What Hi-Fi - more good advice! (Denon amp owners read on)

[Big Aura]

Re-reading the group test of AV Receivers again, I noticed that you advised abandoning the AudesseyDynamic settings on the Denon 1910. This setting is meant to improve clarity and cut out wide swings in volume, to give a more balanced sound.

Thought I'd give it a whirl on my 1909 - I turned it off and, at first, I thought it sounded flat and un-engaging. Then I listened a bit more carefully, and the clarity was much improved. The hiss from the rears that had been getting increasingly annoying disappeared too!

My amp now sounds much, much better - thank WHF!

 

[Anonymous]

Yes i have to agree totally.
Whilst i can appreciate Audyssey Dynamic EQ on my Denon 2310, it really enables the punch on low listening movies late at night, but for true HD audio enthusiasts, it defeats the whole purpose of these bells & whistles.

With it off you can experience the real difference between the lowest and the loudest sound as the soundtracks intends.

I would recommend using the Audyssey setup on the Denons and let it determain speaker levels and distance, then switch off the Dynamic EQ & Volume and tweak whatever else you prefer like Tone etc.

 

[nickers1969]

Indeed! I used the microphone set up which worked well - then turned off the AD EQ settings and it is much, much better on my AVR 1909!

 

[Pistol Pete1]

I didn't even use the microphone.

Measured the speaker distances, used my ears for the levels, use common sense for the crossovers/speaker sizes, and hey presto......

.........it sounds amazing!!!

 

[Anonymous]

Pistol Pete1:

I didn't even use the microphone.

Measured the speaker distances, used my ears for the levels, use common sense for the crossovers/speaker sizes, and hey presto......

.........it sounds amazing!!!

Hey Pete,

I would recommend you give it a try, you might be surprised.

It not only measures the distance, but i the think the size and acoustics of the room are taken into account.

My measurements were off a bit compared to the auto setup.

It can't do any harm, you can always change to suit yourself.Just make sure you disable Dynamic EQ & Dynamic volume afterwards as it switches these on.

 

[Anonymous]

I have been trying to set mine up this past week,

first i used the microphone to set the distances, then went into manual to set the levels and crossovers, but i still have the EQ dynamic illuminated......should i swithch this off??

Also i am running Blu ray via a PS3 and it wont display HD/True HD on the front (does anyone else display with the PS3

.... whats the best set up between the 1910 and a PS3, MY PS3 is currently set to LPCM does this need to be bitstream??

and lastly when i put watchman in to try the sound the rears didnt kick in (i have a 7.1 set up) until i manually chose Pro logicII

I dont feel i'm getting the best from my set up yet

any advise would be appreciated

CHEERS

S

 

[Anonymous]

scott1:

I have been trying to set mine up this past week,

first i used the microphone to set the distances, then went into manual to set the levels and crossovers, but i still have the EQ dynamic illuminated......should i swithch this off??

Yes mate you should, turn off MultEQ, Dynamic EQ & Dynamic Volume as these will all add compression to change the way you hear the sound.

Also i am running Blu ray via a PS3 and it wont display HD/True HD on the front (does anyone else display with the PS3

.... whats the best set up between the 1910 and a PS3, MY PS3 is currently set to LPCM does this need to be bitstream??

The PS3 cannot bitstream the soundtracks mate, so you won't see those wonderfull lights.

and lastly when i put watchman in to try the sound the rears didnt kick in (i have a 7.1 set up) until i manually chose Pro logicII

I dont feel i'm getting the best from my set up yet

If the soundtrack is only 5.1 , you will need to use PLII to have the rears matrixed into 7.1.

Hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks I will turn off the EQ

Therefore am i best leaving it in LPCM or swithching to bitstream, in bitstream it displays as dolby digital in LPCM nothing just says LPCM does either affect the HD sound

I would have expected it to auto select for the 7.1 setup rather than me manually look for PLIIx.... i will look to set the preference

Cheers

Scott

Does anyone else have PS3 set up experiences? with the new amp and 7.1

 

[kinda]

I'd accidentally turned off the audyssey on my Marantz at one point, and the sound was definitely not as good. However, this may not be the case with the Denons.

I thought, though, that the audyssey equalisation compensated for room acoustics at different frequencies and should usually give a better sound, unless some very detailed manual setup is done?

 

[Anonymous]

scott1:

Thanks I will turn off the EQ

Therefore am i best leaving it in LPCM or swithching to bitstream, in bitstream it displays as dolby digital in LPCM nothing just says LPCM does either affect the HD sound

If you want to hear HD sound, you will have to put it in LPCM mode, as it will convert it to LPCM and send to the amp.

In essense it's the exact same soundtrack as bitstreaming apart from (debatable) jitter correction.

I would have expected it to auto select for the 7.1 setup rather than me manually look for PLIIx.... i will look to set the preference

Cheers

Scott

Does anyone else have PS3 set up experiences? with the new amp and 7.1

If you select 7.1 on the PS3 and the soundtrack is 5.1, the output will show 7.1 lights but there will be no sound from the SB's as these need to be mixed in from the 5.1, PLII on the receiver can do that for you.

