Pioneer Elite VSX-21TXH question.....

[shawn474]

I just received this from Trey (Thanks so much for the quick shipping and great packing!!!!!). I have it all set-up except for one problem. When I switch sources (TV to DVD or vice versa) the audio stays on Dolby PLII + THX. I can manually change the setting, but it never gets to DTS or Dolby Digital, DTS master, etc. I have the signal select set to auto, but as far as I can tell it just stays on the same setting. Will it say on the display or does it do it discreetly if the audio format changes?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Shawn

[VR3]

Dont put it on "Auto surround" --

Put it on DIRECT BYPASS

[shawn474]

Dont put it on "Auto surround" --

Put it on DIRECT BYPASS

Thanks Trey; any idea how to do that? I looked through the manual and played around for a bit trying to find that setting before and couldn't get to it.

[VR3]

For direct bypass - you need to hit automatic/direct until it says direct bypass on the receiver.

[shawn474]

Trey,
That is what is confusing me. I can get to the DIRECT setting on the AVR, but it goes to 2 channel. I know it's because I have a setting wrong somewhere but cannot figure out what or where. Sorry to kee pestering you and others about this, but any way you can walk me through the steps?

[VR3]

Hmm that is odd. What is your source?

[shawn474]

The source I am using right now while testing all this is the HBO HD channel through my FIOS box.

[VR3]

My buddy had a similar issue with a PS3 - when he plugged it in the PS3 changed its audio setting and we had to go in and manually change it on the source but after that it was fine..

Let me know

[dorokusai]

Why not reset the unit to factory default?

[VR3]

Are you sure the channels is broadcasting in dd/dts??

[shawn474]

OK I am stupid. I had the optical cable going from the AVR to the TV instead of from the AVR to the cable box. I switched it to the cable box and it works fine now. Thanks for dealing with my stupidity.

[VR3]

Awesomeness...

Thats a bad ass little AVR - I like mine alot.

[dorokusai]

OK I am stupid. I had the optical cable going from the AVR to the TV instead of from the AVR to the cable box. I switched it to the cable box and it works fine now. Thanks for dealing with my stupidity.

Isn't that what I told you to do on the phone Shawn?

[shawn474]

Isn't that what I told you to do on the phone Shawn?

Of course it is; why in the holy blue hell would i ever listen to you? It would be too easy for me to actually listen to someone who knows what they are doing!!!!:wink:

[dorokusai]

Of course it is; why in the holy blue hell would i ever listen to you? It would be too easy for me to actually listen to someone who knows what they are doing!!!!:wink:

Lol....at least it's fixed and in all fairness we were talking about a bunch of scenarios and hookup methods.

[shawn474]

Now just to figure out the same thing for the Blu Ray player.......

[shawn474]

OK so I don't know if I am taking advantage of all the AVR has to offer. I just want to run the connections by everyone to see if I can do this more efficiently or if there is another way to connect everything to maximize the potential.

I have the following components:
AVR: Pioneer Elite VSX-21TXH
Television: Samsung LN46B640
DVD Player: Sony BDP-S1000ES
FIOS HDDVR Box: Motorola QIP 7216 1

My connections are as follows:
TV to HDMI Out on AVR via HDMI cable
Sony Blu Ray player connected to AVR via HDMI cable to BD on back of AVR
Motorola box to TV via HDMI cable and to AVR via Optical cable

My questions are:
1. Is there a better way to hook it up? Maybe more efficient?
2. I have it set to Direct right now on the advice of Trey. That decodes the audio signal and "upmixes" it to the highest quality (Digital, DTS, etc). When I have it on Blu Ray it says PCM. I was watching Avatar last night which is supposed to be broadcast in DTS Master HD. However, that did not show on the display. Was it in fact being played on DTS HD Master or do I have to tweak the settings to get it to properly do this?

This is my first attempt into HDMI. I must say I am much more comfortable using the older technology; I guess because of my comfort level having set up a lot of rigs. I just feel like I am missing something on the settings or something with the HDMI aspect that I am not getting everything I can out of the AVR.

Thanks everyone,
Shawn

[tonyb]

I have the same receiver and when I have it set to "auto" it detects the highest form of audio first. No problems getting DTS HD master audio. Make sure your bdp is setup properly to output the signal and another thing to try is plug the bdp into the DVD input on the back. That lets the receiver do all the decoding. If you use the bdp input, then there seems to be an issue at times between the receiver and bdp as to who is doing what.

[VR3]

I would just run your cable box straight to the AVR and get rid of the Optical cable... IMO

[shawn474]

tonyb, thanks for the input. I reset my Blu Ray player and it walked me through the set-up again. The problem was that with my old pre, I was running 5.1 multichannel. The settings confused the AVR. After the reset, it works perfectly. Avatar was amazing!!!! Thanks for the help.

Trey, I think I am just going to get another HDMI cable long enough to run from the cable box to the AVR. If I am understanding correctly, I wouldn't need the optical cable at all after that. I would run HDMI to the TV from the AVR, HDMI from the cable box to the AVR and HDMI from the blu ray player to the AVR. Am I correct that I would only need 3 HDMI cables and it would complete that part of the setup? I also have a zone 2 amp and a cd player connected with RCA's that work just fine.

