AVS › AVS Forum › Audio › Receivers, Amps, and Processors › Cary Cinema 11a official thread
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Cary Cinema 11a official thread - Page 2  

post #31 of 1426
11/22/08 at 3:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jose View Post

Nice work guys, and nice setups. Been waiting for a review. Want to replace my Krell S1000 and it looks like the 11A might be the one.

Couple of quick questions.
Can the unit be turned on by pressing an input button on remote (a la the Lex MC12) or do you have to hit power first?
How is the setup menu done with no vid monitor out? Does it overlay on pic?

Thanks.

I would assume it would do the latter. OTOH, the original C11 had excellent front panel setup info.

AVS Top Picks

post #32 of 1426
11/22/08 at 3:22pm
Pressing an input selection on the remote or the front panel will not turn the unit on.

With regard to setup, The human ergonomics are a bit lacking in at least one area. When setting text for naming inputs or the main display caption holding the navigation buttons, which scan through the alphabet, down does nothing. You must set there and press, press, press, . . .
post #33 of 1426
11/22/08 at 4:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by barrygordon View Post

It is interesting the number of variations! My scaler has 4 HDMI 1.3 inputs but only 1 output.

The thing that bothers me (I have not yet installed it as I am waiting to find out if I have a defective (RS232 capability not working) unit or it just doesn't exist in actuality.

Cary Audio has assured me that the capability is there but on my unit I can not make it work. Unfortunately there is no RS232 documentatuon for the 11a, and the Cary Audio enginerring and support staff is in Hong Kong with problem resolution only via email, can not talk to an engineer.

At this time I have no reason to doubt that Cary will resolve the issue.

What concerns me is that there is an HDMI input setting for the HDMI input mode as to whether it is bitstream or LPCM. That may just be for compatibility with HDMI prior to 1.3. If the RS232 capabaility is there and it can control the HDMI mode, if it needs to, then I have no issue. If they automatically detect the format on the HDMI cable then no issue. If they do not then I wonder why not. If it can only be controlled at setup time then I am not happy as the unit will not fill my requirements or I will need a splitter to pull the audio out of the BR player and feed it into the Cary.

All conjecture at this point and I will wait till some email transpires between Cary USA and Cary Hong Kong.

Wouldnt the 11a just process whatever audio signal it is sent?? Bitstream od LPCM is decided upon in the blu-ray player, not the pre/pro.
post #34 of 1426
11/22/08 at 6:48pm
I'm glad to finally see this in people's hands.. Looking forward to more reviews.
post #35 of 1426
11/22/08 at 8:48pm
Didn't realize the black looks just as good as the silver. Liking the button color contrast. Now I'm confused....
post #36 of 1426
11/22/08 at 9:06pm
I agree that the 11A should just process what it is sent. If that is the case then why is there the option to set the HDMI audio mode to Bitstream or LPCM. There is no "Option" for auto, just bitstream or LPCM which seems to imply . . .

I agree it should just decode what it gets!
post #37 of 1426
11/23/08 at 1:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by barrygordon View Post

Pressing an input selection on the remote or the front panel will not turn the unit on.

With regard to setup, The human ergonomics are a bit lacking in at least one area. When setting text for naming inputs or the main display caption holding the navigation buttons, which scan through the alphabet, down does nothing. You must set there and press, press, press, . . .

I wish power on feature by pressing the source button is implemented in the design of cinema 11a. It would be so easy to configure a macro without waiting to turn the power on first.
Anyway, I will get my unit some time next week based on the thanksgiving holiday schedule for Fedex.
Guys at Cary said they have beenb shipping ~20 units a day. I wonder where they are going!
I will post my comparisions with Halcro SSP100 and Integra DTC 9.8. I request all the thread users to post their comparisions with their replaced processors as well so it will help any one who is planning to buy the unit. Also mention the other equipment you are using with the processor.
I will get my 11V may be next year. Till then, I will use my Integra as a HDMI upcoverter and switcher to use with 11A.

Peter
post #38 of 1426
11/23/08 at 2:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by peterrudy View Post

Guys at Cary said they have beenb shipping ~20 units a day. I wonder where they are going!

