ONKYO HT-S9400 THX 7.1-Channel HTIB - Page 3

Guys,

One question about the DLNA streaming. I setup Windows Media player on my WIN 7 laptop and I can see the RT-990 receiver when I share my media. I can also see my laptop on the receiver under the Server and I can play music on the receiver when I select the server. I have to control the music through the Onkyo remote though and this can be hard at times...

Can I directly stream music from my laptop to the receiver. I want to start playing a song on the laptop in windows media player..and want the sound to come out from the receiver.

Thanks! You guys have been a great help...and I really appreciate it!

Here is how I have mine set up:
In the 1st section of the set up menu,Input/Output assignment, I have the resolution set to through for the monitor out. This will pass all video singals through the onkyo in their native resolutions and no processing by the onkyo.
In the Hardware menu, select HDMI and here are my settings:
HDMI Control (RIHD) Off, HDMI Through CBL/SAT, Audio TV Out Off, and Lip Sync On.
I do beleive the Audio TV Out is used in conjunction with ARC so if your tv does not support ARC then leave this off.


When you start playing a Blu ray the Onkyo should play what ever audio codec is used on the disc be default. Example if the sound track is DTS Master Audio it should show that on the Onkyo display. Once you get the two back speakers set up and you run the full Audyssey set up then the Onkyo will play the default sound track but any 5.1 sources will be automatically expanded to 7.1. This is how the THX set up works. If you want to hear only the 5.1 audio then select Direct from the listening mode set up which you can access by hitting the Home button on the Onkyo remote.
Right now you will not see this until you hook up the back speakers.

I think I have this figured out.
On your computer go to Contol Panel, Network and Internet, Network and Sharing Center, change advanced settings from menu on right, Under Media Streaming click on "change media sharing options", make sure HT- R990 is set to allowed, click on "tell me more about windows streaming" from the list below, select "to stream media to another device using Play To" from the help menu. This will tell how to push the music from windows media player to the Onkyo.
Let me know how this works as I did not set up any of the net options yet.

Thanks Jed1... I think this will work but unfortunately I wasn't able to try it out. I thought I had WIN 7 on my laptop...but I actually have Win Vista 64 bit. It has Windows Media Player 11.

I did some reading and it sounds like the "Play to" option for streaming was added to Windows Media Player 12 and that is only supported on Windows 7. It's no biggie...I can always listen to the music from the receiver and still use DLNA. It would just be more convenient to play it from the PC and not the Onkyo remote.

Thanks for your help!

I did this and I was able to get my DirectTV video on the TV with the receiver in Standby mode. So the HDMI through worked for the video...however I did not get any audio from the TV speakers.
Do you the receiver to pass video and audio to your TV using this method?

I have windows 7 but I did not set up the play to. I am going to rip some CDs with the media player and see how I like the streaming option instead of haveing my CD player hooked up. I was trying out the V tuner last night and I really like it. It is amazing how many radio stations are online in the world.


Yes mine works. There are a few things you can check. Make sure your tv speakers are not muted. Check the audio settings in your direct tv receiver. I have cable and I have the HDMI audio set to auto. Also check the audio settings in your tv. For a test you can connect the HDMI from the direct tv box to your tv and see if the audio works, if yes then the problem is with the receiver. And if not then it is the settings in the box or on the tv. Another thing to try is when the receiver is off power cycle the direct tv box as this will force a hew HDMI hand shake. Just have a little patience as you will figure it out. If the video is working, the problem is probably simple to fix.

Thanks for all those tips! I figured it out... I had to turn on the DirectTV receiver before turning on the Receiver. I am able to hear the audio as well the video on the TV with HDMI through!

One quick question...Does your receiver stay warm even in standby with HDMI through On? I read in the manual that it will consume more power in standby mode which is understandable. I just want to know if the receiver stays warm even in standby?

If yes, then I can probably keep it disabled and just enable it every time I want to hear the audio from just the TV speakers. My wife has started to like the surround setup too so I think we will be using the TV speakers less anyways... So keeping HDMI through disabled and turning it on when needed makes sense right?

With setups that I've done at my house and for my mom and step dad, I told my wife and my mom that you have to use the surround sound and that there is no way to use the TV speakers. I keep those options turned off and they don't know any better.

Yes my receiver is warm to the touch. I going to leave mine set up this way until the 30 day return window passes for Amazon. If there is going to be a problem with the receiver I would prefer that it fails in the first 30 days so I can get the unit replaced for free with out contacting Onkyo. If you are going to use the onkyp speakers more often than the tv speakers then it makes good sense to enable pass through when you need it. No sense in wasting electricity and having slightly higher monthly electric bills for something you don't use often.
If this is your first audio/video receiver, the best tip I can give you is do not put anything on top of the receiver as they all run hot. I f you have yours in a rack/shelf set up make sure it is always on the top shelf as the heat will radiate upwards. A/V receivers and DVRs make good heaters in the winter.

Hi,

I recently bought ONKYO HT-S9400, Previously I had Logitech z906 THX.

