Marantz SR4001/5001/7001/8001 - Page 94

As stated above. You have to hook up the analog connections from your sources to the avr. The vast majority of multi-zone capable AVR's need analog connections to use the second zone

You can use the digital coax or optical out for digital sources.
It even works for Hdmi In (up to 60 something kHz PCM stereo).

Maybe on the 7005 you can but not on the 8001.

My 7001 would also require analog hookups for 2nd zone audio.

I have a Marantz SR4001 AVR that is giving me some frustrating issues. I'm getting intermittent audio drop outs, mainly from the digital audio input (RCA coax) coming from the TV (Mit DLP WD57732, with an antenna input). The only other input I have going to the receiver is a PS3 through HDMI. This HDMI carries video and audio from the PS3 and then a second HDMI carries video on to the TV from the receiver. I'm connected to a Paradigm Cinema 110 CT speaker system (which I've been very happy with). The audio from the TV (antenna) randomly drops outs for a split second and the receiver says "No Audio" and loses the channel indicators. Sometimes it does this mutliple times a minute, sometimes not at all. Sometimes turning the receiver off and then on again helps, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes this happens when changing movies on the PS3 but a power cycle of the receiver usually fixes it (still annoying though). I've replaced and checked just about every cable multiple times with no success. I was having static issues in my speakers too but was able to get rid of that by routing my power cables away from everything else.

The receiver is a few years old. I just started using the digital input to get surround sound from the TV antenna. I am trying to get some help on this through Marantz technical support. I haven't had any luck yet other than them asking how long my HDMI cables are. I've spent hours on avsforum over the last couple of weeks but still haven't been able to fix this. I've read of other Marantz units have drop out issues from the digital audio input but I haven't found anything about the SR4001 relating to this. I'm in the DFW area if it turns out I need service and someone knows a good place. Thanks for your help.

I hope I'm not being too simplistic here, but do the dropouts only occur on the TV input, that you said is coming from the TV with an antenna? Could it be you need to find a better location/angle/etc for your antenna?

..dane

Also, do you have another source you could hook up to the coax input in question to see if you experience the same drop outs? If you still experience the drops, then try the other coax input and check if it's just on the one input or common to all.

audiodane...
the random audio drop outs are only coming from the TV input to the receiver. The TV source is coming from an antenna in the attic. The drop outs happen on some channels a lot and not at all on others. PBS seems to be the worst. I've turned on the TV speakers and listened to the TV and receiver at the same time. The amp will cut out while the TV never does. So the audio is there, it just seems like there's a problem somewhere between the TV and amp (I've replaced this cable with no luck). Maybe the problem is in the amp. I will check the signal strength though. Maybe I can get it a little better.

adrman...
I don't think I have any other sources that have a digital audio out. I'll look around.

I went through every single setting on the TV and receiver last night to see if there was anything that fixed the problem. Nothing made a difference. I also had the static pop back up while watching a blu-ray on the PS3. I turned the receiver off and then back on and it went away. All of this is really starting to be a bummer.

It wouldn't hurt to try the other coax input on the 4001 and see if the problem follows to the other input. If it does, there's still no clear indication of the problem's source until you try it with something else besides the tv output. However, if it doesn't follow, you've got a bad input on the 4001.

I think your audio drop outs are signal related. I have seen it on OTA lots of times.

adrman...
I've tried both of the coax digital inputs (#3 & #4). The issue was present on both.

JOHNnDENVER...
If it was signal related wouldn't I see it on the TV too? I've tested with the TV and receiver speakers on at the same time. The receiver will drop out while the TV never will.

Audio is not buffered as well as video on OTA HD. I have seen it sooo many times that the audio will drop out and not the video and it be sgnal related.

I'd try slightly repositioning your attic antenna.

JOHNnDENVER...
I will try playing with the antenna. If it were a signal issue though wouldn't the audio cut out when using the TV speakers too?

Probably would. Swaping inputs is your only other diag tool here. I have to admit, I don't think I have used OTA HD in a long time. So long previous experiences with it may not be valid in todays world.

So I've tried a lot of everyone's advice this afternoon and here's where we stand.

I used a DVD player with a digital audio out to test the digital audio in on the receiver - no audio drops.
I sent analog audio from the DVD player to the TV, then from the TV digital out to the receiver digital in - no audio drops.
I went back to the attic antenna on the TV with TV digital out going to receiver digital in - audio drops on receiver, no audio drops on TV.
I switched to a different digital audio coax cable just to double check - audio drops on receiver, no audio drops on TV.
I switched to a different antenna (indoor, powered unit) - audio drops on receiver, no audio drops on TV.
I then added an analog audio out from the TV to the analog audio in on the receiver - no audio drops. There was some occasional static but I've since removed the digital cable and haven't noticed it since.

