So my buddy just got a Sony X850D, a 5.1 package of Definitive ProCinema 600 speakers (4 bookshelf speakers, a center and a sub), and a Yamaha RX-A660 receiver and he asked me to help him set it up. I have set up receivers before, but usually when you first turn it on it prompts you for an initial set up walkthrough, but this one didn't seem to do that, or if it does, I somehow accidentally skipped it. I looked online for a way to factory reset it but I couldnt find one. We used the distance setting microphone thing but I don't think it did a very good job. Maybe we had it in the wrong spot or maybe the speakers are placed poorly?
It’s a small apartment with the living room and kitchen kind of joined and the left and right speakers are mounted about 12” below the ceiling and the two rears are a little bit higher. The couch is against a wall so the rears are placed on that same wall pointed down towards the couch. The rears are spaced a little farther apart than the fronts.
Anyway, what I’m really wondering is how should I should change the settings… On the TV side I set it to audio system and turned the TV speakers off. I think that is all that is needed but I have this sneaking suspicion that I think to changed the format to PCM or somthing…(?)
The settings on the receiver are kind of confusing to me. I’m using ARC and it seems to be working fine so I have that turned on.
We kept trying 5.1 surround tests on youtube and every time, when it got to the rears, it would come out the front and when it got to the sub there would be no sound at all. Eventually, I tried playing a movie on Netflix and the surround seemed to work as it should so I guess youtube just doesn't support surround sound and all those videos are BS? Even so, that doesn't explain why I would be getting no sound from the sub test. I suspect I have the frequency set wrong so its not going low enough?
I played with the settings a bit but I didn't really realize what I was doing at the time. What I was trying to achieve is raise the volume of the center a little bit for clearer dialog and make the rears a little louder cuz, at the time, we didn't think they were working or were just playing too soft. What I think I might have actually done is raise the frequency instead so I just told him not to blast anything until I had done a little more research…
Also, what about when you just want to listen to music? Is there a way to have like a music mode to switch to that will sound better? I didnt bother to connect the reciever to the internet, as I thought it might just cause more headaches, but would it be better to use that music cast thing rather than going through the TV?
Any advice would really be appreciated. Thanks!