I don't know if I'm missing any settings in Receiver or My Speakers are bad but I barely hear any sound at volume level 40-50 and its in the night when no noise is coming.

I thought its may be input issue but, I tried changing the source from HDMI (xBox), USB, AUX all are same.

Can anyone suggest me whats wrong with my Onkyo system?

Are you sure your speaker connections and polarity ( positive to positive and negative to negative) of the speaker wires are ok? Is there no sound at all with 40-50 volume level or is too faint?

Did you do the Audyssey setup? Try that first.

As bhavik23 said run the full Audyssey set up, not the quick one. This HTIB has THX volume so it will sound low until you get passed 50 on the volume. The reference THX volume is 82 or 0dB THX volume. Once you run the full Audyssey set up these levels will be set automatically for you.

The Audyssey set up begins on page 30 of the manual. Before you start this procedure make sure that the volume level on the back of the Sub woofer is set to THX level. Make sure your speakers are set up right also. This starts on page 43 of the manual and goes to page 50.

Jed1, Bhavik,

I used "RCA AH16100SN 100 Ft. 16-Gauge Speaker Wire" from amazon for my speakers setup and I checked twice its fine. Sound is coming out of all the speakers but its very low compare to my Logitech z906.

And yes I did Audyssey setup. I also set up THX in my Sub Woofer before starting 2EQ setup. All speakers are in correct position and at right place. Good thing is, I can feel the surround sound while watching movie in Onkyo which I was not able to get in Logitech z906.

But, only thing bothering me is its sound is very low even at 60. I thought may be because I used Banana Plug which are causing the issue so, I removed all the banana plugs from all speakers but still no increase in sound.

Thank you.

Just thought Id throw this out here:
http://www.woot.com/offers/onkyo-5-1ch-3d-ready-home-theater-system?utm_campaign=Amazon+Daily+-+20130118+-+Woot+-+onkyo-5-1ch-3d-ready-home-theater-system&utm_source=Amazon&utm_medium=email

What is your setup like? Are you using HDMI cables?

I have also noticed that volume level from HDMI sources ( PS3, DirectTV HD DVR) sounds a bit lower than other sources. But then again, I cannot go beyond 75. I usually keep it at 65-70 when using the PS3 or the DirectTV box.

I would suggest trying Pandora or some other Net radio station and see how that sounds. For me, that sounds quite loud even at volume level 50. This way you will be able to ensure that nothing is wrong with your speaker setup. If you don't have the Internet hooked up, you could try playing something from an IPOD or USB stick and see how that sounds.

Hopefully that helps!

Your wiring and banana plugs are fine as it is the THX sound that is different compared to what you previously had. I had an older Onkyo HTIB, the 7100, and that receiver was about the same loudness on 30 as this one is at 50 but when I ran the Audyssey on the 7100 it would limit the volume to 65 max instead of 99. On these units the Audyssey does not do that so you would naturally need more volume to to get the same loudness as the older receiver. I think this is all related to the THX volume which 82 is reference level volume or 0dB THX volume. When you get to 82 you will see the display show 82 reference and the THX light will flash. This is quite loud for me though.
When I play a Blu ray movie it is pretty loud at 50 to 60 volume level but much clearer and I can hear surround sounds that I didn't hear from my older receiver. The volume is lower with my cable feed so I have to increase it to get the same output. You can adjust the listening mode for each component on the fly by hitting the receiver button then the Home button on the remote. This will bring up a menu so you can make adjustments for the audio, video, and the listeneing mode on the fly. There is a lot of adjustments you can make on this unit which adds to the complexity. I personally think that this set up is geared to the benefit of playing Blu ray movies as this is where this unit really shines. For the price I paid it turned out to be a tremendous deal for me as it was over 300 dollars cheaper than my four year old Onkyo 7100. I see the price is back up to 1100 dollars when I checked this morning.

Edit: Mke sure you update the firmware to as this will make an improvement in the sound. I fdo this you will have to rerun the Audyssey again as the firmware makes changes to the output of the receiver. This was the first thing I did when I first turned on the receiver. Here is the links to the upgrades.
http://filedepot.onkyousa.com/Files/own_manuals/Firmware_Update_for_the_TX609_HT360_7_05_12.pdf?CFID=2352305&CFTOKEN=13901963&jsessionid=f0302958bee5d705199d2d757249607e41f2
If you do not have the internet connected here is the link for the USB firmware update, just scroll down the list to the 9400 and download it to your computer.
http://www.us.onkyo.com/download/software.cfm
Edited by Jed1 - 1/18/13 at 3:24pm

What is a good deal for this HTIB system new?

The lowest price I can find is from a 3rd party for $999.

Is this system better than say an energy take home classic 5.1 speaker system ($399) plus a descent ($500) receiver? Can anyone compare...is this THQ7.1 system better/worse?

....I also read somewhere else that his system is not the best because it can not process video at the theatre rate of 24fps. Does this matter?

