Avr Faq - Page 10

So what is a standalone processor unit for?

A pre-pro like the emotiva or Rotel...why would one need one of those?

Great post. The power section was informative.

Hello, I would like to thank MichaelJHuman on the fantastic job he has done on this thread..... I 've read most of the 1st post and I had a question.

I was listening to the "Police Certifiable" BD concert disk & I watched "I Robot" last night, also a BD disk. I run this on my Integra 7.6 AVR (HDMI 1.1). I listen to all the LOSSLESS tracks as they are converted to LPCM on my Pioneer 51BD player (yes it is still awaiting internal Decoding of DTS MA).

Last night I decided to turn up the volume from the usual (43-48), up to 55. Now, this is a linear scale that my receiver uses 0= no sound & 99= max sound output. I have never gone past 55 on my system, and I decided to converted the 55 into decibels and the receiver said it was (-27 db).
Is this considered very loud?
The reason I ask, is because it sounded "loud enough" to me, yet I did not year any distortion or "bad sound" from any of the "Police" music Bd or the "I Robot" movie BD. In fact, quite the opposite happened, I was actually hearing detail that I've never heard before & believe me, I've listened to these disks a dozen times.
Again I ask is (-27db) "too loud", what are your listening levels usually?

I HAVE A 5.1 SET UP
MY AVR is an Integra 7.6 (HDMI) connection
MY SUB is a Velodyne SPLR 1000

MY speakers are Energy Reference Connoisseurs
(2) RC-50 Front LR
(2) RC-R Surrounds
(1) RC-LCR Center


Speaker Specifications IF IT HELPS ANYONE!!

System Type Bass Reflex, Rear Vented
Frequency Response 33Hz-23000Hz +/- 3dB
Recommended Amplifier Power up to 225 watts RMS
Components 1" Aluminum Dome Tweeter, 2 6-1/2" Kevlar Ribbed Elliptical Surround Woofers
Impedance 8 ohms nominal, 4 ohms minimum
Useable Bass Response (-10db Anechoic) 28Hz
Sensitivity (anechoic) 91dB
Sensitivity (2 speakers in a typical room) 94dB
Crossover Point 1.0kHz and 2.4kHz
Operating Range Tweeter: 1.5kHz and >, Woofer 1: ~ to 800Hz, Woofer 2:~ to 3kHz

My Integra 7.6 AVR (Speaker setup) is as follows:

Appreciate any help...

Thanks

Paul

Thanks Michael, I will see if I can get a hold of one and take some measurements.

Paul

question.

Does audio from a zone2 connection have to be connected to another amp?
Or can it be hooked up directly to a tv?

I read that zone 2 is technically a pre-out connection so I don't know if the audio inputs of any tv can use it.

thanks man, for a second there I started confusing myself thinking it was some sort of magical connection.
I just didn't want my tv to blow up

I'm about to buy a receiver that accepts hdmi inputs, and there is really only one crucial inquiry I have about doing this: Since (obviously) the receiver itself adds another intermediary source to the video path from my bluray player to the TV, will I experience degradation in the picture quality? I would *really* like to experience the best possible audio, but not at the expense of PQ. I've read about "passthrough" options on receivers, but have read a number of reviews that say the bluray video signal still shows a bit of a difference. Basically, I want to know that my bluray movies/etc look *exactly* the same after running hdmi through a receiver as they would running said cable directly from the BD player to the TV.

Thanks in Advance,
Brandon

I found the section on the dB volume scale very informative. Thanks, Michael.

Here's a quick question (that may be better suited to the general AVR forum): What are the basic reasons to run video through an AVR? I can think of two:

1. To make it possible to use only one cable from AVR to TV, so that one never has to change the input on the display.

2. To take advantage of the video processing/upconversion in the AVR.

Now, 1 is pretty irrelevant to me, since my universal remote changes the input on the TV when it turns on the relevant source. So, I don't see any advantage in running only a single cable. 2 is also largely irrelevant, since I tend to watch either HD sources or DVDs that have already been upconverted by my player.

Are there other considerations I'm unfamiliar with?

Well, I guess one just occurred to me. My PS3 HDMI output goes directly to the TV, and I get audio to my receiver over a digital optical cable. But that means I can't get high resolution PCM or bitstream sound, since that can't be transferred over the optical cable. Is that right?

^ One good thing about going through the AVR is you get to see the AVR menus (and likely you will fiddle with that frequently, especially at first) without having to do any silly nonsense with macros etc. like Michael mentioned.

No reason really to NOT go through the AVR. It's not like the digital HDMI signal is being degraded as analog ones could be somewhat, it should be passed fully intact. OK, there is a reason: some displays and some AVRs don't get along so well HDMI-wise (like Sony displays and some Denon AVRs, for example).

