I know we have a lot of you who are really into audio formats, etc. and I kindly ask for your help.
Whenever I do a review for a streaming device, I usually pull the audio format info from the manufacturer’s website or I email them if that info isn’t available on their site.
Here’s an example of the Formuler Z mini review that I’m working on.
Audio Formats
AAC
AAC_LC
AAC-Main
HE-AAC
HE-AACv2
Dolby
Dolby Digital 2.0
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dolby Digital+2.0
Dolby Digital+7.1 (vod)
VOD - Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (VOD)
Dolby Digital+Atmos
VOD - Dolby True HD Atmos (VOD)
DTS (VOD)
VOD - DTS 5.1
VOD - DTS HD HRA 7.1
VOD - DTS HD MA 7.1
VOD - DTS:X 7.1
Etc.
mp2 Audio
opus Audio (VOD)
I don’t feel great about just taking their word for it and would like to test the more poplar audio formats specifically Dolby, Atmos, etc.
What’s a quick way to determine if the audio formats actually work? Assuming I should hook it up to a modern receiver and test it that way? If so, what are some good receivers that you would recommend?
Thank you all for your input!
BTW, this question is coming from someone who needs subtitles on every movie or TV show so please pardon my stupidity on this topic.
Oh man, that’s a broad one lol. I do really appreciate this post though! Yes, the only way to do true hands on testing is to get a receiver that will handle anything you throw at it. To test TrueHD with Atmos you’ll need at least a 7.1 speaker setup. Mine has zone 2 setup for the ceiling speakers.
Onkyo, Denon, and Yamaha are the brands I would recommend in that order. The quality between different models within each band is pretty much all the same. The price difference is in the features. Make sure it can handle any audio format plus pass through Dolby Vision and HDR10+ as well. I love my Onkyo because a blue light will appear on the receiver if I’m listening to Dolby TrueHD uncompressed audio tracks and an orange light will appear for DTS HD MA. Very helpful for testing.
I should also add that your receiver sound mode should be set to “direct” so there is no processing involved. That way you see the true format that is being output by the streaming device.
As @Jayhawks659 stated, using a modern AVR with the correct decoder processing is the most “real” way to verify if the correct audio track is encoded and pass through correctly.
There are still other factors involved aside from merely going from streaming box to AVR and proper pass through to TV and speakers.
You would have to ensure that the listed audio source track on the file’s Metadata is true. I’ve found that just because a source days it has a baked in Atmos or DTS track, that isn’t always the case when playing it. When this happens, I’ll stream another source stating the same thing and it will detect and play correctly on my receiver.
As far as brands - many mid-grade ones are very similar, usually just varying in power output and THD%. Depending on what speakers you’re using, you may have to consider what ohm rate you want to be capable of delivering from amp to speakers.
I’ve owned Denon for the vast majority of my theater usage (25+ years). I’d consider Onkyo and Yamaha to be very close alternatives if I went to a different brand. I’ve owned Pioneer Elite, Sony, and Harmon Kardon in the past also. I still like Denon.
Audiophiles ( my friend is one) will spend insane amounts on audio equipment and the cables used to connect them.
eg - Chord Company Shawline RCA 2PP-2PP Cable (0.5 metre) ÂŁ139.00
or 1.5 metre Chord Epic XL speaker cable ÂŁ600.00
But the sound / picture from above youtube videos is amazing on my uncles new Panasonic TX-55MZ800B 55" OLED Ultra HD Smart TV
