The Winner Is...
So you're probably wondering which multi channel format to choose when listening to a DVD Audio Disc and given the choice of more than one option. Though the question may be phrased easily, there is no simple answer. Because of the implementation shortcomings of MLP DVD-A, there may be cases where the DTS soundtrack will be the preferred choice. For example, if you have all small, or bass deficient speakers, and your DVD-A player and/or Receiver do not process bass management in the analog domain, than the DTS soundtrack may be the way to go to ensure that all the bass from the disc with be faithfully reproduced by your subwoofer and therefore avoid straining your speakers by alleviating them from the bass duties. Assuming bass management is not an issue for your system, you may still prefer the DTS mix over the MLP mix, or vice versa, just because of personal preferences or the quality of the mixing and transferring processes. My point is, you should listen to both soundtracks carefully and determine which one sounds best to you, and which one is most compatible with your system configuration and set-up. In my experience, both formats truly offer better than CD resolution, and the world of multi-channel audio keeps getting better. In addition, the nice thing about DVD-A discs that offer a DTS soundtrack is that they can be played on all existing DVD players that will also play DTS DVD movies. So if you have a DTS decoder on your Receiver or Preamp/Processor and a DVD player that can read the DTS soundtrack on a DVD, your good to go. You don't have to worry about buying any new hardware or multitude of cables to configure your system, just simply put in the disc, select DTS and press play and listen.