The "official" The Onkyo TX-SR706 Owners Thread - Page 60

Originally Posted by bluesky636

PFM, I guess.

Originally Posted by Gryfter

I just ordered my 706 from accessories4less yesterday for $500, it should be here Friday. I will be ordering the Take-Classic speaker package at some point in the next 3 weeks but in the meantime I have an old Sony 5.1 bookshelf speaker system that I was going to use but I know absolutely nothing about these speakers (I don't even remember how I acquired them). They are all in perfect working condition (as far as I can tell) but would there be any reason why I shouldn't use these, can cheap speakers (or speaker wire) which I assume these are some how damage a receiver?

Originally Posted by Daffypuck

Well, It wasnt a wiring issue. I unhooked everything and turned on the receiver and it did the same thing as before. After an hour of caller the seller, the service shop & Onkyo, I finally got Onkyo to cover the dang thing. Turns out, the seller, if bought at store, was an authorized dealer. But if bought online, they arent an authorized dealer. Why? Heck if I know. But apparently the 'Hi-Fi gods were looking out for me and Onkyo decided to waive the issue and cover my receiver.
I wasnt so much looking for an answer, but was wondering if anyone else had run into this same problem.

Originally Posted by bluesky636

Does this happen with a specific game or all games? If it does not happen with other Dolby Digital sources from HD TV, DVD or Blu-Ray, it is not the receiver.

I still strongly suggest that if the XBOX passes audio via HDMI that you use HDMI for your video and audio input to the 706 and eliminate the extraneous switching paths and cables you seem to have in your systems. Using all HDMI will greatly simplify things.

This is what I said about the issues with Dynamic EQ and non-movie audio sources in an earlier post: "Finally, Dynamic EQ has a known problem in the 706 (and all other AVRs of like vintage) in that it is only useful when used with movies that have been recorded to the audio standard that I mentioned above. It has a tendency to overboost the bass and surround channels on music and tv. I find THX Loudness Plus to be more effective and useful for all input sources, not just movies."

The only issue with lossless audio that I am aware of is that if DD True HD or DTS HD Master Audio is recorded at its maximum bit rate, the 706 does not have enough DSP horsepower to apply Audyssey processing to the resulting PCM data.

The only issue with multichannel PCM I have run into is unequal volume levels in the individual channels. As an example, Terminator is multichannel PCM and I have to up the center channel by 2 db for clarity. I also noticed when watching the movie Serenity last night (DTS HD Master Audio) that the center channel when decoded had to be increased by 1 db for clarity.

Originally Posted by Paul_Martinsen

Hi everyone,

I'm having an intermittent problem with my DVD playback on my 706. I've been trying to see if anyone has had the same trouble but couldn't find it described in the forum, so maybe I have the setup wrong or was unlucky enough to get a faulty unit.

I have a TX-SR706 + BD-35 Bluray player + PT-AX200E projector. I see intermittent green glitches during playback on about 2/3 of the DVDs & Bluray disks I've played on it. It usually only occurs 1-2 times during the movie, but 6 times on one disk.

This really ruins the movie as I sit there waiting for the glitches to occur. It is a shame because the sound is much nicer than on my previous system.

Incidentally, when I say "green glitch", I mean I see a very very short (maybe only a frame or two) flash of green during playback.

I've spent a month trying to figure out where the problem arises since I bought the Bluray player & 706 at the same time and I wasn't sure which was the culprit.


I've found:

* No glitches if the video doesn't go through the 706. That is, I connect Bluray player to the projector (using an HDMI cable & HDMI repeater) & use optical digital cable from Bluray to 706. Of course, only dolby sound this way.

* No glitches if the video source is my laptop. That is, I play the DVD on my laptop and connect that to the 706 via HDMI. Playback on the laptop wasn't great though. Fast scene changes were sort of sluggish. However, I suspect the laptop is the culprit there.

* I never had any trouble during playback of the DVDs on my Yamaha system, though that was component video. I couldn't play Bluray on that system (hence the upgrade!).

* The glitches aren't repeatable. That is, if I "rewind" after seeing a glitch, it doesn't repeat in the same place.