Using an AVR as a hub for audio & video distribution certainly has it's benefits. But there are two drawbacks to keep in mind.
1. If the AVR goes bad, you have lost your audio & video. Rare and fixable, but it can happen.
2. Having to turn on the AVR (numerous amps, pretty beefy power supply) to watch simple TV. But this is easily remedied by running video and audio direct to the TV for non-surround needs, then running a digital input (coax or optical) to the AVR for surround needs.

My cable box/dvr and my STB OTA digital tuner are setup for both TV and AVR audio as above as I have no need to run a 980 watt AVR to watch the news or some silly sitcom, but the surround is there for movies & sports when desired. All other devices (CD, DVD, HD-DVD, PS3, Networked Music Player) would require AVR amps for audio anyway so those are fed solely through the AVR for both audio & video needs.

^ yeah, your #2 is another common downside for running the video through the AVR. I don't watch TV that way, I paid for all that gear and dammit it's going to be on, but agree it's a worthwhile consideration if you don't have built-in speakers with the display. Generally speaking though, I find the audio on American HDTV (the only TV I watch, no cable etc.) so good that I like to have all the amps on.

Hi,
Many thanks for the time and effort you have put into this great thread! I have just finished reading all 290 posts. Your original post was most helpfull. It explained many things I've had trouble understanding for years.
I read on here that Michael has either a Yamaha 2700 or 3900, or both. I have the 863, which is the best receiver that I have ever had. My Scientific Atlanta 8300HDC cable box is connected to the 863 and my Sharp LC42-D64U TV with HDMI cables.

Do the higher Yamahas or any other receivers for that matter, have the ability to pass the full CATV signal through the receiver to the TV while the receiver is in the standby mode? When I bought the Yamaha 863, I just "assumed" that for $900 it would do this. Wellll, we all know what happens when you assume things! Ha!

How difficult, and/ or expensive would it be for manufacturers to add this feature in the future?

Thanks,
HERB

Thanks very much for your reply to my question. At the time I bought my 863, I had determined that I wanted to try a Yamaha for the first time, and did not really know to look for this feature. It will definately be on the next receiver that I buy.

I have worked around this by installing a splitter and a separate cable to the TV. This bypasses the box and AVR and gives me basic cable only, which allows me to watch all the news channels when I Get up at 3:00 am. The bypass feature alone, while highly desireable in my opinion, will not by itself make me replace my 863, particularly now that the manufacturers seem to be downgrading the overall quality of their receivers.

Thanks again,
HERB

I agree 100%. I have always used my AVR for all of my TV watching - probably for the last 15 years. I just make sure I have a programable remote that can handle macros, and program the power key to turn on the TV and receiver at the same time.

Sony has cheap remotes (around $20) that can do this without you having to spend a bunch of money on a Harmony or other high end solution. I find that they can also switch the source on your receiver AND the remote, so that when you press DVD, your receiver switches to DVD, and the remote is in DVD mode. No more multiple button pushes or multiple remotes for switching from TV to DVD, etc.

If you are new to the AVR world and haven't invested invested in this type of remote you are really missing out. It makes working with the AVR pretty transparent, and it makes it easy enough for anyone - including the kids and inlaws to be able to work the TV.

Tons of good information...all in one place! Thanks Sham-AVR!

A little newbie question....but what do people mean by separates? I know it replaces what an AV Receiver would do, but what would I need to go that route? An amplifier and what else? Thanks!

Michael, can you add all of the web pages for the different manufacturers receiver to your cover page post? Because it is the AVR Faq sticky, I would think it belongs here. It would make it much easier for a person who wanted to compare receivers from the same or, different mfgs. Here is a start if you are interested?

Yamaha:
http://www.yamaha.com/yec/compare/li...&CNTYP=PRODUCT

Denon:
http://usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/AVReceivers.asp

Onkyo:
http://www.onkyousa.com/prod_class.cfm?class=Receiver

Marantz:
http://us.marantz.com/Products/172.asp

HK:
http://www.harmankardon.com/category...try=US&cat=REC

Rotel:
http://www.rotel.com/NA/products/index.htm?cat=24

Pioneer:
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PU...tent/Receivers

Integra:
http://www.integrahometheater.com/pr...class=Receiver

NAD
http://nadelectronics.com/products/av-receivers

I'm looking for recommendations on good-quality receivers out there that will accept the HBR audio over HDMI MPCM and which:

A) do not include HBR decoding in the AVR
and
B) switch HDMI video without scaling/upconverting or de-interlacing (pure pass through)

Reason for the question: I see no need to pay licensing royalties for bitstream decoding of HBR in the AVR that I don't plan to use. Also, I output the best possible HDMI signals from my source devices and I don't need or want the AVR to do any scaling/upconverting or de-interlacing.

Recommendations can include previous or discontinued models as well as new models.