home theater BUT true HiFi

March 18, 2002 - I first heard about the DD-5.1 at this year's CES. It was big news because it was to be the first piece of electronics to bear the Klipsch name. Although they didn't have one at the show, the description, and Klipsch's excellent reputation, was enough to pique my interest. I've now had the DD-5.1 a little more than one week and the experience has been extremely positive. The device works perfectly, and although it has a couple of limitations, I recommend it to anyone in need of a stand-alone decoder. And while I looked forward to Klipsch-branded electronics before using the DD-5.1, the prospect is now all the more exciting.The DD-5.1 is a set-top pre/pro. For the uninitiated, "pre/pro" is short for preamp/processor, which means that the box decodes signals, provides a small amount of amplification, and then routes them to a power amplifier. The amp could be an older receiver with six-channel inputs but no decoders or a powered speaker system, such as the ProMedia 5.1s. Klipsch would obviously love it if you paired the DD-5.1 with their speakers, and the results would be terrific, as that's what I used for this review, but you could use it with any system with the appropriate inputs.As you can see in the inline image, the DD-5.1 is a somewhat small component - small and simple. The front panel has only one button: power. In the middle of the faceplate is the LCD, which is, of course, backlit. Though the display is small, the screen is very well organized and the text very sharp, so legibility isn't a problem unless you have the DD-5.1 set across a big room, in which case you might have a little difficulty reading it. To the right of the LCD are six LEDs: L, C, R, SL, SW, and SR. The lights glow in one of two colors while the unit is working. Red means that a given channel is reproducing its natural range plus sub frequencies (20Hz to 120Hz). Green means that the given channel is not handling any sub frequencies below 120Hz. You'll also find an IR port on the front. Since there are no controls on the unit itself, you use the remote for everything, so don't lose it. Click image to enlarge. One look around back will tell you that Klipsch tried to make the DD-5.1 as flexible as possible. The I/O scheme will accommodate all of the current audio interfaces. In addition to the digital optical and coaxial ins, there are three pairs of analog RCA inputs. I would have liked to see an additional optical jack, but for most users one will do the trick. And if you are connecting your PS2 or Xbox, then you can leave it hooked up while a DVD or CD player goes into the coaxial.As for output, you have two choices. To the far left is a single G9 out. (G9 carries all six channels through one cable.) As most of don't have a G9-equipped component, the six-channel analog outs will be more commonly used. Each channel gets its own single RCA out. Klipsch bundles three Y adapters with the DD-5.1 so that you can use it with a standard 5.1 multimedia system. Such a configuration entails three inputs: front channels, rear channels, and a sub/center channel. Installing the DD-5.1 is a snap, and the manual includes diagrams for a couple setup scenarios for you technophobes.As far as processing power, the DD-5.1 has built-in Dolby Digital, DTS, and Pro Logic decoders. Unfortunately, Klipsch skipped DPLII, which will no doubt piss off you Nintendo fans. (The GameCube works with Pro Logic, but optimally you'd use the newer, and much more sophisticated, Pro Logic II.) I understand that for DVDs, PS2, and Xbox you only need the two included decoders, but I was greatly surprised by the lack of DPLII processing. Klipsch obviously wanted to keep the price down, but it seems that this choice cuts out a whole lot of consumers, especially since the company markets this for gaming as much as home cinema. I only hope that a future version includes DPLII. Click image to enlarge. In addition to the straight decoding, the DD-5.1 has a handful of sound modes. I'm not a big fan of these DSPs -- they're generally too dramatic to use for more than a minute -- but their continued presence in HT components means that a lot of people disagree with me. In the DD-5.12 you'll find the ever-popular Hall, Theater, Stadium, Club, and Church reverb options. They sound "good" I suppose, but I doubt you'll use them very often.For such a small device, there are plenty of additional tweaks, most of which will help tailor the sound to fit the environment. The most basic adjustment is simply turning on/off certain channels. You can easily disable the sub, center, or surround channels. This is especially useful when used in combination with the bass management system, which is quite sophisticated for such a small device. All told, there are four settings: * Configuration 1: All sound below 120Hz gets routed to the sub. None of the satellites gets any bass. * Configuration 2: Frequencies below 120Hz are routed not only to the sub, but also to the front speakers. * Configuration 3: Frequencies below 120Hz are routed not only to the sub, but also to the front and rear speakers. * Configuration 3: Frequencies below 120Hz are routed to all six channels. In terms of straight sound quality, Configuration 1 is the best, as the sub takes all the bass, relieving the satellites of the difficult work. However, depending on your room, a different setting might do the trick.The balance mode allows you to attenuate each of the six channels by up to -12dB. You are also able to calibrate the delay in the surround channels by up to 15 ms and in the center channel by up to 5 ms. A built-in five-band EQ lets you adjust areas of sound by up to +/-10dB. The manual doesn't say where the frequencies are, or how wide of a band you're tweaking, but the spread covers the spectrum neatly. You can save up to four EQ settings and load them at any time thanks to four user-defined slots. Lastly, Dynamic Range Compression can be set to squeeze the digital signal in one three settings: uncompressed, half compressed, or fully compressed.All functions are carried out with the remote. It might not look like much, and it feels a bit cheap, but it is smartly laid out and very comfortable. I prefer a larger volume control, but the central location puts it directly under your thumb.As for sound, it really depends on your choice of speakers and source, as the DD-5.1 doesn't add it's own flavor to the audio, unless, of course, you opt for one of the goofy DSPs. For the review I ran a DVD player, Xbox, and PS2 through the DD-5.1 and it came up aces every time. It immediately recognized the source and interface and then engaged the appropriate decoding mode. (You can always override the automatic choice with Pro Logic, but I rarely use this processing.) For speakers, I used the ProMedia 5.1s, with which you really can't go wrong. Click image to enlarge. In both DD and DTS the sound was terrific. The decoding was fast and accurate and produced a very pleasing environment. Transitions between channels were handled smartly and even complex passages ran smoothly. The rig made for an awesome Xbox sound system. I played Halo, Gotham, and RalliSport and each was awesome. Sound placement was dead-on and reliable and the overall experience was very engaging.The only performance problem I had stemmed from the lack of DPLII decoding. I got to play Rogue Leader, but only in Pro Logic, which is hardly a substitute for its predecessor.ConclusionI would confidently recommend the DD-5.1 to anyone except Nintendo fans, who will just have to pray for a second-generation model with a wider array of decoders. If you have an older receiver, one that has six-channel inputs but no decoders, then the DD-5.1 would make an excellent companion. And if you a set of 5.1 multimedia speakers, then this would be the ticket to terrific DVD and gaming surround sound.The big draw of the DD-5.1 is the price. For $169.99 you get a very smart, very able decoder. What it lacks in format support it more than makes up for with excellent decoding for DD and DTS.Highly recommended.IGN's Ratings for Klipsch ProMedia DD-5.1Rating Description out of 10 9.0 PerformanceOutstanding decoding in both DD and DTS. DPLII would make it much nicer, though, as well as please Nintendo fans. Neat remote.9.0 Build QualityJust what you'd expect from Klipsch. Well designed and very sturdy.8.0 FeaturesSolid array of ins and outs, useful remote, tons of tweaks. Now just add DPLII!8.5 Ease of UsePlug and play. Just don't lose the remote! Auto-detect works very well.7.5 ValueKlipsch priced it just where they should have. Afordable enough to bring any system up to date.8.5 OVERALL(out of 10 / not an average)

IGN: Klipsch ProMedia DD-5.1 Review

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