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The "Official" Pioneer VSX-1019AH Owner's Thread - Page 56

post #1651 of 5086
10/20/09 at 11:51pm
HELP!

Just bought a brand new 1019 from BB, and my volume is sooo low. I have to crank it around -12 db just to hear a conversation in the movie. My old yamaha 500w 5.1 is super loud around -20db. I've already adjusted my front speaker to large, and etc. and it's still low. 840w?????

setup:
klipsch F2
klipsch c2
klipsch (2 pair) bookshelf b2
10" sub woofer
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post #1652 of 5086
10/21/09 at 5:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kouasupra View Post

HELP!

Just bought a brand new 1019 from BB, and my volume is sooo low. I have to crank it around -12 db just to hear a conversation in the movie. My old yamaha 500w 5.1 is super loud around -20db. I've already adjusted my front speaker to large, and etc. and it's still low. 840w?????

setup:
klipsch F2
klipsch c2
klipsch (2 pair) bookshelf b2
10" sub woofer

I believe you'll want your front speakers set to Small, with a crossover at 80Hz. The B2s have a frequency response from 62 - 23k, so 80 should give you a nice transition.

Have you run MCACC yet? Go here and follow the steps in the first post, the MCACC thread is very helpful!

Also, keep in mind that different receivers scale the volume numbers differently, and there are many posts in this thread stating that the new Pioneer units need to be "turned up louder" to achieve the same volume as a previously owned receiver. But the number on the display is arbitrary (and at -12 there is still headroom, but I'd run MCACC following the steps in the official thread with your speakers set to Small and see if that helps).
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post #1653 of 5086
10/21/09 at 10:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kouasupra View Post

HELP!

Just bought a brand new 1019 from BB, and my volume is sooo low. I have to crank it around -12 db just to hear a conversation in the movie. My old yamaha 500w 5.1 is super loud around -20db. I've already adjusted my front speaker to large, and etc. and it's still low. 840w?????

setup:
klipsch F2
klipsch c2
klipsch (2 pair) bookshelf b2
10" sub woofer

These have a pretty high sensitivity (95dB ), so should not be giving you trouble. My setup has 90-93 db sensitivity, when I hit -20, it is pretty loud; the loudest I've had it is -18 (Transformers, no one else in the house, every cat and dog put outside for the duration).
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post #1654 of 5086
10/21/09 at 10:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by trapper31 View Post

I believe you'll want your front speakers set to Small, with a crossover at 80Hz. The B2s have a frequency response from 62 - 23k, so 80 should give you a nice transition.

Have you run MCACC yet? Go here and follow the steps in the first post, the MCACC thread is very helpful!

Also, keep in mind that different receivers scale the volume numbers differently, and there are many posts in this thread stating that the new Pioneer units need to be "turned up louder" to achieve the same volume as a previously owned receiver. But the number on the display is arbitrary (and at -12 there is still headroom, but I'd run MCACC following the steps in the official thread with your speakers set to Small and see if that helps).

I've already run MCACC, and there is some improvement but not much. My volume control is still low and I'm not too happy about that. I'll try the crossover at 80hz and see how that work.
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post #1655 of 5086
10/21/09 at 11:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hernanu View Post

These have a pretty high sensitivity (95dB ), so should not be giving you trouble. My setup has 90-93 db sensitivity, when I hit -20, it is pretty loud; the loudest I've had it is -18 (Transformers, no one else in the house, every cat and dog put outside for the duration).

Maybe you know something I don't know. Because I'm hitting at least around -12db just to bring the room alive. Do you mind sharing your setting?
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post #1656 of 5086
10/21/09 at 11:07am
Hello All....

This forum has been a lifesaver!!! Since the manual is written so poorly, this space has been my first source for answers....

Does anyone have any general recommendations in the auto surround/advanced surround/direct settings that they particularly like when watching blu-ray with straight HDMI connections??? Same question with satellite (DTV or Dish) input???

Thanks in advance...
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post #1657 of 5086
10/21/09 at 12:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kouasupra View Post

I've already run MCACC, and there is some improvement but not much. My volume control is still low and I'm not too happy about that. I'll try the crossover at 80hz and see how that work.

How big is your room? Also, what gains did MCACC apply to each of your channels? The speakers I am using do not have a high sensitivity (82dB) and if I go over -20 it gets very loud. However, MCACC added anywhere from +6 to +8 dB to each of my channel levels, which means that a comfortable listening level of -25dB is really an overall gain of -18dB or so.

