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Anthem MRX Receivers - 300, 500, 700 Owners Thread & Tweaking Guide - Page 356

post #10651 of 14714
5/13/12 at 6:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jayray View Post


You can do 1st behind the front centre, two on either side of front centre and then 2 from back seats far right and left. This should give good front and back centre. I recall your sub is a sub 25, it should be tight as a drum based on your chart. Try some heavy LFE material and let us know how it does.
John
John

It's been tight as can be on everything I've listened to so far. Will try the new measurement patterns tomorrow and report back with my new graphs and trim levels.
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post #10652 of 14714
5/13/12 at 6:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigCoolJesus View Post


It's been tight as can be on everything I've listened to so far. Will try the new measurement patterns tomorrow and report back with my new graphs and trim levels.

Try War of the Worlds Pod emergence scene for below 20Hz demo. Seat of the pants feel is excellent.
John
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post #10653 of 14714
5/13/12 at 7:40pm
I purchased my first Anthem mrx 700 this Saturday.. This is a great sounding unit! The audio portion is what did it for me. I must of listened to this unit for hours, and I would discovery a wonderful presences , a widening portal of sound, which was quite refreshing and absolutely revealing.

Will get the unit on Tuesday, so i will check back with some feedback, great thread BTW..
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post #10654 of 14714
5/13/12 at 7:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tightgroup View Post

I purchased my first Anthem mrx 700 this Saturday.. This is a great sounding unit! The audio portion is what did it for me. I must of listened to this unit for hours, and I would discovery a wonderful presences , a widening portal of sound, which was quite refreshing and absolutely revealing.

Will get the unit on Tuesday, so i will check back with some feedback, great thread BTW..

Congrats. We look forward to your ARC results. Don't forget to post trim levels and Target window.
John
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post #10655 of 14714
5/14/12 at 1:24am
Hi Jayray, BCJ,
Have either of you considered doing two separate sets of measurements for Movie and Music, with one set using a wide mic pattern for use when all seats are used, and the other being a tighter grouping for solo listening?
I believe you can then assign each mode to the same physical input, just with a different name, and then switch between each ARC mode by switching virtual input (eg. Bluray1 and Bluray2).
Just a thought, regards Mike.
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post #10656 of 14714
5/14/12 at 6:01am
Connect V link with ethernet from modem to back of Anthem? Is wi-fi an option?
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post #10657 of 14714
5/14/12 at 6:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spurrier Sucks View Post

Connect V link with ethernet from modem to back of Anthem? Is wi-fi an option?

Connecting the modem directly to the Anthem may work. If you need to enter a password or username in order to connect, you'll need to use a router between the Anthem and modem.

Wifi is not an option. If you want to connect the Anthem wirelessly to your router, I suggest using a wireless bridge.
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post #10658 of 14714
5/14/12 at 6:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AV_mike View Post

Hi Jayray, BCJ,
Have either of you considered doing two separate sets of measurements for Movie and Music, with one set using a wide mic pattern for use when all seats are used, and the other being a tighter grouping for solo listening?
I believe you can then assign each mode to the same physical input, just with a different name, and then switch between each ARC mode by switching virtual input (eg. Bluray1 and Bluray2).
Just a thought, regards Mike.

I use the same measurement for both and music sounds fantastic. My music profile is just two channel. I've tried narrower measurement nut the 5 point works best for me.
John
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post #10659 of 14714
5/14/12 at 8:51am
Here's my new graphs for PBK and ARC using just the six measurement spots, with the first measurement being taken at the front row middle seat. This is also the seat I have my speaker distances set to.

Trim levels are:
Front Left +1
Center 0
Front Right +1
Surround Right 0
Surround Left 0
Subwoofer -6

Note: There is nothing I can do about the boundary gain of the front speakers....they are as far out from the side walls and front corners as possible. These areas are also heavily treated with bass traps. But it seems like ARC did a fine job of taming the gain anyways


I put on the Pod Emergence scene from WotW and holy crap!!!! It was like nothing I have ever heard even in my old room with the same speakers/subwoofer. I watched the scene from both the front row middle seat and back row middle seat and it sounded nearly identical.....almost no variance between the two spots. Just awesome!
LL
LL
LL
LL
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post #10660 of 14714
5/14/12 at 9:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigCoolJesus View Post

Here's my new graphs for PBK and ARC using just the six measurement spots, with the first measurement being taken at the front row middle seat. This is also the seat I have my speaker distances set to.

