[carlosrojas-pdx]

I got the Xbox connected to my B&K 307 via optical cable from the xbox HD pack. Not all the time, but often the sound goes away when either I turn the xbox off or I change games.

Anybody else experiencing this?


I already try different inputs and cables, and other components like DVD into the same inputs, the only problem is with the xbox.


Thank you for your help.


Carlos

 

[CraigR]

Carlos,

I also have an xbox hooked up to my B&K 307 and get no sound through the optical cable at all. I've tried different optical cables, different HD AV paks and even the Monstercable setup and still don't get sound through the optical cable. I do get stereo sound through the analog cables. I called the xbox customer service and they say the digital sound "problem" is a "known issue" and that they are working on it. Whatever that means. I'm going to check with the store I purchased mine from and see if they'll do an exchange. Don't know if this is possible with it being sold out in my area.

 

[carlosrojas-pdx]

CraigR,

Thank you for your reply, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one, I say this because I now know that my equipment in not broken, so I don't have worry about my B&K.


The only way I can get sound from the optical digital cable is:


In the B&K, go to menu,

-system setup

-Inputs

I get sound here some times

if no sound, then

-switch inputs

-press menu to get back, I then get sound


After I posted this thread, I was able to get through customer support, they told me the same thing, I hope they get a fix for it.


I hope the above steps help you with the sound.


Carlos

 

[CraigR]

Carlos,

Actually I already did that over the weekend and last night to see if I was missing something in the B&K setup. I've tried different inputs and still don't get any sound whatsoever through the digital cable. Even with you getting periodic sound through your digital cable it still sounds like there is a problem with our xbox's.

 

[Rice Rocket]

Strange--haven't had a problem with my hookup. I used the Advanced AV pack (S-Video) rather than the High-Def one.

 

[CraigR]

Rice Rocket,

Glad to hear you don't have a problem with your setup. Most people don't have any problems but have noticed on various threads and forums that there are some of us with sound problems on the 5.1 side of the fence. Hope they figure out the fix soon.

 

[Chip E]

I alos have this problem through the optical cable into the MS HD av pack. I also have a B&K 307. Tech support says to unplug the optical cable from the HD av pack and plug it back in. This works. I'm not happy about it.


- Chip

 

[Rice Rocket]

I should clarify--the xbox in my setup is connected to a Theta CB II with no above-mentioned problems whatsoever. In fact, just a couple of hours ago, a friend and I finished the Halo two-player campaign. For the last four days, a bunch of friend have been over, and we have been playing PGR, DOA3, and Fuzion Frenzy with zero sound problems.


If you guys specifically have to unplug and replug your Toslink cable back in to get a signal lock on your B&K, there is likely a bug with the way the B&K locks onto the signal.

 

[John Kotches]

Now, I'm going to show some ignorance on the topic, as I haven't played with the X-Box.....


When the player is off, or a game is being changed, what digital signal is available out of the X-Box for locking?


Just curious.


Regards,

 

[CraigR]

I don't think it is a problem with the B&K 307 because I have three other digital sources hooked up without any sound problems. I believe it is with the xbox. There is another way/method rather than unplugging and re-plugging in the toslink/optical cable which can be a pain in the ass if you have the xbox in a cabinet like me. That is to start the game utilizing a sound input other than the one you have hooked up to the xbox. Then using your remote control on the 307 switch back to the input that you do have the xbox toslink hooked up to and voila you have 5.1 sound. The 5.1 sound will stay on as long as you play that game as soon as you stop that game and insert another disc you have to do it all over again. It's almost like you have to reset the toslink signal before it gets recognized.

 

[jakermc]

This does sound like a B&K problem, though I'll bet other processors might have the same issue.


John was leading us down the correct path with his question - when the game is turned off (to switch games for example) the processor no longer has a signal to lock onto. How each processor handles this lost signal is different. Some will be able to lock onto the signal correctly when the x-box is turned back on, others will need to be "reinitialized" by switching inputs on the processor, allowing the processor to relock on the signal.


Its very possible that the B&K handles this lost signal differently for different digital sources. Turning off a DVD player might not confuse it, but turning off the x-box might cause a lock up. I say this is a B&K problem because not all processors will be confused by the x-box powering down. We already know the CB II works OK.

