Onkyo 607 setup confusion

[summo]

G'day all,

Time to help a fellow Aussie haha.

Story goes, i just went out and got my new Onkyo 607 receiver today.

Came home, set everything up. All the speakers work fine, i've got 2 HDMI cables (1x tv to receiver, 1x receiver to blu-ray).

Basically i'm a tad confused on whether i'm doing the right thing in regards to setting up to get the full extent of HD Audio.

I've ran the Audyssey microphone which surprisingly calibrated everything automatically when i connected it.. all i had to do was stand back and let it do it's thing. Only issue is that it's placing all my speakers at the right distances, except for my Sub where it placed it at 2ft, when it's actually around 8ft. (it got calibrated at the sub volume, halfway). I would also like to know if the auto calibration has set the speaker Hz at the right settings. Same goes for the "Bass" and "Treble", they are both currently on 0.

Another thing is, i've read some of you guys talking about "switching HD Audio ON/OFF". Is this the case with the Onkyo 607 aswell?

Below is a camera video i've taken of me scrolling through the settings just to show you guys what's current at the moment.

As much help as possible would be greatly appreciated!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxELbRiAbFM

Cheers

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by summo

G'day all,

Time to help a fellow Aussie haha.

Story goes, i just went out and got my new Onkyo 607 receiver today.

Came home, set everything up. All the speakers work fine, i've got 2 HDMI cables (1x tv to receiver, 1x receiver to blu-ray).

Basically i'm a tad confused on whether i'm doing the right thing in regards to setting up to get the full extent of HD Audio.

I've ran the Audyssey microphone which surprisingly calibrated everything automatically when i connected it.. all i had to do was stand back and let it do it's thing. Only issue is that it's placing all my speakers at the right distances, except for my Sub where it placed it at 2ft, when it's actually around 8ft. (it got calibrated at the sub volume, halfway). I would also like to know if the auto calibration has set the speaker Hz at the right settings. Same goes for the "Bass" and "Treble", they are both currently on 0.

Another thing is, i've read some of you guys talking about "switching HD Audio ON/OFF". Is this the case with the Onkyo 607 aswell?

Below is a camera video i've taken of me scrolling through the settings just to show you guys what's current at the moment.
As much help as possible would be greatly appreciated!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxELbRiAbFM

Cheers

I am unable to access youtube at work (as are some others) so please list your equipment
as always, list the equipment you are asking about, all of it in your case your speakers and sub.

the auto calibration does not set the bass & treble, the default is 0, set it yourself to what you like.

it may have set your sub at 2' because that's all the signal it got back from the sub so, it thought it was 2' away. what volume and hz is the sub set at? it is recommended that you set the physical sub to it's highest hz setting and leave it there this way the crossover for LFE will be set by the receiver. for the purposes of the test, set your sub volume at at least 50% if you need to dial it down later do so after the test.

get back to us with more info on the speakers and sub.

remember, auto calibration is not perfect. you can also go into the speaker settings and change the levels, distance and crossover settings manually to your taste.

[phansson]

That is opposite of what my audyessey reports. It shows my sub at 18' instead of around 10'. It has something to do with the filters incorporated in the sub.

I would just try to run it again. If it shows 2' again, I would use it like that for some time to see if that 'sounds" right. If not, you can go into audyssey and manually set the distance for the sub.

[dewd]

Detecting longer that physical distance to the sub is OK. This is normally because you have some sort of processing in the sub that is causing additional delay.

Detecting shorter than physical distance may be a problem. One current theory why this occurs is vibrations caused by contact with the floor or furniture. Did you have the mic on a tripod? How many positions did you test (and were they close to each other)?

If you cannot get the sub distance correct, it is OK to change it (only if you are making it longer). Other things to look for after Audyssey is make sure none of your speaker are set to FULL. If they are, change them to 80hz.

PS - Why did I read your post with an Australian accent in my head?

[summo]

Cheers for the prompt replies guys.

I didn't really concentrate on the Sub volume when it did the test as it was very sudden and random haha! But in saying that, the Audyssey automatically set the sub Hz to max after the calibration anyway.. Anyway, i'll leave it at max, make the volume 50% and try again.

As for the distances between calibrations, i went from 1st seating position (middle), then to the right 1metre, then to the left 1metre. I chucked on a normal DVD and they sounded unreal.. a massive difference to my old receiver but on the "allchannel st" listening mode, is it normal to hear the vocals on the rears aswell? Just all sounds a bit weird to me.

Anyone know if i have the right settings to get HD Audio on Blu-ray or is basically automatic as soon as i chuck the disc in?

Sorry for the newbiness guys, this is all new to me and there is only so much reading you can do haha.

