*** After not getting any definite answer on Audio forum I'm posting the issue here ***

I got my Onkyo 604 today from ecost. Its a refurb but after opening it I was plensently surprised because everything looks BRAND new. Even the remote control looks brand new.

After setting it up I put on Resident Evil Blu-ray and was simply BLOWN away by the difference of sound quality compared to sound through optical cable.

Ok with that said, I two a questions

1) I have the Ps3 connected to the reciever via HDMI cable and whatever I play whether Blu-ray movies, games, mp3s or videos I only get two audio options "Direct" and "Multi Channel". Is that how its supposed to be or is there a setting for that too ?

2) I can understand that only Blu-ray movies, that might be the only option but for music...why can't I get other options like DD, PROLOGICII, NEO6 etc.

That is all the Onkyo will do.

It can only play the HDMI PCM as is, it can not do any extra processing. If you want the ability to use the other modes you have to go the optical/D. coaxial route.

That is all the Onkyo will do.

It can only play the HDMI PCM as is, it can not do any extra processing. If you want the ability to use the other modes you have to go the optical/digital route.

So that means, I'll have to run two cables from Ps3 ? One optical and one HDMU ??? :eek:

Are there any other receivers in 604 price range that can do processing on PCM ?

Ok with that said, I two a questions

1) I have the Ps3 connected to the reciever via HDMI cable and whatever I play whether Blu-ray movies, games, mp3s or videos I only get two audio options "Direct" and "Multi Channel". Is that how its supposed to be or is there a setting for that too ?

2) I can understand that only Blu-ray movies, that might be the only option but for music...why can't I get other options like DD, PROLOGICII, NEO6 etc.

1. Yes The Onkyo AVR's will detect what kind of signal is coming it. From the PS3 it shows Direct Multi Ch

2. Lil more complicated, but with the PS3. You have your audio via HDMI it's sends everything as LPCM. Even if it's just 2 ch audio (remember the audio options in the ps3 had several options chosen) If you are listening to a 2 ch cd. you can choose to select the stereo option on the 604. It shouldnt be too much of a difference, as the PS3 is sending 2 channel to the 604, but it's doing so in a "Direct Multich" connection via HDMI.
Basically the PS3 is doing all the decoding (if need be) and the 604 sees it all a direct Multich
If you want to use the DSP funtions with the 604 connect via optical. This will allow the 604 to do the decoding. And allow you to see the Dolby D signal from the PS3. Read the 604 Manual it shows you what DSP modes are available with a certain input.. Having said that. Not many are available (for the 804 that i have) running LPCM. Which is a lil dissapointing. I like the sound of THX processing, and couldnt use THX while I watch the Departed on BD not via LPCM

So that means, I'll have to run two cables from Ps3 ? One optical and one HDMU ??? :eek:

Are there any other receivers in 604 price range that can do processing on PCM ?

No when using HDMI on the PS3...optical isnt an option...cant do both

Defeats the purpose.. The device sending the PCM has already processed the signal..why would you want to reprocess it again?

No when using HDMI on the PS3...optical isnt an option...cant do both

Defeats the purpose.. The device sending the PCM has already processed the signal..why would you want to reprocess it again?

I don't want to process the signal again..but I was just wondering about it. But what I would like is to listen to cds and mp3 with sound coming out of all speakers...which does not happen now, with Ps3 connected via HDMI.

I don't want to process the signal again..but I was just wondering about it. But what I would like is to listen to cds and mp3 with sound coming out of all speakers...which does not happen now, with Ps3 connected via HDMI.
Ok that is reprocessing the signal. The cd is decoded as it's meant to be heard..2ch stereo. To make it play in all speakers..requires more processing. If this is what you really want..go optical. You'll lose out big time on BD movies, LPCM for the Departed was 4.6 Meg..Same move DD..460K..A Big difference...you can hear.

Ok that is reprocessing the signal. The cd is decoded as it's meant to be heard..2ch stereo. To make it play in all speakers..requires more processing. If this is what you really want..go optical. You'll lose out big time on BD movies, LPCM for the Departed was 4.6 Meg..Same move DD..460K..A Big difference...you can hear.

