The "official" The Onkyo TX-SR706 Owners Thread - Page 42

I agree, and here's a pic of DIY "scraps" tripod adjusted for listener's head position.
(I placed it closer to back for actual Audyssey setup.)

I just shortened two legs on the tripod to make it lean back further and got it right where my head would be.

2-Celestion SL6si -3dB @75Hz (Front L&R)
2-Powered 12" ACI DIY Sub 25-150Hz (Front L&R corners-can't move)

I used the rule for setting crossover point to go one octave above the point of rolloff. In this case Celestion rolls off at 75Hz, so I select 110Hz as the crossover point between the Front (Celestion) and the Subwoofer for a hopefully seamless blend.

The one powered sub in right front corner feeds 4-Buttkickers in theater sofa


Just ran the Audyssey and here's results:

Audyssey Setup results:

Subwoofer Yes
Front Full Band
Center 40Hz
Surround 70Hz
Surr Back 80Hz (THX)
Surr Back Channel 2Ch
LPF of LFE 80Hz (THX)
Double Bass On

Left +0.5dB
Center -0.0
Right -0.0
Surr Right -1.0
Surr Back R -2.0
Surr Back L -3.0
Surr Left -2.0
Subwoofer +0.0dB

The Bass is clean but very strong. Should I try setting fronts to 80Hz and sub to 110?

Is anybody running this AVR with M&K 750 series LCR and surrounds?

I am wondering how the amp handles the 4 ohm speaker loads?

Perhaps I would be better off with an 805 or 876?

Thanks.

I think I'd try them both at 80 Hz. With the 110 Hz setting on the Celestions and their natural rolloff you're probably 9 dB down (or more) at 75 Hz.

Inaccurate or slightly different. You could probably interchange those two words and both would be correct. There is merit to the mindset that the body is a reflection point. Either way the difference will be minimal if any and I certainly wouldn't purchase a tripod just to do the setup, since I already have one I use it but the mic can be placed with with some creative thinking and household items most people already have on hand to keep the might positioned straight up.

Now it doesn't really matter how Audyssey "figures" it as long as I am satisfied with the results, right?

Sure, you could do that -- I used the word innacurate because that is the term Audyssey uses and is referenced as such in the 706 Owner's Manual.

Right. Enjoy.

I posted this on the Official Audyssey thread and thought I would post it here too.

FYI, I placed the mic on the top of my couch for two positions and on a tripod for the other four.



I just recalibrated my room (I have an Onkyo TX-SR706 AVR.) using the procedures contained in this thread and am very pleased with the results. I had previously calibrated the room following the instructions in the owner's manual and was happy but the bass didn't sound quite right.

My sub does not have an LFE input so I set the crossover (on the sub) to 120 hz (Max is 180 but I had previously found that setting to sound rather bloated and boomy in previous calibrations.) with the sub amp gain set at 1/2.

On the speaker setup menu of the Onkyo I set all the speakers to "Full" and the sub crossover to 120 hz.

After running 6 points around my listening position the speaker distances came back within a few inches of what I measure with a tape measure. The -3 db points were as follows:

Front, 40 hz
Center, 60 hz
Surround, 90 hz

I set all 5 speakers and the LFE crossover to 80 hz (Yeah, I know you are not supposed to LOWER the crossover from the measured -3 db points, but what's 10 hz among friends. Besides, 80 hz is easier to remember.).

Gain values came back as:

Front, -6 db
Center, -4db
Right Surround, -7 bd
Left Surround, -8 db (I have a slight echo on the left that Audyssey apparently can hear better than I can.)
Sub, -4.5 db

I prefer my surrounds slightly louder (Def Tech BP2X bipoles that are actually mounted behind me due to the room configuration.), so I set the gain on them to -4 db. I also bumped the sub up to -3 db.

My reference for music bass is the Holly Cole CD, "Don't Smoke In Bed." It has a great double bass that can sound very boomy if not set up right. With the Audyssey settings the bass is very tight and deep. It sounds like it is in the room with you. Very impressive.

For movie bass and low-freq effects, the footsteps of Ironman as he is stomping through the cave are downright frightening!

Surround settings usually take a few movies to get right so I will be tweaking those for a little bit.