Dewd: Dunno mate, i'd be asking your family as to where they "really" came from hahaha

Solardadd:
Equipment as follows:
*Samsung series 5, 50inch full HD Plasma
*Samsung BDP1600 Blu-ray player
*Onkyo TX-SR607 Receiver
*Yamaha HTiB 5.1 standing speakers w/ Subwoofer - 6ohm output (i realise these aren't the best but i am in the process of saving for new speakers)

[dewd]

I just looked at your video. The sub volume (the actual knob on the sub) is way too high. The -15 trim is the max. Turn the volume down on the sub and try Audyssey again.

Afterwards, change the fronts from FULL to 80hz (this will turn double bass off as well). Set the LPF to 120hz.

[summo]

Your a legend mate!

I'll try that in 8 hours time (after work) and get back to you haha!

Only thing about what you said about the sub volume is that when the audyssey did the calibration, my sub volume was no where near full, it was actually just over half way.

I would have to run the audyssey before i change the front's otherwise the audyssey will just change the settings again hey?

[dewd]

Originally Posted by summo

Your a legend mate!

I'll try that in 8 hours time (after work) and get back to you haha!

Only thing about what you said about the sub volume is that when the audyssey did the calibration, my sub volume was no where near full, it was actually just over half way.

Try it at 1/3. Mine is barely 1/4, but I have a HUGE sub in a medium-small room.

I would have to run the audyssey before i change the front's otherwise the audyssey will just change the settings again hey?

Correct. Any changes you make before running Audyssey are ignored.

One more thought... When measuring make sure the first measurement is in the middle (you said you did this) and the other two are not outside the boundaries of your left and right speaker (1 meter either way should be OK, but I wanted to make sure).

[summo]

Not a problem Dewd. After the calibration, i played a normal DVD and the base seemed almost non existent, even though the settings are way to high as you said.

I actually had to turn the volume up on the sub to get any kinda of affect.

My theatre is a bedroom theatre and my Sub is placed in front of the bed so when the calibration was done, the microphone was blocked by the end of the bed. I was told placing the Sub under the tv to the right of the centre speaker was the best spot... if this issue is caused by the placement, maybe it would be better off me placing the Sub in a more visible spot where the sub "noise" isn't blocked as such?

[summo]

Ok, i'm home and this is what i have done:

1. Moved sub from the floor, onto a 1ft high stand so now it sits level with the top of my bed (visible to the mic).

2.Re-calibrated with the Audyssey @ volume 25 (standard).

3. Played a Blu-Ray movie (Ice Age 3).

The re-calibration with the sub (volume @ 1/3) in the new spot and now changed the distance from 2ft to 13ft. So it's gone from one extreme to the other haha! It is still reading @ 15db but definately sounds different to before, still doesn't seem "too basey". Possibly because my Sub is weak and needs replacing? I've left it at that until advised to modify by one of you guys.

The centre speaker calibrated @ 60Hz, as did the fronts, rears were 50Hz from memory. I changed the fronts to 80Hz as you said to do.

I changed the listening mode to Multichannel.

I went through the Audio settings and changed the Base to +2 and left the treble at +0... Hope this ok? Unsure, didn't really sound much different.

Other than that, Ice Age sounds AMAZING! I cannot wait to audition new speakers.

Awaits reply

PS: Still haven't got an answer regarding the HD Audio settings. Is there any feature that i haven't touched that needs turning on or modifying to get HD Audio or is it basically a standard feature as soon as you chuck a Blu-ray Disc in?

[phansson]

Originally Posted by summo

PS: Still haven't got an answer regarding the HD Audio settings. Is there any feature that i haven't touched that needs turning on or modifying to get HD Audio or is it basically a standard feature as soon as you chuck a Blu-ray Disc in?

Glad you got your sub distance fixed. Like I said, longer distance is normal. Don't really know why it showed 2' first time around.

Your Onkyo receiver decodes all of the advanced codecs. So I would set your Samsung to "bitstream" and just hook it up to your receiver via HDMI. That should fix you.

To make sure you are getting HD audio, your onkyo should have a DTS HDMA/Dolby TruHD insignia light up on the front panel. On some older discs, you have to select the HD audio track from the audio menu. Most of the newer discs just use HD audio so it is not a problem anymore.

[summo]

Ok thanks mate.

I played the movie whilst on PCM (current setting) and all i could see was a HDMI light and a multichannel light, no DTS or TrueHD light.

I then changed the Blu-ray setting from PCM to Bitstream but there are 2 types of Bitstream (re-encode & audiophile).

I changed to re-encode, changed the listening mode to "all channel st" as "multichannel" was no longer available and re-played the movie. All 4 standing speakers had vocal coming out of them instead of just the centre.

A red DTS light is on the receiver aswell.

Is this right? Doesn't seem right, i think i enjoyed listening to what i had going when the Blu-ray was set to PCM.

Whats the difference between PCM and bit stream anyway?

