JVC SU-DH1 April 30th, 2006 | by Vince Veneziani

Setup, Use, and Performance

Setting up the SU-DH1 is very easy. Pop the two included AA batteries into the bottom and power it on. You're done. Now just hook up a pair of headphones and connect the device to a DVD player, laptop, or whatever you use to get your movie fix. I suggest using a decent pair of headphones that fit over your head with this device. Using earbuds will detract from both the experience and sound quality, and they are not designed for proper use with this device anyway. You don't need a set of high-end Bang and Olufsen headphones, just a decent $50 pair will work great.

You'll be able to re-create different environments with this device. Using the Dolby Headphone button on the top of the device, you'll be able to reproduce the environment of either a mixing studio (DH1), a regular listening room (DH2), or a concert hall/theater (DH3). The first two sound pretty similar, but the DH3 setting really gives you a concert hall feel to your movies and music. Combined with the Pro Logic II button, you can select what sort of audio you're listening to: Auto, Music, Movie, or leave it off.

I first tried out some music with the SU-DH1. I used lots of progressive rock from the 1970s and 1980s due to the overwhelming amount of sounds and instruments being performed at once. Using the “DH3” Dolby Headphone setting and the “Music” Pro Logic II setting, I achieved a concert-like atmosphere that sounded impressive. This was just using a simple MP3 file, too, I might add. No SACD or DVD-Audio here, just a nice 256-bit rate MP3. However, live concerts are not everyone's cup of tea and I suggest leaving the adaptor off for genuine stereo quality.

With music out of the way, I moved on to a ThX-based Dolby Surround Test AAC file. It's supposed to sound like a helicopter flying from behind you, to around you, to in front of you. With the adaptor off, it sounded like a bunch of helicopter noise, but when you turn on the adaptor and use the “Movie” Pro Logic II setting, it works like a charm. You can hear a helicopter in the distance behind you fly in and circle around you as if you're about to be attacked. I'm very surprised it sounds so real from a cheap pair of headphones and a little adaptor from JVC.

Lastly, I put on a DVD of the original Matrix film. What better way to test out 5.1 Surround Sound then with a bunch of action and gunfighting? JVC has done it. This little device pumped out insanely realistic, high-quality Surround Sound at me. The scene where Neo and Trinity fight the officers in the lobby is spectacular and sounds like people are shooting behind you, in front of you, and in every single direction. Sounds are what you'd expect from Dolby and you almost can't tell you're using regular 2-channel headphones.

Although the market for Dolby 5.1 Sound is huge, not many companies out there have successfully emulated it on non-5.1 devices such as headphones. JVC is able to do it efficiently and correctly with the SU-DH1 box. The device is portable, powerful, and produces ultra-rich sounds that bleed quality.

There aren't many other products like this to compare it to, but compared to conventional 5.1 Surround Sound the JVC SU-DH1 does a decent job. You'll get great quality sound, but if you are an audiophile or a hardcore home theater enthusiast, you'll find yourself wanting to go back to the living room. Keep in mind, though, that this is designed as a portable 5.1 Surround Sound solution, so it's great for trips and places where you won't find a 5.1 system.