* There was much discussion in this thread about overheating in early versions of the 706, but mine doesn't seem to run very hot. Also, it is the middle of winter here in New Zealand, so there is a bit of head room for temperature.

* If I use the HDMI repeater between the 706 & my projector I just see a blue screen. Sometimes it flashes as though it is trying to display an image, but it never stabilises. I imagined some kind of handshaking going on between the projector and the player that isn't working through the repeater & the 706. But if I connect the bluray player to the projector thru the repeater without the 706, playback is fine.

* The problem occurs both on standard DVDs and hi-def blu-ray disks, but I've tried setting the bluray output as standard DVD & letting the projector upscale. The projector often does a better job at upscaling, but the glitches remain when the signal passes through the 706.

* The bluray player has a "compatibility" mode. I had to turn this on to get a picture to begin with, but after I upgraded the bluray player's firmware it works in normal mode. I'm not sure what "compatibility" mode does, but the green glitches appear whether it is on or off.

* I have the 706 set to "pass-through" mode. Though from reading through this thread, it appears the 706 still decodes then recodes the HDMI signal.

The faultless playback when I connect the projector directly to the blu-ray player & the problem with the HDMI repeater when the 706 is in the loop has lead me, tentatively I must admit, to the conclusion that the 706 is the culprit. I couldn't find any settings that seemed relevant, but it could be I've not set it up properly.

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's seen a similar problem or can offer suggestions that might fix the problem. If it is a known problem, it will be easier to convince the store they should fix or replace my unit.

Kind regards
Paul.

Originally Posted by availingfaith

At least 3-4 times during a movie, the screen goes black and my TV says "Looking for signal". The audio is still playing. This lasts for a couple seconds before the picture returns. It happens so frequently on some DVDs that they are un-watchable. It seems to happen more with independent studios or low-budget indie films.

I bought it from Cruthfield and they offered to exchange it but I decided to see if the problem persisted once I upgraded to a BD player.

I guess I'm just going to have to get used to switching settings depending on source. I found turning off DynamicEQ when playing PS3 games helped but sadly, it never sounded anywhere as good as my Xbox360 or even standard DVD. But I was finally able to hear dialouge.

I have to use DynamicEQ with HDTV, Live Sports, standard DVD and my Xbox 360. If I have it off everything sounds flat, I BARLEY get any audio from my surrounds and I have to boost my sub just to get any bass.

I need to find someone local like you or lvtdude that I could pay and come listen / set this thing up.

Originally Posted by availingfaith

For your post above this one. I'm a graphic designer by trade so the Bitmap, JPEG, TIFF analogy worked out quite well.

I love everything about my Xbox 360. The sound and the picture. Why would I mess with it by hooking it up the same way that's give me problems with my PS3?

Processing lag is real. Whether or not it's enough to effect you is debatable, but it's existence isn't. This is the primary reason I have my Xbox video hooked straight to my TV and audio ran separately. So there's really no extra processing since I'm bypassing the AVR completely in regards to video. Also, I bought one of the first runs of Xbox 360's so I don't have a HDMI port on mine anyways. And finally, I don't use my 360 to watch movies so my connection is 100% gamming focused.

There's another reason. My 706 has issues converting component in to HDMI out. Any device I have hooked up via component drops the video signal randomly. I have several posts in this treads about it but never got an answer and Onkyo just keeps telling me to buy new cables. It was most prevalent when watching DVDs on my standard DVD player. At least 3-4 times during a movie, the screen goes black and my TV says "Looking for signal". The audio is still playing. This lasts for a couple seconds before the picture returns. It happens so frequently on some DVDs that they are un-watchable. It seems to happen more with independent studios or low-budget indie films.

I bought it from Cruthfield and they offered to exchange it but I decided to see if the problem persisted once I upgraded to a BD player.

I guess I'm just going to have to get used to switching settings depending on source. I found turning off DynamicEQ when playing PS3 games helped but sadly, it never sounded anywhere as good as my Xbox360 or even standard DVD. But I was finally able to hear dialouge.