[dewd]

Check the Preset menu and change all the presets to something other than 'last valid'. I suggest changing them to something standared like DTS for DTS, True HD for True HD, etc. Or you could choose something like PLII. "All Channel Stereo" is not a good idea unless you are playing music (even then I don't like it).

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by summo

Ok thanks mate.

I played the movie whilst on PCM (current setting) and all i could see was a HDMI light and a multichannel light, no DTS or TrueHD light.

I then changed the Blu-ray setting from PCM to Bitstream but there are 2 types of Bitstream (re-encode & audiophile).

I changed to re-encode, changed the listening mode to "all channel st" as "multichannel" was no longer available and re-played the movie. All 4 standing speakers had vocal coming out of them instead of just the centre.

A red DTS light is on the receiver aswell.

Is this right? Doesn't seem right, i think i enjoyed listening to what i had going when the Blu-ray was set to PCM.

Whats the difference between PCM and bit stream anyway?

set it to audiophile, your done!

[phansson]

Originally Posted by summo

Ok thanks mate.

I played the movie whilst on PCM (current setting) and all i could see was a HDMI light and a multichannel light, no DTS or TrueHD light.

I then changed the Blu-ray setting from PCM to Bitstream but there are 2 types of Bitstream (re-encode & audiophile).

I changed to re-encode, changed the listening mode to "all channel st" as "multichannel" was no longer available and re-played the movie. All 4 standing speakers had vocal coming out of them instead of just the centre.

A red DTS light is on the receiver aswell.

Is this right? Doesn't seem right, i think i enjoyed listening to what i had going when the Blu-ray was set to PCM.

Whats the difference between PCM and bit stream anyway?

If you set your BD player to PCM output, it will decode the audio stream and send it out via LPCM to your receiver. You will NOT get any lights saying that you are receiving HD audio.

If you set your BD player to bitstream, it will send the raw audio information to the receiver, the receiver will do the decoding of the HD audio. This is my personal favorite (I know people debate it but this is how I have done it for years).

You do not want to have your receiver set to all channel st. This will mix all of the channels into one and play them out of all of your speakers. You will not get surround sound.

I don't know what the difference between audiophile and re-encode is, I would assume that audiophile would be a raw bitsteam. You need to look at your manual.

[summo]

Thanks a heap guys.

I'll change the Bitstream to Audiophile tonight and see what happens.

As for the listening mode, any idea's what i should set it to? Just seems all a bit confusing as majority of the listening modes have vocal's coming out the fronts & rears.

I'll experminent anyway and see how we go and let you all know no doubt haha!

PS: I just read this thread and it says to have the Receiver set to "PCM Multichannel". This is what i had it set to when watching Ice Age and the sound was awesome, all speakers were doing exactly what they were suppose to do with no vocals coming out of the surrounds except the centre and maybe the fronts (didnt really notice).

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?p=2529334

I only selected "All channel st" when i changed the blu-ray player to Bitstream (re-encoded) because it completely erased the "PCM Multichannel" listening mode so i couldn't select it.

[dewd]

Originally Posted by summo

Thanks a heap guys.

I'll change the Bitstream to Audiophile tonight and see what happens.

As for the listening mode, any idea's what i should set it to? Just seems all a bit confusing as majority of the listening modes have vocal's coming out the fronts & rears.

I'll experminent anyway and see how we go and let you all know no doubt haha!

PS: I just read this thread and it says to have the Receiver set to "PCM Multichannel". This is what i had it set to when watching Ice Age and the sound was awesome, all speakers were doing exactly what they were suppose to do with no vocals coming out of the surrounds except the centre and maybe the fronts (didnt really notice).

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?p=2529334

I only selected "All channel st" when i changed the blu-ray player to Bitstream (re-encoded) because it completely erased the "PCM Multichannel" listening mode so i couldn't select it.

Just for 'ease of use', try changing all the presets to PLII. As you learn more about your system, you can experiment.

[phansson]

If you bitstream, your receiver should show DTS HDMA or Dolby TruHD on the front. I think. At least that is what my integra shows.

You have a 5.1 system so you don't need to add any extra processing over it (like PL II).

[summo]

No probs mate.

After switching to bitstream (re-encode), it showed a red "dts" light, thats it's, no dts HDMA, just DTS.

Vocals were coming out on all speakers.

See how we go this arvo and i'll let you guys know

Any preference on what Blu-ray will stand out from the rest when i test? I thought Ice Age was awesome listening to the surroundings and Dino footsteps haha

[phansson]

Originally Posted by summo

No probs mate.

After switching to bitstream (re-encode), it showed a red "dts" light, thats it's, no dts HDMA, just DTS.

Vocals were coming out on all speakers.

See how we go this arvo and i'll let you guys know

Any preference on what Blu-ray will stand out from the rest when i test? I thought Ice Age was awesome listening to the surroundings and Dino footsteps haha

What disc did you have in?

It should be a dts "logo" light with HD MA lit up small to the right of it on the display.