Fine tuning Sony DA5400es - advice please

[psurquhart]

Hi,

Pretty much get this amp now but not sure on a few settings so advice please.

I mostly put things on auto but its still niggling me even though it sounds great.

Have a Sony 370 blu ray going through it and Sky HD.

HDMI SETTINGS

Video direct ? On or off ? It sets the HDMI settings to output the video signal of HDMI input directly.

H.A.T.S ? On or off ? Dont understand ? Something to do with signal jitter ? Can anyone explain in English please ?

AUDIO

Decode Priority - PCM or auto ? Set to auto and all seems ok.

Digital Legato Linear ? Set to auto ? Again in English please ?

SURROUND

Enhanced Surround Mode ? Options are Pro Logic 2, Neo:6 Cinema, Neo:6 Music or Neural THX ? I use 5.1 surround ( but dont have a subwoofer ) - what setting please ?

SPEAKER

D.Range Comp ? OFF, AUTO, STD or MAX - best setting please and an explaination in English please ?

And finally - this bit confuses me the most ?

On Speaker setting its set according to the picture on GUI to 3/2ch which seems to show my set up. This is front l / r speakers, centre speaker and rear ? l / r ( although on the diagram they seem to be at the side of the sofa / listening position ( which are where my rears are due to my sofa being up against a wall due to space in my living room ). I have no sub as yet - but this bit confuses me as surely my set up is 5.0 ( no sub ) as opposed to 3/2ch ?

I have a small living room but my sofa is in the ideal facing tv / amp listening position.

Any Sony av amp owners out there to put my mind at rest please or just you usual clever chaps ?

Apologies if this is all a bit basic but help me out peeps please ?

 

[psurquhart]

Anyone ?

Please ???

 

[psurquhart]

OK so you lot seem to be as confused as me ( which is not like you lot )!

Can Andrew or anyone else from the What Hi Fi team help out here please ?

The amp was an award winning best buy for ages until it was knocked off its perch so you guys most know it well ?

Perhaps you could contact Eric for me ? Im determined to get to the bottom of this.

 

[fayeanddavid]

Hi,

Pretty much get this amp now but not sure on a few settings so advice please.

I mostly put things on auto but its still niggling me even though it sounds great.

Have a Sony 370 blu ray going through it and Sky HD.

HDMI SETTINGS

Video direct ? On or off ? It sets the HDMI settings to output the video signal of HDMI input directly.

H.A.T.S ? On or off ? Dont understand ? Something to do with signal jitter ? Can anyone explain in English please ?

AUDIO

Decode Priority - PCM or auto ? Set to auto and all seems ok.

Digital Legato Linear ? Set to auto ? Again in English please ?

SURROUND

Enhanced Surround Mode ? Options are Pro Logic 2, Neo:6 Cinema, Neo:6 Music or Neural THX ? I use 5.1 surround ( but dont have a subwoofer ) - what setting please ?

SPEAKER

D.Range Comp ? OFF, AUTO, STD or MAX - best setting please and an explaination in English please ?

And finally - this bit confuses me the most ?

On Speaker setting its set according to the picture on GUI to 3/2ch which seems to show my set up. This is front l / r speakers, centre speaker and rear ? l / r ( although on the diagram they seem to be at the side of the sofa / listening position ( which are where my rears are due to my sofa being up against a wall due to space in my living room ). I have no sub as yet - but this bit confuses me as surely my set up is 5.0 ( no sub ) as opposed to 3/2ch ?

I have a small living room but my sofa is in the ideal facing tv / amp listening position.

Any Sony av amp owners out there to put my mind at rest please or just you usual clever chaps ?

Apologies if this is all a bit basic but help me out peeps please ?

I would suggest the following

AUDIO..............Auto (the receiver/amp can do the work, don't worry) for both settings

HDMI................On, if you are connecting via HDMI (simples)

SURROUND.......What ever suits you for normal listening via tv, for 5.1 it will broadcast DD or DTS, listen with your ears (do not confuse yourself with too much information) and select what YOU like, (that's all), I use Neo 6 Cinema on my set up

SPEAKERS..........no idea what that is about, but try Auto have a listen then try the other selections, note if there are differences and choose the one best suited to YOU

You're reading to much into the graphics, you are correct it is a 5.0 system 3 at the front and 2 surrounds ergo 5.0 as no sub

Set up really is this simple unless you choice to complicate, use the KISS principle, Keep It Simple

 

[The_Lhc]

3/2 is just Sony's way of saying 5.0, it simply means 3 front channels and 2 rear channels, nothing to worry about, just look at the pictures!

Whether your rears are to the side or behind you isn't really relevant, unless you have 7 channels (rears and sides), however you should be able to tell the amp whether the "rears" are actually at the sides or behind you, I can do that on my 11 year old Sony amp, so your amp should have that facility.

EDIT: oh leave the D. Range Comp set to off, unless you're listening late at night and don't want to annoy the neighbours, it makes the relative volumes of the quiet bits and loud bits the same, rather than being loud and quiet as intended, this means you can listen at a lower volume and still hear the quiet bits. It's not how it's supposed to be heard though, so just leave it off.

 

[psurquhart]

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Much appreciated and you have cleared up alot of grey areas.

Still wondering what the H.A.T.S bit is all about though ?

Cheers

 

[Boca]

You need a Sony CD player eg. Sony SACD XA5400ES. to take advantage of it.

This is a way of transfering the CD info to the Receiver, It uses the HDMI. Pioneer has it but calls it PQLS Denon I thick called it I-link.

http://www.whathifi.com/news/IFA-NEWS-More-details-of-Sonys-high-end-ES-Blu-ray-Disc-player-SACD-player-and-flagship-receiver/

 

[psurquhart]

Thanks Boca.

Think my need to know all is well and truely done now.

Thanks for clearing it all up guys.