Official Classe SSP-800 thread. - Page 92

Yes they are aware of it, and working on it! Hopefully. I wonder when we will have software that works the way it is supposed to!!!

Tom McConville did call me this morning. He said he did respond to my e-mail from last week but for some reason I never got his e-mail response. Tom informed me that they got a player from D&M and that they are working on the problem. He seems to think that the dual HDMI outputs of my player might be what's causing the problem. He asked me to be patient and that it might be a few weeks for them to figure out what's going on. What's odd about the video issue that I am having is that initially I wasn't having this video problem as it just started happening a couple of weeks ago and I have had the SSP-800 for a couple of months now.

Glad to hear they are on the case with the player in-house. I guess they have experienced the audio problem. Did Tom say if they have seen the video problem?

He did not say but he did seem a little more concerned about that issue since it doesn't happen all the time and that the same bd disc's worked previously. I spoke with a senior tech person at Denon and they don't think that the video issue is with the A1 but an issue between the SSP-800 and my Pioneer plasma display. Tom seemed to indicate that it could still be an issue with the A1 and the SSP-800. As for the video issue I am inclined to agree with the Denon senior technician. They still feel I need to send it to them for the DVD-A playibility issue. The good news is they now have agreed to pay for all the shipping charges. I told him that I was also working with Classe regarding these issues and asked that they give me a couple of weeks to see what they come up with before I send it back to them for repair.

I'm curious about which Pioneer display you have...I own an Elite Kuro PRO-151FD display and have no problems at all with using it with the SSP-800. Blu-ray sources are a Pioneer Elite BDP-09FD and an Oppo BDP-83.

I have the Elite Kuro 151FD. If I remember correctly yours is the monitor version. So maybe what Tom McConville from Classe suggested might be the case, that the video issue I am having might be an HDMI incompatibility problem between the SSP-800 and the Denon A1 and not the Kuro Elite 151FD. He suspects that the dual HDMI outputs of the A1 might be the cause. He said he hopes to get back to me within a couple of weeks after their design team has a chance to investigate. I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier but I just remembered I actually have the Denon 3800 bd player in the bedroom I am going to connect it to the SSP-800 and if the video problem goes away wouldn't that confirm that the handshake issue is between the A1 and the SSP-800?

Hey guys.. i just purchased my very 1st DVD-A disc and am having trouble playing it properly on my Oppo BD Player and SSP-800. in certain instances, i am not getting 5.1 audio which is supposed to be how this disc was encoded.

the strange thing is that when using the HDMI output for audio (and video) sound is outputted only in Stereo, even if i chose "discreet" output. (video shows a basic green equalizer)

when i switch to optical out (which i use when i want my TV to play video from my FIOS box -- so i can play CDs on the Oppo while watching TV, for example) all of the sudden i get 3/2.1 output out of the Classe and i can hear sound out of every speaker.

any idea why the HDMI audio output is defaulting to stereo and not 5.1 as it is supposed to.

of course as i type this i realise that this may be an issue with the Oppo player and not the classe, but i believe i have set this up so that all the audio decoding is done by the classe and not the Oppo.

thank you in advance ofr taking the time to reply.

CMM.

as much as i hate responding to my own post right away...i have an update:

i went back to my HT and switched it back to DVD mode in order to play with the settings of the Oppo meaning HDMI audio output and video output. some how, some way, (without me touching ANY of the settings) audio output remained at 3/2.1 as it was when using the Optical output.

go figure. maybe its a glitch? my HT guy called me up about 2 weeks after installing my Classe and he mentioned that there was a firmware update but i looked online and as far as i could tell i was as up-to-date as can be. maybe i have to recheck that.

sorry for the double post guys.

CMM.

The current release code is 2.01 from late Nov 09. Since then Classe has been resolving myriad remaining issues, some of which address HDMI audio--which I can confirm as I'm running some newer beta code. I expect you'll see better results from the next release. Not sure when that will happen. It feels close because of a recent flurry of testing. But I also know they are deep into some remaining issues with DVD-A from the Denon/Marantz players, so I'm sure they want to reach a conclusion on that first.

Actually, I made a mistake, I have the same display you do.

Update to my LFE problem...

For those like me who don't use a subwoofer and have no LFE channel when watching movie with a HD soundtrack, I have found a walk-around.

Simply activate the subwoofer (even if you don't have one) and active the eBass option.

