Pioneer D811S owners out there - question for you and anyone else for that matter (1 Viewer)

[ThomasL]

I know a few people have picked up this receiver since they responded to my budget receiver thread from a week or so ago. Anyhow, since I could not locate an Onkyo SR600 within a 50 mile radius of my location, I decided to pick up the Pioneer to give it a test run.

Last night, we watched some of Phantom Menace on FOX using both DPL II and DTS:Neo6 Cinema/Movies modes. It sounded great but there was one thing very wrong. On any discrete sounds/effects that were meant for either the left or right front speaker, they were reversed! For example, R2D2 is off to the left of the screen and he beeps but the beep came out the right speaker. I immediately thought that perhaps I had reversed the L/R analog jacks coming from the audio out on the tv and into the tv/sat L/R inputs on the receiver but they appeared correct. Also, Left and Right front speakers are wired properly as well (tested using the test tones on the Sound and Vision calibration dvd).

So, anyone know what is going on here? Are the L/R analog inputs on the receiver wired wrong? Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to try another set of inputs or to physically switch L/R to see if that fixed the problem. I don't own Phantom Menace on VHS so I can't test things further unless I get a copy. Or other source material with discrete effects such as this.

This is just sort of frustrating and I'm wondering if something is busted on the Pioneer and if I should just return it and patiently wait for the Onkyo.

Any hints would be appreciated.

thanks much!

--tom

 

[ThomasL]

Well, I played a copy of Phantom Menace on VHS tonight and it was normal as expected. There was no reverse of the L and R front signals. I can only conclude that there was something messed up with Boston's local FOX affiliate's broadcast of the movie on Thursday night. Very strange indeed.

--tom

 

[Darin J]

I've had my 811S for a week now and Phatom Menace was the first DVD I played on it. All channels, including the Surround Back (SB) followed the action properly in Dolby EX. I also can't believe how much better Prologic II is than Prologic. I haven't tried NEO:6 other than just a moment to be sure it produced sound out of the SB.

To get a good level of sound I have the volume at -25 which is the max before I can hear an audible hiss from the speakers. However, the sound still seemed a little flat. I just bought the Sony SA-WM40 subwoofer tonight and that made a big difference. The Lows have dramatically more feel to them now. I also think the other speakers have more life to them now that I've set them to small (I had passive woofers for both the fronts and sides before adding the sub).

Other than the sub, all the other speakers are KLH satelites a purchased 3 years ago. I'm planning to replace them with JBL N24II's. However, I don't know that my current speakers are that inefficient that changing them will spare enough power in reserve to add more snap when called for. Maybe there just isn't enough true clean power in the reciever to give more snap to the sound. Although both the Onkyo SR-600 and Yamaha 5560 have less rated power I'm thinking of picking them up and doing a comparison to see if either of them is worth the price difference.

I hope more people who've tried the 811S resply. I'd like to know how they feel the sound is. It has all the features and pre-outs for futher separate amplification at an unbeatable price. It's just you can't crack it up the last 25 reference points without gaining some hiss.

 

[ThomasL]

Darin, I have a few more comments on the D811S that I hope one of the experts can help me with.
#1 With no input source, I can hear an audible hiss coming from the speakers. I have to put my ear a foot or so from the speaker (or next to it) to hear it but should this be happening? This has occured in the past on cheap stereo receivers, I've owned.
#2 Now, this one surprised me. When I went into the front display menu, I could hear two clicks/pops in the speaker closest to where I was standing. I was only a few feet away so they weren't loud but they were audible from that distance. Everytime I hit the "next" button to get to the next menu item, they occured. I then turned the volume knob on the receiver and the same thing happened. Now, these aren't loud and if you weren't standing near a speaker, you wouldn't hear them (or if a input source was drowning them out) but still, it doesn't seem like entering the menu system should produce any feedback whatsoever to the speakers. What is going on here? Is it just poorly isolated components inside the box? Do other receivers in the < $800 range do this as well. I don't recall an older (and cheaper ) Pioneer I had doing this.
#3 Darin, what do you have your 6.1 setting set to? Auto or Fix? When I set mine to auto and then went into the Sound and Vision Calibration menu and played the DD-EX and DTS-ES matrix sound tests, the receiver did not detect these as being DD-EX or DTS-ES. The only one it auto-detected is the DTS-ES discrete. Is this normal? I had to put it into "Fix"ed mode which it then detected all DD and DTS material as either DD-EX or DTS-ES. It would be nicer to have the ability to switch these modes. For example, when watching a 5.1 movie, I may want to try 6.1 matrix on it and then if it doesn't sound good, hit one button on the remote and go back to regular 5.1. With the Pioneer it seems you have to go into the menu system and toggle back and forth between Auto Fix.
thanks very much for any thoughts,
--tom

