Problems with Yamaha RX-V663

[pg13]

I have been struggling with getting the Yamaha receiver to work well. I have few questions:

1. When playing CDs, it goes into the "straight" mode and I cant turn it off to ask it to use some other mode (e.g., Dolby PL-IIx or 7ch stereo). I have tried everything I could think of: pressing straight button on remote/front panel; trying enhancer/sur-decode buttons, etc.

2. Moreover in the straight mode when playing CDs, somehow the subwoofer is not kicking in. Without the subwoofer, music sounds pretty bad (I have orb audio speakers).

3. For adaptive DRC, what does the receiver treat as "high" volume and "low" volume ? Hopefully it is defined by what I set as maximum volume in my settings.

Any help would be great

Thanks

 

[Lordoftherings]

I have been struggling with getting the Yamaha receiver to work well. I have few questions:

1. When playing CDs, it goes into the "straight" mode and I cant turn it off to ask it to use some other mode (e.g., Dolby PL-IIx or 7ch stereo). I have tried everything I could think of: pressing straight button on remote/front panel; trying enhancer/sur-decode buttons, etc.

2. Moreover in the straight mode when playing CDs, somehow the subwoofer is not kicking in. Without the subwoofer, music sounds pretty bad (I have orb audio speakers).

3. For adaptive DRC, what does the receiver treat as "high" volume and "low" volume ? Hopefully it is defined by what I set as maximum volume in my settings.

Any help would be great

Thanks

Hi,

1. The "Straight" mode is to disable the DSP mode. Check in your manual.
You don't have to turn it "OFF". It's always there, it's like "OFF" already.
Just select another mode (Dolby Pro Logic IIx Music/Cinema, etc.) from the Audio mode button. And you can add a DSP mode of your choice on top of a Standard Audio mode (Dolby Pro Logic IIx, Dolby Digital, dtS, Dolby TrueHD, dtS-HD MA...). Again, check in your manual.

2. In order for your sub to kick in, you need to select an Audio mode that has your speakers selected as "Small", and subwoofer "ON". Check in your manual.

3. "DRC" (Dynamic Range Compression) is for listening at night (it compresses the sound, so the loud passages get softer and the soft passages get louder), when you don't want to disturb the others sleeping. It only works with Dolby Digital. Check in your manual.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[Adam]

To the OP - check if you are using one of the SCENE templates for the CD input. That might be overriding your ability to deselect the "Straight" mode.

You don't have to turn it "OFF". It's always there, it's like "OFF" already.
Just select another mode (Dolby Pro Logic IIx Music/Cinema, etc.) from the Audio mode button.

According to page 51 of the manual, "Straight" mode must be enabled and disabled by pressing the STRAIGHT button on the remote or the receiver (like the OP was doing).

 

[Djizasse]

If you're using the multi-channel analog input for your CD, then you'll not be able to use any DSP or even bass management.

 

[Lordoftherings]

To the OP - check if you are using one of the SCENE templates for the CD input. That might be overriding your ability to deselect the "Straight" mode.


According to page 51 of the manual, "Straight" mode must be enabled and disabled by pressing the STRAIGHT button on the remote or the receiver (like the OP was doing).

The first point is a very good one Adam.

And how come it's always us that have to read all the manuals and not the owners?

 

[Lordoftherings]

If you're using the multi-channel analog input for your CD, then you'll not be able to use any DSP or even bass management.

Very good point.

Bob

Note: By the way, that picture with your name is one of my very favorite if not my favorite. Very cool, looks very you and very Lisbon too.

 

[Adam]

And how come it's always us that have to read all the manuals and not the owners?

I'll bet that the OP read the manual. However, people who have more experience with this stuff interpret things differently. I'd say that we have an easier time understanding the manuals and can therefore help people with their issues.

Sure, sometimes people don't read the manuals (like some people won't ask for directions ) - but I think it's normally that the equipment isn't doing what they think it should based on what they read, and they're looking for help in understanding why.

 

[pg13]

I have tried what manual suggests!

I have tried with and without scenes selected. In either case, I just keep getting "Not Available" on the screen whenever I try to change the audio mode/decoder.

I am using my DVD player to play CDs and it is connected to receiver using a coax cable.

I am not clear on suggestions by LordOftheRings:
1. the problem is that I am not able to select any other mode (I get a "Not available").

2. My speakers are set to small with sub ON. I thought this was a global setting independent of the decoders, etc.

3. I know what DRC is. Further, adaptive DRC tunes dynamic range based on volume. What I wanted to know is what does receiver count as 'loud'. E.g., if my initial volume is 35db and max volume is set to 20db, at what volume level does Adaptive DRC have minimum dynamic range and at what level does it have maximum dynamic range.

