[Zaied]

Ahoy!

While going through the new CD player models at Target, Ive noticed that Panasonics new line for this year come with some kind of D-sound technology that was designed to make mp3s on CDs sound better. I purchased my SL-MP70 a year ago and it didnt have D-sound then. Right now my player sounds great since i use primarily 192-256 KBps mp3s encoded with lame and the output is trough a pair of Senns PX100. Right now Im getting the greatest possible potential out of my Panasonic. I know that for some of the most hardcore audiophiles lossless is the only way to go (well even for me any thing sub 192 non-lame = trash), but they claim (and probably correctly) there is still a little bit of distortion and ambient loss even at 192 (although at 256 i dont hear distortion but i can tell that there should be more ambience) What I was wondering was, does Panasonics new D-sound technology make any significant improvement of sound for mp3s, especially for poorly encoded 128 versus 192/256+ lame?

On the box it says this, the new technology consists of:

Digital Amp: Reduces noise levels significantly through digital technology

SXBS + Digital-Auto Gain Control: Helps improve bass response at high volumes

Digital Re-Master Tech: For outstanding sound quality from compressed audio.

New headphones (Note:They suck in any case) Digital tech for high quality sound


So any opinions/interpretations?

 

[null]

Yeah. D-Sound basically just boosts the mids like crazy so the audio sounds more "life-like" and "real". Total balogna, just like any crappy equalization system out there...

 

[Zaied]

But is it just an EQ system? What about the remaster technology? Do you think that is can actually make the music sound even more distorted/messy by increasing the mids and highs? ie. Does it sound worse off?

Oh and one more semi-related question.

Do mp3 decoders vary in quality? Would the decoder in a Pana. portable be significantly different from a Sony etc (Not considering any bass boost technology)

Also Ive noticed that through my Senn Px100s, mp3s sound much better through my computer (a bit clearer, a little more ambient). Does that have to do with hardware difference/sound-card bit and bytes etc etc?

Sorry for acting like such a newb.

 

[null]

The music doesn't sound that bad, per se, with the D-Sound. I'm just trying to say that it will make the music sound more upfront, but it does degrade the sound (as with all crappy equalizers).

You cannot really re-master audio if you dont have the original master (vinyl pressing, digital cd master etc.) Therefore, I think that "digital re-mastering" is nonsense imho.

 

[leon]

*Drama queen style* Nonono nooooo null, the emphasis on mids is Panasonic's signature sound. It's NOT a part of D.Sound.

"D.Sound" is a promotional jargon and includes several features. It definitely means a digital amp is used, but what else is included varies.

2003 MD portables (MJ17/57/97) have digital amp, redesigned earbuds, and new surround sound technology which Panasonic developed by taking measurements of actual ear canals. 2003 CD portables have the auto gain control, and not the surround.

2004 MD and CD portables have the "D.Sound Engine" - if you're familiar with Japanese promo material, there are a lot of Engines around right now. Venus Engine, Wega Engine, DiGiC Engine... so that's just convenient for advertising. The "D.Sound Engine" includes: digital amp, new surround sound, and Re.Master... but as the original poster suggested, the CD players still have auto gain control so bass boost won't end up in distortion.

http://prodb.matsu****a.co.jp/produc...3&vcd=00022568

What they call "Digital (or MD) Re.Master" is a technology that reconstructs the high frequencies lost in encoding. Most of us have already seen similar technology on MP3 players by now... Kenwood and Pioneer both have this kind of technology in use on home decks and computer software.

 

[recephasan]

This is not gonna help you one bit as I'm not offering an alternative but..

I bought the Panasonic 430 with high hopes and ended up returning it. BTW, I bought two (I really gave it a chance) to see if there was any difference in different production runs (April vs. May 2004).

Nope, I do not like it. SXBS sounds boomy and bloated with Grados and even with Ety 4P/S and very unmusical. Remastering is a joke, made my 256kbps mp3s sound weird and was worse with lower bitrates. There is no search feature (within tracks) and the display is numbers only.

OK, nothing bothers me much except for the sound quality. I could not care less if the batteries last 40 or 80 hours - I use rechargeables anyway and unless they go dead on me after a few hours, it does not make any practical difference.

But the sound was lacking. Even my Sony 710 (I think) mp3 PDCP is better.
I don't know if they sound ok with the supplied phones, though. They might be ok, but I'm not interested.
So I returned them.

BTW: on the technical side, does the digital amplifier have a constant output gain and regulate the sound in the DAC side (by reducing values of samples) or does it control the output gain digitally?

 

[soundboy]

see below thread

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=62597

 

[leon]

The gain control might be a separate process from the digital amp, because the amp and D/A conversion are sort of one single process, they're not separate entities.

I haven't commented on the PCDPs themselves, because if they're sucky, the decline's already begun before the D.Sound features were implemented. I had Pana PCDPs from 1995, 97, 99, and 2000, and they basically got worse each year. Their MD portables also tend to be better off.