Meridian Audio 861 - Manual (Page 8)

4
Introduction
The 861 provides an extensive range of options for
decoding and processing analogue and digital signals
for multichannel reproduction.
Music on CD or radio
The following DSP presets add a surround dimension
to stereo recordings, such as on audio CDs or radio.
Music extracts the mono and surround components
of the original recording for the centre and surround
speakers to give a spacious open sound field.
Trifield is similar to Music but generates a centre-
front signal that is completely integrated with the front
stereo image, for a more stable, accurate, and focused
stereo image. The image width is also adjustable.
Super produces a very good surround effect with
many live recordings.
PLIIx Music and Music Logic are recommended for
use with studio produced music, and provide different
options for adjusting the sound field.
Two-channel movie soundtracks on
DVD, video, and TV
Many movie soundtracks are Dolby Surround Encoded
onto a two-channel stereo soundtrack.
The following DSP presets re-create the surround
components from this type of material:
PLIIx Movie is Dolby’s recommended choice for
Dolby Surround Encoded material, and PLIIx THX
provides a variant of this better suited to home
listening.
TV Logic uses the same processing techniques as
PLIIx Movie but with adjustable steering to give
better results with TV material.
Special presets for two-channel
materials
Direct uses only the left and right speakers; compare
this with the effect of surround processing using the
other modes. Stereo will use a subwoofer if it is
present.
Ambisonics is specially designed for two-channel
materials that are UHJ Ambisonically encoded, such as
certain audio CDs. The encoded surround information
is recovered and played back using all the loudspeakers
in your system. In addition it will give impressive results
with other two-channel material.
Multichannel movie soundtracks on
DVD
The following presets are designed for use with
multichannel movie soundtracks encoded using Dolby
Digital or DTS. Typically these are labelled 5.1 because
they provide five full-range channels (three front and
two rear) and one LFE (bass effects) channel.
Cinema and THX decode the soundtrack to render
the original six channels to your speaker layout. THX
adds some additional signal processing to match the
sound to typical home listening conditions.
PLIIx Mov6, PLIIx Mus6, THX Surround EX,
THX Ultra2, and THX Music create an additional
pair of surround channels from the 5.1 channel
soundtrack and are available if you have four surround
speakers in your system. Use PLIIx Mus6 or THX
Music for music.
DSP presets and layouts