 

[Lordoftherings]

I have tried with and without scenes selected. In either case, I just keep getting "Not Available" on the screen whenever I try to change the audio mode/decoder.

I am using my DVD player to play CDs and it is connected to receiver using a coax cable.

I am not clear on suggestions by LordOftheRings:
1. the problem is that I am not able to select any other mode (I get a "Not available").

2. My speakers are set to small with sub ON. I thought this was a global setting independent of the decoders, etc.

3. I know what DRC is. Further, adaptive DRC tunes dynamic range based on volume. What I wanted to know is what does receiver count as 'loud'. E.g., if my initial volume is 35db and max volume is set to 20db, at what volume level does Adaptive DRC have minimum dynamic range and at what level does it have maximum dynamic range.

Hi,

I made a mistake or two previously, so don't get too confused here, and forgive me.

1. Hmm... Don't know exactly what's happening here. Seems quite strange.
If you're using the digital coax. to play CDs from your DVD player, you should be able to access the various DSP modes. Must have something to do with an improper setup in the audio menu or the inputs not corresponding to the right type of connection (in this case, the dig. coax. attributed to the CD or DVD source?). Check it out.

2. You are right, not suppose to matter at all with the audio modes.
But then, I am not familiar with your 663 diffferent audio setups (like different speakers for different audio modes). Is your Yamaha configure for multichannel audio? Is the CD or DVD input set for enabling the various multichannel audio modes?

3. I don't know what implementation of loudness is in your 663. I don't think it is related in the way you figure. It is an adaptive feature level control. DRC only works normally with DD. But Yamaha goes over that I believe. It's not important to know the db level substraction, does it work to your taste?

Cheers,

Bob

 

[Djizasse]

Something is off. For some reason your sub is not getting any signal. This could mean a couple (or trio) of things.
First, your music needs to have low bass content for the sub to play.
Secondly, the subwoofer needs to be "in the loop", i.e., turned on, connected to the receiver and with the volume knob set to a sufficient level.
Thirdly, the receiver has to be set to use the sub. The sub must be selected (in the sound->speaker set menu), the bass must be sent to it, and the crossover point has to be set at a correct point (depends on your speakers).

I would start by checking if the sub is working with the receiver. You can go to the "speaker level" menu and cycle through all the speakers until you get to the sub, it has to make some noise.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I have seen this issue before with one of my Yammy AVRs. It had something to do with the sample rate set in the DVD player. When set at the higher rate, it would only play "straight mode" and would not use the sub. I can't remember the details but try changing that in the DVD player and see what happens.

 

[GlocksRock]

Not sure about the levels at which the adaptive drc are at max or min, but likely depends on where your reference level is set to. I personally have tried the adaptive drc, but prefer to just leave it off.

 

[pg13]

Thanks but no success yet!

Thanks for all your replies. I will try out all these suggestions. For the one about fiddling with DVD frequency: how do I change it ? I thought that the maximum bitrate is set by how the CD is recorded and not really by the player (may be you can undersample it somehow but not sure what the setting is for that).

For adaptive DRC, I like the idea but how do I set the reference level ?

The sub is set in speaker setup and the crossover is 120Hz (recommended for my speakers).

Has anyone had any experience with Yamaha customer service (i.e. is it a good idea to call them up?) ?

 

[3db]

Thanks for all your replies. I will try out all these suggestions. For the one about fiddling with DVD frequency: how do I change it ? I thought that the maximum bitrate is set by how the CD is recorded and not really by the player (may be you can undersample it somehow but not sure what the setting is for that).

For adaptive DRC, I like the idea but how do I set the reference level ?

The sub is set in speaker setup and the crossover is 120Hz (recommended for my speakers).

Has anyone had any experience with Yamaha customer service (i.e. is it a good idea to call them up?) ?

Here in Canada, Yamaha customer service is fast usually getting an email response within 36 hours. I don't know about the US but I can't see that being much different.

Now on to your problem. You play CDs on your DVD player which I do as well going thru my Yammy as well but I'm not having any problems. The first thing I want to know is you can change the sound fields while playing a DVD?

 

[pg13]

Thanks, part of the problem resolved

Thanks to ParadigmDawg. His guess was right. I was using some "Remaster" setting in my Panasonic DVD player which oversampled to 176KHz instead of regular CD of 44KHz. It seems that the Yamaha does not like it (probably all its DSP/decoders dont work fast enough to deal with oversampled audio). Yamaha should either fix or explicitly mention this problem!

Now back to Adaptive DRC and subwoofer issues...
Somehow YPAO gives a whole range of -5.5 to +5.5db on levels with the sub being -5.5. I have pushed it up to zero but still dont really "feel" the bass. In the auto-setup, the sub works fine.

If I bring down all my speaker levels by 5db, is it equivalent to reducing the reference level by 5db ?