I have to use DynamicEQ with HDTV, Live Sports, standard DVD and my Xbox 360. If I have it off everything sounds flat, I BARLEY get any audio from my surrounds and I have to boost my sub just to get any bass.

I need to find someone local like you or lvtdude that I could pay and come listen / set this thing up.

Originally Posted by acpmadness

Hey Guys,

I have my L, C and R speakers all set on -7.5dB. They're putting out about 72dB's. When I'm watching movies I run the 706 at about -17dB. I have a hard time hearing people talk in the movies, but when music or anything other sound comes on... I get blasted out. I was wondering if there is some setting I change to make the voices louder while not increasing the other sound.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by availingfaith

For your post above this one. I'm a graphic designer by trade so the Bitmap, JPEG, TIFF analogy worked out quite well.

I love everything about my Xbox 360. The sound and the picture. Why would I mess with it by hooking it up the same way that's give me problems with my PS3?

Processing lag is real. Whether or not it's enough to effect you is debatable, but it's existence isn't. This is the primary reason I have my Xbox video hooked straight to my TV and audio ran separately. So there's really no extra processing since I'm bypassing the AVR completely in regards to video. Also, I bought one of the first runs of Xbox 360's so I don't have a HDMI port on mine anyways. And finally, I don't use my 360 to watch movies so my connection is 100% gamming focused.

There's another reason. My 706 has issues converting component in to HDMI out. Any device I have hooked up via component drops the video signal randomly. I have several posts in this treads about it but never got an answer and Onkyo just keeps telling me to buy new cables. It was most prevalent when watching DVDs on my standard DVD player. At least 3-4 times during a movie, the screen goes black and my TV says "Looking for signal". The audio is still playing. This lasts for a couple seconds before the picture returns. It happens so frequently on some DVDs that they are un-watchable. It seems to happen more with independent studios or low-budget indie films.

I bought it from Cruthfield and they offered to exchange it but I decided to see if the problem persisted once I upgraded to a BD player.

I guess I'm just going to have to get used to switching settings depending on source. I found turning off DynamicEQ when playing PS3 games helped but sadly, it never sounded anywhere as good as my Xbox360 or even standard DVD. But I was finally able to hear dialouge.

I have to use DynamicEQ with HDTV, Live Sports, standard DVD and my Xbox 360. If I have it off everything sounds flat, I BARLEY get any audio from my surrounds and I have to boost my sub just to get any bass.

I need to find someone local like you or lvtdude that I could pay and come listen / set this thing up.

Originally Posted by Paul_Martinsen

Hi everyone,

I'm having an intermittent problem with my DVD playback on my 706. I've been trying to see if anyone has had the same trouble but couldn't find it described in the forum, so maybe I have the setup wrong or was unlucky enough to get a faulty unit.

I have a TX-SR706 + BD-35 Bluray player + PT-AX200E projector. I see intermittent green glitches during playback on about 2/3 of the DVDs & Bluray disks I've played on it. It usually only occurs 1-2 times during the movie, but 6 times on one disk.

This really ruins the movie as I sit there waiting for the glitches to occur. It is a shame because the sound is much nicer than on my previous system.

Incidentally, when I say "green glitch", I mean I see a very very short (maybe only a frame or two) flash of green during playback.

I've spent a month trying to figure out where the problem arises since I bought the Bluray player & 706 at the same time and I wasn't sure which was the culprit.


I've found:

* No glitches if the video doesn't go through the 706. That is, I connect Bluray player to the projector (using an HDMI cable & HDMI repeater) & use optical digital cable from Bluray to 706. Of course, only dolby sound this way.

* No glitches if the video source is my laptop. That is, I play the DVD on my laptop and connect that to the 706 via HDMI. Playback on the laptop wasn't great though. Fast scene changes were sort of sluggish. However, I suspect the laptop is the culprit there.

* I never had any trouble during playback of the DVDs on my Yamaha system, though that was component video. I couldn't play Bluray on that system (hence the upgrade!).

* The glitches aren't repeatable. That is, if I "rewind" after seeing a glitch, it doesn't repeat in the same place.

* There was much discussion in this thread about overheating in early versions of the 706, but mine doesn't seem to run very hot. Also, it is the middle of winter here in New Zealand, so there is a bit of head room for temperature.

