*Official* Denon AVR 1909/789 Thread - Page 361

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The most common reason is likely that the person using the headphones is hearing impaired.

Just a quick question to see if others have experienced this. Turned on the tv/avr this morning before I left for work. All the icons (center, LFE, right, left, etc.) were just flashing and the sound was that weird "clipping" type sound kinda. THis was the 1909 and my comcast dvr 3416 connected hdmi. I powered everyhting off and then back on and all was fine. Just never expeienced this in over 2.5 years of owning it. Hope it's not a sign of something bigger.

Well, there is one person who is hearing imparied so rather than turn the volume really high I though headphones would be the work around.

Any recommendations on a wireless pair, does not have to be very expensive but just want something that will not get much interfearance and good sound and perhaps be able to add a second pair to it down the road.

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Sennheiser makes good quality wireless headphones at various price points. You'll have to check with them to find out if they make a dual headphone transmitter stand. I use the RS-140 (no longer in production) and am quite pleased with them as I can even travel around the house with little to no break in audio.

I second Sennheiser...I have the RS 160 and they are hands down one of the finest headsets I have heard. Corded has nothing on these and yes, go around the house, even outside, and the sound is perfect. Excellent battery life & more great features. Over a years usage and still like brand new.

Any echo or delay when using the headset and having the speakers on? I have read some have lip sync issues.

None that I've ever experienced.

I know I just asked this the other day but it did it again today. This time I powered just the 1909 off but the problem continued after I powered it back on. So< I powered everything off via the harmony remote (tv, 1909, cable box doesn't really turn "off") and everything was fine. Does this sound like an hdmi issue or a receiver issue?

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If it's not happening with other sources, then it could be the DVR. Try resetting both the DVR and the AVR to see if that resolves your issue.

Thanks for the reply. Just so I'm clear do you actually mean reset the AVR as in back to factory defaults? Same question for the DVR? I did think about powering it off the next time it happens but since it never has to "power off" to fix the issue I wasn't sure if that would matter.

Yes ... reset to factory defaults.

I have been using AR/Acoustic Research/Advent wireless closed back headphones and have been very happy with them to watch TV and movies late at night. They can be had for cheep as open box/used units and the latest set (can't remember the model number) takes just 2 AAA rechargeable NiMl batteries and has a charging/transmission stand.

Sennheiser wireless does have better sound and I thought that some of their lower end units are made by the same folks that make/made the Advent/AR units? Anyhow they looked identical years ago when I got into these.

This is likely a faulty HDMI connection/cable or misbehaving Moto DVR. Before you reset the 1909 to factory I would check your connections and cables and then reset the Moto box by unplugging the power for a min. or two then plugging it back in. You will loose your programming guide for several min. for upcoming stuff and the 14-day in the future for up to 24 hours+ but it is the only way to fully reset it (other than calling your cable provider and asking that a 'hit' be sent to it to reset it. Pulling the plug effectively does the same thing). Some providers also have an automated phone in trouble shooting that will reset it for you also, if it is difficult to get to the plug. I'm sure Comcast in your area has the feature. You basically call in and select the options that you don't have picture and sound etc. and eventually you get to an option to send a signal to the box(s) in you home.

If you have the DCH-3416 (silver front with lots of black in the middle) I recommend that you request a DCX series (DCX-3400 all black) box from Comcast and make sure it is running at least 22.65 firmware. The older boxes have many more issues with HDMI than the newer series. I have not upgraded to the whole house DVR feature yet and I understand there is newer firmware for that feature.

I have had some video issues with my DCX-3400 connected to the 1909 then to the TV through the TV (a Sammy DLP) once in a while, but rarely issues with the DD signal syncing with the AVR, if at all. I use HDMI control to keep the pass-thru running when the AVR is off for TV only viewing. Also when everything does the HDMI handshake I end up with 720p and I have a macro in the Harmony to restore the cable box to 1080i. That is an issue with my TV when going through the AVR. Not a big deal, but annoying. And I get different results with HDMI control on and off (the part that is required for standby pass-thru).

If you happen to be running the cable box to your TV then optical back to the AVR then you could have a faulty Toslink connection/cable, but sounds like you are not doing that. BTW - if you continue to have issues that is another way to go and much more reliable. I use the full HDMI through the AVR since all my TV inputs are used. I do have a TV optical audio return to the AVR for OTA viewing already so I have toyed with the idea of rewiring so that the AVR will pull less power in standby, but I'm too lazy to change things (like add macros to mute TV audio etc.), but i would gain an input back on the AVR so that might be worth it.

thanks for all the info mr. kludge. I think I'll start with just resetting the DVR tomorrow. It is the 341 BTW. I have heard of the newer DCX models but last time I called (few months ago) comcast said they didn't have any. I might as well call them in the morning just to check.

And the DVR is going straight to the TV and the optical is going to the AVR. I will doublecheck connections while I'm resetting the DVR.

thanks again.