All in all, I must say that I am very impressed.

Hey guys

This is really serious
Based on your response I'll keep/cancel my sr706 order before it's shipped...

Here comes another True HD question:
I was in the market for my first receiver and after many research and stuff I finally picked sr706 over yamaha 663. I wanted something with True HD thinking it'd be future proof...

But then my mind was blurred by a talk at another forum when they said "if you have a source that can decode true hd (like samsung bd-p2500 blu ray player) then you don't need a receiver that has true hd decoding. And in a short time of hd evolution, every reader will be true hd decoding, so having a receiver with that capability is just a waste of money... It would be nice if you had one 2 years ago when the players like bdp1500 were not capable of it, but it'll be a dead investment (in terms of extra money gone into the true hd decoding capability) in a short while (a year)...

That confused me, and I may cancel my order. On the other hand, I heard great things about 706 and ordered it from 6ave for $486 shipped (It's on back order and they had a delay from Onkyo, so they are expecting to see the shipment at mid week next week)... While it's an amazing price in my opinion for this receiver, I'm confused about this whole True HD decoding receiver is unnecessary comment...

So what do you say?

I can't say in the future that every player will have HD decoders built in, my guess is it will be more common than it is now but there will be lesser priced options that don't and I totally disagree about it being a waste of money, even if you don't need them now who knows what the future holds and why limit yourself if you're investing in a new receiver anyway.

They are correct about the fact that if the decoders are in the player it's not a must to have them in the receiver. My take on it is why limit yourself unless you're on a budget and go for something like a marantz 4002 refurb for half the price but doesn't have all the other options the 706 has. Even if you're using a player like the PS3 which does the decoding, what if you switch in the future, then your options on players are more limited and expensive.

I've had the 706 since December and very happy with it. DynamicEQ alone is a selling point to me which is only available with Denon, Ingetra and Onkyo.

It's your decision but you got it for an incredible price, less than MSRP of the 606 or 663, I would keep it and not look back. It's a feature packed receiver that sounds awesome.

Definitely it is more important to have a receiver that decodes TrueHD than to have a source that does. If you choose to have a receiver that does not decode it, the only way you can get TrueHD from your source would be through analog audio inputs (5.1 or more) going from your source to analog audio inputs on your receiver. What happens if you have more than one source that your using to decode TrueHD? Unless you use some kind of external switch you can't do it; most receivers have only one set of analog audio inputs. On the other hand, if your receiver has TrueHD decoding capability, you can hook up multiple sources via HDMI to it.

Players with TrueHD decoders decode it to PCM which is then transmitted over HDMI. You can use the multichannel analog output if your player has one and you prefer to use its DAC's, but you don't have to.

The nicest thing about having a receiver that decodes TrueHD and DTS-HD is that the indicator lights up on the receiver. Sounds stupid, but it gives people a lot of security that they're playing the right track and have things setup correctly.

LOL I stand corrected. The 'positive feedback' from your receiver is kind of nice, though. On the 706 it actually spells out on the display that you are listening to TrueHD or DTS-MA.

lvtdude,

Changed front mains from Full to 80Hz(THX)
" Center & Surrounds to "
Subwoofers to 80Hz(THX)
" Dble Bass and Loudness Plus Off

Result: Less Bass impact (feel), but clearer dialog and all around sound.

Details below, and thanks for your input,
sgibson

[left]
2-2 Speaker Configuration My Adjust
Subwoofer Yes
Front * Full Band 80Hz(THX)
Center Full Band 80Hz(THX)
Surround 80Hz (THX)
Surr Back 90Hz
Surr Back Channel 2Ch
LPF of LFE 80Hz (THX)
Double Bass Turned Off


2-4 Level Calibration
Left +0.0dB
Center -0.5
Right -1.0
Surr Right -1.5
Surr Back R -2.5
Surr Back L -4.0
Surr Left -2.0
Subwoofer -2.5dB


2-6 THX Audio Setup My Adjust
Surr Back Spacing >4ft
THX Ultra2/Select2 Subwoofer No
BGC ---
Loudness Plus Turned Off

Try it with Loudness Plus turned on (Unless you are using Dynamic EQ). It helps to restore the bass at lower levels. My standard playback level is -16 db and the bass (With the settings I described in a previous post.) is thunderous but tight.

