Hi-Fi Corner - Yamaha FAQ

Many thanks to yamaha-audio.co.uk for allowing us to use their FAQs about Yamaha equipment and home cinema systems.

Should you require further details visit any branch of Hi-fi Corner. Advice on equipment bought from us is free.

Can I get Dolby Digital 5.1 from my TV and VCR?

You can only get Dolby Digital 5.1 and other multi-channel formats from DVD and Laser Disc.

What is the difference between Dolby Digital and DTS?

Dolby Digital and DTS are both 5.1 channel discrete formats. They operate on different compression rates, which means there's a sound difference between the two.

So which is better Dolby Digital or DTS?

Both are extremely good sound formats, so we'll let you make your own decision.

The new range of Yamaha loudspeakers have PMD cones, but what does this stand for and what does it mean?

PMD stands for Polymer Injected Mica Diaphragm. The cone is made up of 30% pearl mica which is a natural material. The benefits of using this material is that it is extremely strong and it helps keep the cone linear, and reproduces a very clear and natural sound.

I have a high quality HiFi amplifier and want to get into Home Cinema but I don't want to have two separate systems, what can I do?

The best thing to do would be to keep your existing HiFi amplifier and add a processor to the system. The processor would provide the amplification for the centre and rear channels, whilst the HiFi amplifier would control the main speakers. All audio visual equipment would connect to the processor and the HiFi equipment would remain connected to the HiFi amplifier.

I've got a DVD player connected up to a Dolby Digital amplifier via an optical digital interconnect, but I can't get Dolby Digital 5.1?

There are several possibilities as to what this could be. First of all check that the disc that you are using is encoded with Dolby Digital 5.1, if it is go the menu of the DVD disc, go into audio settings; the majority will select Dolby Digital 5.1 automatically. If you are still not getting Dolby Digital 5.1 you will need to go into the set menu of the DVD player. A list of options will come up (usually numbered 1-10) select the option that has audio output labelled, select Dolby Digital and then select Bitstream. By doing this you are telling the player to look at the bitstream track of the DVD, this is where the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack lies, once selected you will get Dolby Digital 5.1 provided that you are connected to the amplifier correctly.

What is the concept of Yamaha DSP?

DSP stands for Digital Sound Field Processing. The technology was developed by Yamaha in 1986 to measure the sound fields, or acoustic characteristics, of concert halls, jazz clubs and other performance spaces. Yamaha engineers invented a technique called Single Point Quad Miking that allowed them to make precise measurements of these spaces, and they went to many famous venues around the world, gathering data, which they stored in custom-designed computer chips. Utilizing this data in even more powerful processing chips allows Yamaha DSP amps and receivers, with four or more speakers, to recreate the original sound field in ordinary listening rooms.