Onkyo PR-SC886P Pre/Pro Official thread - Page 102

Does this happen with all sources? Are all your sources connected via HDMI?

If using a fan to cool the 886 doesn't help then I would start by trying a different HDMI cable between the tv and the 886. I doubt that is the problem but it is a possibilty.

Tv has been running for several hours with the processor out of the loop. Nothing yet. I won't say it happens with all sources, so far it has happened with the blu ray player (Sony Bdp-s570) and the cable box (motorola dvr). Also, is that kit for the 120mm fan the best way to go? I also saw cooler guys sell dual fans and temp sensors to turn them on and off. I don't mind spending a little extra to protect my gear.

I am using the single fan and it keeps the 886 cool to the touch. It is silent and turns on and off with the 886. Just install it over the back right area sucking air out of the 886. There is a video on Coolerguys site that explains how to set it up.

Did you try to use a house fan to see if that cures the video drop out problem? I wouldn't waste your money on the fan kit until you verify that is what the problem is.

Since it has happened with more than one source I would say the problem lies with either the 886 or the HDMI cable from the 886 to the tv. I am leaning towards the 886 being the problem.

Im 80/20 that it's the 886 and not the hdmi cables. However it could also be the display. The fan kit is pretty minimal investment, so I may try that just to see. I know onkyo products tend to run hot, but this thing is not in a closed cabinet or rack. It's just sinning in an open air tv console with the only thing restricting air flow being the shelf 2" above it. Also if I get that fan I may make a duct out of cardboard that directs air away from the shelf above it, and I know you said it's silent but that might also help with any noise.

Got the fan hooked up last night, and it works like a charm. Keeping the 886 really cool. Also we will see if the problem keeps coming up.

I'm watching Treme tonight and every few seconds the audio cuts out and the display on my PR-SC885 says "Dialog Norm -1". This is making the show unwatchable. I assume this is some kind of broadcast flag that is being sent in the Dolby Digital signal, but the 885's response to it is really problematic. Has anyone else experienced this, or have a work around? Is my unit defective, or is it time to upgrade? Thanks,

I've seen that display on my 886 when entering my "watch tv" activity (harmony remote). Never in the middle of programming though.

Had the same problem with my 886 on Treme and Game of Thrones last night. I think the problem is with HBO. Will be rerecording them on HBO2 tonight. When I played the shows through my TV speakers (analog connection) there were no cut outs but the sound was somewhat muffled in the same spots. I am using an HDMI connection from the cable box, SA8300, to my 886. This has happened before but never as severely as last night. Do you have Cox Cable?

I'm on Comcast Cable. My setup is: Comcast -> Tivo Series 3 -> HDMI cable -> 885. Let me know if HBO2 has the same problem.

Every thing was fine Monday on HBO2. When I called Cox tech support about this issue they lied and said there had been no complaints about the problem. I should have scheduled a service call just because they refused to tell me the truth. Is never admitting to a problem actually considered good Customer Service?

It's the Reon chip that gets hot. My 886 is installed in a cabinet and I had problems with video drop outs before installing a Middle Atlantic surface mount fan directly above the video chip.

Here is a great deal on a 886 over at the Emotiva Lounge. I do not know the seller just thought I would post the classified if anyone is looking for a 886.

http://emotivalounge.proboards.com/i...y&thread=18513

Bill

Wow that is a great deal. I don't imagine that will last long.

Hi, maybe this should be posted in the pc thread but I'd like to get your input here. My 886 has been putting out DTS Master for about two months, PowerDVD player and sounding good. Installed a Win 7 Service pack update and PDVD wouldnt run at all, along with other apps. So did a Restore Point and all software in the pc is working and shows its outputting DTS Master, but the 886 will not detect it and reports std DTS. I dont have a stand alone player to test it. Any ideas??
thanks hibo

I just got a 886 from Audiogon, paid $700 for it. I am pretty excited as this seems like a very hearty and non-glitchy pre-pro. I asked the seller about cooling and he said he always used 2 fans on top of it and he has had no issues at all. Anything I should know about it? I am going to start reading this thread a little at a time. I am upgrading from a TX-SR703 (ancient, no HDMI but sounded decent). Now I just need to get an Emo XPA-5. Speakers are Klipsch F-3's, C-3 and S-3's, super effecient.