 

[Anonymous]

kinda:

I'd accidentally turned off the audyssey on my Marantz at one point, and the sound was definitely not as good. However, this may not be the case with the Denons.

I thought, though, that the audyssey equalisation compensated for room acoustics at different frequencies and should usually give a better sound, unless some very detailed manual setup is done?

What it actually does is make the sound at lower volumes feel louder, stronger, punchier etc.

In essense it's faking it, and that is NOT good as it's using compression to change the differences between the loudest and lowest sound.

If you value HD audio , you want all of this OFF.

 

[smuggs]

i have mine off i love the night modes while playing call of duty on the xbox360 you can crank up the volume and the little and it seems to get rid of the very low frequencys so the little stays fast asleep. i dont mind it on when my mate put his ipod through my amp.

 

[Anonymous]

I take it you are all talking about Audyssey volume which is not available on my 2808.

I have done the microphone set up and use audyssey EQ as I believed that it boosts/cuts certain frequency points for each speaker rather than introducing compression.

Am I on the right track, missing the point completely or what?

 

[Pistol Pete1]

Hi Willie Cocker and others,

Spent some time today using the microphone set up on my Denon AVR2310. (After doing a manual set up and using it for a few weeks.) Did the usual 6 position set up and this is the outcome........

The set up microphone measured the speaker distances correctly - same measurements as I had manually put in.

The crossovers to sub the same too. (80Hz)

The speaker sizes were different. It chose the centre speaker as 'large' and 'full band', and the rears as 40Hz. (Is the Q Acoustics 'large'?) 'Large' setting meant the subwoofer was not used!!

The speaker levels were all minus numbers (surprise, surprise). Adding 10 db's to each channel actually resembled the setting I had manually put in.

Anyway, after all that, I changed the centre speaker back to small, with crossover at 60Hz. Did same to rears, and added the 10 db's to each channel and sat back to listen.....

After listening to DVD, CD and blu ray, I then switched MultEQ and Dynamic EQ off and raised the volume level to be the same as when the two sound processors were active.

Both my wife and I agreed that, after only 15 minutes listening, the sound was so much better with the MultEQ and Dynamic EQ well and truely OFF!

The clarity and separation in music was so much better without them. In fact, we would go so far as to say that the sound was very muddled and confused with the systems on.

The whole sound reproduction had changed with these active, and was not as enjoyable to listen to. (Although live concerts did sound like you were in the middle of it a bit more, but with a loss of overall clarity)

Maybe it's us, or have Denon done such a good job with the 1910 and 2310 that these systems are just not needed?

Hope that helps.....

 

[kinda]

Cooney, I have the same understanding as yourself.

According to Audyssey MultiEQ

"overcomes acoustical problems using information captured at multiple
locations throughout your listening area to correct for both time and
frequency response problems. The result is clear, well-balanced sound."

Unless Audyssey have got it really wrong, a room is perfect for listening, or a lot of manual configuration is done, I can't understand how turning this off would make the sound better.

Dynamic EQ does seem to do some kind of volume compression, but I don't think I have that on my amp.

I'm going to try turning mine off again after the comments here, just in case. If I get even better sound for music and films than I'm getting now I'll be delighted, as I'm very happy already.

I wonder if it's more the dynamic eq messing things up, or whether maybe the implementation on the Denons is off somehow, though it seems unlikely.

 

[Big Aura]

Pistol Pete1:

Both my wife and I agreed that, after only 15 minutes listening, the sound was so much better with the MultEQ and Dynamic EQ well and truely OFF!

Consensus ad idem.

 

[Anonymous]

Hello all! I've had my 1909 for about a year now. I thought id turn off audyssey as ive heard about turning this off on the 1910 in WHF S+V. I will contest that on blu rays, the sound is more precise and the clarity is better. I have to adjust the sub and rear speaker levels a bit though, and this is where my problems begin. If i switch the amp to blu ray, press the mutiQ button to switch it off ( no red light), adjust a few levels, watch a film, happy days! Then say, i turn to the xbox. Red light appears, and due to my adjustments, overpowering surround speakers and BOOMING bass. Say now i go back to blu ray, red light is back on! Grrrrrrr. Basically I want Audyssey off on blu ray, and on for xbox/virgin etc. I only think audyssey off is better for HD Soundtracks. Can anyone help?Am I missing a save option somewhere!? Help much appreciated.

 

[Anonymous]

I used the audyssey to originaly get a quick set up on the denon 2310 and the measurements for distance was about right but it had put my front 2 channels down to -7.5 & -7.0, then i manualy went through the set up with a good old fashioned tape measure and SPL meter, the distances where about 12" out. using the spl meter i have now raised the front 2 chanel levels to -2.5 & -2.0 and it sounds much better. i leave audyssey on when im watching the tv, its turned off when listening to music and i have restorer on HQ which sounds very good, then for DTS HD MASTER AUDIO i put it in pure mode and turn off all the bells and whistles. Although the set up mic is ok i would urge people to get a sound pressure meter and manualy set up the channel levels it makes alot of difference in my opinion.

