Dolby DTS Decoder

In home theatre circles you get a lot of talk around what is true multi-channel and what is not (hinting at the possibility of inferior extra channels being derived from a basic 2-channel signal), and this could especially be true of some of the popular all-in-one sets people buy at the general dealer – and for that matter, several bargain priced DVD-players are also suspect. In the case of stand-alone decoders one should expect to have a definite advantage in true channel separation (but then also not so separate that your head swings around every time an engine starts up on the left), and again that alone is no 100% guarantee, seeing that some of the reviews of the modern units mentioned later are not all that favourable either. Confusing? Yes, and some audiophiles swear by separate decoders, and others scoff at the idea. I couldn't care; I needed one otherwise my vintage system was useless.

In the new item market, I managed to identify a suitable Chinese decoder marketed under two different brand names for about $120, but the shipping cost out of the East to Africa was inexplicably high. I also located another new item in Germany for a hefty $190, but with shipping cost added, that would also break the bank. Finally, I found several other guys in the East bringing out small USB-based decoders, but since these were driven by PC software, I couldn’t make use of those.

Even though in fair supply a few years back, to nowadays source a stand-alone 5.1 channel decoder able to handle the Dolby DTS/AC3 format (the current standard for all DVD’s) proved quite difficult, seeing that the multi-channel circuits are now incorporated into modern equipment. As for the used market, whatever came up for auction was snapped up in the blink of an eye, often by PC gamers looking to expand their sound experience. A really tough environment where I spent several months bowing out of auctions that easily ran into the $200-plus category - easily way above my budget. And then there were also those sellers (at least two) who reneged on completed transactions because they got the shipping costs wrong! But those deals getting cancelled was a blessing in disguise, because in both instances the items cost in excess of a hundred dollars, whereas the Marantz DP870 I finally acquired went for $46. The shipping cost of $75 was heavy, but at least that was what it was calculated as from the first day, so it couldn’t mess up the transaction 3 steps further down the line.

Despite all the various functions enabling one to do finer adjustments or to alter the output to one’s own personal taste, the workings of the decoder is fairly straightforward.  Digital input is catered for in the form of either coaxial or optical posts, and output is simply the common analogue 5.1 setup (front, surround, centre and sub-woofer). I could be telling you that it’s performance is on such a superior level that when listening to the wind in the opening scenes of “War Of The Worlds” the Marantz lifts both separation and detail to the point where one can actually determine magnetic north, but in acknowledgment of my limited audio/videophile capabilities I’ll spare you the drivel and conclude with the summary that it processes digital Dolby into 6 clearly separate audio channels.