Anthem D2/D2v/AVM50/AVM50v/ARC1 tweaking guide - Page 1254

Just measure the distance from speakers to your main listening position and set those numbers as a starting point. Then you have to either trust your ears or use SPL meter or even better calibrated microphone with any freeware software to adjust those distances so that to align the phases. It is especially critical for subwoofer distance near the crossover point. ARC won't do it for you although it could provide some manual mode for helping with this. I am using calibrated microphone and free HolmImpulse software and varying speaker distances does have a significant influence on real (not simulated) response curve. I just try to find the setting so that my combined curves (left + subwoofer, right + subwoofer) were as close to a reference curve as it is possible. One trick that helps a lot is to calculate and upload settings with room gain set to zero, in this case target curve will be flat at it is easier to do phase alignment. After you set distances you can reupload settings with automatically calculated room gain.

Or you can just play you favorite songs while changing the subwoofer distance (plus/minus 6 feet) to find the sweet spot.

From the D2v manual, Page 25, Speaker Setup 3.3

Subwoofer

Choose 1 SUB
Use this setting when using ARC and using one or more subwoofers

You're right wingnut, not the most intuitive, especially some of the remote shortcut keys as you may discover (i.e. holding down buttons like '7' or 'Back' to bring up a menu).

I have no experience with multiple subs but I do know that the Anthem only has a single LFE/bass channel so I think you will generally leave that set to 1 sub even if you are using both sub outputs.

You personally have to set the speaker distances. Tip: if you have an SPL meter set the test tone noise level via the menu to 75dB before running ARC, try to get your sub's gain level close to that too, then ARC takes care of the rest.

Most people go with the default room gain. ARC measures your actual room gain and sets targets to achieve the nominal room gain (3.94).

edit: Just noticed the others beat me to it, sorry all.

Thank you, yes. I read that. I asked my dealer about it and he said I could select 2 and use ARC so I am pretty confused. I have my 4 subs hooked up in pairs with a Y cable. The first pair on Sub 1 and the second on Sub 2.

When I run ARC it does ping all 4 subs but the setting reverts to one sub. Why ? I just want to make sure all 4 are in play after the fact and it doesn't make much sense to me ....?

The 1 Sub vs. 2 Subs setting alters how the Subwoofer volume trims are interpreted in Setup > Level Calibration. That's the only difference.

The values that ARC Uploads into Level Calibration are calculated assuming 1 Sub is set, and so when using ARC you should set 1 Sub even if you have more than 1 so that the Movie/Music values ARC Uploads for the volume trims for your combination of Subwoofers are interpreted/applied correctly.
--Bob

I see. So even at Sub 1 if I have the subs hooked up to both 1 and 2 Sub 2 will get used?

Yes. Indeed you can have all FOUR Sub outputs connected (2 RCA and 2 XLR) and they'll all be live even though you have specified "1 Sub".
--Bob

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Well ain't that a hoot! Thanks.

Your Subwoofer connections are OK

Next step would be setting the volume levels of your speakers and then checking the phases of your subwoofers

From Bob Pariseau - How to set Set your volume levels for all your speakers

Prior to running the ARC measurements, there is another step to do to get the test tone volumes correct:

Using your trusty Radio Shack SPL meter (on Slow Response and C weighting), go into Setup / Speaker Calibration and set the volume trim for the Front Left speaker and for the subwoofer both to 0dB. Then turn on Manual in the first line and scroll down to the Noise Level line. Adjust Noise Level until your Front Left speaker is producing roughly 75dB as measured at your dead center listening position (ARC mic position #1 -- SPL meter pointing straight up). Leave the volume trim setting for the Front Left speaker at 0dB, just adjust the Noise Level line.

Remember -Set the Left Front line to 0dB and THEN adjust the Noise Level line.

Now scroll to the subwoofer line. Leave that line at 0dB but adjust the internal volume knob on your subwoofer until it, too measures roughly 75dB at the same listening position. There is no need to be super precise in these adjustment -- a ball park setting is sufficient.

