Denon AVR 5700 and stereo music (1 Viewer)

[DaveN]

Hello all,
I was wondering if someone could help me solve a problem. My system consists of an Denon AVR-5700, B&W CDM-x speakers, B&W ASW-2000 sub. I originally had the system installed in an apartment in Boston and it sounded great with all sources including stereo cd's.
I have since moved to NC and set the system up the same way. It sounds fantastic with DD, DTS, and 5.1 stereo processing. However, when I select "Stereo", my cd's sound lifeless and muffled. (I should make a note that all disc playback is from a Sony DVP-530S dvd player.) To be even more descriptive, it sounds like most of the high frequencies have been cut off.
I don't understand what I have done wrong. I have a very inexpensive travel system based on Onkyo's incredible 494 receiver. This system plays great on all audio processing including stereo music. (I mention this only to point out that I am not so used to 5.1 sources that stereo just doesn't cut it anymore.)
Does anyone have an idea of which setup item I failed to correctly set? What is the proper down-convert setting on my DVD player? Should I be selecting PCM instead of stereo? Any help is greatly appreciated.
David

 

[Greg_R]

I prefer 'Direct' mode which bypasses any tone controls for 2-ch listening. It is possible that your tone controls are way off and are affecting the sound in the 'stereo' setting. One thing to watch is that each mode (CD, DVD, etc.) has it's own level calibration controls (i.e. calibrating in DVD mode will not alter the CD mode settings).
Greg

 

[Gordon B]

I concur with Greg. I was having the same problem with my Denon 4800 while trying to calibrate my SVS Ultra sub. I was getting totally different results depending on whether I was playing in direct, stereo, or 5 channel. You may have different speaker/sublevel settings for the various listening modes/playback sources without realizing it. My manual didn't even come close to explaining how to set levels for each mode. I had to figure it out myself by trial and error but it fixed the problem. I have a little 5 or 6 step "how to" description I can send you if your 5700 manual sucks as bad as the 4800 does.
GB

 

[DaveN]

First, I would like to say a big 'thank you' to all who responded to this thread. This really is a great forum!

Two weeks ago I was reading Sound + Vision while drinking an overpriced beer at the Hancock Tower. And there was the solution - screaming out at me from the pages of the magazine. What I saw was an explanation of bi-wirable speakers. Doh!

The CDM-7 speakers that I have are bi-wirable. In the original Boston installation, I had removed the straps and had successfully bi-wired the speakers. (Without knowing the true nature of this feature.) Naturally, the speakers sounded fantastic.

When I set up the system in NC, I must have lost track of the straps. Again, not realizing what bi-wiring did...I hooked up the speakers using a single set of the posts (the low frequency posts). My center speaker was bi-wired correctly. Therefore, when I listened to pure stereo music, I lost all of the high freqencies. When I selected 5-channel stereo, the sound 'opened up' because the center speaker was able to produce the high frequencies.

I fixed the problem and then spent the rest of the afternoon falling in love with music again!

David