Ah, in this case you probably have a faulty toslink cable or connection, a bad optical port on the DVR or it just needs to be reset. Could also be a faulty optical in on the AVR (try the other one for grins). I have had a couple toslink cables go bad that I sourced from Monoprice and I just E-mail them and they send me new ones. The optical fibers could also be dirty so you can try to clean them with an alcohol swab or qtip dipped in some rubbing alcohol. If your optical cable has been kinked or placed under some weight it can break or damage the fiber. I would check for bad/loose connections first, as it is rare for these things to go out, even after many years of use, then check for a faulty cable and port on the AVR 2nd. Your symptoms sound exactly like what I got years ago when I tried to use a Monoprice optical switcher on my old AVR-486. The Denon could not handle the extra loss introduced by the switcher and when I contacted Mono they indicated that their cheep switcher is not compatible with Denon. I would get either no signal or broken up audio with indicators flickering like you described.

I'm being offered a killer deal on this amp but it won't come with accessories. I don't need the remote, but how can I get a mic? Any ideas?

Several on line vendors sell the DM-A409 mic including eBay sellers (although use US sellers only as overseas mics tend to be knock offs) for about $25. Also, they can be purchased from one of Denon's authorized parts distributors listed on their website. Also note that the Owner's manual can be downloaded from Denon's Downloads website.

Beautiful! This helped me make my mind up. Thank you very much!

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As you are buying a used AVR, before starting the AUTO SETUP process once you get the mic, reset the microprocessor as listed on p. 64 in the Owner's manual. This will return all the previous owner's settings (including Audyssey) to factory defaults. Also note that this model is known to lose speaker audio due to dust in the headphone jack ... so if that occurs, then take a can of compressed air and blow into the headphone jack or simply take a headphone plug and insert/remove it a few times (actually I would do this as preventative maintenance from the beginning to avoid the issue).

I'll also just note that I have ever-more-frequent issues with this receiver losing sound if I pause or rw/ff an hd audio blu-ray, until I reset the source (hitting the "source direct" button.

I really like this receiver and am really impressed with Denon's build quality and customer service. I upgraded the firmware, and it didn't help. It is really annoying and apparently there is nothing that can be done about it except buy a newer receiver.

I'm keeping mine for a while, but thought you should know about this issue before pulling the trigger. It has something to do with new mastering techniques for the audio on these movies that apparently wasn't occurring when the 1909 was released, and can't be addressed via software fixes.

Hopefully this isn't too off topic. i had to replace my old Samsung blu ray player today. While setting up my new one (Panasonic DMPBDT110) I couldn't remember in the audio section whether to choose the Bitstream or PCM option. I have the blu ray going hdmi into my 1909.

You can choose either. If the 1909 didn't decode all of the audio codecs you would want PCM. But since it does you can either let the bluray player do the decoding (PCM) or the Denon (bitstream). I let the denon do it (and get the cool blue light! )

Thanks. Yep, Now I remember. I had my other one set to where the Denon gets the Blue Light.

I will make sure those two things are what I do first. I see you're a wealth of great information. I'm glad I finally decided to join.

This only happens depending on what HPD player you are using. It happens with my Samsung BD-UP5000, only with BIG studio DTS-HD MA releases (small label movies never do it). However it is more infrequent now that I have the latest firmware on the 1909. When I had a 1610 for a few weeks that problem went away. It is very easy to get the audio going in my case. I can hit pause, then play, or use the audio Mode Auto button on the remote (which I have programed into a button on the Harmony) which causes a re-sync or I have programed chapter skip buttons on my harmony (the ^v scroll buttons) to include the Mode Auto code after the skip and that works very well. Yes, annoying, but I'm so used to it now that when I am playing a DVD or a disc encoded with something other than DTS HD-MA I tend to start to go for the mode auto button after chapter skips and ff/rw. I've just gotten used to it over the years and hardly a reason to replace my dual format player (which is pretty hard to do now) or dump the 1909. Mine will be in operation until it gives up the ghost or the genie gets let out.

Thanks for the clarification Mr. Kludge. I use a ps3, and this issue happens almost every time I pause and try to play again. I have set up the additional button on my Harmony, but I still find it annoying. Plus, it should be pretty easy to talk the wife into a newer denon, since she finds it annoying and we both want hdmi overlay for volume.

In that case, just make the play button a macro and add the Mode Auto code after the play code for the PS3, or you could program a different button to do that for you. Personally I'm a tightwad and can't justify another several hundred for a new AVR, esp. since the newer Denon's lack 7.1 analog inputs and I'm also too cheep to update my SACD/DVD-audio player to something that outputs to PCM on HDMI.

Hmmm. I don't know why I didn't try that. I've always only considered macros with the customizable buttons on the screen. Ok, wish me luck, I'm about to attempt to use the Harmony software again. eek.

Good luck! I think it is called a "sequence" or "link" in the Harmony software, but it's been quite some time since I have had to be in there myself.

Well, that worked. No problems now. Thanks a lot for taking away a reason to upgrade! Now it would just be for more hdmi ports and hdmi overlay....which I can't quite justify.