Hello 56 owners,

I thought I would start a dedicated thread on our receiver. Hopefully, we can help each other with all aspects of this great piece of equipment. I've only had mine for 4 days and I'm still in the process of learning the remote and setup. I would like to know what equipment your using it with, how you have it set up (HDMI, iLink, component, etc.) and how you have it tuned?

I have mine set up with an Elite DV 59 AVi connected with the iLink. The 59 is connected to an LG 44 inch TV with HDMI. My HDTV cable box is connected with component cables. All video interconnects are from Tributaries and audio interconnects are from IXOS. I have a trio of Definitive Technology speakers in the front. I have the BP7006 for front left and right and a CLR 2300 for the center. Rear surrounds are Sonance 622TRs. This is a 5.0 system since I don't have a dedicated sub. All electronics are plugged into a Panamax Powermax 8DBS+3 surge protector. This is my second home entertainment system and it completely blows away my old system, which has been retired to the master bedroom. I consider it to be my next step up the ladder. I figure my next system will include seperates with a projector/screen.

Last night was the first time that I got to play around with the tuner and the CD playback from the 59. I programmed in 20 FM stations (that was a stretch) I still have 10 remaining but I can't get any AM signal. Anybody else having problems picking up AM? The antenna is attached and I can hear some static/fuzz with the volume up but no music/talk. I know I will probably never listen to the AM stations but I at least would like to have some of the talk stations programmed in there. The FM stations come in fine with the antenna. I found that NPR sounded better in mono rather than stereo. It cut out alot of the noise. For CD playback, I thought it sounded best in the direct mode. I tried it in stereo, Dolby, etc. and kept coming back to direct. This is by far the best sounding stereo I've ever owned. I've owned 3 car systems and 1 home system before this. I haven't bought any SACD or DVD Audio discs yet but I plan on getting some this weekend. I'll post my results on that later this weekend. How do you other owners listen to 2 channel music with this receiver? Anybody have a turntable hooked up to theirs?

I haven't even watched a complete movie on the system yet. I've tested some scenes from Toy Story, Star Wars, and the Fellowship of the Ring and they all sounded and looked incredible. I've also tested some 2 channel DVDs of old television shows and the Dolby Pro Logic II does a fantastic job of creating a surround environment. What are some settings to test during movie playback?

Two other questions: What kind of headphones are you using with it and do you have a home satellite radio receiver hooked up to it?

Thanks in advance for any advice, criticism, or insight. I'm sure I'll have more questions as I get more into this receiver.

Hey FreeRadical, I am considering trading my Denon 3805 in for a 56txi. (Going to listen to one this weekend). So I will be following your thread. If you are able to find any external reviews on the web, please be sure to post them okay.

Thanks and Regards,

Hoss

Just got my 56TXi two weeks ago, then a couple days later I got stuck working night shift. So I haven't had much of a chance to play around with the new beast. My receiver is hooked up to a NADS250 amp using 4 of 5 channels to bi-amp my L/R and the 5th channel runs the center. The 56TXi is used for the rears and processing. Speakers are Paradigm Studio(v3) 40/20/570/PW2100. I've watched one movie(The Day After Tomorrow) and it sounded awesome. In a few days I'll get a little more time to play around with the unit and put it through its paces.

Kevin

My 56TXi is hooked up to Gemstone amp running the front & side surrounds with Pio running the rears with great results. My front speakers are Aerials(Model 6 & CC3B), surrounds are Mirage Omni 50 & backs are MA Silver 3i with Rocket UFW-10 sub. My dvd player is Panny RP-82 with SDI out connected to IScan HD which is in turn connected to InFocus 7200 pj projecting on 100" Firehawk. 56TXi replaced B&K Ref31 as prepro with great results. I am waiting for Yamaha S-2500 dvd player with i-link which is supposed to come out by Jan'05. Atleast in my setting even without the i-link, going to 56TXi from B&K Ref31 has been a step up.

Originally posted by vinodk
My 56TXi is hooked up to Gemstone amp running the front & side surrounds with Pio running the rears with great results. My front speakers are Aerials(Model 6 & CC3B), surrounds are Mirage Omni 50 & backs are MA Silver 3i with Rocket UFW-10 sub. My dvd player is Panny RP-82 with SDI out connected to IScan HD which is in turn connected to InFocus 7200 pj projecting on 100" Firehawk. 56TXi replaced B&K Ref31 as prepro with great results. I am waiting for Yamaha S-2500 dvd player with i-link which is supposed to come out by Jan'05. Atleast in my setting even without the i-link, going to 56TXi from B&K Ref31 has been a step up.


great setup!!!!

i had the chance to hear the gemstone at Steve H's house.... excellent amp!.... if there would have been room in the checkbook it might have followed me home!!! ;)

your setup also goes to show that a "receiver" can outperform a separate pre/pro....


cheers!

:)

Hey Kevin. W,

Yeah, I'm stalking you. :) That's some great equipment you've got there. That CC is completely badass! And the Nad has me green. Here's hoping you find some time to enjoy it!

Martin.

This seems alot like my "RXV2400 unite thread" :rolleyes:

Alright, I bought the SACD of Pink Floyd's DSOTM tonight. I popped it in the 59AVi and let it rip in regular CD mode to start. It sounded good. I then go to the manual for the 59 and it says on page 73 to set the area of playback for multilayered SACD discs. I set it to Multi-ch Area and then go back to playback. The sound is much improved but I never hear anything out of the center or surround speakers. The display on the 56TXi shows that they are active but I have no sound coming out of them. I then go back into the DVD players menu and set it for 2ch Area. I go back to playback and sure enough, only the left and right speakers are indicated on the receiver's display. I went back and forth several times and can't figure out what's going on.

Anybody else have this problem?

It sounds sort of like a problem that I had with the Blue Man Group "Audio"
DVD-A a while back. Here's a link to the the thread . . .

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3448998#post3448998

hey freeradical,

i just bought the same two pieces, but won't be able to give feedback for quite some time, as they're on hold while my house is being built.. i will definitely subscribe to this thread though so as to keep up to date with whats going on with my units. hope to get some good ideas.

az ryan

Couple of thoughs and questions from a 54Tx owner ..


Is there any way to view the dB reading on screen for volume adjustments?

This is one feature I was hoping to gain back by stepping down from seperates. My last receiver has this feature.
If not its no bid deal , at least I have an on screen display for other set-up adjustments.



I gotta admit that I always thought these auto calibration features were just a gimick until set-up my 54tx today. It figures the speaker distances so accurately that its almost scary!


I have had 4 HT receivers so far and this 54tx is the first one where I did not feel as if there were a bunch of useless inputs and outputs on back.
Who in the hell need 15 analog ins and 14 digital ins and outs? I sure as heck dont :)

Saturday morning update:

I found out how to get multichannel music to come throught the receiver. You have to set up SACD playback on the receiver as well as the DVD player. Page 80 of the receiver's manual explains how to go in and turn the SACD functions on and off.

Pink Floyd is awesome in multi channel. I have literally heard things in there I've never heard before. At some point a woman says something like "he's cruisin' for a bruisin". Unbelievable!

Hope you don't mind me "crashing" the party. I don't have the 56TXi, but I do have the 59 AVi DVD player i-linked to a 59 TXi AVR.

Regarding the DSOT SACD, it is amazing. I've owned this music on Vinyl, CD and now SACD. I've heard it well over 200 times and I had no idea how layered this piece is. Even today, I've played the SACD at least 20 times and still hear something I hadn't noticed before when I play it again.

Bass management via i-link is dead on perfect when used with MCACC, too.

Picture quality of the 59 AVi (via HDMI/DVI) is nothing short of stunning and the best I've seen.

So the 56txi has bass management for sacd, I wish I had known about this feature.

:) Yes , no doubt.. DSOTM is an incredible remastering work of art. Even just the CD layer is quite stunning.

56TXi applies bass management & MCACC to dvd-a & sacd only when connected through i-link.

Originally posted by James W. Johnson
So the 56txi has bass management for sacd, I wish I had known about this feature.
I mentioned in this thread that you posted to as well, 56TXi and 3805 shootout (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4443242#post4443242).
That's what I meant when I said "As for the benefits of i.Link, there is the issue of central BM" meaning for all formats.

Best regards,
Patrick

Originally posted by vinodk
56TXi applies bass management & MCACC to dvd-a & sacd only when connected through i-link.


Are you sure about that? I just want to be certain..that does make me feel better though because I have no intensions of buying a 59avi since I just bought a Denon 2900.

Originally posted by avaholic
I mentioned in this thread that you posted to as well, 56TXi and 3805 shootout (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4443242#post4443242).
That's what I meant when I said "As for the benefits of i.Link, there is the issue of central BM" meaning for all formats.

Best regards,
Patrick


Thanks, it now makes sence. :)

Originally posted by graphicguy
Regarding the DSOT SACD, it is amazing. I've owned this music on Vinyl, CD and now SACD. I've heard it well over 200 times and I had no idea how layered this piece is. Even today, I've played the SACD at least 20 times and still hear something I hadn't noticed before when I play it again.

Only 200 times... You must have been sheltered somewhere for many years...;)

I bet I heard it played at least that many times, the year the album first originally came out on vinyl and tapes.

I have to say that the CD playback is very, very good. However, the SACD completly destroys the CD layer. I can't believe anyone would say that SACD is not worth it. I am definetly going to get some more. I'm also going to check out some DVD Audio discs like "Peace Sells....." by Megadeth. The local Best Buy has half a row dedicated to these formats. The one title they didn't have was DSOTM!! I had to go to Circuit City to find it. They only had about 10 titles (mostly Dylan). They had it though and I snatched it up. Funny story: I asked the saleman working in the CD department at CC about SACD and DVD Audio. He said, "what's that?" I said its high resolution audio on CD for multichannel music. He said to check the music DVD section. Ha Ha. I figured they didn't have any so I decided to stroll over to the receiver section and see what they had. On the end of the aisle they had a Sony display with a receiver and DVD player with a few dics around it. Man, those receivers pale in comparison to the one sitting in my living room. When I go to check out guess who is working the register. You guessed it. The knucklehead that doesn't even know what his store carries. I told him there was a tiny display in the back of the store that had them. He looked at me and said, "I wish they would tell me about these things."

Is anyone useing the Mulit Room function? If so is there any way to contol the volume and source from a remote instead of useing the 2 buttons on the unit? I have called and email Pioneer and no one seems to know? I am trying to decide between a 3805 and the 56rxi.. My denon does this with ease

Thanks

Originally posted by Johnla
Only 200 times... You must have been sheltered somewhere for many years...;)

I bet I heard it played at least that many times, the year the album first originally came out on vinyl and tapes.

Johnla....it could have been more. I'm sure I heard it many times in my youth that I just "don't remember" :D

...kind of like what they say about the late '60s....if you remember those years, you weren't there...

I am using the multi room function to run a pair of speaker outside by the pool. I believe the installer is powering them with the two channels not being used in the mail listening room. They totally rock outside. I'm sure I'll be hearing from the neighbors when we start having pool parties. The only way to control the second zone is with the buttons on the receiver.

Stupid question alert:

I just purchased a 56txi and a 59avi (being shipped as we speak). I'll also be getting a Sony HS51 projector. These are the only pieces of equipment I'll have to start off, but in the future I'll probably also hook up a VCR, Directv box ( eventually the HD with tivo, probably). I have some conduit that runs from the audio area to where the projector will be, but it's very hard to access (installers did a crappy job) and it's only 1" (but 2 of them).

My question (finally) - Can I just run one line from the receiver to the projector and then hook up individual components directly to the receiver? I think this will be the simplest solution for me, but will it degrade the picture quality of the DVD or HD box?

Thanks,

Stew

you got it stew, thats what it was designed to do. The 56TXi is a great piece and will not harm the video signals. Enjoy! Video switching is a beautiful thing for projectors...

I am looking at upgrading my denon 3802, which drives 2 Eosone 1000 Towers, 120w, slighlty dirty power consumption wise.

My choices are
Denon 3805
Denon 4802R (which I am told even with the R is a much older designed unit??)
Pioneer 56txi
Yamaha 2400 V I think it is, which has the new partial digital pathway technology.

I can get the Denon for 699, the 4802R and 56txi for 990, and the 2400 for 700-800 or less.

The DLink on the denon bothers me alot. That is a serious knock on the denons and I am surprised they left something so proprietary in with all the other things like Firewire, USB, Ethernet and I Link as shared standards that are out. Shame on them. However barring that , the 3805 isn't bad from what I can see.

THe 4802R seems to have THX ULTRA 2?? hmmm need to check that out.

THe Yamaha has this new digital technolgy pathway stuff.


I am kind of settling on the Pio 56txi...


<stands back and covers heard with arms for onslaught>

Opinions current 56txi owners?

Hey ZZ,

I've had my 56 for two weeks now and I haven't had any problems with it. It is starting to sound better and better every day. It has plenty of power. The iLink connection works like a charm. SACD music sounds fantastic. My CDs sound way better than my old stereo. I'm really listening to alot more music now. Movies have lots of clarity and plenty of punch. The tuner even sounds good but I can't get any AM reception. The installers didn't have the antenna connected properly. I corrected it and still can't get any reception. Who listens to AM anyway? The only problem that I have with it, and its really not that big, is the remote. I think it is kind of big and unbalanced in my hand. The buttons are also kind of small. I wish the volume buttons were closer to where your thumb would naturally rest on it rather than having them near the bottom on the right. It does light up though which is very cool.

I don't think you'll be dissappointed with it if you decided to purchase one.

Get The DV-59AVi to go along with it and you'll really be pleased.

