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New to the game - Page 2

post #31 of 47
1/9/12 at 3:11pm
Thread Starter 
Update:

Went a different route and picked up a great deal on a nicer set-up. I coupled everything to an Onkyo TX-SR606. I ran the red/white audio from the receiver to the TV. Is the "optical" port for audio? If I choose to run an optical wire from the receiver to the TV, do I need to do anything else? Does it sound better?
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post #32 of 47
1/9/12 at 9:09pm
Red and White are analog and stereo, not true surround sound, Optical is digital. Digital is usually true surround sound but most tv's only transmit a stereo signal from the optical port from an outside device like a cable box. If your tv has an internal cable box tuner or you are using the tv's internal tuner then you might get true surround sound out of the optical port. True surround sound should sound better than stereo but digital doesn't always sound better than analog. But I'd use optical anyway. but any external device like a dvd player or staellite box should be connected to the receiver for audio, not the tv.

When you say "a nicer setup", what all did you get? smile.gif
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post #33 of 47
1/24/12 at 1:12pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gene c View Post

Red and White are analog and stereo, not true surround sound, Optical is digital. Digital is usually true surround sound but most tv's only transmit a stereo signal from the optical port from an outside device like a cable box. If your tv has an internal cable box tuner or you are using the tv's internal tuner then you might get true surround sound out of the optical port. True surround sound should sound better than stereo but digital doesn't always sound better than analog. But I'd use optical anyway. but any external device like a dvd player or staellite box should be connected to the receiver for audio, not the tv.
When you say "a nicer setup", what all did you get? smile.gif

I'm a little confused at what you're trying to explain to me. Is connecting an optical cable from the receiver to my TV not going to work? Do I still need the red/white audio cables? I went with a Kef KHT3005. biggrin.gif Way better than any $200-$300 Onkyo. The Kef is something I can keep for a very, very long time. On another note, should I "break in" the speakers and sub? Is there even such a thing or am I good to go right out of the box?

Edit: I only have a Playstation 3 and the cable box. Both, however, aren't hooked to the receiver, but to the TV. I still get awesome sound, but would it be better if I run an HDMI from the receiver to the TV, then an HDMI from each of the PS3 and cable to the receiver?
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post #34 of 47
1/24/12 at 1:34pm
Quote:
Is connecting an optical cable from the receiver to my TV not going to work?
What is your goal in doing this? Normally this connection is made when you are using the TV's internal ATSC tuner. But I see you have a cable box therefore I would not recommend using that connection as it would be a waste.
Quote:
On another note, should I "break in" the speakers and sub? Is there even such a thing or am I good to go right out of the box?
Yes, there is such a thing. It has no impact what so ever in your situation. As things loosen during regular listening, the spider on the sub will allow slightly deeper bass. I'll bet the change is so slight you won't even notice. It normally is only needed when you put a new sub in your car and put a 2,000 watt amp on it. Without proper break-in you can rip a spider easily.
Quote:
Edit: I only have a Playstation 3 and the cable box. Both, however, aren't hooked to the receiver, but to the TV. I still get awesome sound, but would it be better if I run an HDMI from the receiver to the TV, then an HDMI from each of the PS3 and cable to the receiver?
In your current configuration you are only getting stereo sound. The only way to get digital surround with the new audio formats is using HDMI cables in the way you suggest.
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post #35 of 47
1/24/12 at 1:34pm

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by SeanK325 View Post

I'm a little confused at what you're trying to explain to me. Is connecting an optical cable from the receiver to my TV not going to work?


In a nutshell, no.

 

(Also, it's helpful to think in terms of the direction of signal flow - the optical connection actually goes FROM your TV TO the receiver)

 

You really should not use the TV for any sort of audio switching.  Virtually all TVs downmix audio from any external sources to analog stereo before being output - even if the output is a "digital optical" connection, the signal being carried is simple analog stereo.  Any digital 5.1 audio that was sent into the TV is lost when it's sent back out.

 

The preferred method of hookup is to go HDMI from each source to the receiver, then a single HDMI cable from the receiver to the TV.  In this setup, the TV is nothing more than a monitor, and you let your nice new receiver and speakers do all the work (as they should).  You leave your TV set to a constant input, mute the crappy TV speakers, and do everything else through the receiver.

 

Edit: Damn, Robert, you were 21 seconds faster on the draw...  next time...

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post #36 of 47
1/24/12 at 3:25pm
What Robert and Jason said...thumbsup.gif

And Jason, Roberts got me by less than a minute so many times it's starting to get annoying! biggrin.gif
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post #37 of 47
1/24/12 at 6:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Charlton View Post

Edit: Damn, Robert, you were 21 seconds faster on the draw...  next time...
As I blow the smoke off the end of the barrel and re-holster my 6 shooter.
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post #38 of 47
1/29/12 at 3:28pm
Thread Starter 
I really appreciate all the replies. This forum is very helpful. I'll go ahead and hook up the HDMI in the way I suggested, using the TV only as a monitor. My main concern was trying to maximize the sound quality and I guess the optical wire wouldn't help my situation.
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post #39 of 47
1/29/12 at 6:35pm
Thread Starter 
On an unrelated note, I'm too worried to max the volume on the speakers. I haven't gone above about 60% of the receiver capacity. Am I ok to wake the neighbors at night, or should I keep it at about halfway?
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post #40 of 47
2/5/12 at 11:29pm
Thread Starter 
Had another concern:

