Dolby Surround Test CD

Give another thought beofore you buy... Best suggestion would be DTS / Dolby Digital Demo CDs


Useful.... but you really should get a sound level meter   January 17, 2003
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

..to go along with it. Otherwise you will be making a lot of ad hoc adjustments which won't make a meaningful difference when you listen to real music.


Right up there with Kind of Blue and Sgt Pepper   May 26, 2000
 34 out of 83 found this review helpful

From "Spoken Channel Identification" through "1 kHz, 0 dB", it doesn't get much better than this! One of the best CDs in my collection. My favorite track is #15 (Cows Moooing) which should have been released as a single (what was WEA thinking?) and possibly given a Puff Daddy or Junior Vasquez remix. If this CD is any indication then "Dolby Surround Test" is going to rule the airwaves with their next release. I can't wait.

My only complaint is that the otherwise informative book doesn't have any pictures of the band. What gives? They can't be THAT ugly!

By the way, does anyone know when they'll be touring?


Dolby Surround Test CD   January 9, 2000
 32 out of 34 found this review helpful

Not in comparative terms, the 5-star rating assigned to this one is subjective, only reflecting my satifaction with it. Perhaps I should give it a 4-star because it certainly could be better.

This CD is very well made, and all in English (i.e. the 30-page instruction/explanation booklet and the "Left Channel, Right Channel, ..." spoken in the first track. It obviously has more than what's needed to set up and test a DPL system. The tracks are good for testing and adjusting any speaker systems and revealing the problems with the speakers and the room accoustic conditions (e.g. speaker frequecy response, speaker and/or room resonance, speaker build quality, etc.) It can be a powerful tool for speaker auditioning and speaker specs debunking.

The Noise Panning tracks easily reveal how well or poor the speakers are sonically matched and/or placed. The Base-frequency Adjustments tracks reveals the problems with subwoofers (placement and build quality), some of which may be remedied easily. The frequency sequence and sweep clearly show the dips in the frequency response of the woofer and subwoofer.

The musical samples themselves are worth part of the cost. They show you how good even DPL can sound, hence what one should expect of DD or DTS CDs and music DVDs.

The booklet contains illustrations of speakers vs. effects, and photos of the performing artists and where the sound was recorded (churches, etc.).