Yes I know for a fact that there is BIG difference between LPCM and DD....and thats why I was blown away by it when I watched my first Blu-ray on new receiver.

Oh well, I guess...I'll just leave it as it is...because after all sound quality of Blu-ray movies is more important than listening to music in 5.1 :)

We are dancing around the problem.

HDMI will only pass a Digital PCM signal. The 604 will only play a Digital PCM signal as is. The PS3 turns the 2 channel audio into Digital Multi-channel PCM with sound on the L and R and all other channels muted, and this is all the receiver can play.

You need analogue PCM for the receiver to be able to work it's speaker multiplying magic on the 2-channel stuff.

The only way to have it both ways with the PS3 is to connect both optical and HDMI, and turn on the HDMI audio for BR and switch back to optical for non-multi channel audio.

I did this for about 3 weeks then just stuck with the optical.

You will need to spend a bit more for the features you want. :(

We are dancing around the problem.

I did this for about 3 weeks then just stuck with the optical.

You will need to spend a bit more for the features you want. :(

Really!? WOW.. I'd much rather listen to music in 2Ch than have it matrixed to 5.1.. Plus I listen to a lot of SACD's and the PS3 doesnt support SACD via optical..at all. To each his own i guess.

We are dancing around the problem.

I did this for about 3 weeks then just stuck with the optical.

You will need to spend a bit more for the features you want. :(


Well, after hearing the difference in sound quality from HDMI over Optical in BD movies...I don't think I can go back. I can live with just stereo sound for cds.....after all thats how its supposed to be.

You guys are posting to fast. :D ;)
Really!? WOW.. I'd much rather listen to music in 2Ch than have it matrixed to 5.1.. I never said I wanted to do that. It is what the OP wished to do.

I use optical because I watch a lot of movies off the HD, and play a lot of PS2 games. I do not "expand" these things, but I use the receivers PEQ and other setting in the receiver for optimum playback in my room.

Also a full 5.1 DD bit rate signal sounds better than the LPCM with my present setup, because of the way my system is optimized. I'm not going to redo my setup so that the small amont of BR audio played is correct at the expense of everything else that takes up a good 90% of my AVR time.

I'll take the full bit rate DD 5.1 for BR movies, until I decide to do a AVR upgrade in a few years when they straighten this HDMI stuff out. ;)

Gotcha. I dont do movies off the HD...and I use my Sammy DVD for regular DVD's My 804 can process that just fine.:D I only use my PS3 for BD and SACD..and of course games.

I just got this receiver and new Velodyne Front Row speakers with a BIC H-100 sub woofer. To any PS3 owner looking for some of the best 5.1 HDMI sound possible for a reasonable cost, I can't recommend all of these items enough. I made the purchases after weeks of reading a ton of stufff on this and other websites; I couldn't be more pleased.

Onkyo 604 - $370
BIC H-100 sub - $230
Velodyne 5.0 Front Row speakers - $200

Total: About $800 (I had a Sony Card - $150 discount).

Movies, music and games sound absolute amazing over my 10 year old setup that was replaced. Anyone who picks this up will be pleased. I watched Black Hawk Down today and with the volume booming you can hear so much detail without distortion it's unreal.

As to issues brought up above, you can connect HDMI and Optical from the PS3 simultaneously into the 604. You'll have to change HDMI/Optical back and forth from the XMB menu, but I'm fine staying with HDMI even though you can't manipulate the audio like with Dolby over analog. Like what was said above you are listening to the intent of the music makers.

All I need to do now is figure out this problem. I want my Cable Box to send a S-Video signal to my DVD recorder, which sens it's upconverted visuals to the receiver via HDMI for display on my HDTV via HDMI. I can watch DVDs fine this way, but no TV stations are coming up. Is it impossible to get a picture through the receiver with an HDMI connection if I used an S-Video cable to connect the cable box and DVD recorder?

