B&K Reference 70 Owners Thread - Page 3

Thanks Jim,

Anyone else?


John

I'm curious how most of you have hooked up your SR10 remote to your PC?

I bought a cheap USB to Serial cable of Ebay and have tried every driver for this thing and can't get a connection despite no errors with the drivers for the USB/Serial adapter. What brand are you guys using - Belkin?

Don't buy these cheap no name adapters. Live and learn.

Jim, notch filters are very helpful, but I don't think you can really compare their use to the Audyssey implimentation.

My thoughts too. He also has an "acoustically neutral room" which few of us can claim.


John

the sr10 is a rebranded UMC MX-700. You can go to http://www.remotecentral.com for more info but they are stating that these two cables work fine for a usb to serial adapter:

sabrent sbt-usc6m (apparently doesn't have a vista driver)
or a belkin F5U109 (does have a vista driver)

Followup: I ordered the Belkin F5U109 from an ebayer for ~$14 and it worked perfectly to program my B&K SR10.1 (mx-700) through vista.

I was able to make the connection to the remote using a iConcepts PDA USB Adapter. Most definitely a "cheap no name" USB to Serial adapter.

Funny thing though, my Keyspan USA-19H USB to Serial adapter, which I use to connect to Mitsubishi and Allen Bradley PLCs and Proface HMI touchscreens wouldn't work. The iConcepts gadget won't work with the PLCs or touchscreens, so these are obviously very finicky devices.

Just make sure that the store you buy the adapter from has a good return policy, and find the one that works... YMMV as always!

I'm just looking at the Ref 70 to replace my Onkyo. I don't know much about the Ref 70 at this point. Can you tell me anything about the sources you've been reading that talk about the new board and audyssey?

Thanks

One more question - on my current prepro, I can press a button and it lets me use my prepro for biamping. Does this unit have a similar feature?

I upgraded from the Ref 50 to the Ref 70 two weeks ago and decided to let the dealer install the unit because no manual came with the unit. Everything seems as expected with the unit except for one thing. I get really loud popping noises (some may call it clicking sounds) every time I switch from one source to another. I think that I've read that some Ref 50 units did this too, but mine did not. I'm worried that the loud popping noise will damage my speakers. Does anyone know if there is a fix for this? I'm going to contact B&K to see if they know what I can do to minimize/eliminate the noise. Thanks for your help.

Cal68

lol, good luck. I'm sure you'll get a response about how they don't put anything in the path of the circuit because it sounds better this way and they won't/can't do anything about it blah blah... The clicks is one of the main reasons (and their lack of adopting new tech) I went elsewhere for my next receiver instead of back with B&K (I had a Ref 50 S1). The good thing about B&K is they'll always let you send it back to them for them to bench and replace parts at no cost besides what it costs you to ship it to them (and the loss of your receiver for 3 weeks).

I've heard this complaint from another poster somewhere else.

I had the 50 (S1) with early fw (some claimed that the problem was fixed with a fw update) and only experienced a mild pop via my sub when turning the pre/pro off. I later found that putting the 50 to sleep prior to shutting down solved the problem.

My 70 is much like my 50. I can hear very mild pops/clicks when changing sources but nothing that comes close to causing concern. It makes me wonder if the degree of severity is system dependent.

I'd call B&K and ask why some are hearing louder pops than others.

ck

Hi,
I am interested on buying this unit. I know that at the moment it lacks room correction, no decoding of advance audio codecs, it doesn't allow to display at 1080p at 24fps...
But in terms of bugs, what sort of issues does it have?

You can find all of the information here in the previous posts in the thread.


John

Search the thread below. SteveH (a dealer) talks about the company (not Audyssey) that may be handling the room correction.

Just a warning - it's long, gets off track and has numerous posts from trolls.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...ighlight=shoot

ck

Thanks.

Anyone hear anything new about the possible "trade-in/trade-up" policy for those of us who have older B&K gear (I own one of the massively snap-and-pop-plagued AVR507 S1's). It pains me to hear that the new model seems to have popping issues too.

regs,
Jeff

Chris,

Thanks for correcting my previous answer. I read so many things here in the forums that sometimes when there are multiple threads in which a specific product is covered at length, my memory confuses which is which after a time.


John

I have a Ref 70 and have no popping when switching sources.

grandmaster_yyc ,

Good to hear that your Ref70 doesn't have a popping issue. My AVR507 is plagued with two issues that I consider to be a PIA. One is the relay switching "clicks" when changing sources. The other is the much more heinous audio POPS when changing channels, sources or pretty much doing anything to cause brief discontinuities in the audio signal. I have a version 1 with 1.03 firmware on it. I've been told by B&K that they could fix this.... for the low low price of hundreds more dollars. Considering what I paid for this unit, and the fact that $100 receivers from Walmart don't have these issues, I never opted to spend even more money to fix something that never should have been in the product in the first place, IMHO.

That being said, could you clarify whether you mean there are no relay clicks or actual audio POPS that you don't have with the Ref70?

Thanks for your response.

Regards,
Jeff

I was told in June by the Houston area B&K rep that there would not be any trade-in or trade-up program. If that has changed, I'm not aware of it.

Wow, that's just fan-friggin-tastic. Was this at Audio Concepts off 59? I used to like that place back when the Indian guy was running the show (his name escapes me now). Since then, I've really disliked it.