FR

A question that may have been asked before.
I am going to use 56txi for HT/MC music system. Since I have dipole on the sides and monopole in the back (7.1 HT set up). Is there anyway that I can use the back (monopole) speakers when I play MC music without physically switching the inputs? Thanks!

Originally posted by FreeRadical
[B]I have to say that the CD playback is very, very good. However, the SACD completly destroys the CD layer.

The SACD and CD stereo layers of the DSoTM hybrid were mastered differently. It wasn't just a case of the SACD version being converted to CD. More compression (dynamic range compression, not data compression) was applied to the CD layer. (This was demonstrated by measurments published in Stereophile, among other places). One can't really make claims about SACD vs CD based on the sound, when that sort of stuff is going on...

I have a question about which setting to use when watching movies. Do you use Dolby Digital? What happens if you leave the receiver in direct mode? Does that mean the DVD player is feeding it the default setting for the disc? The manual say direct mode allows the source material to come through without any processing. If the DVD is in Dolby surround is it still coming through in surround? I ask this because several time now when I switch from direct mode when listening to a CD to a DVD the receiver will still be in direct mode. Once the movie starts playing it sounds like it is in surround sound but with echos and sound dispersed evenly through the speakers. Then when I switch the receiver to Dolby the volume decreases and effects and dialoque are directed to the proper speaker. Can anybody explain to me what is going on?

Thank you FreeRadical for starting this thread, the same day my 56TXi was shipped from a distant dealer.

I watch movies in the THX CINEMA mode. In this mode, everything sounds less bright than in the other movie modes. For multichannel music, I listen in the its native mode by selecting STREAM DIRECT. For stereo CDs I listen in the stereo mode, but sometimes play with some of the multichannel modes, but don't find those very interesting compared to the stereo mode. Yes, the volume generally decreases in multichannel modes. Why, I don't have an answer that totally makes sense.

According to page 40 of the manual and from what I can hear from my speakers, in both stereo modes [stereo and direct], regardless of the number of channels contained in the source being played and indicated in the display, all channels are mixed down to the front two channels and into the sub if present.

Hey Teeh,

I haven't tried any long term listening to movies in THX CINEMA. The one time I tried it it seemed to muddy up the sound. I usually just set mine Dolby. I haven't listened to any DTS discs yet. I don't have a problem with any brightness but I'll experiment with it again sometime. For regular TV and HDTV viewing it switches automatically from DPLII to Dolby. I never adjust the settigs for TV. I only have one multichannel music disc which is Pink Floyd DSOTM. The system automatically switches to SACD MULTI so I just leave it there. I quess that is the DV-59AVi telling it to switch to this mode. For two channel music I select DIRECT from the remote. What is the difference between DIRECT and STREAM DIRECT? I know that DIRECT is located on the remote and STREAM DIRECT is a button on the face of the unit but is there any difference in the sound?

I also used the second zone feature for the first time this weekend. I had the blinds opened so I could see the World Series on TV form outside and had the sound going outside by the pool. I pulled up one of the lounge chairs and smoked a cigar while watching and listening to the game. I had the volume turned down in the main listening area so I wouldn't disturb the wife and kid and had the volume cranked outside. I think the receiver could easily blow the cheap speakers the previous owner had out there. The only downside is you can't control the second zone with the remote.

Originally posted by FreeRadical
Hey Teeh,

... For two channel music I select DIRECT from the remote. What is the difference between DIRECT and STREAM DIRECT? I know that DIRECT is located on the remote and STREAM DIRECT is a button on the face of the unit but is there any difference in the sound?

Direct means your acoustic cal eq, tone control settings, loudness, and other digital processing is bypassed. Plus, any multichannel info is down mixed to stereo. Direct Stream means that for that particular input, it automatically set the listening mode (matches it) to that which the stream actually contains. With direct stream, you can't go wrong.

Since I don't have a 59AVi, I'm not sure what I said earlier about direct vs stereo applies to your setup.

Originally posted by Teeh
Direct means your acoustic cal eq, tone control settings, loudness, and other digital processing is bypassed. Plus, any multichannel info is down mixed to stereo. Direct Stream means that for that particular input, it automatically set the listening mode (matches it) to that which the stream actually contains. With direct stream, you can't go wrong.


Actually, if your input source is Digital as opposed to Analog, there is some digital processing taking place even while in direct mode. On my 49TXi there is output to the sub channel when listening to a digital stereo source in direct mode.

We had a thread concerning this quite a while back, but it seems to have been archived and I can't get to it for some reason.


Dave

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the great advice. How would the B&W CM6 fronts, CMC center, and CM2 as surrounds pair up with the 56txi?

(80% HT, 20% Music)

Thanks In Advance

After some advice and reading all the good comments of the 56txi, I had decided that this would be good for my first Home Theater receiver. I stopped in a respested Home Theater shop in my area and the sales person said he didn't like the older Elites and stated the new ones are probably better but he recommended the Rotel RSX-1067. Can anyone comment on the 56txi vs. 1067?


Thanks,
Gordon

Both Rotel and Elite make fine equipment, but I find most B&M sales people will recommend anything over Elite. I chalk that up to the fact that most other equipment pays more commission dollars. That's my personal bias.

Have the sales rep hook both of them up and you be the judge which you like better. Make sure that the sales rep takes advantage if the i-link on the 56 TXi, too (something the Rotel doesn't have).

To those of you who own the 56txi. Is the ilink worth approximately 300.00 more than the price of the 54tx which has similar specs except for the ilink and usb pc input, ac outlet, high grade banana clips instead of regular banana clips and the remote for the 56txi has lcd and the chasis is double layered. The other differences do not matter much to me, so the tip factor is the value of the ilink.
Thanks

revmike:
I had the same concerns before I finally decided to purchased a 56TXi. In the past I had't upgraded very often, so I wanted some future-proofing.

So, I wanted to get something that will handle my future needs (5-10 years out) as well as my present needs. Though I presently do not have any iLink component and find jazz SACDs (many imported) quite high at $56 each, I still decided on the the 56TXi because of future iLink possibilities, the LCD remote (its keys are blacklisted, very nice), and it has a phono input (as I have it connected to a PC, I plan to convert LPs to CDs one day).

In addition to the features you mentioned and those mentioned above, the 56 also has heavier capacitors (27,000 vs 22,000 mf) and due to construction factors, it's over 5 lbs heavier. Though I use the USB input for internet jazz radio streams via PC, this connection does not handle multichannel audio, only two channels. You'll still need a PC sound card with SPDIF or multichannel analog outputs to get multichannel sound from PC based media.

To help me to decide whether these features were worth the additional $365 (in my case) over the 54TX, I simply purchased with a home equity line of credit card (interest is low and tax deductible) and know that it will take a few months longer to pay it off, but my enjoyment will far outlast any payment differences.


I have no regrets. Both the 54 and 56 are great all-in-one boxes, but the 56 may be worth $300 more if you want to provide for unforeseen future needs and don't mind investing now for such needs. Again, the backlighted remote is very nice, but weighs a ton.
TH

Thanks Teesh for your comments. I am leaning towards the 56txi, but I just wanted to hear from 56txi owners who choose the 56 over the 54 and their reasons why.

I neved did the MCACC and has since moved and cannot find my microphone. Can I use any microphone that will plug into the receiver and position it at the prime listening position to do the MCACC??

Thank you in advance.

Originally posted by revmike
Thanks Teesh for your comments. I am leaning towards the 56txi, but I just wanted to hear from 56txi owners who choose the 56 over the 54 and their reasons why.

Reason is simple, it is $$$$. I would get 59txi if my pocket is deeper !!

Hey Guys,

A quick point to make on using DSotM as comparison between CD and SA-CD. If you look at Atkinson's measurements at Stereophile, you will see that the CD layer is badly compromised with dynamic compression and extensive clipping that isn't present on the SA-CD stereo track.

As such, you are dealing with (essentially) two different recordings.

Cheers,

Originally posted by John Kotches
Hey Guys,

A quick point to make on using DSotM as comparison between CD and SA-CD. If you look at Atkinson's measurements at Stereophile, you will see that the CD layer is badly compromised with dynamic compression and extensive clipping that isn't present on the SA-CD stereo track.

As such, you are dealing with (essentially) to different recordings.

Cheers, \\

John...I had listened to the CD layer and wondered why there was such a large sonic difference between the SACD stereo track. Thanks for the update....now I know.

How embarrasing to have that typo in there :(

Cheers,

Originally posted by John Kotches
How embarrasing to have that typo in there :(

Cheers,

No biggy....although, I thought about giving a jounalist a good noodle lashing, but thought better of it. to.....too....two.......we know what you mean.....:p :D :D

Hi Guys! Does 56TXi apply channel levels, speaker distance & crossover to multichannel inputs? Throughout the manual it states that specific features are not applicable to MC inputs under notes ( e.g. EQ, DSP modes, tone controls etc.) but doesn't say anywhere that speaker setup in not applicable for MC inputs. Infact under MC input section on page 41 it mentions about channel levels. Does that mean that the set channel levels are applicable to MC inputs also? Thanks.

Hello again everybody,

I just wanted to let everyone know that I finally got my Music Hall MMF-5 turntable on Friday. I'll tell you that I'm not a hardcore audiophile so I don't know what a mega dollar two channel system is supposed to sound like but I think it sounds as good as cds. There is some snap, crackle, and pop but to my untrained ears it sounds pretty darn good. I only had 4 lps on Friday when I got it but luckily there are two used record stores in town so I went and bought 5 more on Saturday. I've been playing them almost none stop. I can't wait to get some more. All of my extended family said they would give me their records at Thanksgiving. How cool is that? Lots of great music out there for cheap or free. My next major purchase will probably be for a vacuum record cleaner. I hear that a really good cleaning will take away most of the crackle and pops. I also want a static gun. I've read where those also help with that.

Happy listening.

Later

FR

Just hooked up this receiver this weekend and have a question for anyone that might be able to answer. When I'm watching a movie and have it set for output in ProLogic IIx, how do I know if the rear speakers are actually working (visually)? The Display on the front includes L, C, R (for left, center and right), LFE (for the sub), Ls and Rs (for left and right side) and then S (for surround back channel). Reading the manaul, however, it appears that the S is only illuminated in a 6.1 set-up when you have one rear. When I played a clip yesterday using IIx, the S didn't light up. I didn't have a lot of time to play around with it (or go back and specifically listen for sound from the rears), so I don't know if this is correct or not. Is it?




Stew

did all of the owners get rid of their units?



Stew

A little OT here but,
Is there an update to the 59AVi on the way?
I originally saw this at the HT SPOT, Pioneer had a new product conference a couple of weeks back in Hong Kong.

http://www.avbuzz.com/new_home/w/20...w/Pioneer05.php

One of the products is the DV-S969AVi. Is this a new product or just the Asian/European version of the 59AVi?

It's the European version.

Now, back to my question.




Stew

Stew:

The "S" indicator will only light if the content is encoded with a 6th discrete or matrixed channel.

Cheers,

Thanks John. I sure like it when all of the working speakers are indicated. I guess I'll just have to "assume" the rear channels are working correctly.



Stew

If you are listening in Dolby Pro-Logic IIx, all of your channels should be emitting some sounds. If the signal is 5.1 Dolby Digital, six of the lights on the front of the receiver should be on. Those lights are not telling you what speakers are emitting sounds, but rather, how many discrete channels of information the receiver is receiving.

I just picked up the 56Txi for my upstairs bedroom. I have the DV-47Ai connected in my main room but with no i-link connection on my preamp. Is it worth bringing the DV-47Ai upstairs and connecting it to the 56Txi? I also have a Sony 7700 that's in the main room.

More importantly, the i-link connection, does it carry only 6 channel audio and DTS? In other words, do I still need to connect a tos or coax connection for Dolby or is the one i-link connection going to carry all audio thus not requiring any tos or coax connection?

On the subject of componenet video conversion, does this mean that any source connected to S-VIDEO or COMPOSITE will automatically convert to component? In other words, I just need to run a component connection from the receiver to the TV and anything I plug into the back of the 56Txi via S-VID or COMP will upconvert to COMPONENT?

I haven't read the manual yet so I'm just asking quick questions as a result. I will be setting this puppy up tomorrow hopefully.

i.Link carries every audio signal and sounds better doing so. I have 56TXi to the 47Ai via i.Link and don't need or want anything else.

Yes it upconverts to component. Sorry for the quick answers, but I gotta go!

Best Regards,
Patrick

Hello everyone,

Took the plunge last evening and ordered the Vsx-56txI and the DV-47AI DVD.
I should receive them by mid next week. I can't wait!
BTW, I have enjoyed this thread very much and it helped me to come to my decision.Thanks everyone. I'll post again when I am set up.
Regards, Bill

Originally posted by FreeRadical
... I finally got my Music Hall MMF-5 turntable on Friday. I'll tell you that I'm not a hardcore audiophile so I don't know what a mega dollar two channel system is supposed to sound like but I think it sounds as good as cds. There is some snap, crackle, and pop but to my untrained ears it sounds pretty darn good. ...
FR
I can understand why you're excited about the sound of vinyl LPs played on your MMF-5 turntable through the 56TXi. The MMF-2 was touted as one of the finest turntables available, and the MMF-5 is supposed to be even better. Too, Pioneer has given due attention to the phono input of the 56TXi to make it a very superior stereo receiver. Further, as audiophiles have asserted since the time of the CD's introduction, "vinyl is still better" if played on good equipment and if you can listen past the crackles and pops. I think you have achieved this with your equipment and attitude.