Trim levels are:
Front Left +1
Center 0
Front Right +1
Surround Right 0
Surround Left 0
Subwoofer -6

Note: There is nothing I can do about the boundary gain of the front speakers....they are as far out from the side walls and front corners as possible. These areas are also heavily treated with bass traps. But it seems like ARC did a fine job of taming the gain anyways

I put on the Pod Emergence scene from WotW and holy crap!!!! It was like nothing I have ever heard even in my old room with the same speakers/subwoofer. I watched the scene from both the front row middle seat and back row middle seat and it sounded nearly identical.....almost no variance between the two spots. Just awesome!

Glad it is working well. The sub is obviously working well so with PBK and ARC you're there.
The sub level is a little hot but that can be lowered in the next measurement.
John
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post #10661 of 14714
5/14/12 at 11:06am
I have lived with my new MRX-500 now for about 3 weeks and thought I would share my impressions. For some background I am coming from a Pioneer 74txvi. My speakers are Infinity Beta 50, C360, 250ESx4, and SVS pci39-20. Room size is approx. 14x25 with opening to kitchen and stairs.

I first used MRX without running ARC for about 4 days as I need to wait for a nice quiet time with no interruptions (code for home alone - wife gone). I was very pleased with sound and thought it actually sounded as good or better than Pioneer with MCACC correction.

I am attributing this to the fact I don't believe MCACC did a very good job in my room and at times I felt my Pioneer sounded at times better with MCACC off.

I had a bit of concern of the power as my Pioneer was rated at 140wpc but the MRX-500 is fully capable for my setup and I no longer have any concerns with power.

After running ARC I was very pleased with the results and overall improvement. There is no question of the improvement ARC makes for me. I think the biggest improvement was the blending of the sub. This is the first time I am completely satisfied with my sub level and balance. I was always adjusting with my Pioneer to find the optimal level and crossover. I just could never get "just right".

With ARC's correction everything sounds "right" to me. The speakers now seem to perform as a well tuned system with no special attention being called to any one part. My sub blends perfectly and I am unaware of its presence until it is called for and then it really rocks!

This is without a doubt the best reciever I have had the pleasure of owning and I think it is one of the best bargains available considering how it performs.

Anyone considering this receiver for purchase I would say you can not go wrong. I really think ARC is that good and a game changer. Getting this level of room correction for the price of these recievers is a flat out bargain IMO.

If you are looking for a unit with 40 different dsp modes then this is not your choice but if you want a solid unit with great room correction abilities you cannot do better IMO.

barry
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post #10662 of 14714
5/14/12 at 11:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by blb1215 View Post

I have lived with my new MRX-500 now for about 3 weeks and thought I would share my impressions. For some background I am coming from a Pioneer 74txvi. My speakers are Infinity Beta 50, C360, 250ESx4, and SVS pci39-20. Room size is approx. 14x25 with opening to kitchen and stairs.

I first used MRX without running ARC for about 4 days as I need to wait for a nice quiet time with no interruptions (code for home alone - wife gone). I was very pleased with sound and thought it actually sounded as good or better than Pioneer with MCACC correction.

I am attributing this to the fact I don't believe MCACC did a very good job in my room and at times I felt my Pioneer sounded at times better with MCACC off.

I had a bit of concern of the power as my Pioneer was rated at 140wpc but the MRX-500 is fully capable for my setup and I no longer have any concerns with power.

After running ARC I was very pleased with the results and overall improvement. There is no question of the improvement ARC makes for me. I think the biggest improvement was the blending of the sub. This is the first time I am completely satisfied with my sub level and balance. I was always adjusting with my Pioneer to find the optimal level and crossover. I just could never get "just right".

With ARC's correction everything sounds "right" to me. The speakers now seem to perform as a well tuned system with no special attention being called to any one part. My sub blends perfectly and I am unaware of its presence until it is called for and then it really rocks!

This is without a doubt the best reciever I have had the pleasure of owning and I think it is one of the best bargains available considering how it performs.

Anyone considering this receiver for purchase I would say you can not go wrong. I really think ARC is that good and a game changer. Getting this level of room correction for the price of these recievers is a flat out bargain IMO.