PS: I will try the beta firmware this week-end to see if it helps

I have no first-hand knowledge, but just based on the manual, I would not have expected that eBass would route LFE to the mains unless the sub is disabled. You may have already confirmed this with a test signal with a separate LFE track.


Fingers crossed.

If I knew that I was going to wind up getting the SSP-800 I probably wouldn't have bought the A1 and probably would have wound up with the Oppo BDP-83. However even with the issues I am having I have no regrets as I love the sound I'm getting with the A1 & the SSP-800. This was re-enforced last night when I watched/listened to the Shostakovich Symphony #5 (part of the Keeping Score series) bd with the HDMI connection and the SSP-800 doing the decoding & speaker/bass management. An excellent bd disc even if you are not a big fan of the classical music genre. The disc has a pretty cool speaker sound check extra along with a nice extra on how the video was created to accentuate the music along with trailers of the other Keeping Score series bd disc's. I than listened to the new Sade cd "Soldier Of Love" (an exceptionally well recorded cd) using the balanced analog xlr's & the analog bypass engaged using the SSP-800 as a pre-amp, and as I said on the other forum I just can't imagine it sounding any better.

OK - new owner and aplogize in advance for a really basic question- I have gone through most of the 90+ thread pages at one time or another!

My initial criticism of the manual is that it doesn't err on the side of providing more info - they may assume that people will rely on custom / dealer installers and I will likely go that route eventually (when I save up enough)

When playing a blu-ray lossless audio track e.g. DolbyTrueHD or DTS-HD I should set the mode to discrete -correct? The SSP- video screen will not depict that it's DolbyTrue HD - it will just say discrete - correct?

First question is your SSP-800 single or the updated dual DSP board? If you have your BD player set to bitstream the SSP-800 when the discrete mode is selected the display should read either Dolby Tru HD discrete 3/2/1 or DTS MA discrete 3/2/1.

Thanks for the quick reply - I have my BD player set to bitstream - and I am assuming (which may be a big mistake) that it would be the updated dual board b/e it was delivered to the dealer last week. How would I be able to tell?

Menu-->Status-->Version Info. It should report Firmware as 2.xx for the dual DSP, and 1.xx for the single DSP platform. I'm certain you have the dual DSP, probably with 2.01 code.

As to your question >>When playing a blu-ray lossless audio track e.g. DolbyTrueHD or DTS-HD I should set the mode to discrete -correct?<< It's a matter of how you like to hear your audio presented, and how many speakers you have. If you have a 5.1 system, Discrete is probably the best for 5.1 sources. If you have 7.1 speakers, you can choose PLIIx or Neo:6, movie or music flavors.

Hi SSP-800 mates,

I have just received by SPL meter, and I am trying to calibrate my system.
I am facing two issues.

1 - when I am playing the white noise from the Classé menu, I cannot lower my front speakers level enough to be at 75dB. My setting is at -15dB on both front speakers, and I still read 76+dB on my SPL meter. Is it possible? Is it normal?
I have 804s, and my listening position distance is about 3 meters (10 feet)

2 - I have burnt a "calibration CD" with a whole range of frequencies (from 10 to 400Hz). But can I use the SPP-800 to calibrate each speaker independently?
Do I have to use the "party mode" and unwire the other speakers? I imagine there is a more comfortable solution...

I feel "newbie" with my questions, but maybe someday I will be able to help someone in return

Thank you

Don't use a "calibration CD." Download RoomEQ Wizard.

Hi guy's. If any of you had had a Classe SSP-75...

I would like to know if the unit's Balanced 2-Channel input is converted to digital or is the volume control being done in it's original analog state? I only read that the Analog 5.1 input is not converted to digital. Thanks

Which SPL meter are you using? The ubiquitous Radio Shack family or something else?


It is possible, but not normal. How about the levels from the other speakers? Normal or also way high?

What power amps are you using? Are you doing anything special, like using the SSP's XLR outputs?

The 804 has a sensitivity of 90 dB, which means we'd expect the gain trims to be in the range of -5 dB (give or take a few), when using a standard amp with 29 dB gain.


Calibrate in what sense? Channel SPL output? No. Speaker frequecy response? No.

