Onkyo TX-SR800 Bass Management for 6ch DVDAudio (1 Viewer)

[Chuck Watwood]

Just purchased an RP91 DVD player and have it cabled for 6ch audio with an Outlaw ICBM between it and the Onkyo TX-SR800 6ch inputs. My question is with the Bass Management. The RP91 doesn't have any and I have filtered the fronts at 40hz, the center, and rears at 60hz with the ICBM. I have the crossover on the Onkyo set at 80hz. Does it perform basemanagement on the DVDaudio 6ch as well? If so, should I set the Onkyo crossover at 40hz so it doesn't override the ICBM? A second question is about the RP91 test tones for speaker setup. I have all large speakers selected with the icon for the Sub on. When playing test tones, I don't get a tone for the sub? The DVDAudio discs played so far sound great with plenty of bass. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,

Chuck Watwood

 

[Chuck Watwood]

Matthew,

Thanks for the reply. I thought that might be the case but couldn't tell by looking at the Onkyo manual. That helps alot.

 

[LanceJ]

Chuck: Make sure your Onkyo isn't doing any low-resolution digital conversions on those 6CH inputs--many receivers still use 44.1kHz/16bit or 48kHz/20bit chips to handle signals inside the receiver. If yours does, it will take those hi-res dvd-audio signals and "dumb" them all down to these regular-res formats.

And if it does do any analog-to-digital conversions, it should be at 192kHz/24bit, the highest resolution of dvd-audio. 96kHz/24bit is next best (& realistically speaking this is very close in sound to the 192 format).

Ideally though, it shouldn't do any digital conversions at all. Doing so just messes with the signal that much more, decreasing fine detail.

Your manual should tell you what the receiver does. Or here's a clue if it doesn't: Panasonic's new entry-level SA-HE75receiver says it has a six-channel input, but doesn't say it's "dvd-audio ready"; whereas the next models up (SA-HE100 & 200) with six-channel inputs say they are dvd-audio ready. When messing with the SA-HE100 at Circuit City, when I chose the 6CH input, I noticed the bass and treble controls were deactivated: this means (to me) they are not using hi-res chips for this function. Same with the HE75: it obviously isn't using any hi-res or analog signal paths at all (good analog is more expensive to build these days). And to make things more confusing , with my Technics SA-DA8 receiver it's bass/treble circuits still work in 6CH mode because these are analog-based--they use good ol' fashioned mechanical potentiometers for these functions. I noticed many Yamaha's also still use these too. BUT, there do exist analog tone--& volume--controls that use digital-based circuits just to control them, thus preserving the 100% analog signal path most desired for dvd-audio.

Isn't quality audio FUN?!

LJ

 

[Chuck Watwood]

I have the listening mode setup for this channel set like this: Analog/PCM = Pure Audio PCM fs=96K I think this mean that I am passing a 96K signal through when using multichannel. I guess this is as good as the Onkyo TX-SR800 can do. I can't find any detailed description about multichannel audio. It sure sounds good. Anybody with an Onkyo receiver using 6ch audio, comments are welcome.

 

[LanceJ]

Analog/PCM = Pure Audio PCM fs=96K

Chuck: I'm 99.99% sure this means a 96/24 analog-to-digital conversion.

Whenever most people--including most professionals--compare 96khz to 192kHz, they use words like "subtle", "fractional differences", etc., so I wouldn't be concerned you are losing much. And 192kHz is only used on stereo dvd-audio tracks; multichannel's maximum sampling rate is 96kHz.

The Compact Disc's 44.1kHz format can still sound very good--as we have discussed many times on the Music forum, the mastering job in the studio is really the most important as far as how good any format sounds. 96kHz & 192kHz are just better at revealing those details, while small, that allow a well-mastered album to sound more lifelike. Kind of like giving Paul Kariya a quality pair of ice skates: he would still play damn good hockey in a bargain pair, but the good ones will really help him to reach his full potential.

LJ

 

[Chuck Watwood]

Thanks Lance,

This audio/video stuff can be complicated. Its also addicting. Next thing you know I'll go on one of those cruises. Its a sickness, no doubt.

Chuck Watwood

 

[Craig F]

There is no Bass management on the analog 6 channel inputs. It is direct with no redigitizing.

To hear the audio on the 6 ch input, the receiver must be set to "Audio:Multichannel". The "Audio:Analog" is for 2 channel stereo.

If you are seeing "Pure Audio PCM fs=96K" on your receiver, you are receiving a digital 2 channel input, not multichannel.

 

[Chuck Watwood]

Craig,

Thanks for the help. I have it figured out now and am very happy with DVD Audio. I have 7 discs so far. Just played some Metallica. It sounds good. The eagles Hell freezes over isn't 24 bit, however, it sounds great. My next player will play SACD also. That may be a couple of years from now. I want better speakers and more mono amps first. Addiction is a terrible thing.

 

[LanceJ]

I'm glad I left myself that .01% guessing space!

LJ