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REVIEWS
HEAD
PACE MSS290 Satellite Receiver
INTRO
Pace’s latest mid-range satellite receiver has home cinema aspirations
COPY
Judging by the success of JVC’s 3D Symphonic TV -- clutter-free
‘surround-sound’ without the wires and boxes -- they seem to have hit a nerve. It appears Pace are trying to
appeal to a similar audience with the recently launched MSS290, a snip at £230
(including 60cm dish). This mid-range Astra receiver has a multi-mode spatial
sound processor which generates an enhanced stereo effect through a NICAM TVs
own speakers; or it can be puffed up to a close approximation of full multi-channel
surround using a pair of active speakers (or ordinary speakers and a stereo amp),
placed behind the listening position. However, at that stage any convenience or
cost advantages it may have over full-spec Dolby 3-channel surround or Pro
Logic, begin to evaporate.
The receiver is a familiar design, closely related to its
stablemate, the MSS200. It has a 250-channel tuner with eight categorised favourite
channel memories, 4-mode manual and preset sound shape (tone) control, 8-event/28-day VCR timer, parental lock and a
single card slot. This lives behind a hinged flap on the left side of the front
panel, next to four control buttons. On the opposite side of the fascia there’s
a simple 3-digit channel readout, everything else is handled by a comprehensive
menu-driven on-screen display, and controlled from a standard-issue Pace remote
handset. It’s the same one they supply with all of their receivers, which means
lots of tiny, poorly-labelled buttons, some of them do nothing at all...
There’s a full compliment of AV socketry on the back panel,
including an extra pair of line-outputs for the rear surround channel. The output
is derived from rear-channel information on Dolby Surround encoded material,
using a proprietary 3D sound matrix microchip. The decoder chip makes use of
the Hafler effect -- the core technology in the Dolby Surround (Stereo) process
-- where centre-front dialogue and rear
effects channels are represented as the sum and difference in the phase, between
the right and left stereo channels. The MSS290 untangles these signals from the
stereo soundtrack of satellite broadcasts, and programmes on terrestrial TV, or
movies on tape as well, if the receiver
is hooked up to NICAM VCR using a SCART lead.
Picture performance is good, our sample managed a near sparkly-free
picture on UK Gold, confirming above average sensitivity. Colour fidelity is
spot-on, and although there’s a small amount of noise in areas of high
saturation, picture noise levels are generally very low. Stereo sound, with all
of the effects switched off, is fine. Noise levels are lower than normal, bass
response is on the light side but the sound is flat and uncoloured.
Spatial stereo sound -- using a Dolby Surround source -- is a big improvement on normal digitally-derived
spatial effects. The soundstage extends some distance sideways from the
speakers, with individual sounds very clearly focused. It’s not a very natural sound,
but there’s lots going on, and its usually possible to find a happy medium by fiddling
with the level control. Adding the rear channel makes a tremendous difference,
comparable with Dolby 3-Channel in the amount of rear-channel information it resolves.
However, it can be fooled and really complicated effects -- background noises in
the Enterprise’s engine room on Star Trek TNG are one example -- caused the soundstage
to collapse into a distorted heap. On more straightforward surround soundtracks
it performed well, accurately localising most rear channel sounds, and with
minimal bleed-over from the dialogue channel.
VERDICT
Plus: Good picture and sound performance plus a very fair price.
Spatial sound is a cheap way of pepping up movie and TV programmes with Dolby
Surround soundtracks, without the nuisance of extra cables and speakers. A capable
mid-range receiver, easy to use and well qualified as a home cinema source
component.
Minus: Spatial sound can be an acquired taste, it’s busy and
sometimes confused. 3D sound with the extra speakers and amplification ramps up
the cost and complexity, coming dangerously close to pukka Pro-Logic systems, including
Pace’s own MSS1000. The remote control handset is a nasty piece of work, too
many tiny, poorly labelled buttons
Features: 250
channels, 8 categorised channel memories, 8-event/28-day timer, sleep timer,
radio screen blanking, parental lock (PIN coded), 4-mode sound shape (tone) control, 3-mode 3D sound system, 13 audio presets (Wegner Panda NR plus J17,
75uS or 50uS de-emphasis)
Sockets: 3
x SCART AV, 1 x LNB input (F-connector), line audio & rear channel outputs
(phonos) RF bypass (coaxial), mains (Telefunken)
Dimensions: 360
x 266 x 63 mm
Picture quality 9
Sound quality 8
Features 8
Ease of use 8
Build quality 8
Value for money 88%
Pace Micro Technology, telephone (01274) 532000
CRITICAL CAPTIONS
* Plain, simple cosmetics and a rather basic 3-digit channel
display, not much to look at here...
* There’s a single viewing card slot, it’s behind a hinged
flap on the left side of the front panel
* It’s that remote again! Unfortunately Pace supply the same
horrible little remote handset with all of their receivers
* Three SCART AV sockets; connect one of them to a NICAM VCR and you can get spatial and 3D
sounds from off-air broadcasts and movies on tape
* Rear channel output phonos -- the same signal comes out of both plugs -- these line-level
outputs have to be fed to a pair of active speakers, or ordinary speakers
connected to a stereo amplifier
---end---
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R. Maybury 1996 2806
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