DD, DTS decoding
Variety of inputs (coax & digital)

No mode auto-detect
Remote is cheap

Picked this up for about US $150 at a local dealer. My setup includes:

Denon AVR 2400 digital ready receiver
Rotel RB 985 5 channel amp
Toshiba 3109 DVD
Technics SH-AC500D
Klipsch Legend series all around + Klipsh sub
StraightWire and Monster cable

This unit does an admirable job of decoding DD & DTS. The price makes it a unique bargain for thr features. The only gripe I have, mentioned in an earlier review, is the lack of auto detect ability. With this model, the user must select DD, DTS or Stereo. If the source is sending a signal other than what the user selects, no sound will be heard. After ensuring the setup is correct, enjoy all the DTS DVDs you ever wanted.

BTW - The first unit I purchased would not process DTS CDs for some strange reason. The test tone also did not work at all. Took it back, and replacement unit works perfectly!

5 stars for value.
4 stars for great performance but lack of auto detect.

I purchased The SH-AC500D to upgrade to DD/DTS after picking up a DVD player. I was using a Yamaha Pro Logic decoder and digital sound field processer to decode the Dolby Pro logic off of VHS and DVD and though it was doing a pretty good job. Once switching to DD however (and buying another amp for center and rear since the Yamaha had 25W each for these) I was really shocked at the improvement. My wife and I jump several times during action movies, and laugh outloud at some of the surround effects. I own a pair of Digital Phase AP4's for my main R&L with a Adcom 555 (600Wrms) for each one and a Mirage for the center and built in BIC.s for the rear using a Adcom 5235 amp 200+60+60. The only thing I don't like about the SH-AC500 is that there are no analog inputs for my VCR which still required me to us the Yamaha, until I built a analog to digital converter (little black box thing)to hang off the VCR and send a fiber optic feed to the SH-AC500.

The Technics SH-AC500 is an excellent way to get DD/DTS into any system withoutupgrading you reciever/preamp. I bought this unit with the thought of using it
until I could upgrade my current preamp(Sony TAE1000-ESD). After listening for
a couple of weeks, I decided I could wait until the next generation of pre-amps
was available to up-grade. The bass of this unit is EXCELLENT and the midrange
and treble are very good for the money. The only problem I could detect was
that it may not be a good match for all amplifiers. To get Dolby Digital
reference volumes you need to turn the master volume all the way up. My amp
is a Carver M1.0t, with other amps this may not be a problem. If you are looking for an inexpensive way of adding DD/DTS this is the way to go.

High quality, clean DD and DTS decoding. Having both 5.1 inputs and outputs.

Limited remote functionality, limited auto switching & detecting.

This little box has its limitations. I put the remote into a drawer and never use it as it offered such little functionality. You have to push a button to get it to decode DTS. It has only 3 digital inputs. Speaker setup is limited. You could try to use it as a standalone preamp, but I doubt you'd stick with it for long.

However the plus side, and its a BIG PLUS side, is that it is a terrific Dolby Digital and DTS decoder for a very inexpensive price. I've compared it to decoders listing for close to $1000 and the difference is quite small. I use it with an older Denon Pro Logic receiver (with 5.1 inputs) and they work beautifully together. Was even able to program my $30 Radio Shack remote with the several of the Technics remote codes, so I can control it along with the rest of my HT system from a single remote.

This piece originally listed at $349 and it was a great deal at that price. Now some of the internet sellers offer it for under $200 and you can't beat it for adding very good DD/DTS to an older system.

I run my Technics DVD player, a Dish DBS receiver, and an older Pioneer laserdisc through it and all sound better than I've ever heard them before.

Similar Products Used:

Parasound, Denon

Dolby Digital/DTS/PCM

doesn't auto-detect DTS (but then again, does anything)

The need for discrete audio decoding was never an issue for me even just a few years ago: My 1991 model Pioneer VSX-D1S handled Dolby Pro-Logic decoding more than adequately, decoding matrixed surround from VHS and broadcast television flawlessly. I wasn’t into laserdiscs (a format which only began to offer Dolby Digital a few yeas later), and given the hefty price-tag of entry level Dolby Digital receivers from makers like Pioneer (early models cost upwards of $2,000 Cdn.), the need to swap machines was a non-issue.