In fact a properly recorded cassette tape really sounds better than a CD. I have about 200 hours of cassette "master tapes" that I recorded of live semi-pro jazz groups using semi-pro cassette gear in 1976-1979. I hadn't listened to these tapes for years until I got my 56TXi and having the front main channels bi-amped for 220 watts/stereo channel. Now, I'm trying to listen to the whole collection in order to select the cuts that I thought I'd like to convert to CDs, but am enjoying the tapes so much, I'm playing many of them over and over and realize that converting them to CDs will only be for convenience.

Finally, the CD doesn't rule in sonic superiority? The reasons are beyond the scope of this thread, but the main reason has to do with the 44.1 kHz sampling rate's limitation where higher frequency sine waves are represented by too few samples, resulting in converting these sine waves into sawtooth waves or into square waves for frequencies above 11 kHz or so. To learn more, do a Goggle search on "cd vs lp, or cd vs vinyl" and you'll find articles like this one HERE (http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/10/8/134958/152) that explain the situation quite well.

Back to the subject: If you have LPs and cassettes or even 45s and 78s (the best yet), just check them out using good source equipment and your 56TXi and you'll be amazed at what you're missing if you're just listening only to digital music. SACDs and DVD-audio are improvements over CDs but there still may be sampling rate issues depending on their very high frequency musical sound content.
TH

I got my 56TXi and having the front main channels bi-amped for 220 watts/stereo channel

Bi-amping doesn't double the wattage going to the speakers. The tweeter and mid/bass drivers only see 110w each.

Kevin

Kelvin:
Since the tweeter and mid drivers in my front speakers are driven by the 56's front amps (110 watts/channel) and the woofer drivers in these speakers are driven by the 56's rear surround amps (110 watts/channel), explain to me why you state that whereas the driver (or driver array) on each amp sees 110 watts, the power available in this bi-amped speaker setup isn't doubled compared to that available in a speaker system that is not bi-amped (driven by half the number of amplifiers).

It seems to me that if each of two horses are now pulling half the load that one horse once pulled, the power available to pull the entire load is doubled. Isn't it? Whereas, long ago I read a lot about bi-amping and learned its many aspects are much more complex than it may seem, but concerning power availability, isn't my horse example a good analogy?
TH

Biamping effectively increases headroom by more than double, because it prevents addition to a greater value of the voltages of LF and HF portions of the signal.

Originally posted by Teeh
isn't my horse example a good analogy?
No it is not the same thing, and will not sound the same or give you the same results as if you had a real 220 watts going into that same speaker. Because the two 110 watt channels do not get "added" together to give you the same thing as what a real 220 watts would be without bi-amping. Even though the speaker is now bi-amped, it's really no different than just feeding two more speakers with 110 watts. Which in effect is all you really did by separating the tweeters from the mid/woofers in order so you could bi-amp them. Not to mention very few tweeters will need to have 110 watts to drive them to high levels, because it's the woofers and mid-range/mid-woofers that use up and need all the power.

Originally posted by Johnla
No it is not the same thing, and will not sound the same or give you the same results as if you had a real 220 watts going into that same speaker. Because the two 110 watt channels do not get "added" together to give you the same thing as what a real 220 watts would be without bi-amping. Even though the speaker is now bi-amped, it's really no different than just feeding two more speakers with 110 watts. Which in effect is all you really did by separating the tweeters from the mid/woofers in order so you could bi-amp them. Not to mention very few tweeters will need to have 110 watts to drive them to high levels, because it's the woofers and mid-range/mid-woofers that use up and need all the power.
I didn't really mean to initiate a discussion on power distribution and other intricacies of amplifying speaker boxes with two amps (bi-amplification) because it is a rather complex subject about which there are as many misconceptions as there are proven facts. Though I've studied the subject of bi-amplification and experimented with it very intensively off-and-on over the last 20 years, I still do not consider myself totally fluent on the subject. However, there seems to be a few consensuses available on the subjects of power distribution across frequencies, additive peak power and its importance, etc. that formed the base for my comments in my immediate past posts. One of the best papers that I can find at the moment which addresses broad consensuses on bi-amplification is by Rod Elliott and is found HERE (http://sound.westhost.com/bi-amp.htm#basics). Some of the points discussed by Elliott that are relevant to my points made earlier are:

(1) The point of equal power required to produce low and high frequencies in typical program materials is in the range of 250 to 350 Hzs. [In the design of biamplifiable speaker systems, the crossover point is set within this range such that high and low frequencies make equal demands on the amplifiers. Usually the tweeters are coupled with a midrange driver on the low-cut crossover circuit, and woofers alone are on the high-cut circuit such that the amps are loaded as balanced as can be predicted and the efficiencies of the speakers opposite the crossover point are about equal.]

(2) Effective power is different from actual power and requires peak power reserves [known as headroom]. When signals are added, the effective peak power is four times the actual power. [Please read Elliott's explanation very carefully.]

As earlier stated and as can be discerned from Elliott's paper and others, bi-amplification is a rather complex subject and is much beyond the scope of this thread. The learning that I have of the subject is not now at the front of my mind, but I do have a large collection of information and notes on the subject, some very challenging to my current ability to understand.

In summary, these discussions point out that when two amplifiers are used to produce frequencies on opposite sides of the crossover point that is set at the frequency of equal power (250 to 350 Hzs), two amps are better than one. 76 trombones can produce a louder three-note cord than three trombones trying to produce the same cord at the same volume.

TH

Originally posted by Teeh
two amps are better than one.
Again, NOT always!
Two smaller amps are not better or even equal to, one that is double the power of what the power of the two smaller amps would be if they could be combined as one amount.
Two 110 watt amps simply just do not equal that of one 220 watt amp!

Yes, passive bi-amping gains you something. But it's not that much. And it may or may not be worth the effort depending upon what speakers you are using to do so.

Active bi-amping can gain you more, and generally will produce much better results. But it's both harder and much more expensive to do than passive bi-amping.





And even your own link you referred to, says the SAME thing!

"Do I need to disconnect the passive crossover in my speakers?"
The answer is ... YES, otherwise you are not really biamping at all."

"Passive biamping (where two amplifiers are used in a bi-wiring connection) is, IMHO, a waste of money. Although there may be some moderate sonic benefits, they are not worth the expense of the extra amplifier."

Rod Elliott's paper isn't really relevant to the discussion at hand. It deals with active biamping where the passive crossovers inside the speaker are removed and active crossovers are placed between the preamp and power amp. The Pioneer receiver doesn't support that capability.

With the Pioneer, identical signals are sent to the highpass and lowpass sections of the speaker's passive crossover. There may be a small increase in headroom doing it that way or there may not, depending on the crossover point and the impedance curve of the speaker. If SPL is current limited due to low speaker impedance, biamping will probably give you a little more headroom. If SPL is voltage limited, it will not.

I'll finally have my 56txi this Wednesday.. Blow'n the dust off the tv speakers for a couple days in the mean time. ;)

Being my first hometheater system and receiver, this thread has been very helpful as a learning tool. I've had my 56txi hooked-up for a few days now and am slowly working my way through the different menus, features, and terminologies.

I'm wondering if there are sound quality benefits of using an amp to bring the listening volumes down from near the max volume. If so, what is a good quality amp which matches well with the 56txi?

When watching movies in HDTV, I can turn the volume to +6 and watch comfortably and can sometimes to max +12 to get full impact of special effects. For music on CD's I don't go much past 0 but have taken it to +5.

My front mains and center are Von Schweikert LCR 15's which are 8 ohm, 200 watt speakers.

Thanks,
Gordon

+6,+12,+5 on the volume.

Wow, your're really cranking it up!! I rarely go past -10 on the volume. My comfort zone is in the -35 to -25 range for all listening. That includes movies and music (cd, vinyl, and tuner). I also use the "Direct" sound mode for all music execpt the tuner where I use "Stereo" with DNR turned on. Those settings seem to work for my ears.

I'm new to all these components and what they can do in addition to the terminology of the features, I'll have to check evrything to see if I have a setting wrong because it doesn't seem like I really have it cranked-up at "0" for HDTV movies.

Originally posted by Chip E
I'll finally have my 56txi this Wednesday.. Blow'n the dust off the tv speakers for a couple days in the mean time. ;)

Chip...can't wait to hear your thoughts.....:cool:

+12!

I'm also around the -30 to -15 range.

What do you guys think about using the Monster MPA 3250 3 channel amp with the 56txi to power the front 3 channels.

There ya go Rob, now your onto something. The MPA's are AMAZING! I had a Sunfire Cinema Grand and later a Krell Showcase in one of my audio rooms hooked up to the KEF Reference 205s/201s. When I switched them out for the Monster Backbone system, the improvements were jaw dropping. I'm telling ya, these things (MPA 2250/3250) are something special! Find a good dealer and give them a serious audition.

Does the 56ti have a global audio delay to deal with lip syncing issues?

Yep!

anyone using the 56 as a pre/pro? hows it working out?

56TXi does have lipsync delay that can be adjusted from the remote. I am using it as prepro connected to Gemstone amp & let me say that I don't miss my B&K Ref 31.

Vinod,

does the 56 auto setup work with your subwoofers? did you have to adjust using a sound level meter or a separate equalizer for the subs?


darryl

Hi Darryl! 56TXi does not eq the sub but it does set the sub level & distance.

Let me aplolgize in advance if this was answered early on, but will the 56TXi overlay DPLIIx on DVD-A/SACD (via iLink) to derive surround backs?

Does DPLIIx work with DTS on the 56TXi?

Originally posted by graphicguy
Chip...can't wait to hear your thoughts.....:cool:


Tick tick tick tick...couple more days with no receiver! Will do GG.



Bubba,

I'm not sure about hi rez music but, no PLIIx on dts.. Plain 'ole vanilla neo:6 (which is just ok ..

Gracias on the DTS, Chip. Strange that Pioneer wouldn't have included that option.

Anyone on hi rez?

I'm a "hi-rez" music fanatic and use a 59 TXi. I much prefer listening to my hi rez disks in their regular 5.1 format with no added processing (which can sound discombobulated).

I've become so used to it that I wouldn't want to live without it now. Granted, that is just my personal preference.

Originally posted by graphicguy
I much prefer listening to my hi rez disks in their regular format with no added processing

+1

Originally posted by bubbawilly
I've become so used to it that I wouldn't want to live without it now. Granted, that is just my personal preference.

For two channel material, no doubt I prefer DPL over DTS. Still, overlaying DPL over DTS, has produced strange results for me anyway. Besides, every DTS encoded disk I own, also offers DPL which I can use DPL IIx with no "wierd processing glitches", so I really can't see the need for such a feature.

I wasn't referring to DTS. I was referring to hi-rez.

I prefer 7.1 with hi-rez material. My current processor will either matrix the side surrounds, or duplicate them, for the surround back channels in order to 'fill in the hole' between the side surrounds. There is no "processing" of the base 5.1 discreet channels. It is presented like it was intended. Now that I've experienced 7.1 with DVD-A/SACD, listening without it would be like listening without a front center channel in my particular setup. The surround soundfield is so much more seamless with 7.1 in my listening environment.

Again, this is my personal preference, however Dolby felt that others may enjoy this, since DPLIIx was designed with hi-rez audio in mind as well. It is entirely up to the manufacturers licensing/employing DPLIIx to include the option for hi-rez and/or DTS. We've established that Pioneer did not include the option to use DPLIIx with DTS, so...

...does anyone know whether the 56TXi can apply DPLIIx over DVD-A/SACD in order to derive back surrounds? Or, can it apply a Pioneer proprietary algorithm (like "TX" or "SX") in order to derive surround back channels from DVD-A?

I may be stepping in a little late, but did you all just say the 56TXi doesn't overlay PLIIx over DTS? As in movies soundtrack? Or strictly DTS music disc's?

>>>--->

Originally posted by GRCRYSTYK
I may be stepping in a little late, but did you all just say the 56TXi doesn't overlay PLIIx over DTS? As in movies soundtrack? Or strictly DTS music disc's?

>>>--->

No PLIIx over DTS..

Originally posted by Teeh
[B]I can understand why you're excited about the sound of vinyl LPs played on your MMF-5 turntable through the 56TXi. The MMF-2 was touted as one of the finest turntables available, and the MMF-5 is supposed to be even better. Too, Pioneer has given due attention to the phono input of the 56TXi to make it a very superior stereo receiver. Further, as audiophiles have asserted since the time of the CD's introduction, "vinyl is still better" if played on good equipment and if you can listen past the crackles and pops. I think you have achieved this with your equipment and attitude.

In fact a properly recorded cassette tape really sounds better than a CD. I have about 200 hours of cassette "master tapes" that I recorded of live semi-pro jazz groups using semi-pro cassette gear in 1976-1979. I hadn't listened to these tapes for years until I got my 56TXi and having the front main channels bi-amped for 220 watts/stereo channel. Now, I'm trying to listen to the whole collection in order to select the cuts that I thought I'd like to convert to CDs, but am enjoying the tapes so much, I'm playing many of them over and over and realize that converting them to CDs will only be for convenience.

Finally, the CD doesn't rule in sonic superiority? The reasons are beyond the scope of this thread, but the main reason has to do with the 44.1 kHz sampling rate's limitation where higher frequency sine waves are represented by too few samples, resulting in converting these sine waves into sawtooth waves or into square waves for frequencies above 11 kHz or so. To learn more, do a Goggle search on "cd vs lp, or cd vs vinyl" and you'll find articles like this one HERE (http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/10/8/134958/152) that explain the situation quite well.


<sigh>

Where to begin with such a farrago? With the statement that "By contrast, a CD doesn't even hit 15khz without horrible distortion. A little third grade math using graph paper explains why. A 15khz tone recorded on a CD has only three samples per cycle!"??

Gosh, Mr Nyquist would have been surprised by that one.