 

[CraigR]

jakermc,

You could be right...I don't know for sure. It seems strange because in my particular case I have three different digital sound sources hooked into my 307 and have no problem with the sound. This includes turning off an on and changing discs with no problem. But, with the xbox there is a sound problem and it is because of the 307 not recognizing the signal (?). Your also assuming that all of the xboxes are OK regarding this issue. Maybe in isolated cases such as mine they aren't OK. I know microsoft is working on this problem and hopefully they come up with a definitive solution.

 

[phyre3]

I think this is an X-box compatability issue with B&K processors and I'm sure others as Microsoft has admitted an issue with the digital out. Pinning it on B&K isn't acurate as it is only an issue with the x-box. I'm hooking up mine as soon as the HD pack arrives and will see if I have the problem as well.

 

[John Kotches]

I've yet to see the Ref 30 fail to lock onto a digital signal correctly for anything I've hooked up, although it does take about 1 second longer for DTS than DD and Redbook CD.


Sources hooked up digitally include:

Integra Research RDV-1, Onkyo DV-S939, Sony DVP-S9000ES,

Toshiba SD-3108, JVC XV-D723GD, Camelot Roundtable

[An unnamed product currently under review], Echostar 5000 DBS Receiver. Echostar 6000 DBS Receiver, Perpetual Technologies P-1A and probably a couple that I've neglected to mention.


So the problem isn't with no game or after stopping, its when you start up after this?


The only other problem I can guess at is (I think) the DD stream is coming off at 640kb/sec and perhaps the AVR307 needs a kick in the head to recognize the bitstream at that speed.


That's just a guess though.


Regards,

 

[CraigR]

John K.,

My specific problem and it seems to be the same with others is that if I have everything hooked up and turn on the xbox I will not get any sound through the optical cable on my 307. While the xbox is still on if I do one of two things (1. Either unplug the toslink and re-plug it back in at the HD AV pak or 2. Switch the inputs back and forth with the 307 remote control) then I will get sound through the optical connection. However, if I put a game into the xbox at that time I will lose the digital sound for the game. I can then, while the game is running, do one of things I described above and get the digital sound back.

Based on the fact that all of us have numerous other products hooked up through optical and/or coaxial cables and have no sound problems with our B&K units it would seem to me that this is an xbox issue. Perhaps it is the way in which the signal is sent by the xbox....I really don't know.

 

[John Kotches]

Craig,


I'm just thinking aloud about what differences there are between the X-Box and other items, and that's the only thing I can come up with. Even this isn't a certainty as I am not 100% on the X-Box outputting DD at 640kb/s.


Microsoft having problems adhering to a standard they didn't invent? Nah, that could never happen


Regards,

 

[CraigR]

John,


LOL, your'e right that could never happen.

 

[scooter_29]

I just got an XBox the other day and plugged it into my Krell HTS and it has no problems. I did notice that every once in a while depending on when you load a game, access the master setup, etc..., it drops the signal lock for a few moments while it thinks about what it should do next.


Now in terms of your specific problem, if your B&K could never get a lock, then I would blame the X-Box. But since you can get a lock with various futzing, I have seen this very same problem elsewhere with professional audio gear. I have worked with several pieces of equipment that were very fusy about making a digital lock (Lexicon in particular) and would require a very exact set of steps to get them all to synch up. In every case, the source of the digital signal was not the culprit. Given that more than one person on this thread is reporting this problem with the same receiver and others are reporting no problems locking, I would expect that the X-Box and the B&K have slight differences in the Toslink interface and how the B&K locks onto a signal.

 

[Chip E]

Even though i've had my fare share of issues with my B&K 307(i'm on my third one) , i don't believe the problem lies with the B&K. It's a glitch with "some" XBox's. I'm going to return my XBox for another one this weekend...I'll let ya's know how it works out. I have a friend who has a 202 and an XBox...he hasn't experienced this sound issue at all.


- Chip

 

[jakermc]

I didn't mean to "blame" B&K. Perhaps I could have said it better by stating that the problem appears to be a compatibility issue between the x-box and the B&K. Other processors may also have compatibility issues, but so far, I have only read reports about B&K manufactured equipment. We do have confirmation that processors from at least two other manufacturers work. I will be hooking up an x-box to my RDC-7 over the next week or so and will report back.


Instead of different data rates, perhaps another possibility is that the x-box temporarily sends an analog signal or some other noise that causes the B&K chip set to lock up. I remember when I had my Acurus Act-3, it was possible to lock it up when switching around back and forth between analog and digital signals on the same input. I don't remember the particular set of steps that caused the lock up, but it could be fixed by switching inputs, just like the B&K. This was the only glitch I ever encountered with digital inputs on the Act-3.