Me too

I was wondering if anyone else is having trouble with the auto eq. After several attempts the distance is not even close and crossover points come out at about 120hz to 130hz. It sounds much better with no auto eq at all. Maybe Mike Lavigne will chime in on how his auto setup went.

For now I have set everything manually which has improved bass on dsp inputs. You can also manually adjust the eq at 80Hz, 160Hz ect. all the way to 16KHz but I am not sure on how to go about this. In fact the dac in the Cary sounds so good I think I may just use my Marantz dv8400 and sell My sa11s1 $$$$$$$$$$$ The sa11 still sounds slightly better on sacd but I really don't have that many sacd's. The 7.1 inputs also work very well.

One other thing that is bothering me is switching between inputs. Sometimes the unit does not recognize a signal and you have to switch to another input and then back. It is most problematic on input one which is the balanced analog input. I have never had that problem with any other unit.
post #39 of 1426
11/23/08 at 4:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrmike186 View Post

I was wondering if anyone else is having trouble with the auto eq. After several attempts the distance is not even close and crossover points come out at about 120hz to 130hz. It sounds much better with no auto eq at all. Maybe Mike Lavigne will chime in on how his auto setup went.

Hmm. Seems like my experience with the EQ on the original C11. http://www.stereophile.com/musicinth...tr/index1.html

Quote:


For now I have set everything manually which has improved bass on dsp inputs. You can also manually adjust the eq at 80Hz, 160Hz ect. all the way to 16KHz but I am not sure on how to go about this.

Try RoomEQ Wizard.
post #40 of 1426
11/23/08 at 5:13pm
Kal,

It seems as though Audyssey is the holy grail of performance enhancement these days. Do you think that something like the DHC 9.9 would be a better choice for most real-world installations?
post #41 of 1426
11/23/08 at 5:21pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kal Rubinson View Post


Try RoomEQ Wizard.

This is why we love you Kal
post #42 of 1426
11/23/08 at 5:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrianH34 View Post

Kal,

It seems as though Audyssey is the holy grail of performance enhancement these days. Do you think that something like the DHC 9.9 would be a better choice for most real-world installations?

Better than the Cary? Dunno, off hand. When I had the C11, I found their EQ useless and used it with the external Audyssey SEQ. There were other operational differences.

With the C11a expected shortly, I will try to use the EQ based on independent measurement and filter calculations. I do believe that competent room EQ should be standard today.
post #43 of 1426
11/24/08 at 3:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kal Rubinson View Post

With the C11a expected shortly, I will try to use the EQ based on independent measurement and filter calculations. I do believe that competent room EQ should be standard today.

Kal, as soon as your review is up, can you please post a link to it on this thread? I think a lot of people are curious to see what your findings are relative to the Cinema 11 you reviewed some time back.
post #44 of 1426
11/24/08 at 7:35am
And we're off!
I have been enjoying my original 11 for about a year & a half and looking forward to reading about any changes... So far the quirks mentioned seem to be the same from the original 11; Quirky and questionable auto EQ set up and popping at some input changes.
My black 11 has the nice weighty volume knob in silver along with the other buttons. Looks like the only cosmetic difference between the two is black vol knob for the 11a.... an ascetics bummer imo but no big deal. Guess they had to do something here to differentiate the two at first glance.

I wonder what kinda trade-in deal I will be able to find?
post #45 of 1426
11/24/08 at 8:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ripclawsa View Post

Kal, as soon as your review is up, can you please post a link to it on this thread? I think a lot of people are curious to see what your findings are relative to the Cinema 11 you reviewed some time back.

Don't hold your breath. I have not yet received the C11a and the review of it will probably not appear until the May 2009 issue since the deadline for March is December 15. Then, of course, appearance on the website is 60days after street date for the printed version.
post #46 of 1426
11/24/08 at 9:02am
May 2009? That's not very 'leading edge'. No wonder print media is in trouble. And I'm a subscriber to Stereophile!
post #47 of 1426
11/24/08 at 9:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rutgar View Post

May 2009? That's not very 'leading edge'. No wonder print media is in trouble. And I'm a subscriber to Stereophile!

