Problem with Analog Out on disc player - playing a trash signal

[timetohunt]

I have been asking a few questions lately as I find time to grow my audio system. This will be the last one for a while, but so far this is the most vexing of my issues. And.... I am hoping the 'new' used Universal disc player is simply not failing.

I am working a Marantz DV7600 into my system. It was built in March 2006 and I did buy it used.

Here's the problem: I stem 2 audio zones from my receiver using the Surr Back Ch as a 2.0 setup in a Zone 2. This means that every disc player I use in my system has to have stereo analog outs connected to the AVR. Zone 2 uses stereo analog signals only - makes sense it being a 2.0 arrangement.

In my Main zone I can listen to full DVD-A, SACD, Dig 5.1 formats etc. The problem with the Marantz is that when I am playing a DVD I get some kind of wierd back channel signal from the 2 analog outputs. Eg. if I play a DVD-Video with Dolby the 5.1 is fine in the Main Zone but trash is coming from the stereo outs which renders zone 2 useless when paying DVDs on the Marantz. It sounds like back channels from a multi channel setup. The sounds are from the DVD (for example backgroud music and sounds but no dialog) but why its not passing good STEREO analog through the separate stereo analog ports I have no idea. I was told that all players always have the stereo outs 'ON'. Any thoughts. I going to work with it today some.

 

[timetohunt]

I called Marantz and they helped me figure it out. But still, there is some disappointment.

The setting 'Audio Out' has to be set to '2 Channel Stereo'.

I had it set to '5.1 Channel' since I play DVD-As and SACDs on this unit.

Even the tech at Marantz did not like the way it works, either a poor design or simply a limitation of the unit he said. Most players should have the L/R stereo outputs always ON and always outputting stereo.

So if I was decoding 5.1 dolby I would only get the L and R channel from the dolby mix in ZONE 2 (can't hear much dialog on most movies that way), not a stereo mix.

The inconviniece comes when I want to play DVD-As or SACDs through Multi Channel. I have to go into the menu and switch it back over to '5.1 Channel'. Because Stereo is not always played from those 2 ports it usually will be set to 2 Channel for DVDs esp if I want that DVD to play in zone 2 (I will still get 5.1 digital formats decoded in my Main system).

Those stereo ports on the Marantz are separate from the L/R outputs of the Multi Channel section as they should be....i can't understant why anything but Stereo would ever come out of them.

This unit also takes a very long time to load compared to cheap players I have had. Is this normal. Maybe its the SACD capability that reflects that. dont know.

If I ever get another disc player I think it will be a Pioneer. The Marantz manuals are poor from the 3 I have read and I wound up waiting 20 minutes on their tech support before I hung up yesterday. I have found Pioneer manuals a perfect read for me and I never waited more than 3 minutes on a tech call. Plus the techs have your gear right there in front of them, I like that a lot. I know I'm sounding like I work for, but the company continues to do right be me.

 

[AVRat]

It sounds like you haven’t reassigned the back-channel amps for Zone 2 usage. See pg. 39 of the 94’s manual.

 

[timetohunt]

^^ No, they are set to Zone 2 Processing. It was one of the things I double checked. Your reply prabubly came in as I was writing that I found the problem.

 

[AVRat]

Well that sux! Marantz seems to be headed down a different road than other manufacturers and it seems heading in the wrong direction.

 

[Seth=L]

I have a similar problem with my Toshiba SD-9000. The stereo output (fixed) has a trash signal. If I set the player to do stereo I can use the multichannel outputs (FR L/R) and get as good a signal as any for music and movies.

 

[timetohunt]

Well that sux! Marantz seems to be headed down a different road than other manufacturers and it seems heading in the wrong direction.

Could be. On top of that there can be no disc in the tray when you change this setting. I had heard about some of this before of far as not being able to change settings on the fly re: Marantz. Not a word of any of this in the manual.

For those who use universal players and play many formats - are you able to change anything on the fly or are these types of limitations typical?

 

[jcPanny]

Oppo Digital

FYI,
I have no problem hearing the stereo version of the sound track in my "Zone 2" when playing a DVD on the Oppo. However, I don't currently take advantage of the DVD-A or SACD features of the player.

Why do you need the DVD audio playing in zone 2? You could select another source FM, XM, CD, etc. to play while watching a movie in the main zone.

 

[timetohunt]

FYI,
I have no problem hearing the stereo version of the sound track in my "Zone 2" when playing a DVD on the Oppo. However, I don't currently take advantage of the DVD-A or SACD features of the player.

Why do you need the DVD audio playing in zone 2? You could select another source FM, XM, CD, etc. to play while watching a movie in the main zone.

I don't need DVD-Audio playing in zone 2. I would at times like the DVD-Video sountrack to play in both zones (I have a tv upstairs that chains video from one of my downstairs tvs) so a concert on DVD-V can be watched and heard in both places. This was not possible if I had the Marantz set at "5.1 Channel" cuz the stereo outs on the Marantz that are used by my zone two are not producing STEREO, they are outputting parts of multi channel mix. The solution is to change the setting on the Marantz but its a pain and I feel that separate stereo outs should always be outputting stereo or a stereo mix. I can see no use of those outs transmitting any other signal but stereo.
I know its kind of a hard problem to explain well. I might not have done a great job of that. But do you get it now?