Integra DHC-80.3 - Page 115

Regarding zones and digitat/analog connections. I am a recent upgrade from a 9.8 to the 80.3 and I've not played much with it except to use it for watching movies.

I connected the analog and digital connections from a CD player to the 80.3 VCR/DVR inputs. The zones work and are using the anaolg signal. The main system is using only the digital side. This was not the case with the 9.8 and as I mentioned I had been using different inputs for the same device. The 80.3 makes more sense in this regard.

Mastermaybe, thanks for those comments.

jongig, I agree that the dual connection to the same source inputs on the 80.3 is a good way to go (to play the same music in the main area and the zones).

With the dual connections to the same source input terminals, how can you be certain that the main area is using the digital signal input rather than the analog? Is there a way to verify this?

It would be consistent with the prioritization statement in the manual. I just wanted to make sure that it was not changed for the main area when simultaneous analog is sent to the zone amps. Someone posted above that the 80.3 can process an analog signal by converting it to digital and applying Audyssey. Just would like to figure this out definitively . . .

Thanks.

"Someone posted above that the 80.3 can process an analog signal by converting it to digital and applying Audyssey."

Whether it does though (and it DOES) has absolutely no bearing on whether it will send digital input signals to the zones, imperatively.

I can tell you definitively that the 80.3 does not have the DAC's to process output for the second and third zones, hence the analog limitation to them.

No Integra/Onkyo AVR/PRE-PRO EVER has, that I'm aware of.

I do not have a schematic sitting in front of me at the moment, but I did unearth one when I was considering this unit last year.

Call Integra if you desire further qualification, I'm certain one of their techs will tell you the same.

James
Edited by mastermaybe - 1/16/13 at 11:57am

Mastermaybe, I wasn't implying or questioning that the 80.3 could "send digital input signals to the zones".

Rather, if both digital and analog cables are connected to the same source input on the 80.3, my question is whether, when a stereo CD is playing:

(A) the 80.3 is processing the digital input signal for the main area while simultaneously processing the analog input signal for the zones, or

(B) the 80.3 is only processing the analog signal for both the main area and the zones (and, while doing so, converting that analog signal to digital for the main area and adding Audyssey in the main area).

It was rather simple. I used a connection that I could safely unplug while listening simultaneously to both the Main and the Zones. When I unplugged the digital I lost music in the Main area and when I unplugged the analog I lost the Zones.

What turned out to work great for me that I could not do with the 9.8 was to connect both the HDMI from the BD and the analog to the same BD inputs. This simplified the connections.

Now that the rack is out in the middle of the floor I will make some other changes as well as try to get my theater intro and macro’s to work. The 80.3’s remote is a lot different than the 9.8 was.

I have 5 XLR (balanced) cables connecting my 80.3 processor and 70.1 amp for my main listening area 5.1 system. I have been using RCA cables to connect the 80.3 to the remaining 4 amps on the 70.1 for stereo audio in both Zone 2 and Zone 3.

I tried replacing the RCA cables with 4 XLR cables for the zone connections. The connections were made on the Front High Wide Left and Right, and the Surround Back Left and Right, XLR terminals on the 80.3 to the corresponding terminals on the 70.1. The result was that one speaker in each zone was active and the other speaker was inactive. As I recall, the output to those speakers did not change regardless of whether Zone 2 or Zone 3 was on, and regardless of whether I specified (in the 80.3 setup menu) the Front High Wide outputs as being active. I did flip the input terminal switches on the 70.3 to the XLR position.

There seems to be some issue with mapping the balanced outputs for use by the Zones.

Is anyone familiar with this issue, or a solution?

Thanks.

I don't see that the unit was built with the intent of using XLR for zones. I would revert back to the RCA cables that are labeled Zones.

Bought a Pro Kit and ran it tonight on my Integra DHC 80.3. Huge improvement with bass and SQ. Pro set my crossovers at 50 for the LCR and 60 for the 4 surrounds. I did try 80 hz crossover but got the best audio SQ with the 50 hz. I have dual stacks of 2 Submersives in each front corner and Pro set those trims at -1 and the seat shakes and vibrates at -5 on the volume. Bass is pretty much the same either at 50 or 80 crossover so I went with what sounds best for me for SQ. Using Pro with XT32 is a improvement with overall bass and SQ. WOW pod scene was 116 db with both 80 & 50 crosssovers. Those JTR speakers are damn efficiant with audio freqs.