 

[Pindi]

jamesf348, it states it the manual somewhere...

You need to select the source using Quick Select - change it to your preferred sound settings - then hold the Quick Select button pressed for a few seconds.

That should do the trick!

 

[cwalduck]

I think you are all missing the point turning off Audessey EQ is like leaving a new TV with factory settings contrast and brightness turned up which equals detail loss, Audessey EQ does not compress sound it removes unwanted dips and troughs in the frequency range for the room that the calibration is run in. When you turn it off you will get increases in some of the frequency range exacerbated by you environment e.g. hard wooden floors and bare walls tend to cause the sound to harden and high frequencies to be boosted while carpets and sofas suck up bass.

Having watched Startrek on Bluray with Audessey on then with it off I came to the conclusion that the overall sound and detail was much better with it on, if you just do a short comparison you may conclude that is sounds better. Listen in detail and for a longer period you get more information from the sound track the dynamic swings are better defined and transients are faster.

Calibrate your systems late at night when the noise floor is low and it appears makes a lot of difference.

My Onkyo amp may have a different (better) implementation than the Denon but they should be pretty much the same or they couldn't use the logo

Just my observations

 

[Big Aura]

the number of times I sat in a quiet room on a Sunday afternoon, wife banished to the shops, while I sat, daring not to breathe. The fridge turned off in the next room. Running and re-running the set-up.... (okay, so I did it twice), but everyone - me, my wife (who doesn't really care and thinks I'm a bit sad) and my audiophile-in-law all agreed - turn it off. Ain't heard an Onk, but on a Denon it simply muddles everything.

 

[Clare Newsome]

lduck:

I think you are all missing the point turning off Audessey EQ is like leaving a new TV with factory settings contrast and brightness turned up which equals detail loss, Audessey EQ does not compress sound it removes unwanted dips and troughs in the frequency range for the room that the calibration is run in. When you turn it off you will get increases in some of the frequency range exacerbated by you environment e.g. hard wooden floors and bare walls tend to cause the sound to harden and high frequencies to be boosted while carpets and sofas suck up bass.

Having watched Startrek on Bluray with Audessey on then with it off I came to the conclusion that the overall sound and detail was much better with it on, if you just do a short comparison you may conclude that is sounds better. Listen in detail and for a longer period you get more information from the sound track the dynamic swings are better defined and transients are faster.

Calibrate your systems late at night when the noise floor is low and it appears makes a lot of difference.

My Onkyo amp may have a different (better) implementation than the Denon but they should be pretty much the same or they couldn't use the logo

Just my observations

Well, Onkyo advised us to try their receivers with the Audyssey switched off - but everyone's ears/rooms are different!

 

[cwalduck]

Looks like its the Dynamic EQ setting that gives you the problem do you still have MultEQ enabled, Onkyo dosn't have the Dynamic EQ.

 

[Tom Moreno]

smuggs:i have mine off i love the night modes while playing call of duty on the xbox360 you can crank up the volume and the little and it seems to get rid of the very low frequencys so the little stays fast asleep. i dont mind it on when my mate put his ipod through my amp.

I've tried my AVR-3808A in a great many different configurations, especially since I take great pleasure in tweaking settings. Ultimately I prefer my AVR set up with Dynamic EQ and Dynamic Volume turned off, but with MultEQ on. Without MultEQ my centre channel will not sit correctly in the room. Even though my speakers are a matched set of Mordaunt-Short MS-900 series, my centre channel sits inside the TV stand and cannot be located anywhere else whilst the rest of the speakers sit on stands, and the end result is quite a dramatic EQ curve on the centre channel to make it fit in the room correctly. And I must admit that the MultEQ does achieve this perfectly.

Now as much as I love the way my system sounds with DynEQ and DynVol off, I've got a three month old boy and most of our movie watching takes place in the evening. Night mode works decently on a bunch of sources, but it isn't an option when listening to a DTS-HD soundtrack. The only way to watch these movies is with the DynEQ and DynVol engaged. At the end of the day DynVol is a more natural sounding way of achieving night mode than the proper Night Mode. It is sufficient to set DynVol on the Day setting to just take the loudest bits down and raise the dialogue slightly for watching bang and crash movies in the evening without waking the master of the house. Without it on, I am forced to ride the volume up and down continuously through the movie and can often miss a cue, resulting in a full stop to attend to the woken giant. As much as I value the extra detail (and I very much do) I prefer being able to watch the movie from beginning to end without interruption and without having to constantly ride the volume.

 

[Anonymous]

I think some peeps are treating DynamicEQ and MultEQ as one and the same.

Dynamic EQ is regarding loudness correction and compensation, and MultEQ is regarding room correction and speaker optimization.

Turning off Dynamic EQ may indeed give the audio a preferred presence, but turning off MultEQ probably won't. I have MultEQ (XT) set to either 'on' or 'flat' depending on the source, and without it, everything becomes a tad lifeless in comparison.