It seems to be a problem with the digital audio signal coming from the antenna (on just a few channels, mainly PBS (KERA 13) and CBS 11). Whether it's from the actual source signal or the signal level here at the house I haven't determined yet. I will fiddle with the antenna in the attic to see if I can improve the signal for those specific channels. Right now I'm just happy to not have any drops even if it's just in stereo. We don't watch much off the antenna other than kid shows on PBS and the news anyway. Most everything else comes from the PS3. I'll let everyone know what I find. I'm still open to any suggestions and appreciate everyone's help so far.

The next issue to figure out is why the SR4001 gets cyclical audio drops (~1 second on, ~1 second off) when I swap blu-rays out on the PS3. Turning the receiver off and then on fixes it but it's still annoying.

Unfortunately, audio drops were common in older FW. The good news is that latest FW should help. Bad news is that you have to send it into a service center.

I would call Marantz Tech support to see if they can help (but they will try their best to talk you into thinking the problem is your TV! )

hansangb...
Thanks for the info. I've been wondering about that. I hadn't found any details about what version the current firmware was on and also haven't seen how to check the version on the SR4001. The idea of sending it in for an extended period of time does not sound pleasant either. Seeing Marantz is averaging a week to respond to an email, I'm not holding my breath that I'd get my receiver back any time soon. Are there any service centers near DFW?

I know it would result in being without your unit for several days because of shipping, but if you're going to take/ship it in for service, insist on United Radio in upstate NY. I had a recurring problem with my 7001 causing me to take it in on 3 separate occasions to local service centers in NYC. The problem was only corrected after I reluctantly agreed to ship the unit to UR (on Marantz's dime). UR turned it around in one day and I had the unit back less than a week later with correct repairs. Previous comments about Marantz tech support insisting the problem is with your system are accurate. In my experience, they will do everything possible to defer responsibility. I finally got the name of a higher up in the corporate chain that took my word on the situation and arranged for the fix. Of course being on speakerphone with him while I multimetered my speaker connections helped a bit. All that being said, from what you've previously posted, it still would seem that something is up with the antenna output rather than a problem with the 4001.

adrman...
Thanks for the heads up on United Radio. I may just end up using them. I'm going to see if I can incease the signal strength coming from the antenna on the suspect channels in hopes that will help. I also am thinking of doing a reset on the receiver to see if that helps with the audio drops from a blu-ray swap. If I'm still having issues sending it in will be the next step. I'm one year out of warranty so I doubt I'll get much help out of Marantz.

Before my 8001 fried, it DID work.
RTFM, page 15.

"Multi channel PCM signals and audio signals of 62
kHz or higher that are input from the HDMI jack are
not output from the DIGITAL OUT jacks."

I experience the same thing, but have only noticed it on channel 13 (KERA). It is the broadcaster having the problems and not your sr4001. I have a sr6001 and am in the Dallas area (Richardson,TX)and get local programing OTA. I just listen to the TV audio whenever I watch KERA programing. I have no other audio drop outs.

BLWTX...
It helps to know that others see the same issue. I'm just a little NE of you so I'm a bit further from the towers. I'm thinking of trying a preamplifier for the antenna (Channel Master 7778 or 0068DSB) and see if that helps. I'm also sending a tech question to KERA. Who knows, maybe they'll have an idea that helps.

agthad
Keep us posted if KERA responds and if you see any signal improvement with the amplifier. I have not had any success in adding a signal amplifier, but I did not go with a Channel Master unit (RCA).

We are talking about Zone2 support here not digital outs, Zone2 will only work with analogue audio/video according to the manual.

agthad,

Thank you for your dedication to testing! Few people have your level of patience to try that many options and document it all properly. Kudos, keep up the good work.

Others seem to have already replied with more practical experience than I could have offered. I was only going to suggest that your television itself may spend more "effort" on the audio signal being spit out its internal speakers than its digital audio output. And that your analog outputs are a tap off the chain after that effort is applied but before going to your internal TV speakers. The fact that your TV's analog output mirrors your internal TV speakers (no drops) supports that theory. (but it's still just a theory)

Have you tried looking up on the inter-web threads regarding your specific TV and its digital out quality using OTA reception? There are probably a lot more people using your TV with other receivers than those of us checking this thread using your TV with a Marantz x001 receiver. Since it seems more likely to be TV related at this point (though things can change quickly), you might try searching elsewhere as well.