ARC will use the Noise Level setting you have just made to set the volume for its own test sweep tones, and the adjustment you have just made to your subwoofer's volume knob insures that it, too, can be level adjusted properly to match. If you happen to have any other speakers with internally powered amps (i.e., with a volume control on them) do the same for them.


Then follow these instructions from Bob Pariseau for your subs

1) Go to Setup > Speaker Configuration and specify that you have only 1 sub. This is the necessary setting for use with ARC regardless of how many subs you have. Always specify "1 Sub" if you intend to use ARC.

2) Next set the sub volumes separately.
Turn one sub off (at the sub itself -- unplug it if necessary). Go to Setup > Level Calibration. Zero out every line in there. Then set Noise Level to produce 75dB SPL (the LF speaker will be the one playing). Then scroll to either sub line and, leaving that line at 0dB, adjust the volume knob in the still powered sub to produce 73dB SPL (not 75dB). Turn off that sub and turn on the other sub (again, at the subs). Adjust it's volume knob to also produce 73dB. You are done. In combo they'll produce roughly 75dB and they are balance with respect to each other. "Roughly" is close enough.

3) Next set the phase for each sub separately.


With only one sub powered at a time, adjust the Polarity/Phase for that sub to best match the LF speaker. Use the phase/polarity controls on the sub itself. You'll need the phase adjustment tones on a calibration DVD -- details are in those post links in the first post of this thread. When both subs are in phase with LF then they are also in phase with each other.

Dmusoke provided this for setting subwoofer phasing: http://www.avsforum.com/t/678260/anthem-d2-d2v-avm50-avm50v-arc1-tweaking-guide/31380#post_19542630 for setting the Subwoofer phasing

4) Now do ARC Measurement (with BOTH subs powered on). ARC will hear the two subs as a combo and will correct accordingly. This is the only proper way to use ARC with more than one sub.

5) After you do your ARC Upload you should find that 1 Sub is still specified. The speaker volume trim and crossover uploaded for the sub will be the correct values for your combo of two subs.

Very helpful. Thank you. I had them all 4 subs at 75db together from my previous Audyssey set up but I will try this tonight.

Time to replace either my Statement D2 or my Oppo BDP-93? Apparently they're incompatible.

Now that our dedicated home theater room is "finished" and I've re-run ARC to re-tune the acoustics, I'm back to a problem that I've had since getting the Oppo.

Since the D2 is only HDMI 1.1, all audio/video is being routed over HDMI to the D2 as "LPCM" (i.e., the Oppo decodes all multichannel audio). I've tried both HDMI 1 and HDMI 2 outs of the Oppo, with no difference in behavior. The HDMI chain is Oppo BDP-93 --> D2 --> JVC DLA-RS1 projector.

I really want to be able to utilize all 7 speakers when listening to surround SACDs or DVD-Audio discs. Silent rear speakers (or complete silence on some discs) won't do.

Do I sell the Anthem D2 or the Oppo? (My hunch is the problem is D2 firmware -- I'm running 1.47f in the D2, which is the last update Anthem ever released.) Will I have the same problem if I replace the D2 with a D2v?
Edited by uberanalyst - 7/13/12 at 11:38am

^^ The Oppo is working correctly. No point in replacing it.

Check your OPPO and D2 setup as multichannel SACDs play perfect with 5.1 + PLIIx.

OPPO setup
Secondary Audio - OFF
Menu Sound - OFF
HDMI Audio - LPCM
SACD Output - PCM
Coaxial Optical - Any
LPCM Rate Limit - 96k (for a D2)

You can also use the Multichannel Analog Audio setup as your OPPO 93 has an audiophile DAC for audiophile analog sound.

Here is what I use for multichannel SACDs
Use the 8 channel OPPO outputs using only the LF,RF,C, RS,LS and Sub SE connections from the OPPO
and input to the 6 channel D2 input.
Then choose the 6 channel in setup.
You can then use Analog DSP and utilize 5. 1 + PL11x for 7.1.

I am not aware of how often you may find a 4.0 or 4.1 recordings. I have none in my library.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I went back and checked my Oppo settings: they all agree with yours EXCEPT "Menu Sound - OFF" which doesn't seem to exist anywhere in the menu structure (I'm running the latest Oppo firmware version). The closest thing I could find was to set the Oppo's on-screen display (OSD) to "Silent."

