New receiver? (1 Viewer)

[eswede]

Hello. I'm new to the forum and would appreciate any advice.

I have a Yamaha 5750 receiver with Polk center, fronts and rears.
It sounds "ok" but I feel like I don't get the greatest surround performance.
Would upgrading this receiver to something with True HD etc, make a big difference? If so, any recommendations in the $400 - $500 price range?

Thanks so much.

 

[Al.Anderson]

Going to True HD would only help if you are using Bluray (or HD) as your source, and you should be getting good surround performance with standard sources. So I'm going to venture that there's something else wrong. Is everything connected correctly, especially the speakers (no phase swap)? Did you calibrate the system?

And if everything is set up correctly, I'll add that a receiver doesn't add that much to the sound of a system. You'd have a better chance for improving performance by changing speakers.

 

[CB750]

I will ditto what Al said and will add that you didn't mention a Sub in your equipment inventory. Since you didn't list the model Polk's that you have you might find a good sub added to you system might improve things quite a bit.

Also without a sub in your system I think you might want to check and see if you have set your Polk's to speaker size large.

 

[gene c]

It would help a lot if you listed all the equipment you have. It must all work together.


Even though the receiver is a little old and without knowing which Polk speakers you have they are probably average at best (which isn't a knock on Polk, I just figure you have an entry level set) it should still sound pretty good with most material. I agree with the others that there must be something else at issue here. Calibration is always the first thought, but the type of material you're watching can also have an effect. Most movies really don't offer too much for the surround speakers to do and a really good sub can make a difference.


So, first of all, make sure the speakers are hooked up correctly (we all make mistakes ) and setup correctly. Speaker size, distance, crossover and volume. Speaker position can also effect the sound. Get the most out of what you have before you start thinking of upgrading.

 

[eswede]

Thanks so much for the helpful responses.



Sorry I wasn't more specific about equipment etc.
For the record I have Polk: CSI A4 center, RTi4 fronts, PSW202 Sub and MC60 rears.
The Yamaha 5750 receiver and a samsung blu ray player.

I should clarify a bit more and say that I'm pretty happy with the way the speakers sound in general.
Where I run into issues is this:

The receiver has settings for Standard/Enhanced Surround, Pro logic 2 and Neo 6.
When set to "standard surround" the fronts and center sound great. But I get practically nothing from the rears.
In Pro Logic 2 and Neo 6, the surrounds kick in with great effect, but then the front and center sound quality degrades.

So I can't seem to get the perfect balance between the two.

Thanks again.

 

[gene c]

Well, the Polk RTi4's and CSi A4 center are certainly above average. Very nice in fact.


It's going to be hard to make suggestions for your type of issue but lets start with the BluRay player. Make sure it set to output "Bitstream" and not LPCM.


Sometimes DTS Neo:6 and Dolby ProLogic have settings that can be adjusted like Panoramic and Center Width. Try playing with them to see if you can improve their perfomance.


"Standard" should be descreet Dolby and DTS 5.1 surround sound and should offer the best sound with the receiver you have now. But 5.1 surround tracks usually don't offer much for the surround speakers to do. This is a common complaint on these types of forums.


Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio are better then the other formats but they will only offer a clearer sound, not more of it, to either the front sound stage or the surround speakers. If I were you I would setup the receiver to sound it's best with 5.1 Dolby and DTS and then use the Panoramic/Center Width to try and improve the matrixed ProLogic and Neo:6. But a new receiver will help you get the most from that BR player.

 

[eswede]

Thanks a bunch. I will give that a shot.