Ok with that said, I two a questions

1) I have the Ps3 connected to the reciever via HDMI cable and whatever I play whether Blu-ray movies, games, mp3s or videos I only get two audio options "Direct" and "Multi Channel". Is that how its supposed to be or is there a setting for that too ?

2) I can understand that only Blu-ray movies, that might be the only option but for music...why can't I get other options like DD, PROLOGICII, NEO6 etc.

I've figured something out! Well, sorta...

Messing around with the receiver and the PS3 options, I can happily report that it IS possible to use every single Listening mode format over HDMI, not just Multi-channel and Direct. That includes Dolby Digital, DTS, All Channel Stereo, Neo6, and other DSP effects. The problem is, I'm not sure how I did it. :p

Currently my download of Tekken 5: DR will auto-switch to Dolby Digital whenever I turn the game on (it is saved on the hard drive). I get the red the Dolby symbol in the receiver's window, it says "Dolby D", and it also reads HDMI which confirms that it is indeed the connection type being made. As a double check, I pulled out my PS3's Optical cable, and the sound was still coming through.

So not only am I getting DSP effects over HDMI, the 604 has saved the setting so it switches whenever I play that particular game. I can't reproduce it for other games just yet. Maybe it is in part related to the receiver's settings for the Input Setup menu... I have everything clicked as "Last Valid", so that's maybe why it remembers to switch. When I end Tekken, it ends early.

Also, the setting may have come about when I was manually switching to Optical when playing Tekken just so I could access the other options. I no longer need to do that for the game now that it still works in HDMI.

If I can't figure it out again, maybe someone else can make it work on their setup. At least we know it's possible, so no doubt you can apply it to music and other stuff as well.

Joe Blow,
What sound format did the receiver originally receive with Tekken 5 DR and other games?

It came out as PCM Multi-channel or Direct before.

You must be getting a Dolby Digital bitstream sent over HDMI. In that case, the receiver should be able to apply the processing. Perhaps Tekken only supports Dolby Digital, not LPCM?

You should really check out the receiver forum for more info. There is a thread for Onkyo receivers.

The PS3 can send audio as bitstream or PCM over both optical and HDMI. If sent as bitstream, then the receiver will do the decoding. If sent as PCM then the PS3 does the decoding. The recommended option is PCM over HDMI if the receiver supports it.

Modern receivers can further process the sound (bitstream or PCM) for room equalization & special DSP effects (Dolby Prologic II, concert halls, etc...). You'll want to consult your manuals.

I can't find a way to go bitstream with HDMI except if I turn off the PCM 5.1 modes in the PS3's XMB audio menu. It works that way, but it doesn't save it when I play other games besides Tekken after changing it back to PCM. There has to be a way since I did it once.

BTW, I feel dumb for finding this out late... several of the Blu-ray movies don't have audio options in the main menu. You have to go to the PS3 sub menu by hitting the triangle button, then select the music note to change between your options. I didn't know this at first, and was only running Audio 1 for awhile, which is the Dolby 5.1 track for several movies like The Departed and Black Hawk Down.

I knew my flicks weren't sounding "full" for some reason, but after changing to PCM audio for high-def sounds, everything came to life like it should. I don't know about others, but there is a huge difference (not just in volume) between Dolby 5.1 and uncompressed PCM 5.1

You guys are posting to fast. :D ;)
I never said I wanted to do that. It is what the OP wished to do.

I use optical because I watch a lot of movies off the HD, and play a lot of PS2 games. I do not "expand" these things, but I use the receivers PEQ and other setting in the receiver for optimum playback in my room.

Also a full 5.1 DD bit rate signal sounds better than the LPCM with my present setup, because of the way my system is optimized. I'm not going to redo my setup so that the small amont of BR audio played is correct at the expense of everything else that takes up a good 90% of my AVR time.