If MCACC applied large negative gains to your channel levels, a simple workaround is to increase each channel by 2 to 3 dB. This will increase your overall volume at a lower overall gain, and maybe get you the results you are looking for.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tnkgill View Post

Hello All....

This forum has been a lifesaver!!! Since the manual is written so poorly, this space has been my first source for answers....

Does anyone have any general recommendations in the auto surround/advanced surround/direct settings that they particularly like when watching blu-ray with straight HDMI connections??? Same question with satellite (DTV or Dish) input???

Thanks in advance...

I am happy leaving the 919 set to Pro Logic IIx - Movie for just about everything (although this may be due to laziness). It doesn't do too much post-processing, and it will matrix any stereo or 5.1 source into 7.1, more or less. Definitely experiment though, pick a Blu-ray that you are pretty familiar with and cycle between the different codecs and just go with whichever you like. It is very subjective.
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post #1658 of 5086
10/21/09 at 12:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by avdigger View Post

919 is back in stock at newegg.

it still says eta 11/3
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post #1659 of 5086
10/21/09 at 12:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by trapper31 View Post

I am happy leaving the 919 set to Pro Logic IIx - Movie for just about everything (although this may be due to laziness). It doesn't do too much post-processing, and it will matrix any stereo or 5.1 source into 7.1, more or less. Definitely experiment though, pick a Blu-ray that you are pretty familiar with and cycle between the different codecs and just go with whichever you like. It is very subjective.

Thanks for the response... Does this surround mode enable Tru-HD decoding ability if the disk/player makes it available??? Or do you have to be in another mode (Direct???) to use the Tru-HD decoder???
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post #1660 of 5086
10/21/09 at 1:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kouasupra View Post

Maybe you know something I don't know. Because I'm hitting at least around -12db just to bring the room alive. Do you mind sharing your setting?

Well, I have all my speakers set to small, the crossover at 100 Hz - basically that's it. Run MCACC a few times, make sure it doesn't re-classify my speakers as large, I did change the setting on my center channel speaker to bump it up by 0.5 db, but other than that, no problem.

Have you checked your connections? it's good to check these to make sure they're all true.

What source are you using? Make sure that the Blueray player / cable box / ??? is at full volume locally, sometimes this gets out of whack without noticing it.
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post #1661 of 5086
10/21/09 at 1:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by trapper31 View Post

How big is your room? Also, what gains did MCACC apply to each of your channels? The speakers I am using do not have a high sensitivity (82dB) and if I go over -20 it gets very loud. However, MCACC added anywhere from +6 to +8 dB to each of my channel levels, which means that a comfortable listening level of -25dB is really an overall gain of -18dB or so.

If MCACC applied large negative gains to your channel levels, a simple workaround is to increase each channel by 2 to 3 dB. This will increase your overall volume at a lower overall gain, and maybe get you the results you are looking for.



I am happy leaving the 919 set to Pro Logic IIx - Movie for just about everything (although this may be due to laziness). It doesn't do too much post-processing, and it will matrix any stereo or 5.1 source into 7.1, more or less. Definitely experiment though, pick a Blu-ray that you are pretty familiar with and cycle between the different codecs and just go with whichever you like. It is very subjective.

My room is about 25 ft by 20 ft. I'll try that out and see if it works to my liking.
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post #1662 of 5086
10/21/09 at 3:05pm
I seem to have a lingering issue with my XBOX and 1019.

Connections:
XBOX to Pio - HDMI (Monoprice)

While the normal XBOX operations seem to output Digital sound, every time I turn on my Media Center, the sound switches to Stereo. Is this expected?

Do you think the problem is with the HDMI cable or am I missing some seetings?

The Media Center on XBOX: Task -> Settings -> TV -> Audio -> just shows two options - Analog and SAP

On my computer it shows more options like 5.1 etc, but ofcourse I really need that on my XBOX.

I have checked the Console Settings and its set to output Digital sound and as explained earlier, the normal XBOX ops seem to be working fine.

Do I need to connect an Optical cable too? In addition to HDMI?

I did an HDMI + Optical for my Uverse and that actually fixed the problem with audio drop-outs (seems to be a perennial issue with Uverse users).

Appreciate the inputs.
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post #1663 of 5086
10/21/09 at 4:44pm
How do I change my speaker impedance to 8 instead of 6? I'm following the manual but it sucks because it's not working for me.

1. switch the receiver into standby.
2. while holding down the ENTER on the front panel, press STANDBY/ON.

When I hold the standby and press the STANDBY/ON button it won't turn on unless I let go of the ENTER button. I'm about throw it out the window.