Thanks again for everyone's help.

Shawn

[Obsession18]

I have the same unit, I run HDMI cables from both my blueray and FIOS box to the receiver than another HDMI cable from the receiver to my TV. Works like a charm, I leave it in "auto" mode and it always picks the best audio format.

The only time I get "out" of auto mode is when I listen 2-channel, then I go "analog direct", I don't want any unwanted signal processing mucking up the sound of my Jolida CD player.

[dragon1952]

OK I am stupid. I had the optical cable going from the AVR to the TV instead of from the AVR to the cable box. I switched it to the cable box and it works fine now. Thanks for dealing with my stupidity.

Geez...you'd think that would be close enough :rolleyes:

[shawn474]

Geez...you'd think that would be close enough :rolleyes:
Hahaha! I thought so too.

I actually stopped at TJ MAxx today and found a 12 foot Hemingway cable that was just long enough for my run. It was 10 dollars!!!!

So I have the tv, cable box and blu ray hooked up via hdmi and the cd player with rca's. Then I have a set of component cables for the on screen display menu. It's really nice to have so few cables to deal with and does wonders for the WAF!

[27dnast]

I have the same Elite AVR... kind of off comment, when I ran the MCACC (several times) the results made my speakers sound almost like they were playing through a tin can. It was very frustrating... my old Pioneer AVR also had MCACC and it never game me the same results (in the same room with the same speakers).



After having the same result, I kept the speaker distance results and then manually set the speakers myself.

Kind of a bummer.

Any ideas?

-27

[shawn474]

I just read my reply and have no idea what a Hemingway cable is; it was an hdmi cable (damn autocorrect)!

I thought the auto calibration worked well. But I might do a manual calibration with my spl meter to see if there's much of a difference.

[tonyb]

I have the same Elite AVR... kind of off comment, when I ran the MCACC (several times) the results made my speakers sound almost like they were playing through a tin can. It was very frustrating... my old Pioneer AVR also had MCACC and it never game me the same results (in the same room with the same speakers).



After having the same result, I kept the speaker distance results and then manually set the speakers myself.

Kind of a bummer.

Any ideas?

-27

Most the time, people make the mistake of not having the mic at ear level in your listening position. Also making sure of no other noises going on at the time of auto calibration. Even then, it doesn't always get it right or to an individuals taste. It will however give a great starting point,and then you can tweek the settings to your liking. You can then store those settings in the receiver. I found mine set my speaker levels too low so I had to bump them up manualy. Not a bummer at all, you just have to do the final tweeks yourself.

[27dnast]

I definitely had it at ear level... atop a tripod in the center seat.

I'm about to set-up some new speakers... hopefully I'll have better luck. I essential did what you suggested last time (I kept the distance and level computations and then tweaked the speaker settings on my own). I had such good luck with the MCACC with my old Pioneer receiver that I was shocked when the more expensive elite didn't give me the same results (with the same exact speakers and configuration!!!

[shawn474]

I definitely had it at ear level... atop a tripod in the center seat.

I'm about to set-up some new speakers... hopefully I'll have better luck. I essential did what you suggested last time (I kept the distance and level computations and then tweaked the speaker settings on my own). I had such good luck with the MCACC with my old Pioneer receiver that I was shocked when the more expensive elite didn't give me the same results (with the same exact speakers and configuration!!!


There could be a setting that you missed or something on the initial configuration. I just performed the auto setup with the exact same receiver and the results were very impressive. Maybe doing a hard reset of the unit and starting over from scratch with hook-ups etc. would help and see if you get the same result.

[27dnast]

How do you a hard reset??????


Do you think the results (before and after) using mcacc are "night and day" in terms of sound quality??

[shawn474]

I don't know how to do a hard reset? I can try to help find out but might want to call pioneer.

Yes, it was absolutely night and day. Not to say that it's perfect because it could use a couple tweaks, but it was a very noticeable difference.

[27dnast]

Cool... good to know. I'm in the process of installing new speakers now... going to be a few days before all my necessary supplies arrive. BUT, I'm definitely *hoping* that the MCACC will work with my new gear this go around.

I'll look into the hard reset...

Thanks, bro!

[27dnast]

Could you Elite VSX 21THX owners go to the "Balancing Speakers" thread in the Speakers section of the forum and give it a read through?

One of you might be able to help us out and give us some insight...

Thanks!

[MADGSF]

To default look on page 72 of your manual or see below. The manual can be downloaded from Pioneer if needed.

What I want to know is if anyone else has problems with audio and video drop out when playing a Bluray (Panasonic). Already had the firmware updated and the AVR checked out at the service center.

27dnast as for balancing your speakers, I suggest you go to Radio Shack and buy a sound level (dB) meter and use it to set all speakers to the same level manually. You can then adjust from there as needed.