If you are looking for a unit with 40 different dsp modes then this is not your choice but if you want a solid unit with great room correction abilities you cannot do better IMO.

barry

Another "koolaid drinker" it's too bad more people are not aware of these receivers as most of the recommendations centre on Denon, Yamaha, Pioneer and Onkyo. We need to post when people ask for recommendations on a receiver, however I must warn you there are people who will call you a fanboy of Anthem for simply suggesting ARC does a better job than the usual suspects. Glad you're enjoying your setup. Posting charts would help us pick something you can improve on unless you've nailed it.
John
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post #10663 of 14714
5/14/12 at 11:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jayray View Post

Another "koolaid drinker" it's too bad more people are not aware of these receivers as most of the recommendations centre on Denon, Yamaha, Pioneer and Onkyo. We need to post when people ask for recommendations on a receiver, however I must warn you there are people who will call you a fanboy of Anthem for simply suggesting ARC does a better job than the usual suspects. Glad you're enjoying your setup. Posting charts would help us pick something you can improve on unless you've nailed it.
John

Already posted my charts back a couple of weeks ago and the only recommendation was increasing the room gain if I felt the lower end was lacking. I really haven't felt any need to make any corrections so far. I think ARC "nailed" it for me.

Feel free to review my charts again - post 10,470 - for any suggestions.

barry
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post #10664 of 14714
5/14/12 at 12:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by blb1215 View Post


Already posted my charts back a couple of weeks ago and the only recommendation was increasing the room gain if I felt the lower end was lacking. I really haven't felt any need to make any corrections so far. I think ARC "nailed" it for me.

Feel free to review my charts again - post 10,470 - for any suggestions.

barry

Seems like ARC did nail it. Enjoy.
John
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post #10665 of 14714
5/14/12 at 3:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiwicol View Post

Hi Tigger,

I re ran arc today. The only changes made were bringing the gain down on the sub. I had to do a few runs on this as you get an error message if the sub gain is set too low. In addition I moved L&R speakers out from the wall another inch and toed them in slightly.

Here were the new results:

Dolby Vol Calibration offset -3
Front left +3
Centre +3
Front right +3
Surround right -1
Surround left -3
Subwoofer – 0

Really happy that the sub level seems to be spot on now. The only change it did make was bringing the gain down to 1.25 and my previous reading was over 2. Not entirely sure what would of caused this.

I cant turn the crossover any higher on the sub so it seems as though 100 htz is the best crossover I can get for the sub.

While the houe was empty I did some fairly high level listening(around -10) and the bass does sound more well rounded and tighter than before.

I've also attached my new readings. I am pretty happy with the latest ARC run and it sounds great so will sit back and listen for a few weeks.

Hi Kiwicol (Tigger and John as well),
Will it improve the lower level more by setting sub HPF to flat? Just making an observation but I don't even own an MRX yet (just ordered a 500 yesterday and have to wait 5-7 business days).

Edit: Above Kiwicol's post is #10539. Thanks.
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post #10666 of 14714
5/14/12 at 4:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kzhtoo View Post


Hi Kiwicol (Tigger and John as well),
Will it improve the lower level more by setting sub HPF to flat? Just making an observation but I don't even own an MRX yet (just ordered a 500 yesterday and have to wait 5-7 business days).

Edit: Above Kiwicol's post is #10539. Thanks.

He needs to move his sub to a spit where it can achieve a cutoff of 120Hz. Flat requires a high volume at below 20 Hz but with low freq. protection built-in. I don't his subs specs.
John
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post #10667 of 14714
5/14/12 at 4:42pm
Did anybody do ARC with bi-amping. I am looking at my setup which I am in the process of revamping.

I have a nice set of Energy RC-50, JBL center and JBL Flix1 rears also a PSB Subsonic Alpha 5 Sub

I wanted to bi-amp the Energy's RC-50 with the surround wide channels and letting ARC do the wizardry . Did anyone attempt this ? Of course all of this will be powered by an MRX 700
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post #10668 of 14714
5/14/12 at 6:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jayray View Post

He needs to move his sub to a spit where it can achieve a cutoff of 120Hz. Flat requires a high volume at below 20 Hz but with low freq. protection built-in. I don't his subs specs.
John

Thanks for the answer, John.
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post #10669 of 14714
5/14/12 at 6:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kzhtoo View Post


Thanks for the answer, John.

You're welcome.
Of course I meant "spot"
John
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post #10670 of 14714
5/14/12 at 8:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jayray View Post

You're welcome.
Of course I meant "spot"
John

Understood lol
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post #10671 of 14714
5/14/12 at 8:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dglozic View Post

Do you plan to keep your Outlaw power amp? If so, your resulting sound will be a combination of MRX 300 used as a pre-amp and Outlaw power amp, and I doubt you will hear a huge difference from that angle alone. Where you can expect changes is when you run ARC and it corrects for the room, and to the lesser degree, your speakers in the room. If the brightness of Rockets come above 5kHz, ARC will not be able to help, but if it is really upper midrange that is bothering you, you may see improvements. Note that you can also help your speakers by looking at your room and adding soft, absorptive materials (carpet, upholstered furniture, curtains etc.). Just be careful not to 'deaden' the room too much - a combination of absorptive and diffusive materials and objects works best.

