How to Compare Audio Quality on DVD Players

If you are serious about home entertainment, you’ll need to compare audio quality before you buy a DVD player. While the video quality is important, a DVD player is unable to deliver theater-quality sound without faithful audio reproduction.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• DVD

1. Establish a benchmark. Decide what sound system you are going to run the DVD signal through. If you use different sound systems to test the audio quality, you will not know if differences in sound were caused by the DVD player or by the sound system.

2. Choose a test DVD. Select a DVD that you will use to test the audio quality of each DVD player that you are interested in purchasing. The opening musical fanfare from a Star Wars DVD might make a good audio test sample because the music features a wide sonic range as well as varied dynamics.

3. Isolate the system. If you’re checking out a DVD player in a store, ask to have the other systems in the vicinity turned off so you can hear the sound quality.

4. Stand back. Position yourself at the same approximate distance from the speakers as you would at home.

5. Listen. Close your eyes and listen for the DVD player’s ability to reproduce treble and bass as well as quiet and loud sounds. Distortion or excessive hissing is not desired.

6. Repeat with another DVD player. Using the same sound system and DVD, test the audio quality with another DVD player. Continue until you have found the best player for audio performance.

Tips & Warnings

• Since you’re going to be spending a lot of time at the electronics store or home entertainment center, try setting up a time with the manager that you can come in to test DVD audio quality. You may be able to arrange a time when the store isn’t as busy and the sales staff have more time to assist you.
• Read professional reviews of DVD player performance if you are not able to do as much hands-on testing as you would like. You could also use these reviews to narrow down your choices to two or three models, and then field test these DVD players on your own.
• Take your time. Testing the audio quality of a DVD player requires patience.