Best ways to improve your Satellite or Cable sound signal? Re-clock it?

[caesar]

What are the best ways to improve the sound from your cable or directv for that big game or fight, other than running it through big woofers?

Anyone try re-clocking it?

 

[Ken Newton]

Caesar, before we might intelligently suggest 'improvements' you'd need to tell us what, exactly, your ears don't find satisfactory about the current sound. Also, we'd need to know all the relevant technical details of your current system set up and interconnection.

 

[amirm]

The soundtrack will likely be compressed Dolby AC-3 (Dolby Digital). Reclocking will not back out the effects of that. If your system has some kind of EQ, turning down the treble can be helpful to reduce the sharpness of such tracks especially since vocals of the announcers is the key component.

 

[MarinJim]

I run my cable box digital rca out to my ModWright DAC. Sounds 100% better.

 

[caesar]

Caesar, before we might intelligently suggest 'improvements' you'd need to tell us what, exactly, your ears don't find satisfactory about the current sound. Also, we'd need to know all the relevant technical details of your current system set up and interconnection.

Thanks, Ken. It's really simple: rca cable from directv box to preamp to amps to 2 speakers.

 

[jfrech]

Thanks, Ken. It's really simple: rca cable from directv box to preamp to amps to 2 speakers.

I'd try a DAC first. It should help. I've struggled with what you're dealing with too. Right now I have my direct tv going into my Vivaldi upsampler. It's better. But really not that great. I wish we could get hi def movies and soundtracks streamed...

 

[caesar]

The soundtrack will likely be compressed Dolby AC-3 (Dolby Digital). Reclocking will not back out the effects of that. If your system has some kind of EQ, turning down the treble can be helpful to reduce the sharpness of such tracks especially since vocals of the announcers is the key component.

Thanks, Amir. When I run the signal through my speakers, and thus the larger woofers, the bass is much richer and authoritative and the announcers no longer sound like eunuchs.

Also, I could understand that the providers may want to skimp on audio for sports events (although the microphone locations are pretty good these days on the court/ field and in capturing the crowd and help add illusion of realism). But it is really interesting (for a non-videophile) that if they broadcast popular movies in HD on movie channels, such as HBO, that they would compress the audio signal so much. I would guess that blu-rays or streaming services would have a competitive advantage. And they could educate the consumer that they have a better product.

 

[caesar]

I'd try a DAC first. It should help. I've struggled with what you're dealing with too. Right now I have my direct tv going into my Vivaldi upsampler. It's better. But really not that great. I wish we could get hi def movies and soundtracks streamed...

Thanks. I was thinking of doing what MarinJim is suggesting: getting that signal from the directv box into a recocker or dac.

 

[Ken Newton]

When I run the signal through my speakers, and thus the larger woofers, the bass is much richer and authoritative and the announcers no longer sound like eunuchs.

If your complaint is about your system's tonal balance via the direct tv feed, the surest way I know for you to get what you want is via EQ. You may want to try a simple analog graphic equalizer unit before investing in something like a new DAC that may or may not give you the tonal result you desire.

And they could educate the consumer that they have a better product.

Unfortunately, most consumers could not care less about the supposed technical superiority of one format or another. They mostly want convenience. Subjective sound quality MAY sway some purchase decisions if it is compellingly better than what they have now, but even that would be largely ignored by the majority of consumers in my estimation. I'm of the oppinion that CD replaced vinyl primarily because it offered a more convenient way to listen to music, which is also the reason hard-drive basedd MP3 largely displaced the CD among consumers.

 

[Elberoth]

Simple: if your cable box has a digital output (TosLink or RCA) just get a DAC, or route the signal through the existing one (if you already have one).

 

[dallasjustice]

The best way means using a computer and a USB/FireWire/Ethernet external DAC. You will also need a cablecard TV tuner like the silicon dust HD home run prime and Jriver 21. Jriver may soon offer an add on which covers support for copy once protected content. That's not a big deal for my cable company but it may matter for you. I watch TV this way and it sounds pretty spectacular. To my knowledge, there's nothing one can do to improve the audio data stream. It is what it is.

Microsoft used to be the only game in town for computer server TV, but alas they've finally abondoned it with Windows 10, after not developing cablecard for many years. Now, Jriver is the only game in town for cable tv plus high end DAC.

 

[kach22i]

This might seem like a backwards way to do things, but if you subscribe to cable you can watch those shows off their website by providing them with a little information.

Playing the program off your computer though your Internet connection and using the TV as your monitor, your home theater system for the audio might give you a different quality level.

Better or worse is the question.

I have a DSL Internet connection though my phone line, and it's not bad at all, darn good in fact.

Better than cable or satellite?

I have no idea.

Comcast sucked so bad before I rid myself of them, anything was better.

Not all DSL connections are good/fast connections, I have a very good one (AT&T) - got lucky.

Give it an A/B test and tell us how it works out.