I can't hear voices only the background music. (2 Viewers)

[Jessie711]

I have a Sony BDP-S580 through a Denon AVR-1312 AV surround receiver and a 55” LG HD TV all connections are with HDMI cables. When I try and play a Blu-ray or DVD, I can't hear voices only the background music. When watching the TV the sound is OK. I have upgraded the BDP-S580 to the latest firmware and reset the player to the factory defaults. Any suggestions for a fix would be greatly appreciated.

 

[gene c]

When you say the sound is O.K. when watching TV do you mean the sound through the receiver or through the TV's speakers? It's probably a setting or connection on the receiver, not the Bluray player. But make sure the HDMI Audio Output is set to "Auto" and not PCM. (pg 22) It might help to know what speakers you have and how many. (2 channel, 5.1, no center speaker, etc.) If you have a center channel speaker I'll assume you have the center speaker connected to the proper speaker output but it doesn't hurt to double-check even the simplest of things. Start by checking the volume of the center speaker. I'll assume you have the center speaker connected to the proper speaker output but it doesn't hurt to double-check even the simplest of things. Hit the CH LEVEL button on the remote, use the Up/Down buttons to select the Center Speaker and the Left/Right buttons to adjust it. (pg 26). You should also calibrate the speakers in the Denons setup menu. Set and adjust the speaker Size (set to small), Distances and Volumes as well as the crossover.

 

[Jessie711]

Thanks for the reply Gene, I purchased the Denon AVR-1312 as a system, it came with a Boston MCS 160 5.1 Surround Speaker System (4 satellite speakers, 1 center speaker and 1 subwoofer) . I have tried to follow the instructions but have at times I’ve gotten rather confused with the terminology. When watching TV the signal comes from the DirecTV receiver through the AV receiver to the TV and only the two front speakers are working. What I would like to do if possible is setup both the Blu-ray/DVD player and the TV to use all the speakers but I’m getting lost I’m doing the setup. Jessie

 

[gene c]

If your DTV receiver is a high definition model go into it's audio setup menu and make sure the audio output is set to Dolby digital 5.1. If you're watching a stereo tv show and want all the speakers to work then push one of the Surround < > buttons on the remote to select Dolby ProLogic Movie or Music or DTS Neo:6 Cinema or Music. This will simulate surround sound . But first, do the speaker setup I mentioned earlier.

 

[Jessie711]

Gene, I used the CK LEVEL button on the remote as you suggested and found there was no sound from the center speaker. I ended up replacing the speaker wire and this solved the no voice problem. My speaker configuration is. Front small. Center small. Surround small. Surround Back none. Subwoofer yes. Now when I use the CH LEVEL button it shows all the speakers are set at 0.0db. Is this correct or should they be set to a different level? I have set the DTV to Dolby digital 5.1 and can have sound from all speakers depending on which Surround < > buttons are used. When I play a Blu-ray Movie such as AVATAR the Audio specifications are given as English 5.1 Dolby DTS-HD Master Audio, English Dolby Surround, English Descriptive Audio. In the AV Display Window (pg 43) I get different displays and sound from the speakers depending on what position the surround < > is at. In all positions the Input signal indicators (2) show PCM/DIG is this correct? Jessie.

 

[gene c]

First, you need to "calibrate" the speakers in the Speaker Setup Menu (pg 28). You set the individual speaker volumes, distances and crossover setting. Measure the distance from each speaker to the seating position or "sweet spot" and enter the measurement in the setup menu. Use the Test Tone to set the speaker volumes either "by ear" or with a Sound Pressure Level meter ($50 from Radio Shack). Adjust each speaker volume with the CH LEVEL button until the either all sound about the same volume (by ear) or measure the same (SPL meter). They should not all be set to "0". With your Boston speakers the crossover setting should be set to 120 hz. On the display, you're looking for Dolby Digital, DTS, TrueHD or DTS Master Audio. ProLogic or Neo:6 is a fake surround sound derived from a two channel stereo source. With the Surround < > button you should select Standard Playback. With a stereo source, like a two channel movie broadcast in Stereo or a music cd, you could select ProLogic or Neo:6 to slmulate surround sound. The Input Indicator should be DIG not PCM or ANA. Check the Bluray players Audio Output. It should be "Auto" or "Bitstream", not PCM. With Bitstream the receiver decodes the audio signal, with PCM the player does the decoding. It looks like the DTV is set properly to 5.1. In a BluRay discs (like Avatar) Audio Menu you can have several audio choices. Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio are the best followed by Dolby Digital Plus and DTS High Definition, then Dolby Digital and DTS, then Stereo. When watching a Dolby or DTS 5.1 movie via BR or DTV you should see a RED Dolby or DTS on the main display. TrueHD or Master Audio on a BluRay disc. A white ProLogic or Neo:6 means your receiver is getting a stereo signal from the BR player or DTV receiver.

 

[Jessie711]

Hi Gene, The Sony BDP-S580 default [Audio Settings] for the [BD Audio MIX Setting] is [On] changing the setting to [Off] gave me the Digital audio I was looking for when playing a Blu-ray disk. Is there a preferred method of calibrating the speakers? What I did after measuring the distances was to use a SPL meter with the test tone. With the front left speaker I had a reading of 72db. I then adjusted each speaker in turn with the CH LEVEL button until I had a reading of 72db on all the speakers. Can you explain what the crossover settings are? From the Denon user guide (Always set the crossover frequency to “80Hz” when using small speaker’s, however we recommend setting the crossover frequency to a higher frequency). You said with the Boston speakers the crossover setting should be set to 120 Hz. Is this for all the speakers? From the Boston user guide, (if your receiver has adjustable crossover settings, we recommend the subwoofer crossover be set at 150Hz). Does this apply to the setup I have? Jessie.

 

[gene c]

"Is there a preferred method of calibrating the speakers? What I did after measuring the distances was to use a SPL meter with the test tone. With the front left speaker I had a reading of 72db. I then adjusted each speaker in turn with the CH LEVEL button until I had a reading of 72db on all the speakers." That was a good way to do it. If you sometimes feel dialog in the center channel is still a little hard to hear you can always increase the center channel volume a little bit. "Can you explain what the crossover settings are? From the Denon user guide (Always set the crossover frequency to “80Hz” when using small speaker’s, however we recommend setting the crossover frequency to a higher frequency). You said with the Boston speakers the crossover setting should be set to 120 Hz. Is this for all the speakers? From the Boston user guide, (if your receiver has adjustable crossover settings, we recommend the subwoofer crossover be set at 150Hz). Does this apply to the setup I have?" The crossover setting determines at what point the bass is sent to the subwoofer. The smaller the speakers the higher the crossover setting needs to be. 80hz is the THX standard but THX and Denon don't know what speakers you have. The speakers you do have only go down to 120 hz so you shouldn't set the crossover any lower than that. Boston recommends you set it to 150 hz which is probably the better idea.