Four years ago I auditioned one of these early (and costly) Pioneer Dolby Digital receivers at my local high-end audio retailer. The test demo was U2’s “Rattle & Hum” (on laserdisc). The sales person demoed (is this a word?) the opening scene (intro to “Where the streets have no name”) using Pro-Logic. I remember thinking “Okay – nice”. Then he switched it to Dolby Digital. “Wow”. Suddenly the soundstage was HUGE! You could actually “hear” conversations from audience members and the creaking of bodies settling into seats before the concert began.

Forget the music and the bombast that accompanied the opening strains. It was the subtle sounds and the ambience that sold me immediately.

But again, given the hefty price-tag involved and the cost of swapping my growing number of titles on VHS (close to 200 and counting), Dolby Digital was just a nice dream reserved for those audiophiles among the white-collar set.

But then came DVD, and with it a whole New World of aural delights courtesy of Dolby Digital and a new – much lower cost solution to laserdisc.

So what do you do when you’ve got a great receiver that you absolutely love, but that doesn’t decode Dolby Digital or DTS? That’s the dilemma I found myself in recently since having taken the plunge into the world of DVD and the prevalence of DD and DTS encoded software.

Enter the Technics SH-AC500D.

This little puppy decodes Dolby Digital, DTS, and even has good old Pro-Logic thrown in to boot. It can accommodate up to 3 digital audio sources through a mix of coaxial and toslink inputs. It also has a full range of RCA-type “throughputs” (1 for each of five channels and a subwoofer) to use with a pre-pro receiver (like the VSX-D1S I own) which has a full set of Pre-Out/Power-In puts and discrete channel amplification.

This full set of ins and outs can also accommodate “daisy-chaining” the unit to add DTS to an existing receiver with Dolby Digital only, or it can be used as a processor only when tied to a full set of amplifiers.

Setting it up to my Pioneer VSX-D1S took about 15 minutes and included the time it took me to crawl behind my equipment rack. The hardest part was finding enough RCA-type cables (I needed 10 – 2 for each channel) to hook it all up.

No - scratch that, the hardest part was finding one of these in Canada (circa 2000/2001). If you think you can just saunter into your local dealer – forget about it, they won’t even find it on their price list. It’s been discontinued in Canada since about 1999 (but more about that later).

Once connected to my DVD player (a Toshiba SD1600) via the coax digital input, I was ready to rock ‘n’ roll (or so I thought). First you have to set up each of the channels to match the speakers in your system. You have the option of choosing “Yes” or “No” for the existence of each, and then “Large” or “Small” (where “Large” is considered to be any speaker capable of reproducing signals less than 100 Hz).

Here’s where we get back to not being able to buy one of these things in Canada. I’ve seen the advertised new on the web from US retailers for as little as $200 USD and used of course on sites like ebay and audioreview. I purchased mine on audioreview. It was used but in mint condition. However, it lacked the manual which will definitely come in handy if you are using it in the same situation as I am.

Fortunately, I found a manual to download and print on the web at: http://www.pstco.com/techmanuals1.htm

You will need Adobe Acrobat reader (available at this site).

Okay, back to the review.

I can only reflect on my experiences with this unit in reference to my particular set-up. I guess I don’t know what I was expecting but this unit totally by-passed (most of) the functions on my receiver including volume. It literally turned my receiver into just an amplifier. So unfortunately, I now need to contend with having to use another remote to control volume from the SH-AC500D when watching DD/DTS encoded DVD’s.

There is a “line” selection (or “through”) which allows all signals to be passed through the SH-AC500D without any signal processing, thus returning all functions (including volume) back to my receiver. This can be a little annoying – especially if you accidentally turn the volume on your receiver way up by accident.

Also, because my wife trusts me to do all the “technical” stuff (and has refused to learn herself by threat of death or boycott), I always have to make sure that I select “Line” (through) before I retire for the evening and shut the unit off. This way she can watch television or set up a children’s video for our daughter while I’m at work by simply turning on the TV/ VCR, and receiver which I have set up to source everything through.

