Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Qst: Dolby Cp 500 Vs Cp 650 Or Cp 65. A/D Converters- What is best Sound Combination?

This is topic Qst: Dolby Cp 500 Vs Cp 650 Or Cp 65. A/D Converters- What is best Sound Combination? in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=010388

Posted by Martin Daian (Member # 1779) on 03-18-2010, 02:58 PM:

Hello, i need to evacuate some dudes:

I am working to define what is the best quality processor for Analog and Digital:

I have this processors availables:

CP 500 Digital

CP 65 w/ two Cat 350 SR cards & Dolby DA 20 Decoder and SA10 EX Surround Adapter

CP 650 Digital

I receive some information about the CP 500 that in the Analog to Digital conversion the bit rate is not too good like the A/D converters on the CP 650 - Is True ?

If is true the analog sound quality on the CP 500 will be little less in quality thant the CP 650 ?

I love too much the CP 500, is a nice cosmetic processor and robust, i prefer to use CP 500 allways if the Analog and Digital sound quality are the best, if the CP 650 have better sound quality in Analog or Digital i will need to use the CP 650 instead the CP 500,

Some people say that the CP 65 with 2 Cat 350 SR cards and a Dolby DA 20 decoder with an SA EX 10 unit to decode EX Surrounds will be the best combination for Analog and Digital sound, is this true?

The Dolby DA 20 have the same Digital Sample bit rate quality that on the CP 650 and CP 500 ?

Also i am adding a bi-amplified croossover, i have an Ultra Stereo CM-680 Both Monitor and Crossover, is this good or exist a better crossover?, the Dolby crossover cards that uses built in the processors (Cp 500 & CP 650 Crossover Cards) are the best sound quality option ?

Appreciatte your experiences about to help me to define what is the best processors combination to finalize the best sound rack.

Thanks,
Martin

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 03-19-2010, 12:45 AM:

To my ear the 500 was a step back from the 65/20.

Best of all is the 650 which is still fully supported by Dolby. Louis

Posted by Demetris Thoupis (Member # 833) on 03-19-2010, 01:17 AM:

I still think that one of the best sounding Dolby processors is the CP65 in both analogue and digital domain. The only drawback is the lack of full equalisation on the surround channels but that can easily be done if you use the EX decoder! CP65 with Cat 350 in my opinion. I never liked the analogue sound of the CP500. The CP650 is mainly a Digital addressed processor.
Demetris

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 03-19-2010, 03:12 PM:

I always prefered the SR from the 65 over the 500. I may be wrong here but I think the 500 uses an emulated SR? I don't think there is a difference in the digital domain between the da20 and the 500 (except the lack of full EQ on the surround channels)

Posted by Luciano Brigite (Member # 1104) on 03-19-2010, 07:06 PM:

My vote goes to CP65 with SR cards together with DA20.
Didn't hear any other system that beats the sound of these two together.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 03-20-2010, 07:51 AM:

I would go for the CP650.

The CP500 can take Cat 300/350s (with the right daughter board. I'm not a huge fan of its overall sound quality though...a bit harsh.

The CP650 sounds pretty good and its SR emulation is pretty good too.

Steve

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 03-20-2010, 05:18 PM:

Steve,

To clarify... "sounds pretty good", or "sounds the best"?

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-20-2010, 05:37 PM:

I'd pass on both of those and get yourself a used Panastereo CSP-1200. Nothing else out there even comes close to it's performance... even it's SR is better then Dolby's own.

Mark

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 03-20-2010, 07:51 PM:

Of the group listed, sounds best...except possibly for SR analog.

Steve

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 03-20-2010, 10:38 PM:

Steve, I take it you mean when the CP-65 is equipped with the CAT 222 SR/A card?

I think the CP-65 sounds best in SR when CAT 300/350 cards are used.

I do agree the CP-650 has excellent analog sound, better than the CP-500 (or the hideous CP-45) and better than the CP-200.

Mark, The Panastereo may have better sound, but is it really wise to get involved with equipment that is no longer made?

I donated a CP-650 to my screening room at UC Irvine to replace the CP-65 since Dolby no longer supports it. (That and it makes the room set-up identical to the new screening room I just installed there.)

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 03-20-2010, 11:53 PM:

I truly dislike the Cat 222SR/A...it isn't good SR emulation.

The CP200 is the best Dolby analog processor, period. When the 517/560 came out, it got the best analog output stage too.

The CP650 is better than the CP65 in most every respect, except SR noise reduction. But of the SR emulators, it is the best I've heard.

Steve

Posted by Martin Daian (Member # 1779) on 03-21-2010, 01:59 AM:

Thank you to Everybody that help to form my sound rack.

Now i will see that the best SR analog processor is the CP 65 with Cat 350 SR cards used in combination with a DA 20 and an SA10 EX unit, with the SA 10 EX Surround Adapter will have the fully equalized surround channels, now the only diference between this big size system (CP 65 + DA 20 + SA 10) combination and the CP 650 unit is that CP 650 will be more practice on the adjustments also i have the dudes if the adjustments in the CP 65 Processor will be stable compared to the CP 650 adjustments, the CP 65 have analog equalization and output levels with manual pots, the CP 650 have all digitalized and maybe the adjustments will be perfectly stable, of corse less the Optical Preamplifiers Levels that varies when the Red led on the soundhead readers are little disgasted and need to readjust the Optical Preamplifiers Levels or the power voltage on the PS of the reverse scan system.

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 03-21-2010, 11:36 AM:

Steve, What are the differences in the digital portion of the cp650 compared to the DA-20/SA-10? Does the 650 have better D to A conversion?

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 03-21-2010, 02:34 PM:

Sean, shooting from the hip I would say yes as D-A technology has gotten better and less expensive in the decade or so since the DA-20 was born...

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 03-21-2010, 03:13 PM:

With the CP650, everything remains in the digital domain. The CP650 has superior output devices too. I suspect that the digital portion of Dolby AC3 is restricted by the era in which it was born and the CP650 can't improve upon that. As for bit rate...I believe the CP650 is a 24 bit processor, the CP500/DA20 are 18-bit, IRC.

Overall, I just prefer the CP650 audio quality for the digital stuff. The CP65 suffers from relatively noisy VCAs on the L,C, R and S channels due to the Cat 242 (1985 technology). The EQ on the surrounds of the CP65 is pretty pathetic. I don't like the "snaps" when the CP65 changes format and with the DA20/CP65 system, the transition between digital and analog is always audible (plus the surround level jumps by 3dB in analog).

Steve

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 03-22-2010, 10:54 AM:

Thanks for the info Tony. and Steve! [beer]