Anyway, if someone prefers LP (or 78, or cassette, or wax cylinder) sound to CD, fine, whatever. But please, don't promulagate crap 'science' to support your preference.
There is no 'horrible distortion' in the *analog output* from a properly-recorded and played-back CD at 15 kHz (or any other frequency from 20 - 20K). Don't just read the vinylphile side of things (which disttressingly often displays very poor understanding of digital). Theres's plenty of information out there in books and online, that explains digital audio properly.

Any idea why Pioneer doesn't allow PLIIx over DTS? Are they the only one that is set up this way. I'm sure I have done this with other processors,...

Thanks guys,..Just trying to understand,....>>>--->

just picked up my 56txi.... back to the spagetti behind the rack...

Chip your going to love this AVR.

If you could, when you get the tuner working, will you try a test for me.
Listen to the tuner the switch sources to TV/SAT then back to the tuner and see if you still get sound output. Mine has a quirk where this navigation does not work.

Originally posted by robD2
Chip your going to love this AVR.

If you could, when you get the tuner working, will you try a test for me.
Listen to the tuner the switch sources to TV/SAT then back to the tuner and see if you still get sound output. Mine has a quirk where this navigation does not work.


No problem.. just finished the auto calibration..very cool. It set my main's to large, as i've read it's done to others who've used it. I returned them to small. It set my sub all the way up...i'll fine tune it. Haven't got to the tuner yet. I did just throw in "We Were Soldiers" chapter 15, Broken Arrow :cool: WOW.
I'm not sure what it did EQ wise, but it sounds really good. The dialog seems clearer(center channel) than the 52tx just set up with my spl meter. It'll take me the next few days to try out some music, get the tuner setup. Actually, i'll probably have the tuner set up tommorrow. I like listening to Howard in the AM.


EDIT:


it works fine switching from tuner to tv/sat, back and forth i get sound. I'd love to have the tv video stay on when i'm listening to the tuner. If i switch from tv to tuner my video cuts off. With my Ref50, the tuner was factory set for the tv video to stay. I like watching the news while listening to Howard Stern in the morning.

Chip,

There is a way to watch TV and listen to an audio source. I do it all the time. I'm at work so I don't have my manual with me but I think the instructions are on or around page 80. You have to press the "Receiver" button on the right hand side of the remote near the top. Then press "9" until you see TV/SAT on the receiver display and then press "Enter". This will turn on the video switching but still allow audio to come through the Tuner, DVD, Phono, Tape, etc.

Hope this helps. I'll check with my manual later today and post which page this is on for everyone.

Originally posted by FreeRadical
Chip,

There is a way to watch TV and listen to an audio source. I do it all the time. I'm at work so I don't have my manual with me but I think the instructions are on or around page 80. You have to press the "Receiver" button on the right hand side of the remote near the top. Then press "9" until you see TV/SAT on the receiver display and then press "Enter". This will turn on the video switching but still allow audio to come through the Tuner, DVD, Phono, Tape, etc.

Hope this helps. I'll check with my manual later today and post which page this is on for everyone.


Cool. I'll give it a go.. I do use component switching and have the tv & dvd inputs assigned but, like i said, i could still have the tv video on when using the tuner with my Ref50. It sounds like, from what your saying, i can still do this with the Pioneer. Right now, as soon as i change from the tv source to tuner, the video dies to no signal. I think the auto cal eq'd my center channel really good. Still haven't watched or listened much. I actually am moving the receiver to the top of the rack whereas i had it one shelf down. Pushing it all the way in is craming the component cables. Hook it up, tear it down! Hook it up... :eek:

Make sure you give it some space to breath because I don't think it has a fan. Wouldn't want to fry anything the first week. I have about 8 inches of space between the top of the receiver and the self that my TV is sitting on. I haven't had any problems with this set up.

It's on top now. All the room in the world. I have the cherry Sanus NF206..
I tore the entire rack down this morning, cleaned everything, seperated all the power cords from everything else.. more shots through my sig link.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/gallery/albums/Chips-HT/112_1204_r1.jpg

BTW, "video select" does exactly what i want it to do. Only problem is it isn't perminent. If you switch sources twice, the video select has to be done again. With my Ref50 it was selected in the OSD and stayed that way unless you went in and changed it.

Can you tell me how to post pictures?

Originally posted by FreeRadical
Can you tell me how to post pictures?

You need web space. HTF hosts online gallery's for members. Once a pic is hosted, right click on a picture, click properties, copy the url for the picture, type: [img]

close the same way with "/" before img]
paste the link between..
Sorry for the weird way i described it. I tried to just do it but it wanted to show a link. Don't forget to put [/ before the ending "img"
:cool:

Chip...the real question is....are you glad you went from the B&K pre to the 56 TXi?

Originally posted by graphicguy
Chip...the real question is....are you glad you went from the B&K pre to the 56 TXi?

Hey GG,

So far, yes, i'm happy with it. I really haven't had any time yet with it though. Haven't watched any movies, just chapter 15-Broken Arrow demo. I was really happy with the sound of my B&K seperates but, being a channel surfer, it got to me... i delt with that horseshit for a year. The main thing i'm glad about is when i change channels with HD cable, there's nothing narly going on with my speakers. The processing seems very fast, responsive. I've got to watch a couple movies through it yet to decide how much i really like it. Maybe tonight when i get home. Gotta run out to a meeting right now. I will definately let you know what i think.. So far so good! I wish i could get my hands on Ref200.1 mono block, cheap for my CC. I'll keep my eye on ebay.

I have a question about the multi room operation. Today I was going to sit by the pool and listen to some music so I had a regular music disc in my Pioneer DV-59AVi and when I switch the second zone to DVD/LD there was no sound outside. I could hear music when it was on Tuner and talking when it was on TV/SAT. What is going on here? Is there some setting on the DVD player that's not set correctly or is there something wrong with how I have the receiver hooked up? The speakers outside are hooked up to the Surround Back terminals. I also had the receiver set to the Direct mode for stereo listening in the main room. Does this have anything to do with it?

Free radical....boy, you've lost me. What are you trying to do, again?

There is no "2nd Zone" on the DVD player. That would be done through your pre-pro or AVR.

Sorry for the confusion. I wanted to listen to some music in the second zone of the receiver, which happens to be my two outside speakers. I turned the receiver's second zone source to DVD/LD because I have a universal DVD player connected to this input. I then put a regular store bought CD in the DVD player and pushed play. There was no sound coming from the second zone speakers. When I changed the second zone source to TV/SAT or TUNER there was sound coming from the speakers.

This is what I know: the second zone is connected and functioning properly except when I turn to the DVD/LD source for that zone. All sources are functioning properly in the main room so I know the DVD player is working correctly.

What I don't know: why is two channel music not being played in the second zone? Is there some setting on the receiver or DVD player that is not turned on that I'm not aware of? I have not checked to see if multichannel movie soundtracks are being heard in the second zone. I will try this tonight when I get home from work.

Any ideas or suggestions?

You should be getting a signal through those last two (rear surround) speakers. as well as your 5.1 set-up. I use my rear surrounds for DPL IIx. I don't know what kind of AVR you have, but there should be some sort of menu to assign the rear surrounds as a 2nd zone. Look in your owners manual for 2nd zone operation.

No activity here since before Thanksgiving?

Do any other 56 owners have a problem with syncronization of sound and what is displayed on the tv? I've noticed several times where lips and words don't match up very well. Any advice?

FreeRadical,
As to your 2nd zone question, the 2nd zone only works with an analog source, and this is true for many processors with a 2nd zone feature. Unless you have the Front L/R RCA outputs from your DVD player connected to the 56, you will get no sound in zone 2. Even then, you may need to change a setting in the player in order to 'tell' it that you want the signal to go through the analog outputs vs. the digital output. The 56 will not pass the digital input (optical or coax) through to zone 2.

As to the synchronization issue, doesn't the 56TXi have a lip-sync, or A/V sync adjustment. Simply adjust it to sync with your display.

I see the same thing from time to time. I go into the "Effect/CH SEL" menu and scroll to "Delay 0.0 Frame" option and adjust it here. I'm just learning how to use the features but this seems to link it up for me.

Thanks for the advice guys.

So in addition to the iLink I need to get a set of RCA cables for the 2nd Zone function to work? Why didn't my installer/dealer alert me to this fact?

I'll have to try the synchronization adjustment. That only happens every now and them. It is not a constant problem.

Originally posted by FreeRadical
Thanks for the advice guys.

So in addition to the iLink I need to get a set of RCA cables for the 2nd Zone function to work? Why didn't my installer/dealer alert me to this fact?


Yes, you'll need analog connections from any external source that you plan to use in zone 2.

Unfortunately, many dealers don't really know their products. Aside from obvious price advantages, this has driven online sales to flourish. When your local dealer can't even explain his product's features and how to use them, why not buy online?

Very informative thread. I have a 59avi and this may make for an excellent combo, I dod have a few Qs:

1. i-link works between the 59avi and 56TXi for SACD and DVD-A?
2. If i-link passes SACD and DVD-A signals, that would be in the digital domain, so the DACs in the 56TX would be utilized, not the 59avi, correct?
3. How does the DACs in the 56TX vs the DACs in 59avi?
4. Strictly for audio, I would only need the i-link cable between these two units and that's it? 56TX will output 2ch, DTS, DD, and MC music just on one single cable? (WOW!!)
5. Can this AVR drive 4ohms speakers? (at moderate level of course)

Thanks in advance.

I have a similar setup and will attempt a few answers.

1. i-link works between the 59avi and 56TXi for SACD and DVD-A?
- Supposedly, but I haven't tried it.

2. If i-link passes SACD and DVD-A signals, that would be in the digital domain, so the DACs in the 56TX would be utilized, not the 59avi, correct?
- Correct.

3. How does the DACs in the 56TX vs the DACs in 59avi?
- I haven't seen any info on the DACs in the 59AVi. (I usually this site for info: http://members.cox.net/alexhardware/IC_database1.htm)

4. Strictly for audio, I would only need the i-link cable between these two units and that's it? 56TX will output 2ch, DTS, DD, and MC music just on one single cable? (WOW!!)
- In theory, yes.

5. Can this AVR drive 4ohms speakers? (at moderate level of course)
- Probably, as it seems well designed and built, but I haven't seen specs for this. I would try it for an hour or so and see how hot the unit gets. My speakers are 6 ohms and the unit never gets hot, even after 6-8 hours.

Been playing with my new 56txi for several days now..me likee. My only problem so far is that I left the calibration mic out overnight after using it...and my cats decided to play with the cord...and now I have a new one on order ;>

To address question 5: The 56Txi is rated for speakers with nominal impedence of 6-16 ohms. You can toggle it to use either 6-8 ohm speakers or 8-16 ohm speakers (the default) (see p 64 of the owner's manual).

One thing not clear to me, since I don't yet have an ilink setup (I'm waiting for that $700 Yamaha jobbie to come out) , is whether DPL II Music works with two-channel DVD-A and SACD sources passed digitally over the ilink. (I know it works with analog stereo input). The 56txi manual seems to suggest not, but I'm curious if anyone's tried it.

Originally posted by vdmai
Very informative thread. I have a 59avi and this may make for an excellent combo, I dod have a few Qs:

1. i-link works between the 59avi and 56TXi for SACD and DVD-A?
2. If i-link passes SACD and DVD-A signals, that would be in the digital domain, so the DACs in the 56TX would be utilized, not the 59avi, correct?
3. How does the DACs in the 56TX vs the DACs in 59avi?
4. Strictly for audio, I would only need the i-link cable between these two units and that's it? 56TX will output 2ch, DTS, DD, and MC music just on one single cable? (WOW!!)
5. Can this AVR drive 4ohms speakers? (at moderate level of course)

Thanks in advance.

You've got questions, we've got answers...

1. YES
2. YES
3. I have a 59 TXi, not the 56 TXi. I've tried it with both analog connections (utilizing the Elite 59 TXi AVR's DACs) and via my current set-up with the i-link connection to my 59 AVi DVD player. I think utilizing the i-link sounds better (using the DACs in the 59 TXi), but that could be a function of having the i-link's digital connection vs an analog connection.
4. CORRECT
5. YES

Unfortunately, many dealers don't really know their products. Aside from obvious price advantages, this has driven online sales to flourish. When your local dealer can't even explain his product's features and how to use them, why not buy online?

bubba, I would venture to say that if I focused my intelect towards learning about one disease , it's treatment options etc . for some days and read EVERYTHING THAT I could get my hands on with regards to the subject , I could trip up my own (very competent) internist . This , however , would not make him a bad doctor, nor me a good one. We all have studied one model of car ( as an example) reading online reviews ,manufacturers information, and talking to mechanics,etc. , and have then had commited to memory more info on that particular model than the car salesman we started talking to. He may however, be able to talk to engineers and mechanics who have worked SPECIFICALLY on that unit over and over again and he may have driven in that car in many, many differant road conditions ,on differant streets, cumulatively for hours or days, and may have had similar experiance with the last 4 model years of the same car...but I'm sure we have found something in our studies that he didn't know.

Also , some customers may not bring up trheir plans for zone 2 ,etc. and the salesmen may figure that the customer may know this based on how the customer represents themselves.

In another thread we have seen that there is still a bit of doubt as to what dacs and processors are in which Elites and even after many discussions and posts, someone had to open one up and take a look; and still they didn't record ALL the dacs.....If anything , you might want to be a bit critical of Elite for making this info so dificult to gleen, etc. but cut the guy some slack and consider if there isn't some TINY little piece of your job that someone couldn't focus on and discover what you may have forgotten or never learned........