When playing the playstation, the rear speakers do not produce equal levels of volume. The right rear speaker seems much louder when explosions go off. Is this normal because it's a game, or do I need more adjusting? If it matters, the wire running from the receiver is longer to the left rear than to the right rear. Also, the left rear is closer to the wall, but what's affected is the sound coming from the front, not the rear.
Edited by SeanK325 - 2/6/12 at 12:48am
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post #41 of 47
2/6/12 at 5:56am

The length of the speaker wire will have absolutely no effect on the sounds produced by the speakers.

 

The best thing you can do is make sure your system is properly calibrated.  I did a quick check online and the Onkyo 606 does have a version of Audyssey that (I believe) includes a little microphone for speaker setup.

 

Have you run the setup utility?  If not, that's where you should begin.  It will use the microphone (placed at the primary listening spot) to accurately set up the speaker distances and auto-set their sound levels (volume) so that everything is balanced in the sweet spot.

 

Once it's calibrated correctly, then you know that whatever you hear is as close to as the designer's intended it to be as possible.

 

That being said, not all sources are mixed the same way - some have more aggressive surround activity, and some have very subtle surround effects.  I'm not familiar with many PS3 games, but I would expect that most shooter-style games will be at the more aggressive end of the scale, so directional effects will be more pronounced.

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post #42 of 47
2/6/12 at 7:01pm
Thread Starter 
I don't have the Audyssey mic that came with the receiver. I got the receiver for free. So, I'm not able to calibrate it like that. I tried doing it manually, but it wouldn't be perfect as if it were with the microphone.

I played a couple games (Modern Warfare 3 and Need for Speed). Both had the same effect on the speaker. The gunfire and engine noise is much more pronounced on the right rear than on the left rear. Could it be that the game's design just wasn't set up to be so loud around the room? The frontal speakers and the center speaker are spot on.
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post #43 of 47
2/7/12 at 6:19am

Well, if the right rear is consistently louder for everything you play/listen to, you can always go back into the setup menus and turn that speaker down a few dBs to help even things out.

 

Also, make sure you don't have any sound processing modes enabled (often times receivers will have a "game" mode that, IMO, has just as good a chance of screwing up the sound as it does enhancing it).

 

If the problem seems localized just to those two games, then there must be something with how the audio is configured for the games, and there's isn't much of a "global fix" for a problem that's localized to two titles.

 

It does get pretty annoying after you get a nice system that you start to notice how "not all surround sound is created equal". Some things are mixed soooo differently than others. Trying to get your system to produce the same sound for all titles is like herding cats - it can't be done.

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post #44 of 47
2/8/12 at 5:50pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Charlton View Post

Well, if the right rear is consistently louder for everything you play/listen to, you can always go back into the setup menus and turn that speaker down a few dBs to help even things out.

Also, make sure you don't have any sound processing modes enabled (often times receivers will have a "game" mode that, IMO, has just as good a chance of screwing up the sound as it does enhancing it).

If the problem seems localized just to those two games, then there must be something with how the audio is configured for the games, and there's isn't much of a "global fix" for a problem that's localized to two titles.

It does get pretty annoying after you get a nice system that you start to notice how "not all surround sound is created equal". Some things are mixed soooo differently than others. Trying to get your system to produce the same sound for all titles is like herding cats - it can't be done.

The manual states to set the sound level to the point where you hear "pink noise." I did that and had the listening issues with the rear speaker. I later set everything to 0 decibels, but no luck. It seems a little better, but I don't know if that's just a placebo. I do usually play it on "game" or "music". I'll try it without the preloaded settings next time.

I'm thrilled with my system. Watching movies has never been nicer. A friend of mine thought there was an earthquake when the subwoofer thumped! I do play a lot more games than I watch movies, so in that respect I am very annoyed. The sound quality is perfect. It's just that damn balance in the rear. I almost want to turn off the rear speakers, but when you hear gunfire from behind you it makes the game that much better.

As a side note, am I worrying too much when I don't want to raise the volume past 60%? I don't want to blow anything.
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post #45 of 47
2/8/12 at 6:28pm
Quote:
As a side note, am I worrying too much when I don't want to raise the volume past 60%? I don't want to blow anything.
It really depends on the input signal level. Movies are recorded about 10db lower than standard stereo signals so you will always have to turn it up more. My normal listening with the wife is at -25db on the dial. When I'm alone, I'll watch a movie at -10db. I've cranked up concert DVDs to 0db for a song and then had to straighten pictures and make sure no items had been vibrated off shelves. I have knocked the focus and alignment out of whack on my projector a few times also.

If your system sounds strained then you are pushing it too hard.
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post #46 of 47
2/10/12 at 10:19am
Thread Starter 
How would I know what dB I'm at? My receiver just has a general scale from 0-75
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post #47 of 47
2/10/12 at 11:56am
Buy a Radio Shack analog SPL meter.
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