I'll take the full bit rate DD 5.1 for BR movies, until I decide to do a AVR upgrade in a few years when they straighten this HDMI stuff out. ;)

I am about to buy the 604 so wondered, if I calibrate the speakers using a BD on the PS3 (connected via hdmi). If I then watch a sd dvd on my dvd player (connected via optical), will the speakers not sounds as good (I don't mean quality wise as I know LPCM is better than 5.1 dd - but rather callibration wise)...

I am about to buy the 604 so wondered, if I calibrate the speakers using a BD on the PS3 (connected via hdmi). If I then watch a sd dvd on my dvd player (connected via optical), will the speakers not sounds as good (I don't mean quality wise as I know LPCM is better than 5.1 dd - but rather callibration wise)...
Just connect the mic that comes with the receiver and let it auto calibrate it. Once calibration is complete it works great for all type of inputs.

I am about to buy the 604 so wondered, if I calibrate the speakers using a BD on the PS3 (connected via hdmi). If I then watch a sd dvd on my dvd player (connected via optical), will the speakers not sounds as good (I don't mean quality wise as I know LPCM is better than 5.1 dd - but rather callibration wise)...

It should be the same, provided the PS3 is outputting the proper levels. (There is or was an issue with a Samsung player attenuating the PCM output.)

BTW, do you know of any BDs for sound calibration? I'm not aware of any.

It should be the same, provided the PS3 is outputting the proper levels. (There is or was an issue with a Samsung player attenuating the PCM output.)

BTW, do you know of any BDs for sound calibration? I'm not aware of any.


Thanks for your answers guys that has eased my concerns.

Sorry, SirDrexl my post came out wrong, I didn't realise it came with a mic so wondered about using a calibration dvd (not bd) through the PS3.

Thanks for your answers guys that has eased my concerns.

Sorry, SirDrexl my post came out wrong, I didn't realise it came with a mic so wondered about using a calibration dvd (not bd) through the PS3.
you don't need a blu ray calibration dvd or regular dvd either, the 604 has it's own sound when using the 604 mic calibration. it's very good and does the sound adjustments from several viewing/listening positions. it will tell you when to move the mic and that is about the most you have to do besides plug the mic in and be silent while it does it's magic lol . dd and dts sound very good as well after the calibration by the onkyo. good luck and enjoy!

Really!? WOW.. I'd much rather listen to music in 2Ch than have it matrixed to 5.1.. Plus I listen to a lot of SACD's and the PS3 doesnt support SACD via optical..at all. To each his own i guess.

I agree. The only exception was NIN With Teeth in 5.1 (Dual disc, DVD side). That was freaking amazing. But that's the only disc that I own that does the 5.1. Otherwise, 2 channel is the way to go. Question though.... What about the sub? If its only 2 channels, do you lose out on the boom?

I agree. The only exception was NIN With Teeth in 5.1 (Dual disc, DVD side). That was freaking amazing. But that's the only disc that I own that does the 5.1. Otherwise, 2 channel is the way to go. Question though.... What about the sub? If its only 2 channels, do you lose out on the boom?

If the receiver does bass management, low frequencies in the two stereo channels can be routed to the subwoofer. That's the whole point of bass management really, to hear the low frequencies that smaller speakers can't produce.

The 604 is a fantastic receiver. You are hearing the sound of a premium wound transformer in there, not the chinese knock off most common consumer electronics brands use. Onkyo used to be just a high end transformer manufacturer, and it shows in thwir receivers.

that said, I think you should still be able to switch surround modes while PCM is being fed. This will give you access to the receivers DSO modes, and will allow listening to music on all speakers. That aside, there is no reason to want the receiver to decode what the source can decode. There will be no difference in sound qualityt. PCM is uncompressed audio, so it doesn't matter where it is decoded.

Enjoy the 604. You will never want to go back!

If the receiver does bass management, low frequencies in the two stereo channels can be routed to the subwoofer. That's the whole point of bass management really, to hear the low frequencies that smaller speakers can't produce.
Yes what he said. :D BUT with my 804 I have to turn on the stereo mode in order to activate the bass management. If I leave it on Direct. It doesnt do bass management.