* If I use the HDMI repeater between the 706 & my projector I just see a blue screen. Sometimes it flashes as though it is trying to display an image, but it never stabilises. I imagined some kind of handshaking going on between the projector and the player that isn't working through the repeater & the 706. But if I connect the bluray player to the projector thru the repeater without the 706, playback is fine.

* The problem occurs both on standard DVDs and hi-def blu-ray disks, but I've tried setting the bluray output as standard DVD & letting the projector upscale. The projector often does a better job at upscaling, but the glitches remain when the signal passes through the 706.

* The bluray player has a "compatibility" mode. I had to turn this on to get a picture to begin with, but after I upgraded the bluray player's firmware it works in normal mode. I'm not sure what "compatibility" mode does, but the green glitches appear whether it is on or off.

* I have the 706 set to "pass-through" mode. Though from reading through this thread, it appears the 706 still decodes then recodes the HDMI signal.

The faultless playback when I connect the projector directly to the blu-ray player & the problem with the HDMI repeater when the 706 is in the loop has lead me, tentatively I must admit, to the conclusion that the 706 is the culprit. I couldn't find any settings that seemed relevant, but it could be I've not set it up properly.

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's seen a similar problem or can offer suggestions that might fix the problem. If it is a known problem, it will be easier to convince the store they should fix or replace my unit.

Kind regards
Paul.

Originally Posted by acpmadness

Hey Guys,

I have my L, C and R speakers all set on -7.5dB. They're putting out about 72dB's. When I'm watching movies I run the 706 at about -17dB. I have a hard time hearing people talk in the movies, but when music or anything other sound comes on... I get blasted out. I was wondering if there is some setting I change to make the voices louder while not increasing the other sound.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by lvtdude

Are you actually measuring the 72 dB with a meter? I'm assuming so, and that you are measuring them one at a time.

I don't know what settings you are using, but I'm guessing you're using a surround mode with the center mode set wide, so the main speakers are handling the dialogue instead of the center.

I think we need more info about the speakers, program material and your settings before we can really help much.

Originally Posted by lvtdude

Are you actually measuring the 72 dB with a meter? I'm assuming so, and that you are measuring them one at a time.

I don't know what settings you are using, but I'm guessing you're using a surround mode with the center mode set wide, so the main speakers are handling the dialogue instead of the center.

I think we need more info about the speakers, program material and your settings before we can really help much.

Originally Posted by bluesky636

Is -7.5 what you get after running Audyssey?

Originally Posted by bluesky636

Did you run Audyssey according to the procedure on the Audyssey thread?

Originally Posted by bluesky636

Have you tried posting this problem on the Audyssey thread?

Originally Posted by acpmadness

Yes I used a SPL meter on one speaker at a time.

By surround mode set to wide do you mean the 4 option under sound adjustment? If so it is set to "wide". But I hear dialogue coming out the center.

Mains are Def Tech BP6 and Center is Def Tech CLR2002.

Here are my settings under speaker adjustment...

Originally Posted by acpmadness

Yes.



No.



No.

I didn't know there was a proper way to run Audussy. I thought you just hit start lol

Originally Posted by acpmadness

Yes.



No.



No.

I didn't know there was a proper way to run Audussy. I thought you just hit start lol

Originally Posted by WhskyTangoFoxtrt

Try this.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...5#post14456895

Also, you may consider bumping that LPF of LFE to 120Hz

Originally Posted by bluesky636

Beat you to it.

I never liked setting the LFE at 120 hz. I never heard any real difference at 120 vs 80. Also, my sub's adjustable filter maxes out at about 180 and if I use 120 on the LFE, bass is localized at times. So I set the sub to 120 and the LFE to 80 and it works great. I think it is best to experiment in this area.

Originally Posted by bluesky636

Beat you to it.

I never liked setting the LFE at 120 hz. I never heard any real difference at 120 vs 80. Also, my sub's adjustable filter maxes out at about 180 and if I use 120 on the LFE, bass is localized at times. So I set the sub to 120 and the LFE to 80 and it works great. I think it is best to experiment in this area.