I'm not sure how that's relevant to not knowing how the important second zone feature on the 56TXi works, but thankfully my family doctor (GP) doesn't operate that way. She knows enough about everything to make an accurate diagnosis, every time. I've never known her not to have an answer, but I'm sure that if she didn't, she would refer me to a specialist rather than offering misinformation. In other words, she knows her job, and she has to know just a bit more than an A/V sales or installation rep. Now, my mechanic's another story. ;)

My response that you quoted was regarding a significant feature of a highly popular A/V receiver, that being second zone capability, not an esoteric issue like which DAC's it has. That issue is for another thread. If you took personal offense to my comment, then I'm sorry, but I question why you'd be offended. I doubt seriously that you could trip me up on any of my products, but if you dug deep enough to find even the most obscure aspect of a product that I represent, I'd know where to go to get the answer, and I wouldn't misinform you in the mean time. That's my job and livelihood. I am focused on providing information, products and service to my customers, and my customers expect me to be expert in the many, many products that I represent. I'd get into another field of work if I wasn't willing and/or capable of accepting that responsibility. Sales reps specializing in multiple products, and installers specializing in the installation, integration and operation of those products are expected to know them, or know where to ask. It is their livelihood, is it not?

Many on this board can keep track of this stuff as hobbyists, so there is no excuse for not providing FreeRadical the correct guidance for this relatively simple question from someone doing this for a living.

To your analogy, let's just be thankful these guy's aren't brain surgeons, and I wouldn't let them work on my car either! ;)

but if you dug deep enough to find even the most obscure aspect of a product that I represent, I'd know where to go to get the answer, and I wouldn't misinform you in the mean time. That's my job and livelihood. I am focused on providing information, products and service to my customers, and my customers expect me to be expert in the many, many products that I represent. I'd get into another field of work if I wasn't willing and/or capable of accepting that responsibility. Sales reps specializing in multiple products, and installers specializing in the installation, integration and operation of those products are expected to know them, or know where to ask. It is their livelihood, is it not?

I don't know if he specifically adressed how to hook-up second zone with the salesman, and I was sort of referencing another statement on the other elite thread where MANY people had been mis-informed by their Elite reps, published lit, and/or people working directly at Elite...when that happens everyone can make a mistake.
What if you were mis-informed about your product/service by someone else that you had come to rely on ?

~~Just got my 56txi and 59avr, so far so good very happy.~~

Compared to 3805, I am wondering why there is not that much post about the 56txi? In any case, I am loving my 59Txi and a friend of mine is equally ecstatic about his 56txi.

I also have the 56TXi and a 59AVi. I originally went to listen to the 3805 and the Yamaha RX-V2500. The salesman insisted that I listen to the Pioneer Elite 54TX. I said no a few times and he kept asking me to try it out. After much reservation and 2 hours of listening to movies and cd's, I found the Pioneer's sound much more pleasing to my ears and it's dual motorola chips for movies was definately much better. Pioneer tends to use higher quality materials in their receivers at the expense of less connection options.

My 56txi and 59avi are still in their boxes just waiting for the move mext month. I've taken them out a few times, just to look at them. I can hardly wait.

Great thread, thanks. I'm a real beginner in this area. Info is a great help.

I just bought a 56xi and couldn't be happier. I'm using the 56xi primarily for surround sound with my HDTV setup. It's truly amazing.

I'm a little confused on the benefits of the i-link. How is it used? What equipment 'plugs into' the i-link connection? Do you have to have all Pioneer equipment (like a Pioneer Elite HDTV?)?

I just purchased a Harmony 680 in the hopes of getting rid of these multiple controllers. I didn't care much for the Pioneer controller. Do most folks use the Pioneer controller or replace it with a universal controller?

Thanks

TH

iLink is the ONLY connection right now that allows digital transmission of BOTH hi-rez/multichannel music formats ie. DVD-A and SACD. from the player to the av receiver/preamp processor. [edit:ok, Denonlink has been approved for sacd]
there are many advantages of this.
1:- cost.... to enjoy good quality dvda/sacd you dont have to spend a fortune on an expensive universal player, after youve spent a significant amount on a receiver/prepro. since the player is just a transport, you can get away with cheaper ones and allocate more money towards the receiver/prepro.
yamaha announced a universal player that has both iLink AND HDMI outputs. I think its the cheapest one to offer both these features.
2:- bass management, time alignment, and equalisation [in case of the 56/59 TXi ] can be performed in a much more comprehensive way in the receiver.
3:- less messy :) no more runnning 6 RCA interconnects between the player and the receiver. just one cable.
hope this helps.

DO checkout the yamaha http://www.audioholics.com/cedia/cedia2004/yamahaDVD-S2500DVD.php

F355.. You better look at your math again, because you are not even close with the way you are trying to add it up!

#1 The cost of a decent universal player without I-link is FAR from being expensive! Because you can find them easily for as low of a MSRP of just under $200, like such as the Pioneer DV-578A.

#2 The cost of the cheapest I-link players, Is still relatively very expensive. With that new Yamaha DVD-SD2500 being the cheapest one so far, still having a MSRP of $750.

#3 The reason for going with I-link DVD player is certainly NOT for a cost savings!
It's primarily for keeping everything as a digital transmission for as much as possible, which may also provide a possible sound quality improvement. And depending upon which player and receiver combo that you have, there also might be some set-up and bass management advantages by using the I-link's digital connection, over doing it with a "normal" universal player and it's 6 separate analog cables.

Originally posted by th0093
I'm a little confused on the benefits of the i-link. How is it used? What equipment 'plugs into' the i-link connection? Do you have to have all Pioneer equipment (like a Pioneer Elite HDTV?)?

I just purchased a Harmony 680 in the hopes of getting rid of these multiple controllers. I didn't care much for the Pioneer controller. Do most folks use the Pioneer controller or replace it with a universal controller?

ThanksTH

No, you don't have to have all the same brand of equipment to use i-link. That's one of good things about it. (I have a Pioneer 56TXi receiver connected to an Onkyo SP-1000 DVD player through i-link and it works great.)

I think the Pioneer remote is one of the best currently available which is included with a player/unit/device. (And I've been tortured by some pretty awful remotes in my life.) That said, I prefer the SP-1000s remote (it's better still) and programmed it to control my 56TXi.

The Onkyo SP-1000 has a pretty good analog section, certainly much better than the 56TXi. I would at least try it with then analog outputs. My 3910 sounds way better via analog vs ilink in every format including DD and DTS.

YMMV

Originally posted by Johnla
F355.. You better look at your math again, because you are not even close with the way you are trying to add it up!

#1 The cost of a decent universal player without I-link is FAR from being expensive! Because you can find them easily for as low of a MSRP of just under $200, like such as the Pioneer DV-578A.

#2 The cost of the cheapest I-link players, Is still relatively very expensive. With that new Yamaha DVD-SD2500 being the cheapest one so far, still having a MSRP of $750.

#3 The reason for going with I-link DVD player is certainly NOT for a cost savings!
It's primarily for keeping everything as a digital transmission for as much as possible, which may also provide a possible sound quality improvement. And depending upon which player and receiver combo that you have, there also might be some set-up and bass management advantages by using the I-link's digital connection, over doing it with a "normal" universal player and it's 6 separate analog cables.

johnla,
I agree with what youre saying.

but first of all, I was talking about the advantages of iLink as a FEATURE, and not specifically about the present crop of expensive iLink players.
I'm not even comparing it with entry level players like the DV578 , the samsung, the toshiba etc. these players are good enough for entry level systems but nowhere near the higher end players as far as bass management, sound quality etc goes.
I meant cost compared to buying a high end player, whose processing and dacs are as good, if not better than the ones in the receiver/prepro itself.
I meant iLink prevents consumers from buying their processing twice.

Instead of spending 1000 on a receiver, and 1000 on a good universal player, Id rather buy a $500 [i think the 47Ai is even cheaper now] player and the remaining on an iLink equipped prepro/receiver.

I personally think it makes more sense to buy a 56TXi+ the yamaha [possibly $500 street price when it comes out]
than say a NAD T753/763 series receiver, and couple it to a higher end model marantz [8400] or denon[2900] player without ilink.
the advantages are more obvious when stepping up to high end receivers like the 59TXi and the upcoming 4806 from denon. these receivers already have excellent processing and features built into the receiver itself, and to try getting the same level of sound quality from a DVD-A/SACD would mean getting a REALLY REALLY good [meaning $$$$] player.
since the player is just a transport, he can get away with a 500 dollar iLink player, with more $$ allocated towards getting a better prepro/receiver.
personally I STILL believe that cost is a major advantage of iLink, if not much at present, definitely when bravo and other companies come out with cheap iLink players.

I'm not disagreeing with you, I just have a different take thats all :)

I've recently added 2 surround back channel speakers, and have some confusion regarding DD EX encoded DVD's. After re-running the MCACC and confirming the SB speakers were recognized, I set the SB channel mode to "auto". First up for the DVD EX test was T2 Ultimate Edition which clearly states it is Dolby Digital Surround EX. The result was straight DD 5.1 processing. No DD EX indicator light and no "S" (surround Back) speaker Light. What gives? I then selected the DTS ES mode from the audio options in the DVD's menu and sure enough, the display indicated DTS ES and the S channel light came on. I just happened to remember reading Pirates of the Caribbean was DD EX encoded even though its not indicated any where on the package. Yep, the DD EX indicator as well as the S channel light came on. Next up was Cast Away, same result as T2, the package says DD EX and DTS ES, but only the DTS ES option lit the S channel light. Finally on to Star Wars Trilogy, The package says DD Surround EX and it works, i.e. the EX indicator and the S channel indicator light. The other curious thing when DD EX is recognized is the main display on the 56TXi reads DD+PLIIx Movie with the SB Channel mode set to auto, and changes to just D Digital EX when the SB Channel mode is set to on. That seems backward to me. By the way, the DVD player is an Elite 59 AVi using only the i-Link connection. Any body else encountering this?

Thanks,

John

John,

There are several Dolby Digital EX movies which are flagged incorrectly and won't make the receiver go into EX or ES mode if the back speakers are set to "auto." (This is especially true of older EX/ES movies.) On movies such as these, you would need to manually select the EX/ES mode.

(Heck, there's such a shortage of EX and ES movies, I just set my back speakers to be manually on all the time so that I can get 7.1 sound from regular Dolby Digital and DTS movies. The Dolby Prologic IIX Movie and Music modes do a good job of "enriching" the soundfields with these "regular" 5.1 movies.)

What function does the THX Cinema provide over the auto sensing? Example: If I'm watching a DD movie, what will turning it to THX Cinema do?

Originally posted by virus
What function does the THX Cinema provide over the auto sensing? Example: If I'm watching a DD movie, what will turning it to THX Cinema do?

Your overriding the auto feature and enabling the features of the THX cinema DSP mode. Personally I leave it in Auto.

Kevin

Hi Folks,

Just want to thank everyone who posted on this thread and the forum in general. After reading through all these threads, I have finally joined the 56Txi Club! Woohoo! I originally was looking at the Denon 3805.

Bought the receiver as well as some new Paradigm 60s, ADPs, and 20s for back surrounds. Ran MCACC. Ooohhhh.......


Thanks!
Wooe

If people buy online where do you go??? I am interested in gettin one, but oh course price has to be right. I don't mind buying online as long as it is an authorized dealer. I thought with the elite line it was in store only.

Thanks in advance for the help,

Jeff

vultures knob,

Go to one of the Authorized dealer’s site with the initials E.W. Search for Elite or Pioneer. See the listed price, full MSRP. Call in and ask for the lowest price they offer. You may be a very happy guy.

Wooe,

Dude, I like your taste. I am currently on the fence with a Paradigm Montior 9’s and Studio 60’s decision. That decision may be easier that I care to admit. :--)

Anyway, I am also considering the 3805. Could you please give your opinion on the 56 vs 3805 and the reasons you went for the 56Txi.

Thanks.

Hi Dream1,

I ended up going with the 56Txi because:

*there was a post that showed that the 56TXi power output all channels was MUCH higher than the 3805 when tested.

*THX cinema available on the 56Txi. Not sure, yet if this is a huge difference or not since I am new to having THX. Will know after a few more hours of use.

*Includes mic for MCACC. Denon you have to buy.

*iLink. Denon link is there, but so far it is not SACD approved. Yes, I know it has been approved for v.2 but that means for the future implementations.

*MUCH MUCH nicer remote.

Overall, to me, 2 channel sound was about the same.


With respect to the speakers,

Go with Paradiagm Studios! The difference in imaging is night and day! I found that the monitors were definitely not as detailed and sounded flat.

(Also, if you don't need iLink or USB, check out the 54Txi which is almost the same with less of a remote and small capacitors but cheaper.)

Hope this helps!
Wooe

Thank you man. I think your reasoning is right on par with why I may choose the 56 after all.

Originally posted by Kevin. W
Your overriding the auto feature and enabling the features of the THX cinema DSP mode. Personally I leave it in Auto.

Kevin

I'm not sure I get the 'point' of THX Cinema in the 56txi. It appears to be laid on top of Dolby *Pro Logic II', or else a DTS Neo implementation . Wouldn't it be better to play back a Dolby Digital-encoded soundtrack in...Dolby Digital?

That said, switching between THX Cinema and DD during a movie, differences seem
apparent but not great. I can't say one's better than the other.

can one of the 6 amps be used to power the subwoofer? If so, anyone have experience doing this that they can report?

Thanks,

bradesp

no, the 56TXi is not a sub amp

How many of you who own the 56txi use the remote to control your other components, tv, dvd, etc? I'm trying to decide to either use the 56txi remote or one from harmony. My wife and mother-in-law are both remote challenged.

After setting up and using he pioneer remote, I sold my Harmony on Craigslist. I found the Pioneer much easier to use and.