My room is treated. My seats are fabric not leather. The only surface in the theater that doesn’t have some absorbing material on it is the ceiling.
I think I’m going to have to go do another audition with the 300 sometime soon.
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post #10672 of 14714
5/15/12 at 1:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tightgroup View Post

Did anybody do ARC with bi-amping. I am looking at my setup which I am in the process of revamping.

I have a nice set of Energy RC-50, JBL center and JBL Flix1 rears also a PSB Subsonic Alpha 5 Sub

I wanted to bi-amp the Energy's RC-50 with the surround wide channels and letting ARC do the wizardry . Did anyone attempt this ? Of course all of this will be powered by an MRX 700

I'm also interested in finding out if MRX has this front speakers bi-amping capability. My current AVR Integra DTR-40.3 supports this via Surround Back L/R channels as high freq. channels in bi-amp and a menu option to switch to "bi-amp" mode in the speaker configuration menu. Even at the back of the receiver, it notes Surround Back L/R channels secondary option as "bi-amp".

Can it be done with MRX as tightgroup mentioned above? Thanks.
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post #10673 of 14714
5/16/12 at 1:19am
^^^^^^^^^
No Bi-amp support built into the MRX range, unless you use it as a pre-amp with external amps.
Aux speaker channels can be used as rear surrounds, front heights, or zone2.
Regards, Mike.
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post #10674 of 14714
5/16/12 at 6:24am
Hey guys...

Just wondering if anyone else has had a faulty MRX700 as i'm about to take back my 2nd unit in as many weeks..

The first unit i had the IR just stopped working... unplugged power, tried my harmony one... nothing... it worked one minute then stopped the next for the rest of the day....The next morning i switched it back on and the remote worked again.. albeit only in straight line of sight (off axis = no response) and within fairly close range to the receiver..
The other problem with my first unit is that occasionally it wouldn't turn on from standby.. only turning the mains power switch off and on would bring it back to life..

Anyway the dealer said bring it back and swap it over so i did..

Now i fire up the second unit, run all the ARC again and get all my inputs labelled etc.. then i notice a very audible hiss/white noise from the center channel.. damn... dodgy amplifier..
Once again i had the same problem powering up from standby and turning the power on and off was the only solution..

So i'm about to take back my second unit and i'm wondering if i should persevere... I've got an old CHORD DSP8000R lying around and was maybe gonna get a DVDO iScan DUO and a 5 Channel power amp and just flog that old girl for a while.. (Oppo multi out for uncompressed HD audio)..

I really wanted to love the MRX700 and i dig the ARC but my experience thus far has been nothing but frustration.. don't even get me started on ARC upload dropout using the Tripp-Lite Serial to USB converter (even after following all the FAQ's on this forum to a T...!)

So what's going on here..? All the reports about Anthem AV gear has been so positive and I haven't seen many issues raised on this particular forum... Have I just been unlucky and should i give one more unit a go..?? Or should i get the CHORD, Oppo, and DVDO setup and be happy..(much more expensive option...)?????

Thanks for letting me vent and any advice!
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post #10675 of 14714
5/16/12 at 6:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sjb266 View Post

Hey guys...

Just wondering if anyone else has had a faulty MRX700 as i'm about to take back my 2nd unit in as many weeks..

The first unit i had the IR just stopped working... unplugged power, tried my harmony one... nothing... it worked one minute then stopped the next for the rest of the day....The next morning i switched it back on and the remote worked again.. albeit only in straight line of sight (off axis = no response) and within fairly close range to the receiver..
The other problem with my first unit is that occasionally it wouldn't turn on from standby.. only turning the mains power switch off and on would bring it back to life..

Anyway the dealer said bring it back and swap it over so i did..

Now i fire up the second unit, run all the ARC again and get all my inputs labelled etc.. then i notice a very audible hiss/white noise from the center channel.. damn... dodgy amplifier..
Once again i had the same problem powering up from standby and turning the power on and off was the only solution..

So i'm about to take back my second unit and i'm wondering if i should persevere... I've got an old CHORD DSP8000R lying around and was maybe gonna get a DVDO iScan DUO and a 5 Channel power amp and just flog that old girl for a while.. (Oppo multi out for uncompressed HD audio)..