Resetting the system
Use this procedure to reset all the receiver’s settings to the factory default. Use the front panel controls to do this.
Set MULTI-ZONE to OFF.
• Disconnect the iPod and USB memory device from the receiver beforehand.
1 Switch the receiver into standby.
2 While holding down ENTER on the front panel, press  STANDBY/ON.
The display shows RESET  NO .
3 Select ‘RESET’ using PRESET +/–, then press ENTER on the front panel.
The display shows RESET? OK.
4 Press ENTER to confirm.
OK appears in the display to indicate that the receiver has been reset to the factory default settings.
• Note that all settings will be saved, even if the receiver is unplugged.

[tonyb]

No drop outs on mine at all. BDP hooked up by hdmi.

Balance your speakers by adjusting them in speaker levels. You can do it by your golden ears,or get an spl meter.

[shawn474]

No drop outs from mine either. However when I returned home from a week vacation, the poser had gone out. I turned on the television and there was no signal to it. I troubleshot and found that the HDMI cable that I purchased from monoprice is now defective. They are sending a new one, but it was weird that the cable went bad after only a couple weeks of use. I wonder if the power outage had anything to do with it or if the AVR was damaged at all. I replaced the cable and all seems good now.

[27dnast]

27dnast as for balancing your speakers, I suggest you go to Radio Shack and buy a sound level (dB) meter and use it to set all speakers to the same level manually. You can then adjust from there as needed.


This is better than relying on the MCACC?

[shawn474]

This is better than relying on the MCACC?

Yes, IMHO.

[Almadacr]

Yes, IMHO.

Its more accurate :biggrin:

[27dnast]

I'm frustrated. Prior to running the full auto mcacc, I go into the manual mode and setting the speakers to small and x-over to 80hz. Then, I go to full auto mcacc. Run it. It sets Ll of my speakers to large!

At this point, do I go back in the manual setup and change the speakers back to small??? I don't get it...
Help?

[JimAckley]

You don't have to rely on the MCACC at all. On my SC-37, it has set my xover at some odd (atleast imo) places with the various systems I've hooked up to it. I let it calculate all of my distances for me, but that, group delay, and standing-waves are pretty much the only featuress I let it handle. Otherwise, I set my crossover to 100Hz since that's what sounds best with my system, and set all of my speakers to small, despite some of them being able to dig low enough for status as a large. For my channel levels, I started with the MCACC points, but still went back through with a tripod and my RadioShack SPL meter (cat. 33-2055) (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103667).

Again, you don't have to rely on MCACC for anything. It sets some "ideal" values, but it's all up to your taste.

And Trey, what's wrong with Auto Surround? When I had my 7.1 LSi setup, I left it on Auto Surround and it was perfect for switching to every single surround mode presented, be-it DTS, DD, PCM, etc.

[27dnast]

Its more accurate :biggrin:

Just out of curiosity, I'm assuming that your statement is based on experience... how far off were the settings after you ran MCACC and then checked the results with a sound meter???

If it's radically off... then I could see justifying going that route...

Any data?

[dragon1952]

head up my ass edit

[WastelandWand'r]

This thread pointed me in the right direction. I was constantly getting 'PCM' on the display while watching BLURAYS. I had attempted to read the owners manual several times but something was lost in the translation.
Thanks for the info.
Nathan

[MADGSF]

As far as getting PCM in the display I have to set my BDP to bitstream for the display to show the format used on the blueray, for instance "DTS-HD". For the most part I just let MCACC setup my distances and levels. I change the xover to 50Hz and the sub to plus as that is what sounds best in my room.

[Almadacr]

Just out of curiosity, I'm assuming that your statement is based on experience... how far off were the settings after you ran MCACC and then checked the results with a sound meter???

If it's radically off... then I could see justifying going that route...

Any data?

At my seating position where my head is , installed in a tripod toward the front of the room at an angle of about 45 degrees in the direction of the ceiling .

If you have a friend with a SPL you should do it , or for you can buy one !! SPL stands for Sound pressure Level meter .

[dragon1952]

Its more accurate :biggrin:


Just out of curiosity, I'm assuming that your statement is based on experience... how far off were the settings after you ran MCACC and then checked the results with a sound meter???

If it's radically off... then I could see justifying going that route...

Any data?


At my seating position where my head is , installed in a tripod toward the front of the room at an angle of about 45 degrees in the direction of the ceiling .

If you have a friend with a SPL you should do it , or for you can buy one !! SPL stands for Sound pressure Level meter .

Is it just me, or did this response not answer the question :confused:
I think he basically asked "how far off were the MCACC SPL levels in relation to your manual levels using the SPL meter"

Now if he had asked, "how did you position your SPL meter" this response might make more sense :smile:

[Almadacr]

Is it just me, or did this response not answer the question :confused:
I think he basically asked "how far off were the MCACC SPL levels in relation to your manual levels using the SPL meter"

Now if he had asked, "how did you position your SPL meter" this response might make more sense :smile:

You are absolutely right :redface: the readings were of by a average of 9 db on the fronts , since the my left side is a wide open area the most accurate were the back surrounds with a diference of 1db and the center being the CS1 i raised more 2db than the rest of the speakers . My reference level was 85db but i set it for 90 being the center at 92db .