I can only speculate that when using this unit with a receiver with a 6-channel input, these problems will be a non-issue – you simply select the input on your receiver that corresponds to this unit as you would any other “source” (or so I would think).

I’ve solved one part of this by hooking the AC from the unit into one of the switched outlets on the back of my receiver. When I shut the receiver off, the SH-AC500D shuts off as well. This way I have one less unit to power off at night. The Good (and bad) thing is that this unit remembers the last settings even when powered off. That means it won’t default to “line” but rather to the last input selected when last used. It also means that if you buy it used like I did, it will be configured to the way the previous owner set it up.

This means that step 1, 2, 3… on setting up according to the manual did not work for me as written. I guess the manual is written assuming you’ve bought yours new.

The other problem is that if I am watching television or VHS et al through my receiver, as mentioned before I have to select “Line” or “Through”. It’s only happened once but I heard some “beat sounds” while watching Ally McBeal on television one night (yes, I’m embarrassed too). The manual tells you to turn off the unit if you are hearing this. In my situation this renders my receiver useless for sound processing. It’s only happened once though and was probably a broadcast problem but could be a problem if you live in an area that’s prone to disturbance.

The other minor note (which I am beginning to understand is systemic of all DTS processors and DVD players is that the SH-AC500D does not auto detect the DTS bitstream. In my case, I have my DVD player connected to “Digital 1”. When I play a DVD, I select “Digital 1” and low and behold, the SH-AC500D finds the Dolby Digital (and/or Dolby Surround PCM encoded signal) and plays it accordingly.

But if I want DTS, I have to select it specially from its own button marked “DTS” on the remote (or front panel). This can be a bit of a hassle because if you want to hear any effects or sound associated with a DVD’s start-up menu, they are decoded in DD. You have to select “DTS” on the SH-AC500D BEFORE selecting DTS from the disk menu on your DVD player or you’ll miss those cool DTS trailers that only appear if your player detects a DTS bitstream.

I’m not complaining mind you. For a relatively low cost, I have added DD and DTS without compromising on the familiar sound I have grown used to with my receiver. I also get to keep a receiver that is worth far more to me than I could ever get by trading it in. For cost, ease of set-up, and features, I have to give this unit 5 stars.

PS: If you are in the same situation I am and looking to buy one, make sure you get the SH-AC500D and NOT the SH-AC300. Not only does the 300 not have DTS, it only has 6 channel outputs (for use with a receiver with 6 channel inputs. So you can’t use a receiver without a separate 6-channel input but only a full set of “throughputs” like the VSX-D1S I use.

Similar Products Used:

none

Remote controllable, In addition to Dolby Digital, DTS and
PCM Stereo decoding, auto sensing for DD/DTS, passthrough.

For those of us with Laser Discs that have an AC-3 RF output
a demodulator would have been a nice addition.

I wanted to upgrade my Yamaha DDP-1 because it could not
decode Linear PCM stereo signals such as those from a DAT
or a Sound Blaster Live PC card. The bonus of DTS as a hedge
against futures is welcome. The DD/DTS for the movie sound
track has performed flawlessly, the auto detect when in the
'surround' works great and negates the need to decide with
the remote which sound track was selected on the movie
menu. This may be a small point ot some but the extra
material on some DVD's is not generally recorded in DTS only
Dolby Digital, so again I don't have to change the settings
on the decoder, it's automatic.

The advent of MP3's is what really persuaded me to buy the
Technics decoder, it decodes the S/PDIF output from my PC's
Sound Blaster Live card and gives me a way to connect the
digital data directly into a audio grade DAC and avoid the
associated noise in the PC, not to mention 20 bit resolution
versus a poor 16 bits on the sound card. The music sounds
great!, I can que up a bunch of songs and sit back and enjoy
a mixture of songs.

I always hated that I couldn't control any function of the
Yamaha decoder from the listening position, with the codes
programed into my Marantz RC2000, I can change settings and
adjust sound levels with out leaving the comfort of my
chair.