I had taken the bite on this Unit and I found it yesterday at NewEgg for $699.99 with Free shipping...I had previous bought the same deal through Amazon 11 days ago through Premiere Audio Video for $849. and I waited for 10 days for it to be delivered to my House, on the 10th day after purchase I sent a Email to Premiere Audio Video asking " Where is my Tracking number, My stuff should have been here " Premiere Audio Video emailed me back letting me know the screwed up and NEVER SHIPPED IT, but would ship it out on Monday the 21st.

I told them to KISS MY ARSE....loosers.......and then I found it on Sale at Newegg for 699 shipped, and then to save the hassle of and defect that might arrise. I price matched at Best Buy, so I could take it back locally if it turns out defective. Moral to my story, don't Buy squat from Premiere Audio Video through Amazon, the order dept. are Weetarded at best.

After taking so many Onkyo units back to Frys after reading about their short comings of each Unit from the AVS community prior to purchasing the 9400THX, I hope it is everything that my 70" Sharp LCD TV needs to bring awesome surround sound to my screen.

Thanks all... Don't forget Newegg has 9400thx now for 699.99 shipped.

Amazon had this over the holidays for $500. I payed $680 - which was the best price I found over 2-3 months of research over it (for a non-refurb) pre Christmas. Don't think we'll see it for $500 again (or at least until a new model comes out).

I'm still amazed at the clarity of this system. I am hearing things that I never heard from other systems while watching movies, TV, etc.

^^^ Yes its a very nice system. I recommend it to ppl all the time who have a budget of less than $1k. Don't get me wrong there is much better out there if you're willing to pay and buy seperate components. Its not a typical HTiB system. I have owned an Onkyo SR800 HTIB and the sound was nothing like the 9400THX. But I have BIC Acoustech speakers now with dual Outlaw Audio LFM-1 Plus subs and they would blow the 9400THX away as they should being 3 or 4 times more expensive.

I don't have this set up, though I did consider it very carefully before making my purchase. I do have an Onkyo AVR, you should be able to configure your speakers by going into set up, then audio and then speaker config.

I am also trying to find info on how to set the speakers to small, large for the thx 9400 . When I go to speaker settings it does not have options for this that I can see . But it does have diffrent frequencies to set for each speaker . I am unsure of whether setting each one on the speaker is to allow that to come through or to cut the specific frequencies off . I am trying to get my bass right as it seems to have a vibration on some of the sharp sounds that just sounds horrible. I only have a volume button on the back of the sub so this confuses me to a point to as I am not sure on how to set up everything to work together right . I am fairly certain the sub is fine and it is the setup I am doing wrong , even with the Audessy tool it seems off.

On another note I am wondering if anyone has set up the front highs for this and what there opinion is of it. I am playing with the notion of trying it out but was hoping to hear from people that tried it and their thoughts first before I go through puting more holes in the wall to hang the speakers . There is such a mixed opinion when i search online it is hard to decide if it is worth it.

^^^ Real AVR's don't have you set small or large speakers they have you choose a Crossover freq for each speaker. Choose 80hz (THX) for all your crossovers for the 9400THX and the LPF of LFE set to 120hz.

Ok so looking for the small settings is out. So I went in and had a look , I can set the eq to manual and the each speaker has a setting for each frequencies of + or - 6db. So there is six diffrent settings for each speaker and then the sub. So am I correct in thinking the higher ones should be in the plus side for all the front and surround with the lower ones in the negative and the sub with all up to 160 hrtz in the plus as well

Use Audyssey for your EQ use the mic and let Audyssey do its thing. After Audyssey is done you can go back and set all your xovers to 80hz and tweak the speaker level more to your liking. But keep the distance at what Audyssey sets it at and keep the EQ set to Audyssey... Audyssey can EQ the system much better than the human ear can.

Yup. From what I looked at, there is a huge gap price wise between this system and starting to put your own system together. This system seems to be the absolute top of the line for HTIB, which of course is the low end of HT stuff. I'm very happy with mine, and I'd say that there's no way you could put your own system together that's as good for the price.

Just A HEADS UP for anyone still on the fence on this HTIB, AMAZON has it on Sale again right now for $649.99........So if you want to get the best Bang for your buck, I would head over and buy one up. The 9400 THX sound is simply put " Amazing " when you get it set up. With the setup Mic that comes with the system makes it to simple to do and the end result is just as everyone else says about it. You will hear things in movies that you never noticed before just watching in HD TV.

I have yet to complete my setup with the ONKYO wireless LAN adapter and hope to tackle that in the near future. I have noticed with my Sharp 70" Arc ready Tv, I am able to stream movies off net flix with the 5.1 sound being picked up VIA HDMI and the ARC Feature in the Tv. The ONKYO 9400 THX automatically notices the signal and goes right to the settings required. It's a outstanding system for the $.

Not to mention that I just got $50. refunded to me because the price on AMAZON went down since my original purchase from Best Buy was with in the 30 day window. Best Buy just checked the price and that's all it took to get the cash back. Thank you Best Buy and Onkyo for the awesome set up.

How did those stands work out for you?

Can anyone recommend speaker stands for the front?