mm9351

Anyone with the ML system have any comments on the surround setting? I notice a discernible difference with the surround "on" yet often the non-surround sounds "different" if not not better. Often there is more "presence" with surround "off." Also how do you know if its set? The button glows orange if set (I believe) or otherwise it is highlighted along the border. This is not clear to me; other features on ML are set with a bright band along the top (e.g. ASL button). Tried experimenting and I'm still not sure weather the surround is active.

Need some advice here -- thanks.

sbrown02

I'm not an audiophile, but here's my theory on surround sound and the ML. It only makes sense to have surround on when the source content you're listening to is made for (e.g., Dolby Digital 5.1 channel material) surround sound playback. If the source content is a regular CD, MP3 disk, stereo radio broadcast, etc., I feel that is sounds better to play it with surround off.

I too for the first few days of ownership played with the surround settings and quickly decided that surround off sounded much better (IMO) for all non-surround content, which is the vast majority of my listening. That said, surround is totally awesome when playing DVD's. I put the Lord of the Rings in the other day and all I can say is WOW.

scottmyers

Yes, I agree and have experiemented many times with this and find that the surround sounds best only if the recording is 5.1 channel material. Regular audio CD's seems to sound better if the surround setting is off. The sound imaging seems off if you play regular stereo recordings with the surround settings on. At least it does to me.

twister

Just want to add, you guys are absolutely correct. If the source is not recorded in true surround sound (5.1 channels), the extra channels are "derived" by extracting from original stereo audio source and applying DSP effects/delays to create an extra surround feeling. Its nothing but a calculated delay of your original sound. Therefore it will not sound naturally...

BTW, when I demoed GS350 with ML stereo, I actually decided to go without it on my car. I listen mostly to CDRWs with mp3s (128kbp-192kbp encoding) and the high quality of ML system brought up every single imperfection of those down-sampled recordings. You really need a quality original CD or DVD to truly appreciate this system. Still, to my ears even the original stock system is pretty damn good. In my previous ES350 the original stereo was piece of crap, this one is a huge step up plus you get a touch screen too!!!