Once again I tried a 5.1 multichannel SACD (The Telarc Sampler Vol. 1), and can only get sound out of the 7.1 "side" surrounds, not the "rear." There's no way to select DPL IIx -- if I hit the "Mode" button on the D2, the OSD and front D2 panel display shows "6-Channel INPUT, None." No amount of turning a knob or button pushing will let me apply ANY surround modes to the SACD 5.1 channel mix in order to get sound out of the rear surround speakers.

FWIW, I've got the Oppo HDMI set to 1080p, 24 fps, and 4:4:4 video. I've also set the Oppo speakers configuration to down mix 7.1 to 5.1 (since the D2 can't support native 7.1 content).

I'd really like to avoid the analog cabling hookup you suggested, since that would require going digital-->analog-->digital. I prefer to maintain a pure digital audio signal over HDMI without the extra conversions.

That helped, but did not completely solve the issue - the hiss is just shorter in duration.

Something doesn't seem right - I mean, I have a Denon DVD-3910, and if I am sitting at the main menu of the DVD, simply selecting menu items causes the hiss. What I mean is, if the DVD menu shows, for instance, "Play Movie", "Settings" and "Extras" and I select "Settings", I get 1-3 seconds of hiss until the menu finishes loading. Is that normal?

Same thing happens on a Blu-ray loaded in my PS3.

I have pretty much the same setup. To be honest I haven't done much SACD or DVD-A listening since upgrading from the 83 to the 93. I'll see if I can't duplicate your issues this weekend. I have the Tearc sampler I believe. My memory is rusty but wasn't this an issue with the 83 too?

ETA:I should mention I'm still running the 1.33 official firmware never upgraded and I'm still using the Oppo firmware that allows iso playback.
Edited by obie_fl - 7/13/12 at 4:49pm

I notified Anthem of the bug and they said they'd check it. But the only followup so far has been to say "try version 3.00a". I'm disappointed in Anthem. They didn't even bother to say they're working on it.

uberanalyst

If you are using CD as the source for playing SACD and do not have the Audio In set to Dig HDMI there is no selection of modes
Also the Scaler Input should be the HDMI connection # where the OPPO is connected in the D2.
I set up CD as analog and used DVD2 for SACD
Go into the setup and select DVD 2 as your source for playing SACD or DVD-A.
You can rename it as SACD if you want.
Set up this source as on page 33 of the D2 manual selecting bass management as movie or music not LFE
Then follow Page 33 choosing PLIIx for A, B,C,D and E
Also
Double check your Anthem connections and other settings for the D2
Reference Page 24 for the correct speaker configuration and that your rears are set to direct or dipole 7.1
Make sure in Bass Management you do not have surrounds or rears set to None
Edited by thestewman - 7/13/12 at 9:37pm

I have send anthem a mail , regards the DTS HD MR 7.1 issue. I like to know how long time it Will take before there is a fix. i am starting to fear there issent going to bee a fix........is it two years now sins the first report of the issue?

I'm thinking of adding a DarbeeVision Darbet to my system. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience using a D2v with this unit.

The Darblet works fine with my 50V, thought I had to replace some of my HDMI cables because apparently they were marginal (at best)

Thanks again.

I've checked all my configuration parameters, and (other than the naming convention for my inputs) they are identical to what you recommended. Still no joy, with no ability to change the 6-channel HDMI surround mode from "None" despite all the presets for that input set to DPL IIx.

Are you also running firmware 1.47f in your D2? I did notice that the version 1.3 firmware D2 manual (the most recent one I could find) lists some potentially-relevant configuration parameters that are missing in 1.47f. For example, in "9. ADC/AUDIO OUTPUT" there are:

a. 6-Ch REVERSE S/R: Yes or No
b. COPY SUR To REAR: Yes or No

My D2 running 1.47f is missing these menu options -- why would Anthem delete these in newer firmware? I wonder if I need to revert to firmware 1.33? (If it's even still available?). I seem to recall that 1.47f was "beta" firmware meant to fix or speed up HDMI handshaking with the D2.

Help me work this out please!

