Pioneer VSX-D811S problems (1 Viewer)

[ClaytonMG]

Well, the ohm of my speakers is 6. So bassically my reciever and my speakers don't mix? Is there anything I can do for that?

Clayton

 

[NickSP]

Clayton, your receiver has preouts which you can connect to an external amlifier which will drive your speakers more efficiently since they are 6 Ohms. A good 5 channel amp used should cost you around $600-800 and this might solve your problem.

 

[ClaytonMG]

I spent $600 total for this entire system (speakers and reciever) and I don't think I am going to spend another $600 on something that may not even fix the problem. Is there anything else that could fix it?

Clayton

 

[Josh_Z]

Clayton,

try the input attenuator button. I think it is marked att on the front of the unit. It could be the DVD player overdriving the receiver input. Your problem almost sounds like the signal is too hot.

Typically, an overdriven amp doesn't pop.

Hope this helps.

 

[ClaytonMG]

The Input Attenuator didn't make a difference. Neither did the regular one.

Clayton

 

[chiante]

I have a pioneer 850s and I'm telling you it won't handle 6ohm speakers. Look in your instruction booklet on the connecting speakers page. Under the Memo section it should state: Use speakers with a nominal impedance of 8ohms to 16ohms.

 

[Geoff L]

Cayton,

My man, slow down bud you sond mighty excieted! Yes at this point I don't blame you.

Have you went threw all your wiring?
A bad RCA cabel, a bad RCA connection, wrong speaker wire connection (+ to a -) or a stray frayed piece of speaker wire could and can create problems.

Re-check all the wiring to the speakers and also all your wiring at the receiver including, all RCA cabels, composite or digital, speakers + & - connections, and check for a frayed piece of speaker wire!!

If you have done all of this and the receiver is definitly set up correctly and your still having problems have you considered::::

1)- Returning you speaker package if still under the return policey time slot?
If you purchased a Best Buy or CC a trade in for a different speaker set up or credit toward a different brand, make, style, etc, with an 8-ohm load???
2)- If you like your speakers or their out of warrenty/return time and cannot be exchanged or credited, can you go with a different receiver by way of the same approach?

3)- Could you have a bad 811 Receiver?
A possibility if everything is hooked u correct and it still is distorted and poping.

4)- Remove all you speaker connection at the receiver, except the mains and sub. See what happens when playing DD DTS and then just 2-channel stereo....
Don't change your DD DTS settings if they all are finally correct.
Is it still poping, distorting, or what every it is thats it's doing....???

The Pioneer may not like the 6-ohm load but if it's not shutting down, it probley will drive them at lower volumes fine and just run a little warmer due to the load. Other 811 owners may be able to address this ohm load thing with what speakers their running and if their having similar problems.

Dose it say in the ~{Pioneers 811S manual ---> to run ONLY 8-ohm load}~ and above speakers????

Just some more to chew on
Geoff

 

[ClaytonMG]

Yeah, umm, i just found that in my instruction manual... So, does anyone know a good speaker package an impedance of 8-16ohm? I'd like to keep it around $200. I just bought all this like 2 weeks ago so I can still return it.

Clayton

 

[ThomasL]

Clayton,

before buying new speakers, I'd do a few tests to determine if it is the speakers and/or the receiver. For example, is the popping coming out of all the speakers or just the surround speakers? Also, is it reproducible consistently? i.e. does it happen in the same manner at the exact same point in a movie? Does it happen at lower volumes? You said you had the volume set to -31db on the Pioneer's volume scale. Try the following: play the same scene that produces the problem but turn the volume down to -34db. Does it happen? Keep doing this experiment, lowering the volume by -3db each time. At any point does the popping problem stop?

I've frequently had 2 pairs of 8ohm bookshelf speakers hooked up and playing on my 811S with no problems. This presents a 4ohm load to the receiver but I also have only does this in 2 channel mode and not when all 5 speakers are active playing a surround source. While it is possible the problem is high volume levels combined with a lower resistance from the 6 ohm speaker, it is also possible that one of the speakers may be faulty. The final experiment to try is this. If the popping is only coming out of the surrounds or one of them, then try swapping the front speakers with a surround speakers. Does the popping now come out of the front speakers or is it still coming from the surrounds? i.e. did the problem move with the speaker or did it stay with the surround channel(s)?

good luck,


--tom

 

[ClaytonMG]

Popping comes out of all speakers at some time or another, I have tried swapping them for that part in Se7en and it is on the rear speakers that do it then. But in House on Haunted Hill, Sweet Dreams sounds like it's amplified to loud in the front speakers (and rear left) and Mel Gibson's voice pops in We Were Soldiers. So does William Dafoe's voice in Spider-Man. And it happens no matter what. I had the reciever down to -70db and I could still hear the pops.

Clayton

 

[Robert Fellows]

Why do you think it's not the DVD player?