What are your L/C/R speaker specs, ie. size of drivers, size of cabinets? A pair of 7"-8" drivers in a sizable cabinet might be good down to 40Hz but even then a substantial sub will do it better. My L/C/Rs (7" high excursion midbass drivers in 0.5cf cabinets) measure flat in my room down to about 40Hz (and this is the frequency the receiver chooses as the crossover frequency when XT32 is run) but this doesn't indicate distortion at higher volumes so I have them set to an 80Hz crossover. Chances are your subs are able to handle frequencies from 50Hz to 80Hz a lot better than your L/C/Rs.
Edited by Theresa - 1/27/13 at 5:38am

Finally I got my Subwoofer upgraded to SubMersive from SVS PB12 Plus and Center speaker from Revel C52 to Voice 2 few days back. Thinking about the next step - and playing with the idea to go for Anthem D2 (not D2v) from my current Integra 80.2. I am looking forward to my fellow forum member to see if anyone has experience of listening to both these processors. I fully appreciate the fact that there are some technical differences, there is a price difference. But, as an end-user, I am really for the true end result. All these tech facts apart, is there going to be a noticeable/significant difference in sound & sight quality? Is the sound stage going to show clear differences or it is just something that we can only verify and validate using expensive measuring machines? I am using Oppo-103 as my source (changed this at the same time by replacing PS3). Just to have a different perspective, I am going to post this at the Anthem owners' site too...
Will appreciate any help!

Check out my HT room setup at the bottom of this post.

I have two close friends with Anthem D2V's. I have an 80.2. Another close friend has my old 80.1. All have very good systems. One of the D2Vs is in a system with Wilson Sashas and Duettas with Pass Labs amps. That makes it about a $100k setup. The others are all in the $40-$50k range. All of us have been audiophile/music lovers for 4-5 decades and have heard a lot of good systems, including a lot recently.

We all listen to each others' systems frequently and most of us go to a lot of live concerts. Classical music in Mch from SACD and Blu-ray is our listening choice almost entirely. All four of us are unanimous in thinking my system sounds the best of all of them according to the standard of coming closest to the sound of a live concert. To me, that is the toughest test of sound quality, by far. The guy with the $100k setup recently heard my setup in my new room, since I moved a few months ago. He is a recording critic of note in a couple of high grade magazines. He said, quite flatteringly, but he is always totally honest with me, that mine is the best home audio system he has ever heard. He has halso heard a number of extreme, all out studio monitoring systems, such as the ones at AIX and at Harmonia Mundi. But, we all know, of course, that somewhere out there there may be some that are a bit better than mine. Kal Rubinson in Stereophile rated the 80.2 in his Class A recommend components, along with the Anthem and a few others. He does prefer his Meridian, however, at mid $20k pricing. But, it lacks as comprehensive an EQ capability as we have on an Integra with a Pro calibration.

Now, I do use Audyssey Pro, which I have found to be a worthwhile upgrade to stock Audyssey. But, bottom line, I would not want an Anthem in an even up trade if I had to live with it. I also think that MultEQ XT/32 with a Pro calibration is better than Anthem ARC. Possibly the only area where the Anthem is better is via the analog inputs, which I never use. I do think the Anthems are very good, but they do not appear to be worth the added cost, at least to the four of us.

