Denon plans September shipments of a home theater system that uses two satellite speakers and a subwoofer to create a 5.1-channel soundfield.
The $999-suggested D-M71DVXP, which consists of a DVD-receiver and sub/sat speaker system, is the world’s first audio/video product to incorporate Dolby Virtual Speaker, which replicates five-speaker sound through a two-speaker system, Dolby Labs said. The technology recently became available in PCs.
“The technology gives a significant number of consumers whose lifestyles simply cannot accommodate a 5.1-channel speaker system the ability to enjoy true high-quality surround sound home theater,” said Craig Eggers, Dolby’s consumer technology marketing director. The system is “the perfect solution for smaller home listening rooms, apartments, dorm rooms or anywhere great multichannel home entertainment is desired from a compact system,” he said.
Although “the sweet spot for Dolby Virtual Speaker may be more narrow when compared to the claims of competing technologies,” Eggers said. “This is because Dolby Virtual Speaker has been uniquely modeled to reproduce the dynamics of a properly placed 5.1 surround sound speaker system in a virtual listening environment.”
“Dolby Virtual Speaker reproduces the entire sonic signature and its multiple reflection tails, which can often vary significantly in level and spectral balance from the direct sound,” the company said. The technology also features crosstalk cancellation to deliver “a highly realistic and natural sounding 360 degree sonic environment,” it said.
The unit features a single-chassis progressive-scan DVD player/receiver that plays DVD-Video, CD, CD-R/RW, VCD and MP3-encoded CDs. It has Dolby Pro Logic II processing, clock with sleep timer and Dolby Headphone processing.
The system’s satellite amplification of 2×20 watts is complemented by a 100-watt subwoofer. The two-way satellite speakers feature dual 2-inch mid-bass drivers and a half-inch dome tweeter.
A two-channel version without the subwoofer will be available for $699 suggested retail.