Welcome to the thread!

It seems that us 886 owners have hit the sweet spot. I got a note from the guy I bought my 886 from and he tells me his 5507 is in the shop getting a repair for a bad cable. Apparently Onkyo is telling him the he's looking at 3 to 4 weeks ato get the parts to fix it.

I ran a 885 and the 886 with an Emo XPA-5 and a UPA-2 for rears for a while. The pair fed my Polk RT5000 series speakers very well. I used xlr connections to the XPA-5 and was very happy with the combo. I foudna good deal on an ATI 2007 amp a few months ago, 200wpc x 7 so sold the XPA-5 and UPA-2 (for close to what I paid for them.) I think you will be very happy with the setup.

I am still extremely happy with my 886. It has worked perfectly since the day I installed it. No quirks, bugs, or any issues whatsoever. If you read this entire thread you will see how few problems there have been with the 886. The same cannot be said for most other prepros.

I do recommend a fan over the rear right area to help keep the HDMI and Video chips cool. It is not mandatory but without a fan the back right gets very warm to the touch. With the fan I am using the 886 is cool to the touch and the fan is silent from a foot away.

When you read this thread you will read about updating the firmware. It is not exactly easy but it can be done. Just follow the instructions exactly.

After that run Audyssey with the max positions. Double check the levels with a DB meter if you have one. I had to adjust them after running Audyssey because the gain of the XPA amps using XLR was too much for Audyssey to compensate for. Essentially I had to set the loudest speaker, back left, to -12 (the lowest setting) then adjust each other speaker to match that level. When I used RCAs to the XPA amps I didn't have to do that. For some reason the XLR inputs on the Emotiva amps have a higher gain then the RCA inputs. Just something to keep in mind since you said you would be using Emotiva amps.

I actually just received the 886 yesterday. It looks brand new and the previous owner said he used a fan on the back right, I will do the same. The XPA-5 should arrive this week as well. I will be using unbalanced RCA's for the time being, the run is only 3' or so. I may change it to XLR in the future but it is not of much concern. I will only be running 5.1, I will play around with the sound formats but is there a general concensus for movies and for music? Music will usually be coming from an ipod dock connector to RCA. Movies from a Sony BDP-S350.

I actually finished reading this entire thread, took a good week. I saved the posts I saw as helpful in a doc to review later. I'm not scared of flashing to update firmware, I actually do it in my job all the time.

I have a 7.1 setup and I mainly use plxII movie for movies and plxII music for surround music. I do listen to a lot of a music in stereo as well.

Everyone likes different sound modes. Just try them out and see what you like best.

Thanks, I will try them all out.

I am unsure about my following statement but...
isn't PL a "fake" format where it adds channels that arent really descrete? I thought Dolby HD and DTS HD where the best formats out right now. Keep in mind I'm only running 5.1 so the two additional channels that some formats have do not matter to me.

Thanks

You are correct. Since I have a 7.1 setup and most sources are 5.1, I use PLIIx to utilize all 7 speakers. I will use regular DTS HD Master or True HD somtimes but I prefer PLIIx with my setup. I have tried almost all of the different sound modes and I prefer PLIIx the best. Most of them will change the soundfield from what the director originally intended and not always in a benefical way. PLIIx doesn't change it that much. It blends in the two rear speakers with the surrounds which increases the overall soundfield. The more you play around with them the more you will understand what I'm talking about. Also, keep in mind that the 886 will still be receiving whatever the source is sending. So if you are sending a DTS HD Master track the 886 will be playing that. The sound mode you select manipulates it but the 886 will be decoding the same format that the source is sending.

