Scoping Software: Some Fascinating and Educational DTS Recordings.

I'll be up front with you. Just a few months back I figured that DTS (Digital Theater Systems), in spite of the company's high profile and obvious success in the world of movie-theater sound, was not long for the world of home-audio or home-theater.

I was not alone with this opinion. Quite a few other magazine commentators were also ready to write off DTS, and some of them appeared to be openly hostile to the way DTS had been managing its affairs. However, from what I read none doubted that DTS recordings themselves could sound excellent. As I saw it then, things were looking bleak for the company. Indeed, in spite of typical DTS program material often having playback data rates well over three times as high as what were found in the better Dolby Digital releases, Dolby appeared to be on the way to being the dominant format in the home-theater realm. In addition, the heavily hyped DVD-A format looked to be in a position to eventually dominate high-end, five-channel home audio.

However, darned if DTS hasn't hung in there. Now we find that they are not only releasing more and more movies (although Dolby Digital is still light years ahead in terms of quantity, and will probably stay that way), but that they also have expanded their catalog of music material. They now have quite a large number of audio-only, surround-sound compact discs and DVD-video items available for people who could care less about surround-sound movies, but who might just be wild about well-recorded, surround-sound music.

For some time now, I have not been able to listen to or watch any DTS program material, because the Lexicon DC-1 surround processor and Yamaha DSP-A1 integrated amp that I reviewed in Issue 72 were sent back to their manufacturers. I had previously listened to a selection DTS releases using those devices, but after the hardware reviewing was over, my ability to experience DTS software came to an end. What I had heard from the DTS music discs I had on hand (some of which I reviewed for this magazine) did not indicate that DTS technology was substandard in the least. However, many of the discs I had heard were limited in quality simply because of poor remastering decisions or master tapes that were just too old to deliver really modern sound.

However, I recently got a great deal on a new DSP-A1 at a local outlet (stocks are being cleared in anticipation of the new RX-V1 super receiver that will replace it), and now that processor/amp has replaced the DSP-A3090 that has been in my main system for several years. So, I am in a position to review any DTS software that happens to come my way. (My venerable DSP-A3090 has been moved to my smaller system, so it is still sailing along and I can now deal with Dolby Digital program material in that installation.)

Below, are reviews of seven of these new DTS CD and DVD music releases that recently were made available to me. -- HF