Also why won't it let me go into the audio menu to change my setting. Everytime I turn on my receiver and press AUDIO PARAMETER it doesn't do anything. I'm very frustrate with this receiver. Man, I miss my yamaha..
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post #1664 of 5086
10/21/09 at 7:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kouasupra View Post

HELP!

Just bought a brand new 1019 from BB, and my volume is sooo low. I have to crank it around -12 db just to hear a conversation in the movie. My old yamaha 500w 5.1 is super loud around -20db. I've already adjusted my front speaker to large, and etc. and it's still low. 840w?????

setup:
klipsch F2
klipsch c2
klipsch (2 pair) bookshelf b2
10" sub woofer

I usually have my volume between -25 and -34 depending upon source. My speaker sensitivity is 90 db, and 85 db. The volume becomes unpleasant below-20 for music.
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post #1665 of 5086
10/22/09 at 4:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kouasupra View Post

HELP!

Just bought a brand new 1019 from BB, and my volume is sooo low. I have to crank it around -12 db just to hear a conversation in the movie. My old yamaha 500w 5.1 is super loud around -20db. I've already adjusted my front speaker to large, and etc. and it's still low. 840w?????

setup:
klipsch F2
klipsch c2
klipsch (2 pair) bookshelf b2
10" sub woofer

As I recall, the mcaac calibrates your system to produce 85db at the 0 volume setting. On my system if I want to play it loud, I usually need to turn the volume to greater than -10 but the volume number is irrelevant since the dial will go a ways into the + setting. All of my channels are calibrated by mcaac with negative numbers. I'm not sure why your system seems so quiet. Did the mcaac data give the correct speaker distances from the mic position? Maybe there is a problem with your mic. I have noticed that if I play stereo music I need to turn my volume up above 0 but I don't really use this system for music so it does not matter to me. At volume level 0 it will rock the house down with DD movies.
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post #1666 of 5086
10/22/09 at 4:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tnkgill View Post

Thanks for the response... Does this surround mode enable Tru-HD decoding ability if the disk/player makes it available??? Or do you have to be in another mode (Direct???) to use the Tru-HD decoder???

Yes Dolby TrueHD is able to use the PLIIx setting. This works well for TrueHD 5.1 movies on a 7.1 setup.
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post #1667 of 5086
10/22/09 at 9:11am
Just bought the 1019 and got everything connected and setup. I have one issue. The audio on my PS3 connected via HDMI seems to drop when skipping tracks. Sometimes it does not start. I'd have to pause and unpause at least once, sometimes a few times, to get audio back-up.

Anyone having issues like this and have a solution? I also have a DirecTV box connected via another HDMI port and no problems there.
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post #1668 of 5086
10/22/09 at 9:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kouasupra View Post

My room is about 25 ft by 20 ft. I'll try that out and see if it works to my liking.

If you are in ALC mode, it makes you turn up the volume by 10dB or so. Check that. Check also the calibration data - if the distances do not match then the calibration had not gone well for some reason. Switch to a memory that does not have calibration data - it should have some defaults that make it sound louder. If with your calibration data it sounds much less loud, then you might want to repeat the calibration and make sure there are no obstacles between the mike and the speakers, no noise, etc.

Most people get too little bass after the calibration and need to turn it up at the sub.
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post #1669 of 5086
10/22/09 at 9:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kouasupra View Post

How do I change my speaker impedance to 8 instead of 6? I'm following the manual but it sucks because it's not working for me.

1. switch the receiver into standby.
2. while holding down the ENTER on the front panel, press STANDBY/ON.

When I hold the standby and press the STANDBY/ON button it won't turn on unless I let go of the ENTER button. I'm about throw it out the window.

Also why won't it let me go into the audio menu to change my setting. Everytime I turn on my receiver and press AUDIO PARAMETER it doesn't do anything. I'm very frustrate with this receiver. Man, I miss my yamaha..

To get to the audio parameter, you need to first press the [receiver] button on the remote, otherwise this button has different functions depending on what component you control (ipod, tuner, etc.)

The impedance is 8 Ohm by default. I don't remember having any troubles switching it. Just do what the manual says about that.
You may have some HDMI handshake issues that interfere with the power up. Disable the HDMI control/Kuro link on all components and then try the impedance thing again or just disconnect the HDMI cables for that purpose. That menu shows up only on the front panel I believe.
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post #1670 of 5086
10/22/09 at 9:32am
Is anybody bi-amping? I am, but I wonder if anybody has tried both ways and noticed a difference in the sound quality and output power. I have Polk TSi400s on the front, Polk TSi300s for surround, and Polk CS10 for center.
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post #1671 of 5086
10/22/09 at 11:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gunsmoker View Post

If you are in ALC mode, it makes you turn up the volume by 10dB or so. Check that. Check also the calibration data - if the distances do not match then the calibration had not gone well for some reason. Switch to a memory that does not have calibration data - it should have some defaults that make it sound louder. If with your calibration data it sounds much less loud, then you might want to repeat the calibration and make sure there are no obstacles between the mike and the speakers, no noise, etc.

