DrewT55

When I purchased my car the dealer said that you could buy surround sound CD's at Circuit City and Best Buy. Both stores told me that surround sound is Super Audio but if I put in a CD that says "Only for Super Audio" the screen in the car says it cannot read the CD. Are there just surround sound CD's or is somthing wrong with my stereo?

chicagoA6

I think only the Acura's support DVD-A format. Not sure if any OEMs are supporting SACD.

Your dealer didn't know what they were talking about.

THE MEROVINGIAN

Unfortunately, you have run into the ever helpful staff at best buy and circuit city. The folks that tell you thatthe gas in plasma panels will need to be refilled in two years, and other bits of mis-information. It seems the guys at you dealer don't know much about electronics either. The only thing the car would play is the new dual disc format which is dvd audio on one side and cd on the other.

DrewT55

If so, is there a way to tell on the package what is and what is not?

THE MEROVINGIAN

The only surround sound CD's I can remember were the short-lived DTS surround cd's that only work in a player equipped to handle DTS. Eventually they even started to use DVD's and I'm not sure if you would call that DVD Audio. In my opinion this whole HI REZ Audio with MLP and other kinds of trickery dosen't seem like it's enticing anybody but audiophiles with equipment where you might notice the difference. I guess they can take another stab at it when the Blu-Ray format emerges and triumphs over HDDVD.

markcincinnati

The Disc changer in the Bose system in the Audi A6 does not support any format other than a "traditional" CD -- but that would include an HDCD (see below if you are really interested), but not SACD or DVD-Audio. Acura and Infiniti (in the new M's with the high zoot audio option) will play DVD-Audio discs and the M will even play a DVD movie disc. Some Cadillacs (and for all I know Lexus, too) do this too.

The Surround mode in the Bose appears to be something like "Dolby Pro-Logic II" or at least a technology that, like DPLII, "derives" surround information from a stereo source (hence its activiation on CD's and Sirius and XM, but somewhat curiously NOT FM radio.)

I have mine set for "surround rear" with about a 75% "surround mode" setting (when it sticks, which is about 2 days at a time.)

I find the surround mode for sat radio and CD's to be an improvement over normal mode settings. Greater envelopment, less boomy, greater "presence" and clarity leap to mind as ways to describe the Audi/Bose interpretation of Surround Front or Surround Rear.

Not as pleasing as a true DVD-A as rendered in the Acura and Infiniti M (both of which I have heard.)

On the other hand, there is NOT MUCH program material available in DVD-A (a bit more, apparently on SACD) and as noted hardly any mfg offers the ability to decode a DTS disc (aftermarket is all I am aware of, in fact) and probably ditto for SACD hardware (i.e., aftermarket only if any.)

Will ALL CD's "decode" in Surround (front or rear) then? Yes, no, but.

Here is what I mean. Most CD's have some "difference" information in them. Difference information simply is the sound that is left over when what we can hear from the left channel is subtracted from what we can hear from the right channel.

Sometimes, again to be simple, this is called the phantom channel or phantom surround. Remember Quadraphonic? The principle that Bose uses strikes me as similar -- a stereo input is "massaged" to uncover some "data" that is normally "folded into" either the left or right channel -- this uncovered data is slightly different that either the left channel or the right channel -- and it is routed to either the rear or front based on the settings we drivers make via the MMI screen (DSP.)

Some CD's are virtually "dual mono" (think early Beatles for instance) -- these extreme stereo CD's often don't sound good when "decoded" or just don't create any surround information. Once we got beyond extreme stereo, we actually did begin to create CD's that would render addtional difference information -- and when fed into a surround system with speakers in the front and rear did create "surround" sound -- or perhaps better said, the illusion of surround sound.

Is this true multi-channel surround (such as DVD-A would be)? Hell no. Is it "better" "truer" or whatever you would consider at the very least "different"? Probably -- but it is somewhat in the ear of the beholder.

Bose has made a career (in automotive applications especially) out of automobile surround sound. The A6, as I recall has thirteen speakers plus the Bose software/hardware (amplification) implementation to provide "surround sound" in the new A6.

I like it.

Actually I like it a lot -- but I also really like the Infiniti M's ability to play DVD-A and the fact that it goes the extra mile and puts speakers at the top of both front seats (l+r) on either side of the headrests.

The A6, for a factory system, is, IMHO, mostly excellent.

==========

Here is the explanation of HDCD if you care:

"High Definition Compatible Digital (HDCD) is a patented encode/decode process for delivering the full richness and detail of the original microphone feed on compact discs (CDs) and DVD-Audio. HDCD has been used in the recording of more than 5,000 CD titles, which include more than 250 Billboard Top 200 recordings and more than 175 GRAMMY nominations, and account for more than 300 million CDs sold.

HDCD-encoded CDs sound better because they are encoded with 20 bits of real musical information, as compared with 16 bits for all other CDs. HDCD overcomes the limitation of the 16-bit CD format by using a sophisticated system to encode the additional 4 bits onto the CD while remaining completely compatible with the existing CD format. HDCD provides more dynamic range, a more-focused 3-D soundstage, and extremely natural vocal and musical timbre. With HDCD, you get the body, depth, and emotion of the original performance•not a flat digital imitation.

HDCD-encoded recordings sound better on all digital player products because HDCD subtractive, dither A/D conversion and dynamic-filter processes yield a higher resolution signal with lower distortion. For HDCD CD releases, Peak Extend restorable soft limiting can increase resolution by allowing signal levels to be raised by up to 6 dB; Low Level Extend can improve resolution of low-level signals; and HDCD high-frequency dither improves resolution by 6 dB (one bit). HDCD-equipped players improve the sound of all digital recordings because HDCD decoding includes the HDCD precision up-sampling digital filter."

DrewT55

Thanks

agw2

I have XM but the surround is grayed out. Which station has it?

The only CD I have that activates it is Elton John Super Audio CD. With that CD I also get to see the CD title and all of the track's names.

markcincinnati

In sat radio or CD, you press the lower right hand button nearest the main mmi ****, then, the MMI **** can be turned to move the selector to "DSP" (which will be displayed on the MMI screen.)

Push down on the MMI **** and a new screen will appear -- you will probably see the word NORMAL in the upper right hand portion of the screen.

Push the MMI **** while the selector/display is showing NORMAL and you will see a drop down menu of choices -- I choose SURROUND REAR. Move the selector (using the MMI ****) to the surround mode you want or think you want and push the MMI **** down. A checkmark will appear next to your choice.

After you have activated one of the surround modes, the DSP menu will now show surround level as a choice you can make.

Select this with the MMI **** and press the **** down. You will be presented with a "graphic volume control" -- turn it to the desired setting -- I have mine set at about 75% + and surround mode SURROUND REAR.

That is all there is to it.

However, the surround mode will not remain in SURROUND mode -- and for the life of me I cannot figure out what kills it.

Surround will not work on AM or FM but will work on CD and sat radio.

It is subtle but powerful -- trial and error for your own tastes.