 

[ClaytonMG]

Because it never did it on my old system.
Anyway, I am looking through other speakers (and since I am not very good at this stuff, i thought I'd run this by ya'll) How are these: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...s&vi=tech-data
I've never had JBL equipment before. But I am not finding anything else in my price range. That's about $60 more than what I payed and I think that's about all I can do with my budget.
Clayton

 

[ThomasL]

Clayton, given what you found out, I'd say there is one other test or piece of information that may be of interest. Does it do the same thing with non-digital sources? i.e. when watching tv with DPLII/DTS-NEO6 or when playing a cd on the dvd player using the analog outs with DPLII/NEO6/6-channel stereo? If it never pops using non-digital sources (i.e. sources not coming from your digital out on your dvd player), then I would suspect highly that the problem is not one of some weird speaker/receiver interaction but perhaps one of some weird dvd player/receiver interaction. While your dvd player may have worked fine before, it is possible that it is not behaving with the Pioneer 811S. What model dvd player do you have? It's also possible that there is something wrong with the Pioneer's DD/DTS processing. But given the fact it happens exactly the same at -31db and -70db means that the receiver being overloaded is not the problem. If you could borrow a friend's dvd player and try that, it may be a worthwhile experiment.

With all of that aside, the speakers you pointed to - the JBL NSP1 set - get very good praise here at the forum and will most likely be an upgrade from the set you did get. You already have the sub so all you need is in that package.

good luck,


--tom

 

[Geoff L]

They are well respected at their price point here! Many JBL fans.
Another speaker package thats gotten very good reviews, (though I have never listened to it) is located here
Reviews, specs, pictures, and user reviews are their also. They are 8-ohm load and larger than your current speakers. Available at CC for 299.00 but could be had for LESS by bringing in some on line price print outs. I would think 250.00 or less.
I still find it strange that even at low volumes you are having problems with the poping and distortion. Yes it could be the load but I am more apt to belive it's a hook up, set-up problem. If not, as you imply, that all this has been checked and rececked you are positive this is not the problem, than maybe a defective reciever or it just plain won't handel a 6-ohm load period.
If the DVD player was fine on another DD receiver than more than likley it's not the culprit.
So if you want to try another set of (8-ohm speakers on the cheap than maybe this is something that fits your fancy). There are 15 user reviews all speaking highly of the package and one semi pro review, at least thats what I would call it.
That review rates it a 9 out of 10.
So go look see
Geoff

 

[keithVANhorn]

Does the 811 have a switch on the back of the receiver to switch between 6-16ohm or 8-16ohm? My 606 does.

 

[keithVANhorn]

I don't think the 6ohm load is the problem. Like i said I have an ancient VSX-606S running CV RE-30's up front and they are 4ohm speakers. Now on my receiver I can select 6-16ohm on the back via a switch. Sounds like to me is that they are trying to play the bass frequencies and they're not supposed to. Has to be some setting you missed.

 

[chiante]

Guys, as I've stated and the pioneer manual states, you can only use 8-16ohm speakers with the 811s. Just get the the jbls and your problem is solved.^^^There is no such switch on the 811s, the receiver is fixed to the 8-16 ohm range.

 

[ClaytonMG]

Alright, I am getting the JBLs no matter what. And if the problem continues (which I have a feeling it will) we will go from there.

Something kind of odd just happened. I tried listening to Se7en in dts stereo (that's new to me because i didn't know I could down-mix it) but I could still hear the pops. Is it possible that the pops are on the film's soundtrack itself? Does anyone else have the film? But that's only one film. I still have other films with problems (House On Haunted Hill, Willem Dafoe's voice in Spider-Man, Mel Gibson's voice). Another problem I have is sound cutting out. And I think it has to do with the DVD's because it does it on all systems I've had in the past. For example, Coyote Ugly, right before the credits start up the dts soundtrack cuts out. Sometimes (not all the time, but ussually) on the dts version of Unbreakable, right when the opening credits start up the sound cuts out. In the director's cut of Pearl Harbor, there's a scene where the sound cuts out, but I think that was an error in the mastering because it was a transision between an added scene and one in the theatrical version. All these cut outs are for like a split second only. Come to think of it, I only experience them on dts soundtracks... But it happened on my old system too. Even with my old DVD-Player(s).

Clayton

 

[ThomasL]

The Pioneer manual states 8-16 ohm officially but one can certainly present a 6 or even 4 ohm nominally rated load to it if you don't listen at insanely ear splitting volumes. I've used two pairs of 8 ohm bookshelf speakers in parallel for the L/R many times and have had zero problems (which is a 4 ohm load as far as the receiver is concerned). Heck, even if a speaker claims it is 8 ohm nominal/average, that doesn't mean it is always presenting an 8ohm load since the ohm level it presents will very depending on the frequencies being reproduced. Now, any receiver in this price range may have problems with lower ohm rated speakers at high volume levels simply because their amplification setup can't put out the power necessary since the lower the resistance presented to the receiver the more wattage is necessary to produce that frequency at the given volume level. Turn the volume way up, and you can over-work the amplifier(s).

In this case since the popping occurs at very low volumes, it is not a case of over-taxing the receiver. Given the weird problems you also have with sound dropping out even in your old setup, I'd definitely try a different dvd player or a different digital cable. Clayton, are you using coax or optical to go from your dvd player to your receiver? Have you tried a different cable?

cheers,


--tom

 

[ClaytonMG]

I have had a 3 different DVD-Players, 2 Toshiba ones, one of which I am using right now, and a Panasonic one, and they've all done the audio drop-out but no the popping (as far as I noticed). I also have used Coaxil and Optical. But! I bought the cords from Radio Shack (they're radio shack's brand) and they weren't very expensive. At least not the coaxil cord. Could that be what's causing it?

Clayton