Hi
I'm considering getting the SSP-800 to replace my much loved Proceed AVP2. I am particularly attracted by the fact that it is designed by the ex-PRoceed and Mark Levinson engineer, as I have never found another pre/pro which comes close to the stereo sound I get from the Proceed.
Until now.....when I demo'd the Classe last week it sounded similar in tone to the proceed, but a bit richer. However, it also had a far more transparent sound, with lots more detail (but not presented in a fatiguing way) and a real 3D feel.
On film clips, the level of extra detail was marked, and obviously this was even more apparent on HD sources.
So what's the problem?
Well the demo was disrupted rather by audio drop outs. These seeemed to occur after viewing Blu-ray material, and switching back to CD or TV. When the sound went...it really went! Lots of source switching, putting into standby and general tinkering was required to get it back. Clearly this is unacceptable, but is it common?
Also, on Bluray itself, the system seemed to drop audio and video for a second or two at the start of the disc.
The associated equipment was a Pioneer Blu ray player, my CEC TL51XR CD player (linked by XLR analogues), and a HUmax HD TV box. The Blu ray and TV were HDMI linkages.

In another store, I listeed to the ADA Suite 7.1HD. Probably better for HT, a bit more aggressive and less musical for stereo, but with no apparent switching issues (fast and reliable over a 2 hour dem).

Any thoughts?

@roger: thank you for these answers. But I have to admit I am even more puzzled now!

I use the SSP directly into a CA5100 for surrounds and a CA2100 for front speakers. The CA2100 is connected with XLR cables.

So maybe my listening position is just too close from the front speakers, but I don't think so.

I fact, I am very happy to know that the SSP-800 is so good that it cannot be self-calibrated. But then, what is the standard procedure? From what I know, I have measured distances, and tried to set up the gains so each channel provides a SPL of 75dB (and I failed!). I have run REqW too, but I have no idea how I can tweak the settings independently for each channel...

(I have called hifi stores in my city, but no one wants to work on my ssp-800)

note: I bought my unit in Germany
note2: the SPL meter is a cheap one (see here)

To be honest, I have faced many little issues on my system too. But it seems like Classé is working hard on them and provides firmware updates regularly.
Still, the 2 channels bypass is wonderful!

Yes- Firmware = 2.0.1 - I'll go back and check to make sure I am outputting correctly from my Sony BD player. Thanks to all for the quick replies - it's helpful and generous of you.

I am seeing improved performance in latest beta code. But then again my experience wasn't all that bad even with 2.01.


Yes, when switching the video format/resolution thru HDMI, it takes only a second for the audio to come on, but maybe 5-7 seconds for the video to come on. This does not happen to me unless the video format changes--like when going from the movie to a supplement on the disc. No problem between movie chapters and menus.

2.0.2 beta update in progress... (I'll be back in a few minutes)

Edit1: upgrade ok. But the first issue I have checked is not fixed yet.
In the source selection menu, when you turn the volume knob, the volume value is not updated on the touch screen. => not fixed in this version
I also have a minor issue : a yellow bar across the screen (I guess it will vanish if I hard reset the unit).

Edit2: LFE issue (when no subwoofer) fixed!

More tests to come...

Could you explain a lttle more? I'm not seeing a problem. On the home screen the volume is displayed in the corner, and it works. If I select Source menu, there is no volume indication at all unless "large volume display" option was selected, and then it does appear just fine.


That stripe means it's beta code.

No, your distance it perfectly fine.


I'm not sure if I confused matters here.


I'm not familiar with that SPL meter, so cannot vouch for its absolute accuracy. However, I'm certain it will be perfectly consistent, and that's all you really need to worry about when balancing the speakers.

I would recommend you perform the calibrations much as you have already done--measure the distances, and select crossovers for the mains. As for channel calibration, do this:

1) Set the L/R trims to 0dB. With the mic at your listening position, turn on the SSP's cal noise and measure L/R SPL. If they are not the same, tweak one or the other so they match. Note this SPL value.

2) Using the SSP's cal noise, set the rest of the main speakers to read the same SPL as in 1). Do the same for the sub, but this is only an approximate setting. You will adjust further with real programs.

3) Listen to familiar 2-ch music. Adjust the sub level trim (same menu as the noise cal--but do not activate the noise generator) to achieve a good spectral balance with the mains. You may find it needs to be different over time with different recordings, but eventually you will find a setting that's good most of the time. Then, for "on the fly" tweaks for certain recordings, call up the trim menu to adjust to taste.

I set up an output to get sound for TV - worked fine for 2 nights and then no sound tonight. Info button for the output reports no audio signal - (am running this input through toslink cable for audio - i then replaced the toslink cable - still no audio signal.
i suppose it's possible both cables failed or it could be??
If I reboot SSp 800 won't I lose my other settings? All suggestions welcome. Have only had unit since thursday. thanks.