Most people get too little bass after the calibration and need to turn it up at the sub.

I had it calibrated with MCACC, but I didn't like how it sounded. When I was looking at the setting MCACC had for my setup I found the floorspeaker to be weaker and the sub also. So I just went on ahead and calibrate it manually to my liking. As far as switching the 8 ohm, for some reason my receiver just let me set it "weird".
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post #1672 of 5086
10/22/09 at 11:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gunsmoker View Post

Is anybody bi-amping? I am, but I wonder if anybody has tried both ways and noticed a difference in the sound quality and output power. I have Polk TSi400s on the front, Polk TSi300s for surround, and Polk CS10 for center.

I'm also thinking about it. It's very tempting but I don't know if it's worth the gain. If you try it and noticed a differences please report your finding.
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post #1673 of 5086
10/22/09 at 12:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by trapper31 View Post

Yes Dolby TrueHD is able to use the PLIIx setting. This works well for TrueHD 5.1 movies on a 7.1 setup.

Thanks again.... How do I know if the TrueHD decoder is being used in this mode??? All it says on the front panel is PLIIx....
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post #1674 of 5086
10/22/09 at 4:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kouasupra View Post

I'm also thinking about it. It's very tempting but I don't know if it's worth the gain. If you try it and noticed a differences please report your finding.

It sounds great for me after some manual tweaking with the EQ. The bi-amping is not that big a work, plus I haven't seen a movie yet that has 7 channel audio anyway. I saw two that had 6.1 - The Incredibles and King of New York.
Bottom line is, I'd rather bi-amp instead of installing more speakers for nothing.
And so I'm bi-amping. I haven't noticed any obvious distortion with my setup and I have blasted hard rock music up to around 0dB and softer music a bit louder than that.
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post #1675 of 5086
10/22/09 at 5:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gunsmoker View Post

It sounds great for me after some manual tweaking with the EQ. The bi-amping is not that big a work, plus I haven't seen a movie yet that has 7 channel audio anyway. I saw two that had 6.1 - The Incredibles and King of New York.
Bottom line is, I'd rather bi-amp instead of installing more speakers for nothing.
And so I'm bi-amping. I haven't noticed any obvious distortion with my setup and I have blasted hard rock music up to around 0dB and softer music a bit louder than that.

I too had to tweak the trim on the EQ to get better result. My question is how does the receiver know when it's hook up to the floor speaker for bi amping rather vs. another surround speaker?
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post #1676 of 5086
10/22/09 at 8:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tnkgill View Post

Thanks again.... How do I know if the TrueHD decoder is being used in this mode??? All it says on the front panel is PLIIx....

Top left of the display, there is a small icon (TrueHD) that goes on. See Page 6 of the manual.
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post #1677 of 5086
10/23/09 at 1:43am
A quick question for people whoe are using external hd to listen to mp3.

I connected a Vantec enclosure with 250gig hd and about 80 gig of mp3 files.

The screen showed "empty." I read in the manual that it does take a while to read if the device is large capacity.

Is this normal? Should I leave the 919 on until it read thru or is it something wrong that the receiver would not read?

Thanks.
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post #1678 of 5086
10/23/09 at 5:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by htwild1 View Post

A quick question for people whoe are using external hd to listen to mp3.

I connected a Vantec enclosure with 250gig hd and about 80 gig of mp3 files.

The screen showed "empty." I read in the manual that it does take a while to read if the device is large capacity.

Is this normal? Should I leave the 919 on until it read thru or is it something wrong that the receiver would not read?

Thanks.

The drive has to be formatted as FAT32 and not NFTS. I'm using a 250GB USB drive with no problems.
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post #1679 of 5086
10/23/09 at 6:33am
It is formatted as FAT32.

Is there a special usb cable to connect them?
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post #1680 of 5086
10/23/09 at 7:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by htwild1 View Post

It is formatted as FAT32.

Is there a special usb cable to connect them?

A few posts back I think somebody mentioned that the receiver can have a difficult time powering a large-ish hard drive if the drive does not have its own power supply. Maybe this is the problem?
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