I find I prefer THX Loudness Plus over Dynamic EQ. The Dynamic EQ brings the soundstage too far forward for my tastes. Also makes the surrounds sound kind of hollow. Loudness Plus just sounds more "real" to me.

You had the double bass on before. With the Celestion's lack of bass, I think you could go with double bass, but this would obviously increase the workload of the Celestions and reduce their dynamics.

If you leave double bass off, maybe try to keep the Celestions crossed over at 80 Hz and bump up the sub crossover. You might keep that clarity and increase your bass impact.

Hi guys - does 706 have auto on feature - ie can it be programed to play a preset FM channel from 7-10 in the morning? How about from a different source, say dvd or ipod? I am guessing not since I dont remember setting any clock within the 706. If not, how do people do it?

About using a tripod:
I first did a quick & dirty setup holding the mic in my hand in 3 positions, a few days later I used my tripod for final measurements.
The distances to the front speakers and sub were a lot more accurate with tripod, resulting in better delay settings.
This is especially important in my setup with KEF 5000 wireless surrounds as Audyssey needs to correct an additional delay caused by the wireless transmission.
From the difference between actual versus measured distance I could derive a delay of about 20 millisecs for the wireless transmission.

Strangely Audyssey also raised the crossover frequency of my front speakers from 100Hz to 120Hz when measured with a tripod. I find the 120Hz setting to give a smoother bass transition.

no, nor do any receivers that I'm aware of.

Quick question about the 706's decoding abilities. How do I know if the 706 is actually decoding a DD TrueHD or DTS Master Audio signal from my bluray player? I have a Sony BDP-350, which as far as I know does not decode these formats on its own, but will output them in bitstream format for the 706 to decode. Currently when I am watching blurays, I set the bluray menu to "Dolby Digital TrueHD 5.1" or whatever, and the display on my 706 simply reads "Multichannel". Is this the proper listening mode for TrueHD, or should the display read something different if it is actually doing the TrueHD decoding. And if so, what settings do I need to change on my bluray player so that it will output the TrueHD signal in the proper bitstream format?

Currently the bluray is connected to the 706 through HDMI.

You're receiving multichannel PCM, not TrueHD bitstream.

Does it say "PCM "as well when it's showing mutlichannel on the display

If so I believe that's lossless audio. From the way i understand it, losless audio is a true uncompressed digital audio feed. Somebody want to elaborate?

It's the same sound, just decoded in the player, not the receiver.

Amazon says your player has built in Doby True HD decoding.

"Specifications
Audio Features

* Dolby : Dolby Digital (Decoding): Yes (HDMI bitstream out)
* Dolby Digital plus Decoding : Yes
* Dolby TrueHD Decoding : Yes (HDMI™ bitstream out)
* LPCM : Yes (multi-channel decoding): Yes (HDMI™ bitstream out)
* MP3 Playback : No
* dts Decoding : Yes (HDMI™ bitstream out)
* dts Output : No"

There are three types of "lossless" audio:

Dolby TrueHD
DTS HD Master Audio
Uncompressed multichannel pcm

Both the Dolby and DTS can be transmitted from a BD player in their native bitstream form and decoded by the receiver, or decoded by the player and transmitted as uncompressed multichannel pcm to the receiver.

Uncompressed multichannel pcm can be the basic audio tracks on the BD and transmitted in that form from the player to the receiver.

Right, so now how do I get the bluray player to output the bitstream so that it can be decoded by the 706?

What I suspect is happening is that my bluray player (again, it's the Sony 350) is decoding the TrueHD on its own and sending that to the receiver via a multichannel PCM signal, as somebody mentioned before. This is fine with me, and it sounds great, but I just want to be sure and listen to the difference between the bluray decoding it and the receiver decoding it. I want to see the "Dolby TrueHD" listening mode appear on the 706 so I know it's doing the decoding.

I would suggest you start by reviewing the owner's manuals for both the Sony and the Onkyo.

Always good advice.

I would suspect that the Sony is set to output PCM, which should be a simple enough change to make. I'm a Ps3 owner though, so I don't have that option, but I am perfectly happy with it decoding the signal.