Receiver help please

[jimmy77433]

Hi All,

I recently installed new speakers to my HT system and need some advice.

I have RTi6 fronts, CSi3 center, & FXi3 rears and they are currently powered by a 5+ year old RCA (Pro Series) receiver that is supposed to be 5 x100 watts. The sub is a PSW 10 that I got with the speakers from Crutchfield (I know it's not "great" - but my current issue is not with the sub).

What I notice is that the speakers sound much better when the surround mode is turned off and it is playing in 2 channel mode. In the surround mode watching TV (from a DirecTV H20 receiver connected by optical audio cable).
The sound seems to get less clear (I wouldn't go as far to say muddy). I have done the set-up with the speakers set to "small", crossover set at 80Hz, and set the channel levels with the SPL meter.

My room is 17' x 20' with 20' ceiling and is partially open (kitchen & dining area) to the left side and half the rear from the viewing position. The front speakers are wall mounted at 9' height and 10' apart and the center is on a shelf right over the TV. The rears are wall mounted about 1 ft behind the seating at 10' high.
I know these heights are higher than optimal but that's what I'm stuck with between the pre-wiring the builder did and the half wall behind the seating area.

I have no plans on going to 6.1 or 7.1 anytime soon.

All that being said, do you think I would benefit from a more powerful receiver? Newer sound processing technology? My budget is not unlimited..$600-800 ???

Thanks in advance,

Jim

[dkg999]

I would guess that an AVR upgrade would help. Is this system mainly for HT, or music also? What features in an AVR do you need to support the rest of your system (ie HDMI, video control)? Are you opposed to buying used equipment, or want to stick to new?

There a quite a few good AVR's in your price range, and lots of older high quality 5.1 receivers that can be bought on the used market at relatively low prices.

[mhartman29]

I don't speak from experience (yet), but a number of people have spoken very highly of the emotiva lpa/lmc combination. It's on sale right now for $799 shipped. I've ordered one myself, but I haven't received it yet, but I'm expecting very good things!

You can get more info on Emotiva's (http://www.emotivaaudio.com/products.html) website and searching the forum as well.

Good luck.

[jimmy77433]

I have my TV connected direct from the H20 & DVD player via HDMI, so the HDMI connections aren't a big deal.

I would say the use is 80% HT, 20% music (90% of the music source is coming in from the H20 on DirecTV music channels).

I would prefer new/refurbished to used equipment, but wouldn't rule it out.

[tcrossma]

I don't know if this explains it or not, but I just looked up a manual for a RCA Pro Receiver 5 @ 100w and in "2-channel" mode they list a THD (distortion) of .02%. In "surround" mode they list a THD of 1.0%. To me that indicates that the receiver is not as capable in surround mode as it is in 2-channel, and may account for your sound quality issues.

It sounds to me as if the amp section in that receiver just isn't up to snuff. I don't think you have pre-outs, so you don't have the option of adding an external amplifier. So you'll either have to get a AVR, or separate preamp/amp.

[dkg999]

I would look for refurb'd Harmon Kardon and Denon AVR's. Either brand would be a good quality AVR. Make sure you get one with pre-outs for all 7 channels so you have the option for external amplification at a later point. I had RTi6's at one point, and they responded well to good clean amplification with lots of dynamic power in reserve.

[jimmy77433]

Where did you find a copy of the RCA manual?

I'd like to find a copy as mine is MIA. I remember all the set-up stuff - wanted to see the specs.

Thanks,
Jim

[tcrossma]

Where did you find a copy of the RCA manual?


http://support.radioshack.com/support_audio/70089.htm

I don't know if it's your exact model or not, I just did a google for "RCA Pro Series Receiver". Figured it'd be close enough for this discussion.

[jimmy77433]

http://support.radioshack.com/support_audio/70089.htm

I don't know if it's your exact model or not, I just did a google for "RCA Pro Series Receiver". Figured it'd be close enough for this discussion.

Thanks. Didn't think there would be anything on-line, so I didn't bother.
That wasn't the exact one, but I did a bit of digging and found the right one.

http://support.radioshack.com/support_audio/doc66/66201.pdf

Thanks again,
Jim

[jimmy77433]

Back to my original post question...

I am really not very impressed with the SQ I'm hearing out of these new speakers and need some good advice on what may be the cause.

One of the other things that I have been noticing alot is the DirecTV audio seems to switch around around a lot (especially for commercials) where the center channel seems to be missing and I hear everything from the front R & L speakers...I don't remember this happening when I was using the analog RCA connection between the H20 & the AVR. Last night I was watching Leno on the HD NBC channel and there was no center channel, I had to switch to the non HD NBC channel to get the center channel sound.

Can my sound issues be caused by the way my receiver is processing the audio signal? or can it be that its the fault of the satellite receiver?

I wouldn't mind upgrading the receiver if it will really help.

I see that refurbished Marantz SR7001 & Onkyo TXSR805 can be had at half retail price...they look interesting.
How do they compare with the Yamaha HTR-6090?

Opinions?

Thanks,
Jim

[obieone]

Just to make sure I understand you, Your losing the center on the HD channels, and getting it back on analog??? I'd call Directv, or the converters manufacturer to find out
WTF?
Aside from that,you can upgrade the recvr, to see if that fixes it. If it doesn't, just return it.
Good luck

[jimmy77433]

It only happens on certain programs, so it may be just how DirecTV is broadcasting the audio on some HD programming. But when I change to the non-HD equivalent program (still a digital signal through the optical cable) the center channels is there. Again, this isn't my biggest subject of this post. Just something I notice that may be a sign that my receiver isn't up to snuff.

The big issue is I prefer the sound quality I hear from the speakers with the surround mode turned off (brighter, clearer). Is this normal? Is it a result of my receiver's signal processing? Would a newer receiver do a better job? Would using a receiver with Audessey room set-up fix this issue?

I realize that I didn't buy the top of line speakers, but I expected better... and the fact that they sound better with surround mode off makes me wonder.

Thanks,
Jim

[Kex]

Jimmy, welcome to the Club! Those speakers are capable of excellent sound. That receiver is obviously no use. It's normal for many receivers to perform better with two channels than with 5 or 7 (they mostly don't have adequate power to all channels and their power ratings are frequently measured using only one or two channels driven). A refurbished harman/kardon for $150-250, or other decent receiver, will give excellent results compared to what you have. If you can stretch to $800 (includes tax & shipping), I would try for the Emotiva Ultra Theatre series LMC-1 & LPA-1 rather than pay $500 or more for a receiver (even a very good one). I have one on order myself so I can tell you in a week or so if I think you should definitely go for it compared to a decent receiver (which I already have).

[hockeyboy]

That Marantz is an excellent receiver too. I would dump that optical cable and go with an HDMI connection as well.

[ruf993turbo]

Denon or Onkyo for your price range and you can't go wrong. You'll love it, either one you choose