I really wanted to love the MRX700 and i dig the ARC but my experience thus far has been nothing but frustration.. don't even get me started on ARC upload dropout using the Tripp-Lite Serial to USB converter (even after following all the FAQ's on this forum to a T...!)

So what's going on here..? All the reports about Anthem AV gear has been so positive and I haven't seen many issues raised on this particular forum... Have I just been unlucky and should i give one more unit a go..?? Or should i get the CHORD, Oppo, and DVDO setup and be happy..(much more expensive option...)?????

Thanks for letting me vent and any advice!

Could it be a power problem at your place? Maybe the outlet you are using? A power conditioner? Just trying to think of what the problems could be. I haven't had any issues with my MRX700 except before I upgraded the firmware I had a problem that suddenly started with the sound going out if I switched an episode of star trek on BD and the sound wouldn't come back unless I powered off and back on. I was fine for the longest time and then it started happening. But I've been good since my firmware upgrade.
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post #10676 of 14714
5/16/12 at 7:09am
Hi,

I have an MRX500 and am wondering if it is possible to limit the LFE frequency range that is sent to the sub via ARC? e.g. Cutoff all frequencies below say 25hz? I know it is possible to set the sub HPF to flat to open up the sub 20hz area, so can you do the opposite too?
I am currently in an apartment and want to listen at a comfortable level, but limit the really long wave frequencies from going straight through to the neighbours.

Thanks
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post #10677 of 14714
5/16/12 at 9:30am
Hi nw06,
Yes you can limit the bottom end of the sub.
Open your last ARC file, click on Targets, then click on Advanced.
The dialog has settings for the sub High Pass Frequency, default is 20Hz, but you can set it higher.
There is also a setting for the High Pass Order, default is Auto - Flat gives more extension - the higher orders (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc) give a faster roll-off of output.
Try some values and recalculate to see the effect on the sub graph. Upload the new ARC config and give it a listen with something you know well.
Just keep adjusting till you get the effect your after. You can always get back to default by clicking the Auto Detect button.
Regards, Mike.
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post #10678 of 14714
5/16/12 at 10:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sjb266 View Post

Hey guys...

Just wondering if anyone else has had a faulty MRX700 as i'm about to take back my 2nd unit in as many weeks..

The first unit i had the IR just stopped working... unplugged power, tried my harmony one... nothing... it worked one minute then stopped the next for the rest of the day....The next morning i switched it back on and the remote worked again.. albeit only in straight line of sight (off axis = no response) and within fairly close range to the receiver..
The other problem with my first unit is that occasionally it wouldn't turn on from standby.. only turning the mains power switch off and on would bring it back to life..

Anyway the dealer said bring it back and swap it over so i did..

Now i fire up the second unit, run all the ARC again and get all my inputs labelled etc.. then i notice a very audible hiss/white noise from the center channel.. damn... dodgy amplifier..
Once again i had the same problem powering up from standby and turning the power on and off was the only solution..

So i'm about to take back my second unit and i'm wondering if i should persevere... I've got an old CHORD DSP8000R lying around and was maybe gonna get a DVDO iScan DUO and a 5 Channel power amp and just flog that old girl for a while.. (Oppo multi out for uncompressed HD audio)..

I really wanted to love the MRX700 and i dig the ARC but my experience thus far has been nothing but frustration.. don't even get me started on ARC upload dropout using the Tripp-Lite Serial to USB converter (even after following all the FAQ's on this forum to a T...!)

So what's going on here..? All the reports about Anthem AV gear has been so positive and I haven't seen many issues raised on this particular forum... Have I just been unlucky and should i give one more unit a go..?? Or should i get the CHORD, Oppo, and DVDO setup and be happy..(much more expensive option...)?????

Thanks for letting me vent and any advice!

There is always a chance of getting a defective product from any manufacturer but gettin 2 in a row is very unusal. I can see where you may want to "throw in the towel" but IMO you would be making a mistake as I believe once you get a "good one" you will not regret it.

As you stated most all the comments in the thread are positive and I do not believe there is a major quality issue with this line of receivers.

It does bring into question if there are other reasons for getting two defective receivers in a row as the odds of this you would think would be quite high. For example if 1 out of 100 are defective or have major issues, the odds of this happening 2 time in a row are 10,000 to 1!

barry
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post #10679 of 14714
5/16/12 at 12:41pm
Is there a way to change the HDMI output between AVR, AVR + TV and TV on the fly?
Thanks.
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post #10680 of 14714
5/16/12 at 12:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by usxplong View Post

Is there a way to change the HDMI output between AVR, AVR + TV and TV on the fly?
Thanks.

I don't think so.
John
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