I use the Pioneer 56txi remote to run my Pioneer DVD player, RCA cable box, and Mistubishi RPTV, as well as the receiver. The 'learning' function made it easy to map
keys over from other remotes, and apparently the thing has more learning storage capacity than my old Radio Shack 6-in-1.

Thanks guys for your replies.

For those that have the 56TXi and a pair of Paradigm Studio 60s (or 40s for that matter):

Are you bi-amping your mains? If so, do you feel you are "getting a little more" out of the system doing so?

Thanks for any info...

Originally posted by SonyAteMyBaby
For those that have the 56TXi and a pair of Paradigm Studio 60s (or 40s for that matter):

Are you bi-amping your mains? If so, do you feel you are "getting a little more" out of the system doing so?

Thanks for any info...

I have my 56TXi mated with a NAD S250(5x125w) and bi-amp my fronts with 4 of 5 channels. 5th channel of the NAD is for the center. 56TXi powers the rears. And yes I do think it makes a difference. Soundstage is very detailed and bass tight.

Kevin

I agree, if you relieve a couple of channels on your reciever, it sends better juice to rest.

Sorry, for my confusing post but I was interested in finding out if people were using the 56TXi itself to bi-amp their mains. I completely agree that having a dedicated amp for the mains (+ center) would be the best way to go but I am purchasing a whole lot of equipment at once so I need to draw the line somewhere. Basically, I am interested in how the 56TXi handles a speaker like the Paradigm Studio 60 with and without bi-amping using the rear surround channels of the receiver. Anyone have any experiences to share?

I'm curious of the benefits of bi-amping using the 56txi also. However, can someone give me some thoughts on a dedicated amp. For a pure novice, other than more power, what's the benefits of having a dedicated amp. Any recommendations out there with some price ranges? I'm not in the market now but may be down the road.

Thanks,

TH

Im presently bi amping studio 100's v3 with a yamaha reciever and there is a difference when you bi-amp Noticable. I'll be switching to the 56 txi as i just orered mine today when it gets here and with 110 watts per channel it should be great. I don't know if bi amping two 110 watts per channel is the same as using different amps but it should be close as long as the reciever is rated with all channels driving. This would be around the equiliavant of 200 watts per ch amplfier. IT really opens up the upper and lower regions the bass seems tighter and the highs more airy and clean. I may still purchase a deicated amp for stereo listen depending on the outcome. Any one esle have experience in this area

Originally posted by JOHN30182001
This would be around the equiliavant of 200 watts per ch amplfier.


No it will not! Passive bi-amping does not work that way. It is not the same as or even like, what actually doubling your actual amplifier power would do.

Could you elaborate further on this. my understanding is as follows

The Yamaha amp has an A and B speakers switch, when they are engaged you get another 2 channel output separate from the first set except its in the same chassis and as long as its rated in such a way as to not drop the other channel it seems to me to be the same with maybe some small difference. Not if its passive the way im doing the amp has to work harder vs active where the amp gets some relief from other frequency. This would be the preferred way but helps the amp not necessarily the speakers. any thoughts.
:)

You seem to have the passive bi-amping and active bi-amping somewhat confused as to how they are set up and work. The fact that it channels A or B on your Yamaha really makes no difference, is still a passive bi-amp setup.

Passive bi-amping means you are still using the speakers own crossover network, but you are separating it by removing the jumper on the speaker and then using two amps. Active bi-amping means you are not using the speakers crossover network, and that you are using a external crossover that is placed before each amp. So to do a active bi-amp setup, you need to place a external crossover such a THIS (http://www.behringer.com/CX3400/index.cfm?lang=ENG) or something similar, before the two amplifiers that you intend to use, and also remove the speakers own crossover network. Either way is still NOT the same as having a amp with twice the power.

Here is some more info, on the difference between passive and active bi-amping.

http://sound.westhost.com/bi-amp.htm

can someone pm me if they know where to get a 56 at a good price, preferably a authorised dealer, thanks

I agree, but if i read the output of two amps at speakers input under both condition if they both were drove two 100 watts rms the speaker would see the same input, with active the only difference the amp could have more head room since its only driving certain frequency but the speakers still sees the same power. My assumption is active is the preferred way by passive gets you very close with out the problem of active crossovers before the amp. I have done test on bi wire, bi amp passive and bi amp active and in a blind test i can always tell the difference between bi wiring and the others, but sometime have a hard problem distinguish between the active and passive versions. Of course your milage may vary.

Just bi-wiring alone, is really nothing much more than a waste of perfectly good speaker wire that provides absolutely NO additional power increase benefits at all. So of course you would probably never hear any sort of noticeable difference like you would with bi-amping. But even with bi-amping, you don't just automatically get to "add" the sums of the two amps together to arrive at double the amount of one amp, it does not work that way.

I'm new at a 6.1 system, having had a 5.1 in another room. We decided not to install a 7.1 system, since the room shape was just not right for 7.1. But the 56TXi is a 7.1 receiver. How do I hook up the surround speakers for a 6.1 system? Do I install the left and right rear speakers to the side surround, and the rear center to one of the rear surround speaker jacks? I'm just a little confused about this. any help would be appreciated.

Originally posted by cdesjardins99
How do I hook up the surround speakers for a 6.1 system?

As per page 28 of your owners manual....

"but you can connect just one surround back speaker if you like (it must be connected to the left surround back terminal)."

I'm considering getting the 56txi, and have a newbie question for you 56txi owners out there. Given my setup/requirements below, can the 56txi handle my needs?

Our new house is pre-wired 5.1 in Family Room, 2 speakers in Master Bedroom, and 2 patio speakers.
All interior speakers are ceiling and patio speakers are OnyxRockets.
All of the ceilings will be Speakercraft AIMs.
Powered SVS sub in Family Room.
Speakercraft volume controls are in place for patio and MasterBedroom.

So, I know that 'could' be 3 zones, but really I cannot ever see needing 3 different sources going at once. So, let's say we simply want to drive 2 sources at once, in the following combinations:

5.1 Family room (Movie) + Patio/MasterBedroom (CD or FM)
or
5.1 Family room and Patio/MasterBedroom (Same source)

I think those are really the two main combinations, unless others have experience needing additional combos.

In any case, can you guys give me your opinions on if the 56txi will deliver these requirements and whether I need additional 'stuff' to accomplish what I'm looking to do?

Thanks in advance!

~~Hey guys, I have the Pioneer Elite 56Txi and the 59Avi for that matter,, I'm running the motorola 6200 via optical cable. I am not recieving the audio signal in dolby but on a few channels,, A couple of the HD channels, and like one other HBO I believe..

When I first purchased about a month ago, I hooked in up in the family room (Our dedicated theater was not done yet) and don't remember having this problem, Since I have moved it all downstairs into the theater and for the life of me, can't figure this one out. I have already replaced the 6200 with a new one from comcast. Been through the wiring and owner's manual to no aval.

Am I losing my mind or shouldnt the 56txi pick up the same audio signal from HBO as HBOHD from the motorola 6200??

On the 56's display it tells me what audio signal it is getting,, and on some channels it doesnt light up any speakers at all. I thought at least the LF,RF and LFE(sub) should be recieved on all channels.~~

~~Please Help, I'm going crazy over here.~~

You wont get DD on all channels so everything seems correct, maybe you just didn't notice before. Two channel PCM wont show up as Dolby Digital. I get lots of DD 2.0 with my carrier on HD channels. HBO does deliver DD5.1 on its non-HD channels for some titles, its hit or miss. Usually new programs are in DD but thats not always the case.

As far as the lights, thats a major complaint I have with the Pio Elites.Its either two channel or 2.1 (pro logic) or 5.1/6.1. I have ieee 1394 connected between my Denon 3910 and the 56TXi. On 3.0 or 4.0 channel SACDs I still get the 5.1 lights. Same thing on the 3910. Its either stereo or multi :(

Thanks for the reply Tom. Not getting DD on all channels is ok,, but I'm not getting it on like 90% of them. Even EspnHD is rarely in DD, even though on the tv scroll bar it say's it is.

A lot of times when a certain channel may say it has DD sound, it also does not mean that your local provider is always sending it through. Which is why a lot of times they will also add that little "where/when available" disclaimer to the notice/ad for DD sound also.

So, no one knows or has any information/experience about the multi-zone capabilities of this receiver?

I think 56txi, is being replaced by 65txi, just saw a review!

Originally posted by zoro
I think 56txi, is being replaced by 65txi, just saw a review!

Where?

Originally posted by zoro
I think 56txi, is being replaced by 65txi, just saw a review!

....misprint!

Read the review:
http://www.avguide.com/AVG_monthly/issue13_hispeed.pdf

I'm considering 56txi + 59avi. Any recommendation on where I can get them? I haven't seen any AVS sponsers carrying those.

Thanks in advance.

I bought mine at hippo's home entertainment.

Originally posted by hellcat
I'm considering 56txi + 59avi. Any recommendation on where I can get them? I haven't seen any AVS sponsers carrying those.

Thanks in advance.

Hellcat:

That's a great combination! I have the 55TXi +59AVi and really enjoy the combination.

Use this link to find a local dealer:

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/dealer/locator/0,,2076_3151,00.html

Pioneer Elite dealers do not sell online. You can buy them on Ebay etc, but the warrranty will be void.

Fred,
Thanks for your URL.

However, I see Zero store within 100 miles from my zip for both 56txi and 59avi :(

revmike,
Thank you!

hellcat - I'm in northern VA also ... Tweeter sells the stuff, but they don't like to 'deal' too much. If you find any other sources .. pass them along!

Chad

Chip, give us an update on your comparison between the Ref 50, and the 56TXI... in terms of sound quality and DD DTS processing.. how much did the auto calibration make?

Myer Emco is a local Elite dealer... they have a few locations in MD that I know of. I am interested in the 56txi as well, especially since I already have a 59avi DVD player :)

M.E. doesn't have 56txi in stock. I've checked 2 difference ones in Nothern VA - Tyson's corner and Fairfax. I saw 55txi and 54txi.

Tweeter and M.E... none of them have 56txi :(

Just called Hippo, they're out of 56txi too.

Called E.W. that shows up in the pioneer's auth'ed internet dealer list.
The price quoted from them was so much more than the one from www.dbuys.com that I can buy another 1014 as a hot swap backup receiver with it.

Any suggestion?

hmmm.... did Hippo's give you an estimate as to when they will be in stock? That's where I got my 59avi... they are great to deal with and fast. Their prices easily beat any other dealer's prices in this area. I know of one more Authorized Elite dealer around here... Gramophone in Columbia, MD... they may have other locations as well.

Well.. I didn't bother asking when it will in stock. I just went ahead ordering both from dbuys.com. Pretty good price that includes 3 year and 4 year Mack warranty + amex 1 yr warranty (?).

I'll just think of that extra savings as money for backup receiver when it needs to be serviced (if it happens).

BTW, it's such a pain to watch Terps BB this year... I just hope they make it to the big dance and somehow meet #1 seed. Looks like they play much better as a underdog.

hehehe... yeah... Terps are way to inconsistent this year... the ACC tournament should still be interesting though, especially since it is being hosted in this area this time around :D

Have fun with the new receiver... I'll most likely buy one in the coming month or so... :)

Update. I ordered thru dbuys.com.

It's currently local Fedex hub. I should get it either tomorrow or no later than Wed.

They seem to be pretty reliable so far.

I called them up and asked if they're authorized dealer or not. They said no.
That seems to be the reason they have pkg deal with Mack service warranty, which kicks in right after the delivery according to them.

That still is way cheaper than the best (in-stock) price I could pull from Authorized dealer - that was enough amount to buy another pioneer 1014 backup receiver (of course I didn't buy it yet:).

I'll report back once it arrives.

btw, I just could not watch their game. I was afraid I would break something..

Hi,

I was wondering apart from the build, connections (audio and video) and amplifier sections; are there any other differences between 56txi and 59txt? Are DACs same? What about the video bandwidth?

I think the USB is different but am not sure. Correct me if I am wrong, I believe the USB port on the 56txi is USB 1.1 and only supports stereo. Whilst the one on 59txi does support multi-channel (is it USB 2.0?).

In any case, looking for signifiant differences between 56txi and 59txi to decide if it is worth going for 59txi?

thanks,

Ritesh

Originally posted by ritesh
Hi,

I was wondering apart from the build, connections (audio and video) and amplifier sections; are there any other differences between 56txi and 59txt? Are DACs same? What about the video bandwidth?

I think the USB is different but am not sure. Correct me if I am wrong, I believe the USB port on the 56txi is USB 1.1 and only supports stereo. Whilst the one on 59txi does support multi-channel (is it USB 2.0?).

In any case, looking for signifiant differences between 56txi and 59txi to decide if it is worth going for 59txi?

thanks,

Ritesh

Goto pioneer website and you can compare the two units. Honestly for the price difference, I'd go with the 56TXi and dedicated amp. Actually I did.

Kevin

I am also considering the 56TXi, but the depth (according to both US & Canadian Pioneer websites) is nearly 18 1/2 inches. Add cables and you are looking at 20 inches or so deep. Yikes, there goes the WAF!!

With the move towards thinner projectors (plasma, LCD, DLP) etc. has this depth been an issue with current owners and if so, how have you resolved it.

...Or then again, maybe the Pioneer website is quoting wrong dimensions.

Thanks for input.

The DAC's on the 59 are much better than the 56. The Chasis is a triple layer vs the 56's double layer. I still can't justify the price difference. You can get a 59AVi which has the same DAC's as the 59TXi receiver for around $1,000 and you get an awesome DVD player to boot.

Originally posted by revmike
I bought mine at hippo's home entertainment.


I'll 2nd that. Hippo's gave me an awesome deal on my 56TXi and 59AVi. Almost as cheap as internet dealers, but you get the 2 years Pioneer Elite warranty.

