Direct and Pure Direct

[deronb1]

When I switch from "Stereo" to "Direct" or "Pure Direct" on my VSX-23, it sounds like crap. A lot less loud and NO dynamics. Is there something I have missed during setup? Output levels are maxed per speaker. Not sure what is up.

[jbooker82]

Stereo probably uses the avr's eq, where direct and pure direct doenst get run through the eq.

[deronb1]

Stereo probably uses the avr's eq, where direct and pure direct doenst get run through the eq.

That makes sense. Just making sure I wasn't missing something.

[specd_out]

I had alot of questions regarding how it all works (I have a vsx-32 BTW) after doing alot of reading on on AVS forums. This is how it works

Pure Direct is the signal straight from the source. It has very minimal processing and does NOT use any Maccac settings. This means your speaker size, distance, level and all those cool settings have no effect

Stereo uses your settings and the Maccac data for the front two speakers only and maybe your sub depending on how you have your speaker config

Direct is the same as Pure Direct except it uses all your setting from Maccac

I always like Pure Direct because it tends to be louder and more Bass heavy which humans tend to enjoy. But its far from accurate. especially in multi channel. I gave Direct another real chance, as well as setting my towers to large and the sub to "plus". I found the Bass to be much more accurate and very tight. My highs where much more pronounced and my front sound stage blended much much better. Bass guitar notes no longer sounded the same as LFE explosions from movies. I was very happy and no longer can listen to any non calibrated preset.

[tonyb]

When I switch from "Stereo" to "Direct" or "Pure Direct" on my VSX-23, it sounds like crap. A lot less loud and NO dynamics. Is there something I have missed during setup? Output levels are maxed per speaker. Not sure what is up.

Why do you have the speaker levels maxed out ? If you do, there's a problem somewhere else in your system. If it sounds like crap on pure direct, thats a good sign your source pretty much....um...stinks, to put it bluntly. I have just about the same receiver and pure direct is the preferred choice. For music anyway, I want the least amount of the receiver doing anything I can.

[deronb1]

I had alot of questions regarding how it all works (I have a vsx-32 BTW) after doing alot of reading on on AVS forums. This is how it works

Pure Direct is the signal straight from the source. It has very minimal processing and does NOT use any Maccac settings. This means your speaker size, distance, level and all those cool settings have no effect

Stereo uses your settings and the Maccac data for the front two speakers only and maybe your sub depending on how you have your speaker config

Direct is the same as Pure Direct except it uses all your setting from Maccac

I always like Pure Direct because it tends to be louder and more Bass heavy which humans tend to enjoy. But its far from accurate. especially in multi channel. I gave Direct another real chance, as well as setting my towers to large and the sub to "plus". I found the Bass to be much more accurate and very tight. My highs where much more pronounced and my front sound stage blended much much better. Bass guitar notes no longer sounded the same as LFE explosions from movies. I was very happy and no longer can listen to any non calibrated preset.

That is kinda what I expected from Pure Direct. However, there is very little sound produced in this setting as compared to stereo. I was hoping that I would get a more "natural" sound using the external amp, but it just seems that there is not enough "umph" in the Pure Direct mode.

[specd_out]

Have you calibrated using the mic

[deronb1]

Have you calibrated using the mic

I did calibrate and am totally happy with every setting except the direct modes. I might start over when I have the time (and the wife is away :)

[codyc1ark]

Mantis needs to chime in here... I can speak for myself, pure direct is the way to go. I do listen to some source in pure stereo, and enjoy either depending on my mood. I feel I get more bass with a pure two channel, but more accurate overall sound with a 2.1. IMO, of course.

[specd_out]

This is where I learned how to tweak my setup. It may help u http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1112470

[tonyb]

I did calibrate and am totally happy with every setting except the direct modes. I might start over when I have the time (and the wife is away :)

What source are you feeding it and how is it connected ?

[deronb1]

What source are you feeding it and how is it connected ?

I have an older Sony CDP. Optical out. Sounds great in Stereo, not so much in the direct modes.

[Drenis]

Is the S. Retriever option enabled in the audio options? Make sure thats turned off. The above have posted what pure direct does.

[deronb1]

Is the S. Retriever option enabled in the audio options? Make sure thats turned off. The above have posted what pure direct does.

Have always kept S. Retriever to ON. Will try it with it off.

[tonyb]

Good point Drenis.

In pure direct mode, what your hearing is the quality of the Sony cdp on it's own, so no surprise it sounds worse than having the receiver handle everything. Have you tried using analog cables from the cdp to the receiver and see if the sound is any better ?

I know that sounds half ass backwards, but I had an Older sony cdp at one point and the analog connections sounded better than the optical.

[Drenis]

Have always kept S. Retriever to ON. Will try it with it off.

Go read your manual which explains what that feature does. I used to do the same.

[PrazVT]

I've experimented between pure direct and direct on my SC-57.

Direct sounds good to me too (only other thing I do is turn off the EQ), but I noticed that when I check the analog signal status it shows 96khz instead of 192khz. So it looks like there is still some processing going on which I don't like (esp since I don't know what exactly is happening). But that fullband phase feature sounds interesting though...

[Inspector 24]

I enjoy listening to CD's in Pure Direct because it shows me the true un-altered sound of the CD as well as the speakers. However I like the sound of the A9's with a little equalization applied, so more often than not I'll listen in 'Straight' mode, a nice middle ground between 'Pure Direct' and Stereo that gives me the equalization, but a little truer sound than 'Stereo'

[tonyb]

Even in pure direct, if your cdp is hooked up by optical, the receiver is still doing d/a conversion. Even connected with analog cables, your still using the receivers pre amp section but that way takes the receiver processing out of the equation the most. Of coarse with a old Sony cdp, not so sure thats the route to take because even a midline receiver should have better processing/conversion than that cdp.....unless it's an ES series of coarse.

So use the optical connection, but don't use pure direct mode with that cdp. There's been a few Jolida 100's fly threw the FM if a new cdp is up your alley, or it maybe time for you to hit up the SB/Sonos and get rid of the cdp all together.

[mdaudioguy]

Every AVR I've tried in my HT setup has sounded noticeably better IMO in a Direct mode, wrt 2-channel sources. It just seems to provide a more "full" sound across the range, I'm guessing because there is less degradation of the signal. Yamaha, Onkyo, and H/K... and really, shouldn't AVR setup have little or no effect on Pure Direct sound quality?

[tonyb]

Depends....on the build quality of each piece.