The RF decoder doesn't pose too much of a problem because
the Technics provided a 6 channel analog passthrough that
is again remote selectable, so, I can hook up the Yamaha
DDP-1 through this and play back my AC-3 encoded discs.

The bass management works quite well, however, the factory
selected crossover frequncy of 100Hz is a bit high for my
liking, I would have liked it to be lower. The speakers
can be set to large or small and in some cases none. When
small is selected the bass is routed to the sub if there
or is sub=none, then to the L/r mains.

I can't find much to complain about with this unit and for
those with a Dolby Digital ready (6 channel decrete input)
receiver, it would be the bargain of the system adding one
of the usually 'under priced' decoders. TWO THUMBS UP!!

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha DDP-1

Inexpensive, Sounds good

Low output voltage on audio out

I am using this processor between my Rotel RC972 and
my HK Signature 2.1.

All the analog sources attached to the Rotel get input to the SH500 then to the amp. There is a pass through setting
to acheive this. When I want to listen to digital sources
I select one of the three digital inputs and it turns pass
through off.

The unit has Dolby Digital, DTS and not mentioned in other reviews it even has Pro Logic. Digital input one is either coax or optical, input two is optical and input three is coax. The unit uses a Crystal DSP engine. I verified this by opening it up.

In pass through mode, it sounds very neutral. It doesn't
seem to add anything which is good.

In digital mode, the sound is very good. Excellent steering.

My only complaint is the output voltage in digital mode. The specs say 1 volt but it is more like .7 volts. Why is this important? Well the HK and most amps at 100 watts require 1 volt for maximum power out. Amps that are higher than 100 watts require usually 1.5 volts for maximum out.

Therefore in digital mode I can only acheive about 70 watts.
I will have to open it up and see if I can adjust the gain.

Other than that, it sure beats spending 2 grand on a new pre/pro. Besides, I like the sound of the Rotel.

Unbeatable value

Inexpensive, Great sound, Versatile, multiple inputs, pass-through

Dynamic compression mode should be even greater.

My goal: I had a 5.1 receiver and a DTS/Dolby "ready" DVD player but didn't want to replace either. I also didn't want to spend the $250-300 on a decoder for the same cost I could replace any of the former and get the decoding built in. ENTER fantastic internet opportunity! A refurbished unit for half the cost! Yeah, I'm talking about $130 from www.cdeals.com.

In any case, for this paltry sum, I got a new-looking dolby surround and DTS decoder which is very thin, good-looking and a great performer to boot. It gets the job done. With my Radio Shack level meter, I am able to use the TEST mode to calibrate levels. Because my center channel is inefficient, the gain on the Technics was inadequate so I had to boost the center up some more on my receiver. Not a big deal. Subwoofer levels were almost inaudible using the test mode since the "noise" test apparently doesn't adequately cover the bass very well. I used an audio test disc for that purpose. Rear and center delay is adjustable.

In summary, if you don't mind refurbished, this unit is a great deal. If you spend the $250 street price, I don't know if it's a great deal. Many receivers WITH DTS/Dolby decoding start at that price and even Technics SH-AC500D and 5.1 Receiver combo special can be had for $399 (Normally $250, 299 respectively). I must value rate this at the street price for a retail unit...

Similar Products Used:

none, this is my first decoder

Is's got all formats DD,DTS

not enough digital inputs

I bought this unit from sears($189), so it pays to shop around. I really like the six channel input for future upgrades(DVD-audio).This unit is worth every penny I paid for it. I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants a DD,DTS decoder to add to any system. but because it doens't have quite enough digital inputs for me, I would have to give it four stars for value, but overall it's five big ones.

Similar Products Used:

none

Does Dolby Prologic, DD5.1, and DTS

Popping when first changing channels

An excellent box for the money... It does all of the formats I am interested in hearing. It connects optically to my Toshiba 5109 progressive scan DVD player and Dish Network HD6000 high definition satellite receiver. I use two separate stereo power amplifiers. I use the straight through connection for my television when it is doing local channels. This box is exactly what I needed!

Similar Products Used:

None