Shure HTS-5300 (c. 1989)
The HTS-5300 is the surround decoder at the center of Shure's HTS Theater Reference System. Audio (July 1989, p.90) observed that Shure was the only manufacturer offering a complete surround system of correlated decoder, amplifier, and speaker designs. The full $9,600 package bundled the decoder with three HTS 50SPA power amplifiers, one HTS 50CF center-front loudspeaker, one HTS 50SW subwoofer, and four HTS 50LRS loudspeakers covering the main left/right and rear surround channels.
As a standalone component the HTS-5300 listed at $999. It was a Dolby Surround design: front left/center/right outputs rated 20 Hz–20 kHz ±0.5 dB, a subwoofer output at –3 dB/80 Hz with a 12 dB/octave roll-off, and a surround channel of 50 Hz–7 kHz (–3 dB) per Dolby Surround specifications — all in a chassis measuring 42.7 cm wide, 6 cm high, and 38.2 cm deep.
The "Image Analyzer" display showed at a glance whether the source was monaural, plain stereo, or carried usable surround information (Audio, July 1989, p.96). Shure also claimed the HTS-5300 was particularly capable at the proper enhancement of multiple simultaneous sound sources, and the review noted independent control signals between channels. On a test tone, clipping registered 5.5 dB above the red LED's threshold. The LED is a simple level meter that gave a good indication of signal level, and nothing more.
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