So much for touting an upgrade path by going with B&K.

Regs,
Jeff

I talked with the area Manufacturer's rep. I believe he is in Conroe or The Woodlands. I agree with you re: Audio Concepts. They were very rude to me even before their new store, so how long has that been....10 yrs? I've never been back. Wish I could have given you better news.

Glad to know I'm not the only one memory issues!

ck

This seem like a pretty straightforward question, yet it remains unanswered.

My understanding (from the online manual) is that whether you use the multichannel analog inputs, or HDMI, "DVD-A" must be the selected input mode in order to playback multichannel PCM. According to the manual, all settings (BM, channel delay, notch filters, etc.) are bypassed when DVD-A is the selected input. Therefore, this unit is no more advanced than the Ref 50 in that respect. I assume that SACD (converted to PCM in the player) would be the same.

Is someone willing to clarify?

I think that it can be either 5.1 or 7.1. Harry Potter is 5.1 as far as I know. I only know of a handful of 7.1 titles.

Do you have the bass management and speaker delays set in your player? I'm almost certain that when DVD-A is selected on the Ref 70 it reverts to pure passthrough for audio.

I am in the market for a new HT preamp with HDMI 1.3 inputs. The B&K Ref 70 has been at the top of my list. I have just been waiting for B&K to fix the 24p pass-through.

When fed 5.1 channels, my current preamp (Anthem) will happily convert that to 7.1 using Dolby PLIIx to blend the side channels into the rear. I use this all the time.

Are you saying the B&K cannot do this? If the Ref 70 does not have the ability to use PLIIx to convert 5.1 into 7.1 for LPCM and bitstream, I will have to start looking for another option.

Thanks for any clarification.

John

That is what I understand from the manual relative to multichannel PCM. In order to handle 5.1 PCM you would select DVD-A input on the Ref 70, and no processing is applied the the DVD-A input.

The same question has been asked several times in this thread. Good luck getting a definitive answer.

I have a Ref70 and love its simplicity. The DVD-A question is easy as with the past units DVD-A was the pass thru and it seems to be the same with this unit. When I want MPCM/LPCM from my LGBH200 I select DVD-A and I get decoded PCM 7.1 listed on my system and it sounds great. I have this system hooked up to an NHT XD system with an 7.2 configuration. I have it connected via XLR cables and I get terrible clicks and popping even when selecting scenes on my BH200 or Integra DPS 10.5 DVD player. I was not shocked about the lack of weight because my other B&K unit was light and simple as well. I have owned alot of different pre/pros and the main reason I went back to B&K was this, and it may sound corny. I went because its made in the USA and right now, more than ever we need to buy american. With that said, I can attest this is a solid unit with a great simple look and sound on par with anything I have owned before. I have owned an Anthem D2, Lexicon MC12, Halcro SSP100, Integra DTC 9.8 and I currently have a Marantz AV8003 in my bedroom. The B&K Ref70 sounds as good and even better than some of those units mentioned. Now, I would like a few items added such as room correction. I have spoke to the folks at B&K and they assured me the new DSP was coming around march as well as a fix for the pops and clicks they know about. Technology has really narrowed the gap between ultra expensive high end and middle of the road. If you look at some of the sound tests and reviews you will see the days of 10K to 20K pre/pros are numbered because they are all using the same chips (DACs & ADCs) and processing as the middle of the road guys. I had a chance to speak to some nice folks at B&K and they assured me that the whole unit was made here in the US and that alone is sweet. My lexicon MC12s innards were all from china and that retails for over 12K. Now, I don't think the lack of HBR codecs is B&Ks fault, I put that on Freescale/Motorola as there software was not up to par and only recently was completed and approved. I applaud B&K for not just throwing out a unit with crippled software or hardware like some of the early adopters of the TI chipset that caused the "Boom" and audio dropouts. B&K has alot of experience with the Freescale chipsets so that will benefit us in the long run. I have also owned the Denon AVP and that is a monster with incredible sound and has every bell and whistle you could ever want and is arguably the best pre/pro on the market. Feature wise there is no comparison as it dominates all other Pre/pros and sound stellar as well. I gave that unit to my business partner and was about to buy another but got a deal on the Ref70 and since it used the same DACs I gave it a try and I will be sticking with this unit for a long while. B&K has some work to do on this unit, but I am confident they will come thru. I do tend to agree that the boutique guys use us as the testers and perhaps thats part of the fun of this hobby. Thanks from a new happy owner.

We are expecting lots of snow here in Connecticut today and I'm "working" from home.

I've been using the test tone generators to see if I need to think about usning the notch filters and I've seen some alarming findings.

My room is 20' x 20' x 12' high. I have Paradigm Ref 40's as fronts and the Ref 470 as the center and 4 ADP 470's as surrounds. I have the JL Audio F113 as my sub. It is et up in the back corner of the room. The Ref 40's are rated down to 36Hz.

When I start moving throught the frequencies I noticed that I'm getting almost no sound at 70Hz. Sound is at normal level at 60 snd ast 80Hz. This is true when I:

1) set the system for no sub; fronts and centers set to large
2) set the system's sub setting to Ultra; fronts and center large
3) set the system's sub setting to yes; fronts and center to small; xover at 80 Hz

Am I doing something wrong? Is there a problem with my room? (I don't have much flexibility in moving the sub due to my lovely wife).

Thanks in advance.

Jim