For a 5.1 setup you don't need to use PLIIx. If you check the manual you will see what each sound format does to what type of source. There are a few sound modes that you won't be able to selelct since you have a 5.1 setup.

I watched my first movie (Insidious on DVD) through the 886 paired up with a XPA-5. I have actually read this entire thread but it is a lot to take in and have some questions after watching the movie.

- I thought I set the 886 to do the up converting to 1080p but the screen on the unit said HDMI Through. I remember I went into “In/Out Assign”, “Monitor Out” and set the resolution to 1080p. I also went to “Source Set-Up”, “Picture Adjust”, set “ISF Mode” to “Custom” and the resolution to 1080p. Am I missing something?

-I remember in a post someone saying it is ok to adjust trim levels either up or down after running Audyssey. I am asking because in order for Audyssey to not set my sub to min trim on the pre/pro I had to put the gain at around ¼. I feel this is extremely quiet, I heard hardly any bass in the movie and want to bump it up quite a bit. Adjusting the gain on the sub’s plate amp isn’t enough, I need to mess with the trim level on the pre/pro but don’t want to mess up anything with Audyssey.

-Finally, how do I know that Dynmaic EQ and Dynamic Volume are working? Is that just an automatic after you run Audyssey? I did not see anything in the menu mentioning them.

With regard to dynamic volume and dynamic eq, I am not sure if I saw them in the menu. However, I got Harmony to program the discrete codes for audyssey so that I could turn them on an off as I please. Also, keep in mind that turning audyssey off turns off the other two features. Likewise turning on dynamic volume turns on audyssey AND dynamic eq.

In monitor set it to source. Then in each source set the resolution and picture adjustments to what you want.

If you feel the bass is too low than raise it. I recommend setting the gain so audyssey sets the level to close to 0. Then just raise the sub level using the 886 and don't touch the gain again on the sub. That way you can always go back to the correct audyssey level when you want to. Some people prefer more bass than what is correct. That's up to each user.

Thanks, I want to get a Harmony so I can put in the hex codes but am short on money so that may be a while. I have gone through the manual and don't see where to turn them on or off, it just describes what they do. Dialog was pretty clear on the movie yesterday, on my old 703 I usually have to turn it up so load to hear talking that the load sudden noises are in excess.

I read in the Audyssey Set Up Guide thread that if Audyssey set the sub (which is a SVS 20-39) to min trim (I think it was -15) then to lower the gain on the sub until it is not at min anymore. Like I said, I turned the gain to actually less than 1/4 on the plate amp and Audyssey still set it to -12 or something around there. I could barely hear the sub when Audyssey did its test chirps. I will raise the trim back up and play with it until I like it I guess.

The menu settings to turn Audyssey and its features on/off are quite inconveniently and somewhat illogically buried in \\Speaker Setup\\Equalizer Settings (2-5). The discrete IR commands are SO much easier to use.

Ok, I set the Monitor to Source like beekermartin suggested and then set 1080p in source set-up and the front of the display still says "HDMI Through"! I don't get it, I've tried both my Sony BD player and Dish HD 722 DVR. Why is this not working?

Also, I see in speaker setting where Dynamic EQ and Dynamic Volume are but you can only choose one at a time? I thought they worked in conjunction with each other, am I mistaken?

That message typically indicates that "\\HDMI\\Audio TV Out" has been set to "On" in the Hardware Setup menu.


The Dynamic Volume setting includes Dynamic Eq (and MultEQ). The Audyssey settings build on each other, starting with MultEQ...

• MultEQ setting = MultEQ
• DynEQ setting = MultEQ + DynEQ
• DynVol setting = MultEQ + DynEQ + DynVol

Thanks for the reply. Are you referring to the setting the allows audio to pass through the HDMI and into the TV? I do have that on so I can watch TV without needing my XPA-5 on all the time and just use the TV speakers. If that is enabled what does that mean as far as video processing and the Reon chip? The picture doesn't look upscaled to me but all my picture settings are at the factory default of 0, maybe I need to adjust those?

Thanks for the list of Audyssey settings, that helped a lot!