Layering Dolby Digital Pro Logic II over the Dolby Digital 5.1 track was interesting in that it gave a somewhat deeper soundstage though I think that this was somewhat artificial and you may want to reserve this for achieving 7.1 from 5.1 sources using Dolby Pro Logic IIx. The bottom line, after working through all of these modes and trying them out on various effects-laden scenes, is that the Presence speakers really add a lot if you're using 5.1. On this movie in particular it was a nice trick.

Editorial Note

Just like its predecessor, the Yamaha RX-V2600 allows you to select either Presence channels or Back Surround channels, not both. Even if you have an external amp, there is no facility for providing preamp outputs to both Presence and Back Surrounds at the same time. It would be good thing for Yamaha to consider allowing for both (even if one set is not amplified) in future models.

DVD: Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume I
Wanting to test out the Yamaha DSP further, I took out Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume I which is mastered in Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, and features very little in the surround channels. This is a great DVD with which to test DSP as it doesn't possess a discrete Dolby Digital (native) 5.1 soundtrack. With this DVD a key element was getting information into the surrounds to create a more enveloping environment.

I tried a couple of methods. First, I engaged a movie mode (Sci-Fi) which did enhance the soundstage, but did little to bolster the surrounds. Engaging Dolby Pro Logic II fixed the issue with adding more depth to the listening experience as the surrounds now held a considerable amount of the music score. This was great, but I wanted a bit more. Turning on the 'Enhanced' mode while in Dolby Pro Logic II did the trick. This activated the Presence channels along with some intelligent DSP and resulted in a full soundstage with both vertical expansion and great depth. The Yamaha RX-V2600 offers so much useful DSP that it really gives you the flexibility to enhance the listening experience in a practical and real way - not just muddy the track with reverb and phase effects as some products we've encountered. I feel as if I can truly recommend Yamaha DSP given that it is used appropriately. For example, if you have a high end system with ample midrange and high frequency clarity (perhaps a truncated line array or other high performance system) you will likely find that the DSP doesn't offer nearly as much of a difference. However, with smaller loudspeakers and channel-limited source material it can work wonders.

DVD: Band of Brothers
OK, we chatted up DSP. Now I just wanted to listen to some good quality 5.1. I selected disc three's episode "Bastogne" and chose the DTS 51 soundtrack. During the course of this episode there were incoming mortars that literally flew overhead and landed throughout the entire listening room. This is possibly the best film I have ever encountered in terms of the use of surrounds. If you close your eyes you can localize everything from Jeep-bys, to off-screen dialogue, to fire and ricochet effects.

There is a scene where the 101st makes contact with the enemy soldiers and have a man down. Wood chips and spent casings leap with the utmost detail from the front speakers and the echoes and distant gunfire provide the realistic forest depth through the surrounds.

At one point the rounds really started to drop and the Germans tried to cross the line into the defended territory. Bullets ripped from front to back or left to right depending upon the shot, sending flying pieces of bark from trees and resulting in a terrifyingly real war scene to rival anything that has come out of Hollywood. Back in the town of Bastogne, the incoming bombs drop all around and explosions, flame, and falling brick littered Reference System 3. The sounds in this episode (and really the whole series) are so lifelike it was simply amazing to close my eyes and take it all in.

The Yamaha RX-V2600 is a paramount achievement in terms of the receiver market. Receivers are finally starting to pay almost as much attention to the second half of "audio-video" as they previously did to the first half. As video becomes as integral in receivers as audio, look for a wide gap to emerge between manufacturers. There will be those who can advance their products' technology, and those who will likely take the stance of saying it's not all that important. The upconversion, deinterlacing and video scaling features that come through in this receiver are truly useful with few limitations. This is the first receiver we've seen that truly takes anything in (save 1080p) and gives you a one-cable solution to a display. For those with a single cable running to a wall-mounted plasma or LCD flat panel this might just be the most intelligent purchase you could make this year.