Yamaha RX-V863 Owners

[donutman925]

I have a question for owners of this receiver. I have Klipsch's RW-12d subwoofer plugged into this with the monster 18' ultra 600 THX subwoofer cable. The sub works and is set at 9db, but to me it doesn't seem like its kicking in for most of the stuff I'm watching. I used yamaha's automatic ypao sound thing. The one thing I was thinking is that where the sub is in my room is the only place i could put it and it was sitting about 2 feet away from the microphone. After I did the automatic sound test it did come up with an error saying the sub was too loud. I am the type that likes a to hear and feel the bass most of the time. I am new to audio and was wondering if there are any settings I need to change in the yamaha for it to kick in more.

[Penitus]

In my limited experience, most of the time those receiver mics for setting levels often turn your subwoofer down slightly lower than it should be. My Yahama did the same thing yours did, and my father's Denon did the same to him.

Just go into the manual settings and increase the subwoofer.

[blurayisking]

Naturally the auto-setup adjusts the levels of all speakers in accordance with speaker specs and the distances measured to the microphone because it assumes that the microphone location is the " sweet spot ". If your subwoofer is located next to the microphone then the error message is probably realistic if you have set the subwoofer level too high. It is recommended that the subwoofer level be set at midpoint and the cut-off frequency to maximum before running the auto setup.

The auto set-up does set the level for the subwoofer but you can make changes to the auto setup by using the manual setup.

This all can be done by going into the manual set-up and choosing speaker level sub-menu. I would recommend that you make sure the bass contribution setting is set to BOTH (eg: FRONT plus SUB). You can also boost the sub-woofer level manually as well by going to the subwoofer sub-menu. Boosting the subwoofer level too high can cause the bass output to sound over-extended which is not what the subwoofer was meant to achieve; however, that is a personal choice. There is also a phase sub-menu for the subwoofer that can be adjusted which might show an improvement in bass output.

Read your manual carefully and follow the instructions provided.

[donutman925]

Thanks for all the help. I think with your help I figured it out, because I noticed quite a difference last night watching tv and then watching a blu-ray when there was an explosion or a thump i could hear it much better and more often that what I originally had it setup as. I still don't know what all the terms mean like phase, and stuff. I looked through the manual and it really doesn't do that good job of explaining what everything is. I wish they would give examples of some recommended settings. Actually does anybody on here have this receiver and have settings they have already posted like they do for tvs on here? I know for audio it really depends on the setup but any general settings would help.

[kingofgrills]

I have the HTR-6080 (RX-V861), which is the previous year's version of your receiver. Whether you use Yamaha's YPAO system, Audyssey, or an other stock auto calibration system, the microphones all tend to lose a little accuracy at lower frequencies. The too loud warning can happen fairly easily, and the microphone doesn't have to be right by the sub for it to trigger.

The best alternative is to follow up your auto calibration system with a fine tuning from a sound meter. Many people have found favorable results by raising the sub level 3-4 dBl. Too many people are used to listening to bass heavy tracks and raise bass too far, drowning out a systems clarity and true dynamic range. Try to find a good balance that works for music and movies.

[Graboid]

I have the same receiver and blurayisking is right, I find it is best to set it to BOTH for LFE bass management. The interesting thing was that when listening to music I got no bass from the sub unless I set it this way. You might want to invest in a Radio Shack sound pressure meter that you can use to properly calibrate the system the way you want it. You need a calibration CD that gives you test tones at constant volumes throughout the bass range so you can tweek everything perfectly. Also, be sure to flip back and forth on the PHASE setting with the test tone playing to find the best setting for your system. One way will provide the best, richest, deepest bass and it will register visually on the sound pressure meter. I will say that the auto setup on my Yamaha receiver did a pretty good job of balancing the speakers though.

[kingofgrills]

If set up correctly you definitely don't need to set LFE output to both in order to get bass output from the sub. Setting it to "Both" only makes sure you send LFE information to your mains, as well as your sub. If your speakers are not full range capable, then sending LFE to them is a waste, and it puts an unnecessary strain on your receiver.

[p4t1]

You need to set your speaker to "small" instead of "large" for the sub to kick in at anything but LFE signals. So set even your fronts to small and the crossover frequency to 80 and you are set. Obviously your sub needs to be connected properly as well!

[rmitz]

Originally Posted by p4t1

You need to set your speaker to "small" instead of "large" for the sub to kick in at anything but LFE signals. So set even your fronts to small and the crossover frequency to 80 and you are set. Obviously your sub needs to be connected properly as well!

Thanks so much! It was driving me nuts!

[Histep]

I just stumbled onto this thread. I have been looking for a Yamaha 863 thread for a long time. Most comments are about the 663, very little on the 863. I would like to hear comments from other owners of this receiver. I am particularly interested in how to set up and use the various sound modes, as all of this DSP business has always been somewhat confusing to me.

HERB

[ozzman]

Originally Posted by Histep

I just stumbled onto this thread. I have been looking for a Yamaha 863 thread for a long time. Most comments are about the 663, very little on the 863. I would like to hear comments from other owners of this receiver. I am particularly interested in how to set up and use the various sound modes, as all of this DSP business has always been somewhat confusing to me.

HERB

Some people don't use the DSP modes.
I personally think Yamaha has some of the best.

I use Chamber and Hall in Vienna for Blu-concerts and CD sometimes .
Standard for movies and sometimes Spectacle for action movies .

I also have a MONO movie setting that i use for older movies(makes me feel like iam at a older theater when i was younger.)
Movies like The original Rambo and Nightmare on elm street.

I don't know what DSP modes the V863 has.But i would definitely give them an honest shot.

Meaning just don't use a mode for a minute leave it on for an hour or so and give them a chance to show you how they work with your system.

[Magic]

I have owned this receiver now for approx. 9 months. I find myself constantly reading about different setups in these threads and trying them out. I have probably gone through 12 different setup variations based on recommendations on blu-ray.com.

The short version is this: Everyone has different tastes for what they like to hear, but you can get some good advice and tips by reading through and trying out what others have tried. I myself am not incredibly familiar with all of the "techie" stuff, but have found some VERY helpful people in these threads. Special nod to Crackinheadz! Just keep your eyes open and be willing to try things. You'll find what you're looking for in no time.

[blurayisking]

After reading " p4t1 "comments, I reviewed my subwoofer manual again and concluded that I didn't have the subwoofer set correctly.

After setting the front speakers to SMALL, LFE output to SBWR ONLY, the receiver's crossover frequency to 80 Hz and the subwoofer's low pass filter setting to 80 Hz, I have plenty of bass and the front speakers are sounding more detailed probably because they are not trying to produce below 80 Hz range.

You can try experimenting with the crossover frequency but I think you'll find that around 70 ~ 80 Hz will allow I nice blend between where the subwoofer cuts off and the front speakers take over.

Thanks for the advise.

Cheers

Blurayisking