That said-- if you do find anything more definitive, please do share your results with us!

cheers and good luck,
..dane

audiodane...
That's great advice. I will check into the digital audio out characteristics of the TV (MIT WD57732). I was actually wondering about that the other day. I was telling the wife maybe the signal level of the digital audio out is lower than that coming from the antenna based on how they're splitting it out. It might be enough to work properly at the TV but then not at the receiver. I don't know if they're using a coupler or splitter or... If it's a splitter I assume it will be ~3dB down from the original signal but if it's a coupler it could be more (I'm a mechanical engineer in SATCOM so I know just enough RF to be dangerous). Maybe they amplify the digital signal after it's split off? I don't know the difference in signal levels needed for analog versus digital audio. I will look into though.

I went by Fry's yesterday and picked up some quad-shield RG6. I'm going to replace the old crappy coax (RG59 maybe, I don't think it's even labeled) I ran to the attic antenna. I was also hoping to pick up a Channel Master preamp but they didn't have any on the shelf. I grabbed a Phillips 12dB preamp to see if it helps any. If not the Fry's in Dallas has the CM 7777 so I may run down and give it a try. It may be too hot though. We'll see.

I wasn't able to test anything last night because the TV bulb decided to blow as soon as I got home. These only seem to last me about a year and a half. I'll get a replacement at Atlas Electronics today and be back in business. I'll post back when I know more. Thanks everyone for the help.

@agthad--

Know that not all antennas are create equal (some work better for some scenarios, others better for others), though I think they all work equally well when given relatively decent signal strengths. There are TONS of antenna discussions here on AVS as well. I got sucked into the DIY approach because I wanted to pick up a specialty station far away.

Also, the digital audio signal is embedded within the ATSC channel encoding, so the TV's digital output "signal level" has nothing to do with the antenna strength, except that if the antenna strength is "marginal" the tuner/decoder may have too low a SNR (signal-to-noise ratio), that is.. too much noise, to properly decode the audio signal. That wouldn't cause a lower output signal, just a choppy one. The TV's internal electronics however may provide a low output signal (regardless of OTA signal strength). Which is why you'll also need to look up threads about your particular TV. For instance, some TV's are known to not interoperate well with Onkyo receivers... yours might also have some known "features."

And yes, RG6QS works better than RG59. Some amplifiers will amplify the noise just as much as the signal. It's not the "power" that matters, it's the signal to noise ratio. A good LNA (low noise amplifier) will cost more than a standard "so-so" amplifier. But, something is better than nothing, so give it a shot and let us know.

good luck, keep us posted,
..dane

Well after more research, AV to the rescue again. I found in the Mitsubishi owner threads comments from others with the same digital audio drops. I found one mention that it has been addressed in a firmware update. Getting that sent from Mitsubishi will be the next step. I've also decided since I'm replacing the bulb tonight I'll follow the excellent lens cleaning threads on here to get rid of the halo effect this model gets. I'm looking forward to a new-like picture again. (I also just like taking things apart!)

So if the firmware works for the audio drops it looks like it wasn't an issue with the Marantz after all. I do still think the SR4001 has an issue with the audio drops on a blu-ray swap. If I get everything else fixed a Marantz firmware update will be my next task.

I know this is several years after this sub-thread discussion, but I didn't know where else to go without starting another thread. Here's my situation:

I recently purchased a Cables To Go Impact Acoustics 40430 IR Repeater Kit. It came with an IR receiver and two dual emitters on mono cable. The emitters attach to the connecting block, as does the IR receiver.

This device "works" with my Tivo and DirectTV STB, but works poorly with my Marantz SR7001. I've tried to attach the emitters directly over the IR eye on the receiver. That doesn't work. I've tried moving the emitter around the front plastic display. In certain very rare positions, it will intermittently work. Both Marantz technical support and Cables To Go technical support both advised using a mono-to-mono 1/8 cable from the connecting block to the "flasher in", which doesn't work.

Any thoughts? If someone else has used a different product to control the Marantz, ideally through the flasher in terminal, or using emitters if they are reliable, I would be willing to return the 40430 kit and purchase something else.

I use the IR flasher in on my sr8001 from my MRF-350 IR basestation and it works perfectly even using a stereo cable.