 

[ThomasL]

Just to followup on my original strange problem. I noticed it again tonight on UPN's Star Trek Voyager. Someone exits the screen on the left and the door swhoosh came out the R front speaker (this same effect occurred using DPL, DPLII, and DTS Neo6). Has anyone else noticed this when watching DPL encoded tv programs? Is this a screw up in the broadcast/cable signal? Or is my receiver doing something funky? I watched the same sequence directly through the vcr to the receiver (eliminating the tv's audio inputs/outputs) and the same thing happened. I know that everything is wired properly since the Phantom Menace VHS tape worked fine this past weekend. I've also calibrated the system with Avia and Sound & Vision dvds so I know the speakers are all wired correctly. My main perplexing question to answer is: is the pioneer receiver or is it the tv broadcast? If I audition the Onkyo SR600, that should help me answer the question hopefully.

 

[Gary Kellerman]

There are two possibilites for this that I can think of. The first is whether or not you are hooked up to cable. It is possible that at the "front end", their wires are crossed on their converters. If you are on cable, try listening to other stereo programing. If it is too late in the evening, set your vcr to record the first 25 minutes of Jay Leno's show and see how it plays back the next day.

I had to reread your post which I believe answers the 2nd question. You are getting this phenomenon on both the audio outs of your tv and vcr. I doubt that the channels from their respective mts decoders are criscrossed.

Although you say that you played a tape that directed the sound correctly, recheck you analog connections anyway to be sure that the right and left channels are wired correctly from your tv or vcr to the analog receiver inputs.

Personally, I think its the cable company. Good luck

 

[ThomasL]

Thanks Gary.
Yeah, I rechecked everything and it all seems wired correctly. And as I mentioned, playing Phantom Menace on VHS sounded fine. R2D2's beep came out the same side as the one he was "standing" on It didn't dawn on me that it could be the cable company but tonight I will tape some of the Leno show and see if it exhibits the same behavior.

 

[ThomasL]

Just to followup on my problem, for now, I've simply reversed the L/R analog outputs from the tv which works fine. I do recall that with my earlier receiver that this didn't occur but I'm suspecting that something happened at the cable company recently and I didn't notice it until I used DPL II or DTS NEO6 with the new receiver.

thanks,

--tom

 

[Alf S]

Thomas,
When I had cable, several channels (HBO, some locals etc) had the same reversed sound problem. I called the drones at the cable company, and they had NO idea what I was talking about. Needless to say I had to live with it until I switched to the glorious world of DD 5.1 Directv!
When I get home, I'll check into some of the other questions you've had and compare them to my 811.
So far I really like what i've heard from mine. It took a bit getting used to, but overall it's a nice improvent over my 1050.

 

[NateLindsey]

I've noticed #3 on ThomsL's post. I tried the Phantom Menace and it wouldn't do DD-EX unless you put it into Fix mode. I did get Terminator 2 to go into DTS-ES Matrix mode while set to Auto.

Freaky. I'd like to know what's up.

 

[Alf S]

I think the manual addresses it by saying something like the "auto" feature defaults to DD 5.1, or DTS ES.

Strange way of doing it especially when you set-up the receiver by telling it you have 6.1 speaker set up.

Doesn't really bug me though...

Alfer

 

[ThomasL]

Nate,

The manual says it should auto-detect DD-EX, DTS-ES, or DTS-ES Discrete, I believe. The problem here may simply be a case that the source material is missing the flag in the bitstream that says it is a DD-EX or DTS-ES source. One thing which is true is that there doesn't appear to be a way to force the player into DTS-ES Discrete. I put in Gladiator and had 6.1 set to "Fix" and it played the movie in DTS-ES Matrix. When I switched to 6.1 "Auto", it auto-detected DTS-ES Discrete and played it with that format. So, "Fix" setting will always do either DD-EX or DTS-ES Matrix formats.

cheers,

--tom

 

[NickSP]

Thomas is correct, the Phantom Menace does not have a EX flag and it needs to be set manually. I have the 4802 and it does the same thing.

 

[NateLindsey]

Cool. That answers alot.

Tanx