Sony S350 Audio Settings Question

[zodiak]

guys I just added a pioneer vsx 03 receiver and 2 polk monitor 60's, now I have had the sony 350 bd player for awhile have always noticed the sound is sometimes soft and dialog hard to hear so I tinkered with the audio settings and noticed that if I go to "audio DRC" and select "TV Mode" the audio becomes much brighter and the dialog very clear.

I still get the TRUEHD display on my pioneer receiver if the bd is truehd audio, my question is am I losing anything by setting DRC to TV MODE?

my sony 350 audio settings are as follows:

Audio Output Priority--- HDMI
Audio(HDMI) Auto
BD Audio Setting Direct
Audio ATT Off
Dolby Digital Downmix PCM
48kHz/96kHz PCM 48kHz/16bit
Audio DRC TV Mode
Downmix Dolby Surround

Any suggestions on if these settings should be changed? and again am I losing anything with Audio DRC set to TV Mode( its just so much clearer)

Thanks again guys for all your info

[crackinhedz]

Audio DRC = Wide

[crackinhedz]

do you have a center channel speaker??

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by zodiak

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Any suggestions on if these settings should be changed? and again am I losing anything with Audio DRC set to TV Mode( its just so much clearer)

Thanks again guys for all your info

Setting Audio DRC to TV Mode compresses the dynamic range rather severely making the the quiet sounds louder and the loud sounds quieter. Since dialogue can sometimes get fairly quiet, dialogue will likely sound louder with DRC set to a compressed setting like TV mode. That and other compressed modes are useful when you don't want to disturb your neighbors or someone trying to get some sleep yet still be able to hear the dialogue.

Crackinhedz advice is the proper way to enjoy a movie to it's fullest extent.

It sounds like you are unhappy with that setting though. That tells me, as it did crackinhedz, that perhaps something else is not set up correctly for getting the best sound possible. In addition to crackinhedz's question, I have one too. Did you calibrate your sound system?

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by zodiak

I tinkered with the audio settings and noticed that if I go to "audio DRC" and select "TV Mode" the audio becomes much brighter and the dialog very clear.

I still get the TRUEHD display on my pioneer receiver if the bd is truehd audio, my question is am I losing anything by setting DRC to TV MODE?

Something doesn't add up in your description. The DRC setting in the player only comes into play when the player is doing the decoding. If your receiver shows TrueHD, that means you are bitstreaming to your receiver for decoding and you would apply DRC in the AVR, not the player.

The first three settings you listed configure the S350 to bitstream the HD codecs to your AVR. In that case, none of the other settings that follow have any effect. They apply to player decoding and PCM tracks.

[zodiak]

sorry for getting back late, cutting grass all morning....ok so my sony bd player is setup incorrect? the only thing I did with the pioneer was the auto matic set with the microphone.

I am confussed with alot of the lingo, so I may not follow so well, crakin I dont think wide is an option on the sony regarding the audio drc I will check.

bislander how do I apply drc in my receiver?

Crackin No center

Thanks again guys

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by zodiak

sorry for getting back late, cutting grass all morning....ok so my sony bd player is setup incorrect? the only thing I did with the pioneer was the auto matic set with the microphone.

I am confussed with alot of the lingo, so I may not follow so well, crakin I dont think wide is an option on the sony regarding the audio drc I will check.

bislander how do I apply drc in my receiver?

Crackin No center

Thanks again guys

Ok, I take that to mean that you did auto calibrate your system. That's a good start.

You should consider getting a center channel speaker. That way you'll get clear distinct dialogue without DRC. DRC is for low listening levels as I explained earlier. You aren't hearing the movie the way it was intended when you apply DRC.

[zodiak]

rwojtalewicz....thanks for your input, yes I intend to purchase a center but I am having to build my HT in stages, Im a little unclear on something

with a center I wouldnt need to use DRC? and can I find a DRC setting in my Pioneer receiver to set at "wide" as crackin suggested?

Im assuming that right now Im losing sublte detail?

Ps..

when viewing tv/sat. whats the best mode to listen to the tv broadcast

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by zodiak

rwojtalewicz....thanks for your input, yes I intend to purchase a center but I am having to build my HT in stages, Im a little unclear on something

with a center I wouldnt need to use DRC? and can I find a DRC setting in my Pioneer receiver to set at "wide" as crackin suggested?

Im assuming that right now Im losing sublte detail?

Ps..

when viewing tv/sat. whats the best mode to listen to the tv broadcast

I wish I could help you out there. I'm not familiar with the Pioneer Elite AVRs. I do know from reading in the forums that yours is a highly regarded receiver. My guess, and that's all I can offer, is that it may perhaps be set by default to wide range. I'm guessing because my Yamaha AVR's default setting for Dynamic Range is MAX, which is equivalent to Sony's wide.

Also note that the Pioneer may not refer to it as DRC. My Yahama manual doesn't mention DRC, but instead refers to it as dynamic range. Perhaps you should try looking in your VSX 03 manual's index for just dynamic range and read all the references it in the manual. That's about the best advice I can offer short of someone else having a VSX 03 who knows what the settings are.

Sorry, I couldn't be more helpful.