Understood. OTOH, Stereophile does not represent itself as a news medium but as a medium for critical review and commentary of more enduring products and issues. (Yeah, a bit pompous but you get the point.) The editor always says that we should not worry about rushing to be the first but to do our best.
post #48 of 1426
11/24/08 at 4:25pm
Anyone else want to chime in on some findings?
Been trying to get in touch with my dealer to place an order.
post #49 of 1426
11/25/08 at 6:33am
Congrats to those of you who have hung in there for the past year and are now playing with new Cinema 11A's.

My dealer told me yesterday that he has received the 11A that he ordered for me one year ago. I know that the first allotment of Cinema 11A's is completely sold out, so if anybody has an interest in a new C11A from an authorized dealer, just send me a PM and I will forward you his contact information.
post #50 of 1426
11/25/08 at 12:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jriggy View Post

And we're off!
I have been enjoying my original 11 for about a year & a half and looking forward to reading about any changes... So far the quirks mentioned seem to be the same from the original 11; Quirky and questionable auto EQ set up and popping at some input changes.
My black 11 has the nice weighty volume knob in silver along with the other buttons. Looks like the only cosmetic difference between the two is black vol knob for the 11a.... an ascetics bummer imo but no big deal. Guess they had to do something here to differentiate the two at first glance.

I wonder what kinda trade-in deal I will be able to find?

I've had the 11 for about 2 years and my observations mirrors yours, although I haven't heard popping in quite a while. I contemplated a trade-in, but think I might just put the 11 out on Audiogon when Cary starts shipping the non pre-order stock. I can't see a trade-in treating me as well as I'd need it to in order to get a new 11a.

Bryan...I wish the 11v was still doing the audio processing too...


UPDATE:

Just called my dealer about the 11a...anybody interested in a Cinema 11?

Guess I made up my mind, huh?
post #51 of 1426
11/25/08 at 5:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrmike186 View Post

Me too

I was wondering if anyone else is having trouble with the auto eq. After several attempts the distance is not even close and crossover points come out at about 120hz to 130hz. It sounds much better with no auto eq at all. Maybe Mike Lavigne will chime in on how his auto setup went.

For now I have set everything manually which has improved bass on dsp inputs. You can also manually adjust the eq at 80Hz, 160Hz ect. all the way to 16KHz but I am not sure on how to go about this. In fact the dac in the Cary sounds so good I think I may just use my Marantz dv8400 and sell My sa11s1 $$$$$$$$$$$ The sa11 still sounds slightly better on sacd but I really don't have that many sacd's. The 7.1 inputs also work very well.

One other thing that is bothering me is switching between inputs. Sometimes the unit does not recognize a signal and you have to switch to another input and then back. It is most problematic on input one which is the balanced analog input. I have never had that problem with any other unit.


My Auto eq is worst..... after sending pink noise from all the speaker, it said " no speaker found" !!!! Is the microphone defect ?
post #52 of 1426
11/25/08 at 6:00pm
Would anyone guess sound wise how this would compare against the Anthem D2 for Blu Ray movies?

I am after a audio processor for Blu-Ray and video processing is not important for me.

The Cary seems to be a far cheaper alternative.....
post #53 of 1426
11/26/08 at 12:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sukij View Post

My Auto eq is worst..... after sending pink noise from all the speaker, it said " no speaker found" !!!! Is the microphone defect ?

The Auto EQ on the C11 is crap. I don't understand why Cary has put that into the processor when it is better not to use it...
I have used Radioshack and test tones from Rives Audio cd to calibrate my system. Not easier, but definately better.
post #54 of 1426
11/26/08 at 1:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Armand07 View Post

The Auto EQ on the C11 is crap. I don't understand why Cary has put that into the processor when it is better not to use it...
I have used Radioshack and test tones from Rives Audio cd to calibrate my system. Not easier, but definately better.

