Pioneer Receiver- No Volume until..... (1 Viewer)

[deadmoney]

Dear All,


I have just recently replaced an aging Technics receiver with a Pioneer VSX 520, I have used the original "Old" RCA connections and it runs a Technics Powered subwoofer + 5 speaker Bose array.


I could not hear anything through the system (only have a CD player and DVD player connected) and after about 30mins of fiddling about, I turned up the volume and heard the source.


the Volume on this unit numerically goes from 0-80 , I only "start" to hear anything at about 40 and "loudish" comes in at about 65-70. at Maximum it would be loud, but not unbearably so.

I am not much of an audiphile, but it sounds great at 65ish and clarity seems good and everything.


My 1st question, Is this normal?


2nd question I am thinking of using the HDMI input for the DVD player, would a non-expert such as myself notice a difference and would it solve the "Volume control" issue if indeed their is one?



Thanks in advance,


David

 

[David Willow]

What do you mean by old RCA connections? Do you have 6 RCA cables connected to the Pioneer? (I looked for the manual but it wasn't clear to me if your unit has the inputs for 5.1 analog or not)


Either way, using HDMI or even optical/coax from your DVD would be better.


Also, which old BO$E system do you have and how is it connected? Many of the cube systems require the 'bass module' to work correctly. Without it, you risk damage to the speakers and, more importantly, to the receiver.

 

[deadmoney]

Thanks for the response,


Let me clarify, the system is about 9 years old? so when I said "Old" , I meant that It was connected using to the CD, DVD etc via RCA as opposed to the newer/better composite, HDMI , optical etc.


The speakers are the Acoustimass 6 series II with the Bass module


Regards David

 

[gene c]

First, newer av receivers (starting about 8-10 years ago) made some kind of change in amplifier technology which explains the volume issue you noted. It isn't unusual to have to turn the volume up that high to get the sound level you were expecting. Most receivers volume controls are listed as -80 to +10 or there-abouts and need to be set to -40-ish to hear any real volume. Mine is usually set to -30 to -20. 0 is supposed to be "reference" level. Your receiver still uses the older style scale of 0-80. Also, the volume control is on a sliding scale. The difference between 0 and 40 isn't that great but the difference between 60 and 70 is significant. I remember when my brother bought an Onkyo receiver 6-7 years ago there was a brightly colored sheet on top when you openned up the box letting you know there was nothing wrong with the receiver even though you had to turn the volume control way up before hearing anything. Then, little adjustments caused noticable increases in sound level.


Second, even though your receiver may be advertised as putting out 110 X 5 wpc, most receivers, and entry level Pioneers in particular, rarely come close to those figures. It's more like 30-35 wpc at best. The Elite lines SC series are much more powerfull but also much, much more expensive. In short, you don't have a volume problem. They just list the volume numbers differently and Pioneer kind of fudges the numbers a bit more than other brands to help keep up with the Jones'. Not a critcism of Pioneer, I have an Elite 94txh and love it.


The 520 doesn't have any video processing but it makes life easier to use hdmi whenever possible. For sound quality I doubt you would notice any difference with a regular dvd player with hdmi vs. optical/coaxial, it's all digital, but for a BluRay player you definently want hdmi. But the cd player may sound as good, or better/ connected with the red/white analog cables. You never know.

 

[deadmoney]

Dear Gene,


Thanks for clearing that up vis-a-vis the volume control issue, I will be connecting a HDMI cable from the receiver to the TV (42" Plasma) in the near future as I have an "AppleTV" and the DVD player does support HDMI, right now I am using RCA for the audio and S Video which to my newbie untrained eye looks pretty good


Thanks again, Regards David

 

[gene c]

Hdmi would produce a better picture than s-video and a digital audio connection is much better than the analogs for audio.


For the dvd player you could also use an optical/coaxial audio cable and just run the video straight to the display via hdmi.