DVD-A output level

[richardwhit]

<font color='#000000'>I have a Pioneer DV-656A DVD-A/V player and a Sony STRDB930 AV receiver. Analogue interconnects are Cambridge Audio Atlantics and I use an Optical interconnect for digital.

I have just got my hands on my first DVD-A disc and am a bit confused by the results. The level of the DVD-A disc played through the 5.1 inputs of the amp seems to be very low which results in me having to wack the volume on my amp high - so I end up with noticeable hum on quiet parts of the soundtrack. The sound produced also seems slightly flat. The other side of the disc has a DTS version which plays fine through the digital output.

The disc in question is Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture on the Telarc label.

Has anyone experienced anything similar, or have any ideas what may be going on?</font>

[wizbri]

<font color='#000000'>I've noticed the exact same thing with my new 656a. (I have a Philips FR975 receiver.) While I don't own the Tchaikovsky disc you mentioned, I experience the low-volume problem on every one of the dozen DVD-A discs I have played.

(In fact, I nearly blew my speakers out last week when I switched to my CD player without remembering to turn down the volume first.)

While I'm thoroughly impressed with DVD-A fidelity and the surround mixes -- even blown away, in some cases -- the volume issue has been somewhat disheartening. As has been the bass. The 656a claims to handle bass management, but there's still a quite noticeable lack of bottom end. I have to activate the &quot;LOUDNESS&quot; setting on my receiver to get anything half decent.

Would love to get answers on both these issues, but Pioneer tech support is notoriously lame. If you learn anything, please post it here...</font>

[richardwhit]

<font color='#000000'>Here is the response I had from Pioneer:

&quot;Response (Customer Relations) - 16/01/2003 11:40 AM
Hi,

Thanks for your email.
This is not something of which we are aware however from your description i would advise you contact Sony to discuss this problem further as there may be a fault with the receiver.

Regards.
Customer Relations.&quot;

The fact that you are having the same issue with a different amp would tend to preclude my amp from being the source of the problem, but I have emailed Sony anyway and I'll post back here if I get a reply.

I too would really like to get to the bottom of this problem but as I am the only person I know with a DVD-A player I can't even run tests on some elses system <img src="http://www.audioholics.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':('></font>