I need some help setting my Pioneer AV receiver properly (1 Viewer)

I've recently bought a Pioneer HTP-072 home cinema package which includes the Pioneer VSX-324 AV receiver. I'm pretty happy with it but I need to improve the sound a bit. And I need some advice on how to do that. I've set the speaker distance and I've tried setting up different speaker levels but I don't have a proper SPL meter to test everything so I've used a basic smartphone app. I've modified the levels a bit so that they were all showing the same level for the test sound.

I've watched two 5.1 channel movies and a few stereo ones to test everything out. First one is the six channel one. Sorround was great but the actual speech on some quieter scenes was almost unrecognizable. I've increased the center level a bit and it's better now but it's still not great - speech is still too quiet for my liking while the other effects are pretty loud.

Of course my speaker position could possibly be somewhat of an issue here. The front speakers are almost 4m away from my sitting position while sorround speakers are less than a m.

On the other hand I still find the sorround speakers a bit too quiet but only on some scenes so I am not sure if it is designed that way or not.

Now for the stereo. Extended stereo is fine. But I did try Dolby Pro Logic 2 as well. And I am not entirely sure that I like it. If I turn that on then I lose a lot of base and the sorround speakers are too quiet except when you have some strong effects or music playing which is a problem when you are looking at a drama movie where you practically don't have much of this. Rear speakers are almost silent in that case. And I am again not sure if it's supposed to be that way or not. But when compared to 5.1 encoded video I find the speech perfectly ok.

Any advice?

Un-fortunately that particular Pioneer receiver doesn't offer much in the way of sound processing. Increasing the volume of the center channel is about the only way to improve dialog. I'm afraid you may have run up against the limitations of an in-expensive surround sound system.

Movies and tv shows don't mix as much content to the surround channels as most expect. Most people are somewhat disappointed in the in-activity of the surround speakers for much of the movie. There are some dvd's/bluray disc that do have a lot of surround content and maybe those will show what surround sound can really sound like. Browse the dvd forum for titles that offer an active surround sound experience.

Extended Stereo, or 5 Channel Stereo as most other brands call it, is much like a 4 speaker car stereo setup. The back speakers play the same content as the fronts with the center channel mixed in. Dolby ProLogic tries to simulate 5.1 and does the best it can but it will never be as good as actual 5.1 surround sound. Most members listen to stereo music in stereo. I like concert dvd's for surround sound music. Pick up a couple and give them a listen. They're usually more active in the surround channels.

Well I've seen DRC mentioned on some other forum. I've tried playing with DRC setting a bit and it does help with dialog a bit. But it worsens the actual surround as well.

I didn't know that about the actual movies though. I was expecting a bit more from those back channels. I was used to listening to everything from my cheap 5.1 active speakers before. I had them connected to the stereo channel only and they automatically did the "extended stereo". Which means that I was used to the back channel being active. And I really miss it now. I always have a feeling that some sort of reverse 5.1 would be more suitable - meaning that the actual dialog would be in the back and effects in the front.

What speakers are you using?

r00li said:

Well I've seen DRC mentioned on some other forum. I've tried playing with DRC setting a bit and it does help with dialog a bit. But it worsens the actual surround as well.

I didn't know that about the actual movies though. I was expecting a bit more from those back channels. I was used to listening to everything from my cheap 5.1 active speakers before. I had them connected to the stereo channel only and they automatically did the "extended stereo". Which means that I was used to the back channel being active. And I really miss it now. I always have a feeling that some sort of reverse 5.1 would be more suitable - meaning that the actual dialog would be in the back and effects in the front.

Click to expand...

Extended Stereo "adds" quite a bit to the surround channels. Usually the surrounds are only used for ambience and background sounds. But as I said, there are a few DVD's/br that are more active in the surround channels.

"What speakers are you using?"

Here's the system he has.

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/Home-Theater-Systems/Component+Home+Theater+Systems/HTP-072

I forgot to mention that you can also adjust the Center Width as well as Panorama and Dimention which affects the center and surround channels when using some of the DTS Neo:6 and Dolby ProLogic modes.. See pg 25 of the manual.

Oh yeah, The lowest if lowest speakers.

A few thoughts:

First, you didn't mention if the movies you were watching were on Blu-ray or DVD. If you only have DVD capability, you should consider upgrading to Blu-ray. When I made the switch to Blu-ray and heard the lossless audio formats for the first time, to me, the biggest improvement was in the clarity of the center channel. With many DVDs the dialog was muddy, but on Blu-ray with the superior audio format, it was crystal clear. As Gene alluded to, sometimes bumping up the center level a few notches is what you have to do.

Second, it will be important for you to do some research, carefully read the manual for your receiver, and learn how to properly configure your AVR to handle the various audio formats correctly. "Making sound come out of every speaker" is not the goal with a surround sound system, and unfortunately, based on what you described with having a 5.1 system connected to a stereo source, you have ingrained a distorted concept of what multichannel audio "should" sound like. It will take time for you to "unlearn" what you have learned. The best way to acclimate yourself to true multichannel is to spend $25 for an SPL meter, set your AVR to "Direct" mode (or whatever it's equivalent is for "no additional processing") and properly set the levels to the best of your ability. Then spend a week watching and listening to material while RESISTING the urge to make any drastic changes.

If something was recorded in stereo, you should listen to it in stereo (you can set up your AVR to utilize your subwoofer for stereo, but you should NOT hear anything coming from the surrounds when listening to a CD).

Finally, since every movie is mixed differently, they are the last thing you want to try and use to "calibrate" your system - or rather, you should not "tailor" your system so that a particular movie sounds great. That's why the SPL meter is important. Go through the audio setup menus and understand what each option does. The only common "baseline" anyone can achieve is using the test tones and an SPL meter. Once the baseline is properly set, you should not have to make any changes based on what you're watching.

Good luck!

Well I've tried a DVD trailer from a proper DVD and a DVD rip when it comes to 6 channel sound. I do have a blu-ray player and a few discs as well but I need some time so I can rewatch them. I'll see if there is any difference between DVD/DVD rips and the blu-ray.

And yes while the speakers are cheap, they are actually not all that horrible. And compared to my old system the subwoofer actually is useful and makes sense instead of making noise.