I reported earlier that I had upgraded my non-3D unit to V3.0 with success except for my Dune Prime 3.0 which frequently refuses to provide audio without multiple on/off cycles that sometimes make it work and sometimes does not. Did not have any such problem in previous FW versions.

So I discovered a way to fix this (by accident) and I just can't work out why this happens....

When watching the Dune (picture but no audio) and then only powering on my PS3 - the audio immediately starts on my Dune. Switch off the PS3 and audio drops out again.

I cannot imagine what is going on here - any ideas?

Now a new problem has popped up: with software version 3.00a, the 50v won't play audio from my HTPC. So not only did 3.00a not fix the earlier problem, it created a new one. Not good at all.

I feel your pain Robert. I told them aboutt my pink haze problem when i exit setup numerous times with no resolution to the problem so far. Maybe they give preference to the newer MRX receiver units since these are the ones selling at a much faster rate than the older D2v/50v units. Or could be they are busy coding for new successors to the D2/50v units?

- David

I too have started having audio drop outs with an AppleTV once sources are switched. The Anthem 50v does not register audio from either the HDMI or Toslink ports. I haven't been able to figure out if it's something that's gone wrong with the AppleTV and coincidental with the 3.0 software update or if it's something buggy with the 3.0 update. I get video just fine, so that's why I'm leaning towards it being a possible 3.0 bug.

Theo

I no longer have my D2 which was running 1.47f and when I had it I had zero problems with the rear channels. I bought a D2v because I wanted the Dolby and DTS HD audio capabilities of the D2v as I stream BluRay videos from a PCH 200 and PCH 300 and they pass through the DTS and Dolby HD audio. .
I suggest you contact Anthem support describing the problem. And keep on them about it.
Describe exactly what is happening with the rear channels. Also your setup and the fact that you hear audio from the rear channels with other sources and when using the sound
level adjustments for ARC.

Ran a quick test with the Telarc sampler this evening while waiting for the wife to start a movie. I was able to apply the Dolby modes and DTS NEO-6 processing and get sound to my rears. I am running the production 1.33 firmware so you may what to try reverting to that. It is still on Anthems site here. I should also mention my Oppo 93 is running the older iso enabled BDP9x-61-1219 firmware.

Above is an old quote from Bob made 3 or so years ago. Is it fair to conclude that this also applies to the latest and greatest 3D versions of the D2v and 50v?

I got the D2 when it first came out and a major reason I got it in favor of the 50 was that it was unclear if Anthem would provide ARC for the 50 (given that the D2 had more powerful DSP and Anthem said they were not sure if ARC would be available for the 50). Well, turns out that wasn't the case. Also, at the time, i had just upgraded to Paradigm Signature speakers and also listened to music more critically back then (but these days movies are it).

Unfortunately, as Bob indicated, it's virtually impossible to find a dealer that has both D2v and 50v in their showroom. It's hard enough to find an Anthem dealer that carries either one!

Is it fair to conclude that the sonic differences between the D2v and 50v are somewhat similar to the difference (i.e. small) between the Oppo BDP-93 and BDP-95? I know we're taking apples and oranges here, but I'm trying to gauge the differences without the benefit of actually being able to compare them myself.

Thanks

Hi Spiderv6,

Please read posts 37385, 37387, 37396 and 37398. I have a similar problem to yours with my 50V using firmware 3.0, so I have reverted to a prior version. With 3.0 firmware, I cannot get audio from HDMI 2,3,4,6,7,8 UNLESS I have an HDMI source connected and turned on ( such as the PS3) on HDMI ports 1 or 5. Like you, I thought it had something bizarre to do with the PS3 or my cables but after exhaustive testing, I have to conclude that the fault lies with the combination of the 50V and the 3.0 firmware. No other firmware produces this problem. Have you tried your HDMI 2 out? Is it working properly? Out of curiosity, what is the revision number of your mezzanine boards? You can see them through the top grill with a flashlight. Mine are Ver C 02. My main board is Ver N. It has a green dot which presumably means it passed inspection at the time of manufacture. All are dated Aug 26 2008. I suspect you may have the same board revisions and/or a similar hardware fault to me.

Thanks,
Certz