/bank balance is bigger than yours"......but I try to avoid those like the plague lol

All I'm trying to do is look at Ultra's needs here. Remember he has borderline OCD tendencies: hence the suggestion he should buy an amp with multiple inputs so that he can have multiple consoles/Blu-Ray players/cd players etc and output a solitary HDMI into his tv. This is the best way to keep your setup NEAT & TIDY !! That Onkyo amp I linked to is the only one I know of, which isn't silly money, to incorporate a VGA input. With most av amps you can choose whether to pass through the 480p or upscale it. I always pass through my DC's vga signal but upscale the S-Video. That's just my preference. I know Ultra's been looking at standalone upscalers, hence my suggestion :) I think the Onkyo 609 has Faroudja processing on board, which is going to be up there with the upscaling you get with the best tv's around.......if you want or need it. The '609' even has 4K compatability for ultimate future-proofing.

I was trying to keep the price down, hence the £100 speakers. They'll still piss all over his tv's speakers, but there is always the possibility of upgrading in the future. That's the route I took myself a few years ago.

I wonder if Richer Sounds have an auditioning facility ? I'd say phone your local branch, ask them for their advice and try and get some real listening done.

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elmagicochrisg
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Re: Dreamcasts sound output

Post#9 » Fri May 25, 2012 12:07 am

No worries Neo, I was just trying to put things into perspective... ;)

Anyways, the system the OP showed us surely would be an upgrade from TV speakers. But as said, you can always do better...

Please do consider the second hand market. Almost everything I have is second hand, and yes, you can take that quite literally. Even my cats are second hand. That's how I got them cheap. No kitting... lol

You can just buy so much more for your money, or much better quality. You just have to know what you are doing...

A cheap way to have good speakers would be buying second hand Roland monitors. Here's a good rebranded Roland set...

Image

Having a surround system with those puppies would be a blast!... :D
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Neohound
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Dreamcasts sound output

Post#10 » Fri May 25, 2012 9:42 am

Oh yeah, studio monitors can be a great idea for surround setups, or any music setup. I have a pair of ribbon monitors connected to my Mac and the sound quality, especially compared to traditional PC speakers, is damned good.

I agree that secondhand gear shouldn't be sniffed at. Though, like you say, you need to know what you're doing in most cases, certainly when it comes to pedigree cats ! Lol

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