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I have just purchased the Beam Gen 2. It will be a stand alone with no surrounds. I don’t have Atmos capability as yet, but I would like to know if I am better using Dolby Digital Plus, or Stereo pcm? I ask this because I am not sure if the speaker would lose some of the audio that Dolby Digital plus sends with it being a 5.1 standard, and the speaker only having 3 channels? Left, Centre and right? 

Dolby Digital Plus would be better than Stereo PCM. The 5.1 audio will be downmixed with the surround data incorporated into the 3.0 audio. Probably the most beneficial reason to use DD+ is getting the separate center channel for improved dialog and clarity. But everyone’s ears and personal preferences are different, so choose the audio that sounds best to your ears.


Dolby Digital Plus would be better than Stereo PCM. The 5.1 audio will be downmixed with the surround data incorporated into the 3.0 audio. Probably the most beneficial reason to use DD+ is getting the separate center channel for improved dialog and clarity. But everyone’s ears and personal preferences are different, so choose the audio that sounds best to your ears.

Ok thanks, So I don’t have to worry that I am losing anything with 5.1 then……Could this be why on Stereo pcm I have to turn the volume up more because it isn’t using the centre channel? I presumed that it would still use the centre even though stereo is left and right?