I also have no plans for an 80.3. I believe its only advantage over the 80.2 is in features, but I have not seen or heard any evidence that the 80.3 is any better in sound quality.
Edited by fitzcaraldo215 - 1/27/13 at 2:46pm

 Not wanting to be without, I got a 80.3 when I sent my 80.2 in for repair. I think that possibly the 80.2 sounded better - Perhaps I haven't quite got the 80.3 dialed in yet. (I an also too lazy
change it back in the rack) I also had changed the Audyssey Pro license to the new processor.

fitzcaraldo215,
Great response - thanks a lot for sharing your experience in details! My system is slightly under 30k, hence, not in the same league as those of yours or your friends, but even with these components, I was not feeling any noticeable lack of sound quality (while playing Sting/Adelle or watching Flight of the Phoenix/Matrix). But just wanted to explore the horizon to see if I am truly missing something not realizing it, given the fact that there are raving reports of Anthem D2/D2v ...
My plan is to move to Revel Studio 2 soon and that's why I got the Voice 2. I read/heard from multiple sources that for movie guys, the Sub and Center Channel are very important pieces. Some suggest to get these on solid footing and then build around these. I am following that route with Voice 2 and SubMersive.
I have Audyssey MultEQ XT/32 and it seems to do a great job for me. My TV is Sharp Elite 70 and is professionally calibrated, sourced by Oppo-103, hence, don't think the picture quality is in terribly bad state. I am, so far, really happy the picture quality, it is as close to natural as it gets within that price point of around 8k TV.
Bottomline, for now I will focus on replacing my Revel F52 with Studio 2 instead of diverting fund toward processor, Again, it was a pleasure reading your post:)

I just want to be clear that I have no illusions that my system is the best on the planet. But, I have to admit that it stands up well to the other systems I have heard, though that is a limited universe. I also think that there are things other than just the prepro that help make my system as satisfying as it is. But, I remain impressed overwhelmingly at what Audyssey XT//32 and Pro can do. Over 50 years of audiophile know-how, and I think some good choices in other gear have helped. Martin -Logan electrostat hybrids are, to me stellar, as is my fabulous JL Audio Fathom f113. But, I am always open to something better. I just do not see much else out there, even at high $$, that would make a significant difference. Especially post-EQ, in spite of what the audio mags continue to hype, the diminishing returns for higher expenditure have never been as great as today. Products like the Integra prepro and Oppo players are an incredible bargain in what they can do for how little they cost.

Received my 80.3 last Wednesday. Haven't had much time to use it but will the next couple of days. Have set it up and ran Audyssey using the manual and info here and the Audyssey FAQ. My first piece with Audyssey and thought it was a breeze to do an 8 point cal. This is replacing the Emotiva UMC1, a unit that got me through when my Denon AVR 2307CI started having issues. The Denon was my first piece with HDMI connectivity which introduced me to DTS-HD MA, and Dolby true HD. The Denon is a receiver but I was using it as a pre/pro. I bought the Denon used and it served me well for years. When the Denon started having issues, I started looking around for something to replace it and settled on the Emotiva UMC1. I wanted to like the UMC1, but buggy firmware and lack of future updates turned me off....It's a shame too because the unit has alot of potential. Now I own the Integra DHC-80.3 which is a piece that is current with today's technology. I bought it based on reviews, don't think I've read a bad review on it, in fact they all have high praises for it. I'm just now getting acquainted with it and have noticed 2 things...It shines with multichannel material but has left me wanting on 2 channel. I am using an oppo bdp-103 as source, have tried HDMI and analog outs...I wish the subs would be allowed using direct. I am going to hook up my pioneer pd-65 today and see how it sounds. I have the subwoofer option turned on in the audio menu option...maybe the subs don't turn on because audyssey set my definitive tech speakers x-over to 40?! Have not changed that setting yet. I have 2 18 inch definitive powerfield subs I'd like to hear with 2 channel. Has anyone had this same dilema and solved it?

To my understanding subwoofer will only work on pure direct if you feed an analog signal. Yet you can use a digital source like HDMI. Wish I had got the 105.

Are you using RCA or Balanced XLR's? Balanced seem to work much better. What amp are you using also? Try setting your subs crossover to 80hz or even at 120hz will make the subs sound more vibrant if that's what your looking for.

The latest firmware has corrected so much. The video processor in the 103 is 10x better than the processor in the DHC. I would set the DHC to 'THROUGH" and just let the DHC do all the audio coding which is fantastic and just let the 103 do the video coding. Make sure your Dynamic EQ is set to on after running Audyssey and shut off every feature pertaining to THX. You don't need it and THX settings will decrease the quality of your sounds. THX has not been perfected yet.