Originally posted by virus
The DAC's on the 59 are much better than the 56. The Chasis is a triple layer vs the 56's double layer. I still can't justify the price difference. You can get a 59AVi which has the same DAC's as the 59TXi receiver for around $1,000 and you get an awesome DVD player to boot.

yep, already got the 59avi, just thinking about a receiver or prepro with iLink for convenience.....further, currently I am using the anolog outs from 59avi and really good sound but even with SPL and a few weeks of struggling I just feel that perhaps the MCACCC (or whatever it is called), might do a better job than me, in lifting the overall experience even further....

Your statement is interesting though, so you are saying that 56txi has "inferior" DACs than 59avi? And that 59avi DACs are same as the 59txi?

I might just hold-off in that case...... and try to get the room-reponse etc. manually fixed for analog outs....

Thanks,

Ritesh

Ritesh,

I don't think any auto setup will do better than your own SPL.

I'm not quite sure this is the case but getting the 5.1 Analog source into receiver, I'm not sure it will be converted back to digtial and all those good dsp modes can be applied to it. Having it thru i.Link, it stays as digital and I'm sure all the digital processing can be done easily. Just my uneducated guess.

Originally posted by hellcat
Ritesh,

I don't think any auto setup will do better than your own SPL.


Hmmmm.... the impression I got reading this and other threads was that it does indeed do a fabulous and in many cases even much better job....


Originally posted by hellcat
I'm not quite sure this is the case but getting the 5.1 Analog source into receiver, I'm not sure it will be converted back to digtial and all those good dsp modes can be applied to it. Having it thru i.Link, it stays as digital and I'm sure all the digital processing can be done easily. Just my uneducated guess.

Well, if I DO get it then I plan to use iLink from my 59avi.

Ritesh

Originally posted by hellcat


I don't think any auto setup will do better than your own SPL.

Actually, many of them can do things a LOT better than a SPL. When considering that if someone is just using a SPL meter, they can't even come close to doing the same things or even have the adjustments to do the same things like what many of the better auto-EQ setup do, and can do it all automatically.

Originally posted by ritesh
[B]yep, already got the 59avi, just thinking about a receiver or prepro with iLink for convenience.....further, currently I am using the anolog outs from 59avi and really good sound but even with SPL and a few weeks of struggling I just feel that perhaps the MCACCC (or whatever it is called), might do a better job than me, in lifting the overall experience even further....

Your statement is interesting though, so you are saying that 56txi has "inferior" DACs than 59avi? And that 59avi DACs are same as the 59txi?

I highly doubt the diffences between the DACs in the two Pioneer AVRs are audible.

As for an SPL meter doing as good a job as setup -- I don't see how it could, since the automated setup adjusts things like delay and EQ as well as level, to within .5 dB. And MCACC can apply different sampling windows to either factor the room reverb in or out of the final DSP.

You'd need an SPL meter, plus some other measuring gear, plus some CPU to crunch the numbers, to do all that. And then you'd have to input all the adjustments to the AVR manually.

Originally posted by krabapple
I highly doubt the diffences between the DACs in the two Pioneer AVRs are audible.

As for an SPL meter doing as good a job as setup -- I don't see how it could, since the automated setup adjusts things like delay and EQ as well as level, to within .5 dB. And MCACC can apply different sampling windows to either factor the room reverb in or out of the final DSP.

You'd need an SPL meter, plus some other measuring gear, plus some CPU to crunch the numbers, to do all that. And then you'd have to input all the adjustments to the AVR manually.

This is the exact confidence boosting post that I was looking for AND it's these sorts of posts which attracted me to 56txi after my recent DVD Player purchase....thanx ! Just for clarification though, I am NOT sure that I am doing a good job just with SPL and thus got attracted to this AVR.

One question though, does it have various crossover settings for different speakers to do the bass-management? In short, I am curious what settings are available for bass-management; EVEN IF one doesn't need to care for any of the manual settings as the MCACC takes care of it all.....

Thanks again,

Ritesh

"I highly doubt the diffences between the DACs in the two Pioneer AVRs are audible."

The sound differences are definately noticeable between the two sets of DAC's. I called Pioneer tech support and the tech actually opened up 59AVi and the 59TXi to make sure the DAC's were the same. According to him they were. I haven't verified this myself. Even with the superior DAC's on the 59AVi, I prefer the sound over i-Link. The MCACC does a great job of making music sound fuller and richer. That is of course subjective, but from reading through the many threads on this subject, I'm not in the minority on this one.

After reading some threads on the 1014, there seems to be a problem with it in that it can't properly decode or detect a digital stream from certain sources such as Dish Network receivers and such. Other guys in the rear projection forum are having similar issues with the 1014 and their Mitsubishi DLPs. Does the 56txi have any such problems? I have a Mitsubishi DLP and it seems that the 1014 may have some issues with it... I was wondering if the 56txi had any similar problems in accepting a digital stream over coax...

Originally posted by virus
"I highly doubt the diffences between the DACs in the two Pioneer AVRs are audible."

The sound differences are definately noticeable between the two sets of DAC's.

wellllll....absent positive results of a level-matched DBT where the DACs are the only variable, I'll remain skeptical, thanks. The two AVRs are excellent devices, and I fully expect either to do its job well. (My 56Txi seems to, at least).

I called Pioneer tech support and the tech actually opened up 59AVi and the 59TXi to make sure the DAC's were the same. According to him they were. I haven't verified this myself. Even with the superior DAC's on the 59AVi, I prefer the sound over i-Link. The MCACC does a great job of making music sound fuller and richer. That is of course subjective, but from reading through the many threads on this subject, I'm not in the minority on this one. [/B]

I'm certainly with you there. And I'm looking forward to getting an ilink-able player myself (perhaps the now-almost-mythical Yamaha S2500) -- but mainly to streamline bass management, speaker delay, and that nest of wires currently infesting the area behind my gear rack. ;>

Originally posted by ritesh
This is the exact confidence boosting post that I was looking for AND it's these sorts of posts which attracted me to 56txi after my recent DVD Player purchase....thanx ! Just for clarification though, I am NOT sure that I am doing a good job just with SPL and thus got attracted to this AVR.

One question though, does it have various crossover settings for different speakers to do the bass-management? In short, I am curious what settings are available for bass-management; EVEN IF one doesn't need to care for any of the manual settings as the MCACC takes care of it all.....

Thanks again,

Ritesh


Well, you can set different speaker sets ot LARGE or SMALL -- the latter get a crossover (bass management), the former get a full-range signal. And you do have choice of crossover points for SMALL. But I don't think you can set *different* SMALL sets of speakers to *different* crossovers in the same setup. I could be wrong though -- would need to check this with the manual and rig in front of me. It's not something I've done in my setup, for sure...everything's crossed over at 80 Hz.

There are several crossover points to choose from -- I'll have to look at the menu to tell you who what they are, though. Maybe someone else can beat me to it.

.

On the 56TXi you have 50, 60, 80 and higher if you wish.

50/80/100/150/200

no 60

Originally posted by virus
I called Pioneer tech support and the tech actually opened up 59AVi and the 59TXi to make sure the DAC's were the same. According to him they were.

I really doubt that any tech support person opened up a 59AVi and a 59TXi, while you were on the phone, or that he even had access to them to do such a thing while on the phone. And I doubt it even more, that they even would do such a thing anyway, just because you called them to ask about it. What did probably happen, is that he looked it up on his "spec" sheet, or a schematic. And then he relayed it back to you, as what they showed it as having for the DAC's.

not that it matters but the 56TXi uses AKMs and the 59AVi (and the 59TXi)uses Burr Brown. There is a lot more to these pieces than those chips. ;)

Originally posted by Johnla
I really doubt that any tech support person opened up a 59AVi and a 59TXi, while you were on the phone, or that he even had access to them to do such a thing while on the phone. And I doubt it even more, that they even would do such a thing anyway, just because you called them to ask about it. What did probably happen, is that he looked it up on his "spec" sheet, or a schematic. And then he relayed it back to you, as what they showed it as having for the DAC's.

Actually, he looked it up on the spec sheet first and then he said, "I'm going to open them up to verify". It did take a few minutes for him to do this and it sounded as if he was working on it in the background. He didn't put me on hold and this was an actual tech, not the help desk. The help desk transferred me. Again, I didn't see it, but the guy never gave false information and seemed straight forward and honest in his responses.

Can anyone confirm if BOTH 56txi and 59txi support PQLS? Or is it just the 56txi?

Thanks,

Ritesh

Both support PQLS through i-Link.

It happened last week when watching Ray, and this week watching another movie. Everything is working fine until the movie we're watching goes through a layer change. Then, the sound goes out. The 59AVi flashes "link check" on the display, and my 56TXi receiver does the same, but the receiver switches to my Cable box input, and the link does not reconnect.

Does anyone have any idea what this could be?

I am so glad to have finally found a forum for us Pioneer owners. There are so many Yamaha and Denon people and so few Pioneer people (so it seems anyway).

I have the 54TX, I traded my 56TXi in and got the lesser of the two. In retrospect I wish I hadn't, but it's too late now, as my 30 "trial" is over. I am very happy with the sound of the 54, just wish I went a little future proof. At the time, I didn't think the ilink mattered, but I guess I was wrong. Oh well.

Anyway, I am using the 54TX as a pre for my B&K AV5125. I just prefer to let the receiver do the processing, and the amp do the amping. My question is with regards the Pioneer Line Level output/impedence. The manual states that those numbers are 335mV and 2.2kOhms respectively. Most pres seem to have an output of at least 1V, the Pioneer is listed at 1/3 of that. I called Pioneer Tech Support and all they could do was quote the manual. But they did say that the volume acts as a tenuator, unfortunately they could not elaborate on that. So what the heck does all of this mean? Is the line level output of the Elite Weak?? I can't imagine that's the case, but I certainly need some help understanding. Thanks, Brian

Originally posted by bri1270
I am so glad to have finally found a forum for us Pioneer owners. There are so many Yamaha and Denon people and so few Pioneer people (so it seems anyway).

I have the 54TX, I traded my 56TXi in and got the lesser of the two. In retrospect I wish I hadn't, but it's too late now, as my 30 "trial" is over. I am very happy with the sound of the 54, just wish I went a little future proof. At the time, I didn't think the ilink mattered, but I guess I was wrong. Oh well.

Anyway, I am using the 54TX as a pre for my B&K AV5125. I just prefer to let the receiver do the processing, and the amp do the amping. My question is with regards the Pioneer Line Level output/impedence. The manual states that those numbers are 335mV and 2.2kOhms respectively. Most pres seem to have an output of at least 1V, the Pioneer is listed at 1/3 of that. I called Pioneer Tech Support and all they could do was quote the manual. But they did say that the volume acts as a tenuator, unfortunately they could not elaborate on that. So what the heck does all of this mean? Is the line level output of the Elite Weak?? I can't imagine that's the case, but I certainly need some help understanding. Thanks, Brian

I remember reading somewhere that the input impedeance of the amp is 10x(+) the output impedence then you can drive the amp to full power. So what the numbers are telling you is that your 54TX line level outputs will drive your amp to maximum power output.

Kevin

I have both the 56TXi and 59AVi DVD player. In the 56's setup, I have the SACD set to off. This allows me to select between Direct and MCACC functions. When it's switched to ON, it's direct. The manual doesn't explain this very much and I have some questions.

1) When this option is switched to ON, is it using the DAC's in the 59AVi?

2) With this option set to OFF, is it using the DAC's on the 56TXi?

Any other info would be greatly appreciated.

How do you have it hooked up? Analog? ieee 1394? both?

I actually have it hooked up to both the i-Link and the analogs, but I'm specifically talking about the i-Link. I will be unhooking the analogs as they don't sound nearly as good to me.

How are you guys setting up the sub? I just got the Wharferdale DX-12 from a good price. I didnt see any reviews on this sub, but it cant be THIS bad! I have a feeling I am doing something wrong with the set up throught 56txi. I orginally had my mains and center set at LARGE and the sub auto set to YES. I had the Bass Peak level set at -40 and the SW at +4 and it seems like the main speakers still give out 10X more bass then my sub. :confused: I want to know if this sub is a POS or if I'm setting it up wrong. I'll probably return it and get an Outlaw sub, but I want to give this guya fair chance just in case I might be doing something wrong in the set up. Any suggestions?

If you have the fronts set to large you will have to change your sub setting to plus instead of yes. If it's set to yes, the sub doesn't play at all during cd's. Honestly, you should probably set you speakers to small and set your crossover to either 50 or the default of 80. Large and small settings are commonly mistaking for the actual size of the speakers in their inclosure. The large setting is really for full range speakers from 20-20,000. Most speakers either can't go this low or don't sound good this low. It's better if you let the sub do most of the bass work.

Virus, with the ilink connection you are defiantly using the 56TXis digital to analog converters. Im surprised the analog inputs don't sound as good in your system. Maybe you have a lot of MCACC processing your accustom to.

Deaf-ears, why is your Bass Peak level set to 40 db down. You have set-up issues. Most systems I have set-up have been in the -6 to flat and beyond. Go back in there and adjust bass peak level until you hear the sub being over driven (ie, popping or making funny noises), then turn it down just enough till it gets clean. Leave your subs volume (on the sub itself) set at around 50%. Remember that the this setting (bass peak level) is the maximum level you sub will ever see. I also agree with virus, set your mains to small and cross everything over at 80HZ. That plus setting is stupid because it creates a doubling of bass. Not good if accuracy is your goal.

Even with the i-Link with no MCACC processing sounds much better than the analogs.

hmm, did you set-up the 59AVi correctly (ie, channel levels/distance)? I've sold quite a few of these combos and have found the opposite to be true. Not that the 56TXi is a bad receiver (i have one), its just the BBs and the analog section in the 59 is that much better. Same holds true with the Denon DVD-3910 and the Marantz DV-9500.