Originally Posted by primetimeguy

Well, the LFE channel contains sound up to 120hz and is the dedicated output to the sub, so if there is sound there it is meant to come out of the sub. If you set the LFE to 80hz you are potentially losing some of the dedicated LFE track.

Your sub crossover should be set to max, or 180 in your case to take it out of the equation and the the crossovers in the 706 do what they need to.

Originally Posted by WhskyTangoFoxtrt

Quick on the draw partner.

What do you have your crossovers set to? Do you have a steep roll-off from your sub?

Originally Posted by bluesky636

Not everyone will agree with that claim. Read "LFE Integrity" in this article:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volum...rs-9-2002.html

The article is a few years old, but I believe it is still valid.

And like I said, if I set my sub crossover to 180 and the LFE to 120 I hear no difference in the LFE channel BUT the bass is noticably more localized to the right corner (where my sub is located) on many soundtracks I have listened to.

So, I think I will stick with an 80 hz LFE.

Originally Posted by primetimeguy

I don't believe it is valid for the 706 or any other receiver that has a specific LFE crossover. There would be no point in having the LFE crossover if that were the case and it would have no effect. But you are right in that changing it from 80hz to 120hz you may not hear much difference because typically there is not much above 80hz in the LFE. But having your sub crossover at 120hz you are cascading crossovers, which is usually not a good thing.

Originally Posted by bluesky636

Well, first of all, the LFE is not a "crossover," per se. The LFE setting is a variable low pass filter. The "crossover" is (in my case) at 80 hz from the LCRs and surrounds to the subwoofer. I think you are forgetting that the LFE is a separate, discrete channel, the ".1" channel. All LFE content is in that channel. Crossing the mains over (setting them as "small") mixes the bass from the main speakers into that channel for output to the sub (at 80 hz and below).

And as far as cascading crossovers go, my sub does not have a LFE input or crossover bypass option. So, following Audyssey recommendations, I intially set the sub crossover to 180 hz (the max setting) and the LFE to 120 hz. Doing so resulted in occasional localization of bass from the LFE channel (the other speakers were crossed over at 80/90 hz). I reset the sub to about 120 hz and the LFE to 80 hz and the localization disappeared. Audyssey appears to have no problems compensating for the sub crossover. Any problems in that area would result in an inaccuarate distance setting due to the time delay of the additional sub filter. The Audyssey calculated sub distance is actually dead on the physical distance. The only speaker that Audyssey has a problem with is the right rear surround (system is 7.1) which measures 6" closer than it physically is, due I think to a reflection off the ceiling where it slopes down closer to the speakers on the right side.

Originally Posted by bluesky636

WOW!

Not sure where to start here.

TO expand on what WTF said, make sure the 706 is in "Through" mode. In Through mode the 706 just acts as an HDMI swtich. There is no processing or decoding/recoding of the HDMI. WHat goes in is the same as what goes out. Make sure ANYTHING that would do any video processing is turned off, including the Immediate Display. Most of the video processing defaults set things to off.

If by "BD-35" you mean the Panasonic DMP-BD35 Blu-Ray player, I have the same machine. No problems at all. I cannot find anythign in the owner's manual about a "compatibility mode." Can you describe it further or tell me where you found it? I did find a vague reference on page 39 of the BD35 owner's manual about pressing the stop and play buttons simultaneously to switch to a "more compatible" HDMI mode, but I have no clue what that means.

Repeaters can be funny things. If they don't match the interface exactly, they won't pass a signal. HDMI is a little finiky too. it doesn't surprise me that a repeater works in one configuration but not another.

As far as the "green flashes" go, have you ever watched the sun set over the Pacific Ocean? I have seen green flashes then, but not on my tv. Just joking. I not sure what they could be. Here is an odd thought, though: you say it is winter in NZ. Could you possibly be having a static electricity issue that is somehow affecting your system? You say the flashes are random and don't repeat when you rewind (such a quaint term in this age) back to where they occurred.

Don't know what else to suggest.

Originally Posted by WhskyTangoFoxtrt

Do you have the Immediate Display switched off?