Also, calibrating your seating positions between 8 and 6 positions, 6 seems to create more details and articulation better than 8 positions. Unless your looking for more of the movie theater experience which lacks details and articulations and creates a more spacious effect, which will not sound the way the movie was coded.

It's up to you and you ears. I'm just giving you some options to consider.

Good luck with everything.

So balanced works much better even with shorter cable lengths? I doubt it.

Why so hostile? You did first say balanced works much better, then subsequently you seemed to say there was no difference for your short runs. I think the overall consensus here and most everywhere is that there is no difference for short runs, but that balanced tends to be better for long runs, which is all Theresa was getting at. But, lighten up. No one is attacking you. We are all just trying to be helpful and to keep the record straight.

Sorry to have caused discord. It's just I don't know of any benefit to balanced unless it's a long run, as in what pro-sound uses. There are some on here that do have very long runs and will benefit from balanced, but most just have a few meters and won't benefit from it.

Okay, I'm calmed down now. It's just the way she worded it that I accidently took it the wrong way. My bad. I apologise. I wish this damn site would allow each user to retract their posts. This site needs to be upgraded or to allow us users to delete their own posts.

But I did say that balanced did work better in different situations and not in all situations. I'm also to blame but I didn't mention anything about cable distances. I just mentioned that in my setting, balanced seem to work better for my situation. But I will send her an apology and apology to the community.

I would like to send out a personal apology to the poster "Theresa". It was uncalled for me to attack her the way that I did. I took her comment towards me the wrong way and leaped before looking and started to reprimand her without getting all the facts right. So I'm sending out a public apology for all to witness. I was wrong. I'm sorry Theresa for any discomfort I may have caused you personally. This site is meant to help each other and not to fight amongst each other.

Take care and peace to all.

Okay...Thanks for all replies! I've sorted it out. The other night when I was trying 2 ch from the oppo, I was feeding oppo analog into the 80.3's multichannel analog input and could not get subs in direct mode...Today I hooked up my pioneer elite pd-65 cd player into one of the analog inputs on the 80,3 and using direct mode the subs kicked in...I did the same with the oppo and got the same results. I must have a setting that's not right using the multi ch analog inputs on the 80.3 because I had no subs with that connection in direct mode, or, maybe that's the way it's designed. I am happy now! The pd-65 and oppo sounded really good thru the analog in 2 ch, better to my ears than HDMI. I wonder how much better the oppo 105 would be using analog than the 103? Wonder if the price difference would be worth it. I also tried FLAC using the oppo using the analog output and noticed that it doesn't have gapless playback?! Man I hope they add that feature in the near future.

 

You can delete your own posts if you wish - use the red X which appears at the bottom left of your own posts.

There is no 'RED X' anywhere on my screen or anywhere that I can see. I've complained about that feature before a few months ago a I still haven't gotten a reply from the admins. But thanks for trying to help me out.

Talking to the technical department at Oppo and asking if it's worth paying extra for the 105 compared to the 103, they told me that in general, 'NO'! It really depends on your situation. If you don't have a good receiver or pre-amp with the latest audio coding or just don't have a receiver, the 105 would be your best option since it was kind of built to replace a receiver with it's great audio and video processing. Plus it adds 7.1 surround. But in my case, since I own a DHC-80.3 and the video processing isn't too bad but the DHC has a high end audio processor in it, the 103 would be more suited to me according to the Oppo Tech. guy I talked too. He was very helpful and honest and not trying to convince me to purchase the more expensive player. I told him that I have the DHC-80.3 and he said that it was a high end audio pre-amp and the 103 is all that I needed. So I hope this helps you out. Also, you can call Oppo and talk to them and explain what you want to do and what type of equipment you have and they will be able to answer your questions. It's a toll free number.