I have a question on the 56.

I am in the process of set up and have auto calibrated already with the mcacc, have my speakers set to small (even though there large) and have my subwoofer set to yes.

It sounds excellent on DTS and DD with plenty of bass output from the subs HOWEVER when I put in a cd and listen to either 5 or 7 channel listening mode in digital I get NO Bass Output from my Subwoofers!
Haven't been able to quite figure that one out yet and any advice is surely appreciaeted. Thanks.:)

I have the distance level on the 59AVi setup, but I don't have channel levels set. Frankly, I don't know how to do it. I realize the DAC's on the 59AVi are of much higher quality. I realized last night that I had to change the SACD option from off to on for multichannel SACD's to work properly. Otherwise they would only play from the fronts. When this option is set to on, the MCACC doesn't work. I would appreciate any advice you could give me Tom.

Hi all,
I've the european version of 56Txi and I wonder if I can install Burr Browns instead of AKMs... someone knows if it's possible and where I can find electrical schemes of this receiver ?
Many thanks in advance!
Best regards

Angelo

I own the 56txi/59avi combo. I have seen several posts here about the ability of the 56 to deliver auto eq via ilink. When I use the ilink feature the MCACC lite shuts off and it seems that I am getting a direct stream from the 59avi's dacs and no auto eq. I'm guessing that if I use the six channel out connections that I will be able to get the auto eq with my sacd's but then i lose the convienence of ilink. So my question is...is it possible to get my sacd's auto eq'ed via ilink?

I don't have the 56txi (yet) but do have the 59avi. After skimming through the manuals, it seems that you need to set SACD playback to multi-channel under the 59avi setup menu (page 73 of 59avi manual). In addition, you need to set the 56txi SACD Direct mode option to OFF to get MCACC EQ applied (page 40, 41 and 80 of 56txi manual). Setting Direct to ON in the 56txi will bypass all DSP in the receiver.

Umd,
Thanks for the info...hate it when the answer is right in the manual and I overlook it. I do have the correct settings in the 59avi but I remember setting the 56 direct mode option to on thinking this was needed to get the surround channels to work. When I first tried to play sacd I only got front channels so I went in and turned anything having to do with sacd to on. In any event I am so far very happy with this combo and will be more so if this works.

Well,
Went into the 56 sacd setup and turned direct mode off. Now the mcaac stays lit but the rear channels are off...set it back to on, mcaac is off rear channels are on. Am I missing something here?

So you get no sounds from your surround channels? Only stereo?

Did some one ever see refurb 56txis?

Yeah when I turned off sacd direct i got no sound from the surrounds...when its on I get sound from surrounds but no mcaac...must be a way to do it I just can't figure it out...unless the only way is the 6 channel outputs

You surely can't get the MCAAC with the analog inputs... you will need to adjust the speaker and levels from the 59avi if you do that. Everything should work over iLink... are you sure all the other processing is turned off?

Originally posted by Audioelite
I have a question on the 56.

I am in the process of set up and have auto calibrated already with the mcacc, have my speakers set to small (even though there large) and have my subwoofer set to yes.

It sounds excellent on DTS and DD with plenty of bass output from the subs HOWEVER when I put in a cd and listen to either 5 or 7 channel listening mode in digital I get NO Bass Output from my Subwoofers!
Haven't been able to quite figure that one out yet and any advice is surely appreciaeted. Thanks.:)

some questions before I try an answer:

When you play a CD in *stereo*, do you get sub output?

By '5 or 7 channel mode' for CD , do you mean Dolby Pro Logic IIx?

Are your connections all digital , or are you using any analog inputs?

Is the MCACC front panel light on? Are all 'direct' modes turned off?

Originally posted by gman8691
I own the 56txi/59avi combo. I have seen several posts here about the ability of the 56 to deliver auto eq via ilink. When I use the ilink feature the MCACC lite shuts off and it seems that I am getting a direct stream from the 59avi's dacs and no auto eq. I'm guessing that if I use the six channel out connections that I will be able to get the auto eq with my sacd's

No, you won't: auto EQ does not work on the multichannel analog inputs (AIUI, it does apply level settings..not sure about delay settings...but does not apply EQ settings).

but then i lose the convienence of ilink. So my question is...is it possible to get my sacd's auto eq'ed via ilink? [/B]

I'd like to know too.

Umd,
I fooled around with this thing for an hour with 3 different sacd's and still cant figure it out but I know this has to be able to work somehow. I have another post on this issue in another thread and am waiting for a reply from a 59/55 owner who says his works. Asked him to post his settings for both units and am hoping I have made an error with my config. Thanks for the info on the analog outputs krabapple.

am trying one with Sony 60XS955 via HDMI, PQ is simply mind blowing. Any sony owners? May I get some feed back tweaking..

Ok...I have the answer to applying mcacc on sacd's via ilink...on the remote
toggle thru the Effect/CH SEL (same as number 4 button) while in ilink mode with sacd playing untill you get direct off...ilink stays lit and mcacc is applied. With dvd-a this can be donr with the stereo/direct button on the remote. Am not sure if this is in the manual but I could not find it (or it's possible I just did not understand the procedure) but anyway it does work!;)

hehe... glad to know that it does indeed work. Direct mode defeats all DSP and thus you get no MCAAC... it states that many places as Notes in the manual I think... there may be some confusion between Direct Mode and the SACD direct setting. They are two different things.

Yes that is definately what caused the confusion but it became clear after I fiddled with the remote WHILE I was playing a disc instead of going into setup on both units... remote is a little complicated and a few of the explanations are hard to follow in the manual... or maybe I'm just kinda thick :p . Never had such a complex and versatile peice so I sort of expected to be stumbling around a bit. That being said, I am really enjoying learning how to use this reciever/universal player combo and am extremely happy with the quality of sound I'm getting...btw...do you have any good recomendations for buying sacd and dvd-a on line? My local CC no longer carries them and best buy is short stocked as well.

When I play movies or surround SACD's or DVD-A's, I get subwoofer output. But not with CD's or stereo only SACD's. My sub is connected by RCA cable to the receiver's sub output. Is there any setting I can change to get sub output with stereo sources?

Do you have your speakers set to large? The 56txi almost always sets the speakers to large and this may be causing your problem. Go back into surround setup and and check to make sure you have all speakers set to small and sub set to yes...also you need to make sure they are crossed over at 80hz...to do this go to page 82 in the manual

can any one tell me if there is any substantial difference in sound between 55txi and 56txi, for HT only ? (I understand the 56txi has a better MCACC, but overall is the SQ much improved ?)

I can have a very gd deal on the 55txi. I dun need the additional power and DPL IIx. Just plain old DD and DTS 5.1 setup. So wondering if the 55 is sufficient. The player is 59avi.

thanks

hey there,

have a 56txi w/ everything hooked up. i have the sub connected via rca cable to the sub output on the back of the receiver.

here's my question: how come i don't get any bass when just playing music out of my sub. is there a setting i need to adjust? i've been tooling w/ it and haven't come across anything that seems to work. i'm using the 59avi connected w/ the i-link as a source.

any ideas would be fantastic. thanks.

az ryan

If you have your speakers set to large, then the bass will be passed thru to them instead of the subwoofer. Reset all speakers to small and the crossover to 80hz. This should now send the lfe to the sub instead of the speakers.

well, I just today received my 56txi. I wasn't expecting it to be so huge and heavy :D

Anyhow, it talks to my 59avi DVD player just fine. I need to set up everything and most importantly get some speakers now :o

Well after waiting months for the new house to be completed, ordered and mounted plasma (panasonic th50phd7uy) on the wall along with the paradigm on wall monitor speakers, only to find out that there is a problem with the tx56 right front speaker channel, any volume above a whisper and it shuts the unit down. All connections and speakers have been checked and re-checked. I'm going to be calling to find the nearest repair center after I complete this.

Another new 56TXI owner here. I picked it up yesterday, along with the 59AVI DVD. My local dealer made me a very fair package deal as well! Under $1,900 for the lot, 6 months same as cash, and a sealed THX Ultimate Demo DVD for the icing on the cake. My current setup is the following.

Rotel RSP-1066 Processor
Rotel RMB-1075 Amp
B&W CDM 9NT / CDM CNT / LM1 Speakers
SVS PB2+ Subwoofer
Denon DVD-2900 DVD
Sony KDF-70XBR950 LCD

My first impressions are mixed. First off, build quality & finish is top notch. Very beautiful gear. This is a very capaple HT processor, & capable is an understatement! It leaves my Rotel in the dust as far as speed & lag time is concerned. It is an absolute SPEED DEMON! I was getting very tired of the delays with the Rotel.

The advanced MCACC is the single most incredible thing that I've EVER seen for an AVR or processor. After running the full set, the 56TXI turned into a different beast. It really sweetened it up & seemed to tame my large room (40X30, 12' ceilings). To my surprise, it only turned the sub down 1 db. As far as sound goes, the 56TXI does not have near the power of the Rotel 1075. Reference level on my 56TXI is volume 0. I'm easily able to max the volume as well. The Rotel had gobs of headroom, punch, and sweet sound. I am going to have to get an amp it appears. The 56 seems a bit harsh & fatiguing compared to my Rotel. I have not tested the 56 with the Rotel amp yet, but plan to. That should give me a better idea.

Where the 56 really excells is the synergy that's created with the 59AVI. These 2 products are great performers by themselves, but together are really something special! It's SO nice to have 1 cable passing all my audio, and 1 cable passing all my video! The build, sound and picture quality on the 59AVI is awesome as well. I'll post my thoughts on the 59AVI in the appropriate owners thread.

That is a huge room... external amplification is certainly something you will need to have with probably any receiver you go with.

I also own both the 56txi and 59avi... they are a great combination. :D Enjoy!

I agree with the need for the amp. I have a contract pending on a new place with a carpeted 20X18 dedicated media room with normal ceilings. I MAY not need one there. I forgot to mention that I have tile floors & painted wood paneling as well! It's an acoustical nightmare. The MCACC has really helped. I'll never buy another unit without calibration & equalization. NEVER.

I also have the 56/59 combo. My room is fairly large (20x28 L shape) as well. I felt I needed more power too so I added a used Outlaw 770 seven channel amp that I got from Audiogon. It really made all the difference. Everything just filled out and even at reference levels, I get clean sound on all channels. The extra power has made my sacd/dvd-a listening so much more enjoyable with a much more defined sound stage and overall, a more rich and smooth sound. The mcacc has really simplified the whole process of set up. I have run it several times and moved my speakers and sub around a little each time. The Pio gets it right every time and I too would never buy another piece that did'nt do auto eq and speaker level/distance setup. That being said, I would sell my 56 in a second if someone would come out with a pre/pro with all the features of the Outlaw 990 and at the same low price plus firewire and hdmi.

I just bought a Parasound HCA-2205AT brand new & sealed off of ebay. $1400 is a pretty good price for that amp, not to mention I can pick it up in person. It should mate nicely with my B&W's, not to mention look awful purty next to the TXI :).

I have a question. I just ordered a 56TXi for $1275 but seem to be seeing it online for approx $900. I'm having second thoughts on this purchase now and am hoping to talk the dealer down. Does anyone have experience with Ensemble AV in Nashua, NH? They said I have seven days to listen and return if I didn't like. The only thing I'm not liking right now is price.

I would recommend to wait for yamaha rxv4600,, before jumping into this!

Nuzzy,

$1275 is par for the local dealers. The best I have found is $1052 from an Authorized Dealer. Best non-authorized is $879.

Well, my Parasound HCA-2205AT was delivered today. I got her all set up and running in about an hour. What a BEAST, 85lbs of fanless 220 watt goodness. I demo'd it with a SACD sampler as soon as I set it up. First thoughts were that it was a bit bright, but still good. It wasn't blowing me away like I thought. Still better, but not earth shattering. I could go loud as I wanted with no harshness at 0 like I was getting. Then I realized a funny thing. I forgot to turn the SUB on! I was comparing the straight 56 with sub to the 56 + amp with NO sub. I turned on the sub (PB2+ SVS), & ran MCACC again. I wasn't sure if I needed to MCACC again with the new amp, but did anyway. Whaddya know, my paramaters were almost all different.

Once I had it all done, I gave that SACD a re-spin. The SACD is a Rolling Stone promo sampler I got last year. Here are the tracks;

Bob Dylan-Simple Twist of Fate
Pink Floyd-Money
The Who-Pinball Wizard
Herbie Hancock-Watermelon Man
Norah Jones-Come Away With Me
Elton John-Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Billy Joel-Movin' Out
Miles Davis-Blue in Green
Aerosmith-Sweet Emotion


All I can say is HOLY MOLY! Putting Sweet Emotion on the end was a great move. This is an excellent track for multi channel. I was 13' from my frontstage, and feeling the air moving around me! Incredible. The amp has really taken the strain off of the 56. The 56 alone was simply not getting it done in my large (40X30) room. I was having some buyers remorse actually. My Rotel 1066/1075 combo was clearly better with music & high volume HT. It was much richer & less fatiguing. I think for most people, the internal amps are satisfactory, even great. I have a few difficult hurdles, namely a HUGE room and B&W CDM 9NT speakers that dip pretty low when whipped hard. At low-moderate volumes, the 56 had 0 problems. At moderate-high volume, there is no contest! I can see what all the Parasound fuss is about. It's an awesome product, and looks great next to the Elite stuff.

FWIW my Yamaha DVD-S2500 arrrived today,and I've posted some early observations on *audio* setup and operation as an ilinked partner for my Pioneer 56txi:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5702562&&#post5702562