Sound Advise

[admin_exported]

Hi guys,

I am a sound noob.

I currently have a Xbox 360 (component) PS3, sky box (going to get the HD Box as soon as the package changes) and a 40” Samsung LCD, 1080p.

I also have a Sony DAVIS-10 and was wondering what the best set up to use was, iv tried connecting PS3 to the TV though HDMI and running a optical cable from that to the DAVIS-10 feel that the sound is compromised when watching DVD or BD on the PS3, feels like the PS3 is outputting in stereo then the DAVIS is converting this into 5.1.

What the best way to link all this up, priory for me is getting the PS3 to sound as good as it can with my current set up.

If its better for me to just connect the PS3 to the DAVIS 10 direct with a optical cable sound output should I set the PS3 to.

One more thing, what sound settings should I use on the DAVIS 10, I don’t fully understand STD, MOVIE MODE, DTS….

Is the any other options I could consider? How well would the DAVIS-10 speakers work amp if I ditched the DVD player (my girlfriend wont let me have anything bigger than the DAVIS’s speakers which is the only reason I bought it ?)

Thank you for any help you can offer.

 

[professorhat]

You definitely want to be running your PS3 into the DAV-IS10 direct with an optical cable, this will much improve the sound as you'll be getting proper Dolby Digital / DTS 5.1 rather than, what I expect you're getting at the moment which is the TV is only outputting a stereo signal to the DAV-IS10. Once you've hooked it up directly, on the PS3, change your Sound Settings so that the Audio Output Settings is via Digital Out (Optical) rather than the HDMI cable. Then go to the BD/DVD Settings and make sure the BD Audio Output Format (Optical Digital) settings is set to Bitstream.
On the sound modes, the only thing I'd worry about is that it's using Dolby Digital when watching a movie with a Dolby Digital soundtrack and DTS when watching a movie with a DTS soundtrack. The other modes are really down to personal preference e.g. psuedo surround effects when watching standard TV.
Ditching your DAV-IS10 speakers and moving to a different amp is tricky and involves cutting up wires etc. so I'm not sure I would advise it. You could look at something like the Mission M-Cube - it has similar size speakers. It's a bit of a step up in price though as you would also need to buy an AV receiver to buy it, but then it would also be a big step up in quality.