It may be crap... but I think at least it should be able to pick some noise from the speakers because the pink noise is loud enough and do the crap calibration. But not just show 'No Speaker Found'.. This is beyond crap.!!!

Anybody please share your auto eq experience... is it show 'No speaker found' like me ?
post #55 of 1426
11/26/08 at 1:05am
Last night, i played the Forbidden Kingdom (DTS HD Master Audio 7.1, bitstream from Samsung bd-p1500), C11a showed on its screen as 'dts'... is that correct ? I'm not sure, whether it suppose to show dts-hd or dts...?? can anybody confirm ?
post #56 of 1426
11/26/08 at 2:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sukij View Post

Last night, i played the Forbidden Kingdom (DTS HD Master Audio 7.1, bitstream from Samsung bd-p1500), C11a showed on its screen as 'dts'... is that correct ? I'm not sure, whether it suppose to show dts-hd or dts...?? can anybody confirm ?

Yeah, same thing here, and also with Dolby TrueHD
post #57 of 1426
11/26/08 at 4:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kal Rubinson View Post

Understood. OTOH, Stereophile does not represent itself as a news medium but as a medium for critical review and commentary of more enduring products and issues. (Yeah, a bit pompous but you get the point.) The editor always says that we should not worry about rushing to be the first but to do our best.

With the way digital audio is advancing by that time it could be the 11b.
post #58 of 1426
11/26/08 at 6:13am
Hi, I am Mike Lavigne's son.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sukij View Post

Last night, i played the Forbidden Kingdom (DTS HD Master Audio 7.1, bitstream from Samsung bd-p1500), C11a showed on its screen as 'dts'... is that correct ? I'm not sure, whether it suppose to show dts-hd or dts...?? can anybody confirm ?

No. It will definitely say DTS HD Master Audio and either 48khz or 96khz. Also, it will display Dolby TrueHD on the front display. Your player needs to support bitstream and needs to be set to do such.

I did notice an issue with the movie Ironman. The audio was in TrueHD but it seemed the DRC was on. Pressing the late button or adjusting the settings in the player seemed to have no effect. Other than that, every other Blu-Ray or HD-DVD seems quite impressive.
post #59 of 1426
11/26/08 at 6:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sukij View Post

It may be crap... but I think at least it should be able to pick some noise from the speakers because the pink noise is loud enough and do the crap calibration. But not just show 'No Speaker Found'.. This is beyond crap.!!!

Anybody please share your auto eq experience... is it show 'No speaker found' like me ?

Sounds like you have a problem. Check your connections. It should definitely detect the speakers.

We had a problem where it did not play the test tones, but switching to an input other than the HDMI inputs fixed this.
post #60 of 1426
11/26/08 at 6:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrmike186 View Post

I was wondering if anyone else is having trouble with the auto eq. After several attempts the distance is not even close and crossover points come out at about 120hz to 130hz. It sounds much better with no auto eq at all. Maybe Mike Lavigne will chime in on how his auto setup went.

The auto detect set the crossovers as follows:

Front Left 40
Center 90
Front Right 60
Side Right 80
Rear Right 70
Rear Left 70
Side Left 120
Subwoofer Full

The side left speaker is on a wall which angles towards the back of the room.

Excerpt from the manual:

Quote:


Setting the Speaker Crossover Points
In the Cinema 11a, the Crossover Points can be selected in 10Hz increments within a 40Hz to 150Hz or Full range. Select the crossover point closest to the low-frequency rating of the associated speaker. For instance, set to FRONT L/R parameter to the crossover point closest to the low-frequency rating of the front speaker.

Select the subwoofer crossover point equal to the lowest crossover point of the other speakers. In general, low frequencies will be redirected from the speakers with the highest crossover points to the speakers with the lowest crossover points. Low-frequency signals lower than the lowest
crossover point will be redirected to the subwoofer.

So, it will redirect lower frequency sound destined for a speaker set to a high crossover frequency, to a speaker with a lower crossover frequency.
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Receivers, Amps, and Processors
This thread is locked  

AVS Top Picks

AVS › AVS Forum › Audio › Receivers, Amps, and Processors › Cary Cinema 11a official thread