Also, are you only going to use the Oppo for 2 channel audio? I presume your using it as a CD or music player? The reason I'm asking is if your connecting everything through Analog and you want to watch a DVD or Blu-Ray in 1080p/24, analog won't allow you to do that. I think analog will let you play in 480i only with no upscaling, but I might be mistaken. You will need to use the HDMI cable with Auto Return Channel or use two different HDMI Cables. One cable for the Audio Processing only and one cable to send the video directly to your monitor if you have older audio equipment that doesn't offer ARC. They usually refer to these type of equipment as Legacy Equipment. This is what Oppo told me. And to run 7.1 in analog, you will have to use the PCM function. But if your using it just for CD or SACD music, then the digital coax cable is all you would need.

I hope this helps you out some what. I'm sure others will correct you on my posting which is fine. If I learn something from this posting, than I accomplished everything.

And getting back to my original question about interconnects. Please disregard my past postings. My statements weren't clear enough and I ended up starting a fight which was totally wrong on my part.

Please let me start over again.

In my system, I used both the RCA and Balanced XLR connectors. In my findings, I wasn't able to find any difference in sound quality between the two. Now my cable distances are .5 meters from my Integra DTA-70.1 and DHC-80.3. And my subwoofer XLR is 2 meters away from my DHC. And it's true, for any distance greater than 25 feet, you should use balanced XLR instead of RCA. Now there are many different opinions out there comparing the differences between RCA and Balanced interconnects. For distances less then 6 feet, I really don't think you will be able to tell the difference. And the least amount of distance the signal has to travel, the better the signal will be. But there are many opinions out there on this subject and everyone is entitled to their opinion. I'm not going to say they are right or wrong. It's best if you try both connections and determine for yourself which is better or worthwhile. I prefer the XLR for two reasons. 1) They include a 3rd pin which is a ground pin. This will help prevent any ground loop noises or hum from your equipment if the electrical outlet or equipment your using isn't grounded properly. 2) I like the connectors on XLR. They seem to fit snugly and lock in place better than RCA. Though I have never encountered any problems with RCA cables. Meaning no corrosion or hum issues. I've even used the cheapest connections from radio shack all the way up to Kimber, Tara, Audioquest and Cardas cables. One cable I was able to test out was a Tara cable called the dragon cable. My friend owns an audio recording studio and let me borrow these crazy, gold $12,000.00 cables that were 1 meter long. $12k for a cable is insane. And comparing it to the cheaper radio shack cable, I can't tell the difference in sound quality. But that was my findings and you have to understand that I can't hear past 16kilo hertz or under 40hertz. So my ears aren't that perfect but what I did hear, sounded fantastic but equal between a $12k cable or a $20 cable. But that's just me. Others would beg the difference or tell me that my vintage tubed McIntosh Mono Audio Amps and my Bi-wired Bower and Wilkin 800 Diamond Speakers were of poor quality and I didn't know what I was doing or know how to connect my equipment up properly. But I'm not going to try to start another argument here and I really don't want to brag on the price of my equipment. There are many good speakers out there between $1K and $100K+ out there. To me, it's all about what your hear from them and the proper placement of them in your room. I've listened to speakers costing over $40k and I felt that my 800 Diamonds which were a little less than half that price sounded much better according to my ears. And I've jumped on a plane and traveled to many different audio stores around the country to test speakers out to see which one's would suit me the best. When spending over $15k+ on speakers, I'm not going to take the advice from a reviewer. I'm going to the manufacturer personally or to a reputable outlet that will allow me to test the speakers in many ampable configurations. But I'm sorry, I'm getting off track with my original posting. That is pretty much why i like the XLR over RCA interconnects. In my opinion neither one is better than the other.

I'm sorry to bore you with all this bs on my system/s. I can afford any type of equipment out there, but personally, I found that the Integra meets my needs the best and their DTA-70.1; for the money under $2k, has incredible, clean sound compared to other equipment costing over $6k but again, that's my opinion and my findings. To me, Integra/Onkyo makes some great products at an affordable price. And I feel that they are moving up in the audio world very quickly. Also they listen to their reviewers and if consistant problems occur with their equipment, they work right away to put out a firmware update and do their best to fix it. Not all audio companies will do that.

Anyway, take care and I wish you luck on your decision.