Yamaha RX-V661 rear speakers

[lmanifold]

My rear surround speakers are not working when watching a music video and decoding using Dolby Digital, but the surround LR speakers are working (I have a 7.1 setup). I checked the audio settings and all 7 speakers are on and configured. All 7 speakers do work in 7-channel enhancer mode. Any ideas?

 

[TLS Guy]

My rear surround speakers are not working when watching a music video and decoding using Dolby Digital, but the surround LR speakers are working (I have a 7.1 setup). I checked the audio settings and all 7 speakers are on and configured. All 7 speakers do work in 7-channel enhancer mode. Any ideas?

It is probably because your music videos are recorded in 5.1 and not 7.1.

Some Dolby sources have an EX flag. If your receiver is set, or has Dolby Digital EX, and if the videos have the EX flag you will get synthesized rear channel sound.

Dolby Digital does not support discreet 7.1 sound.

You have to move up the BD discs and players to get discrete 7.1 audio via Dolby True HD or dts Master 7.1

Even so even in the latter formats, it is my impression there is more 5.1 around than 7.1, but I could be wrong about that.

 

[lmanifold]

Got it. Is there any way to push the LR surround signal out of the back LR surround speakers if the source doesn't have the Dolby EX flag? For music videos, I don't really care about realism, I just want to be surrounded. Thanks.

 

[TLS Guy]

Got it. Is there any way to push the LR surround signal out of the back LR surround speakers if the source doesn't have the Dolby EX flag? For music videos, I don't really care about realism, I just want to be surrounded. Thanks.

What is the format of those videos?

The only way to do it, would be to set the player two two channel stereo, and set the receiver to 7 channel "stereo".

That is a bad idea for two reasons.

1). It sounds awful. Formats sound best in the format they were mixed in.

2). Your receiver will be playing all channels pretty much equally, which they are not designed to do. This will stress the power supply and likely have you end up with a blown receiver, unless you use low volumes.

 

[MDS]

Got it. Is there any way to push the LR surround signal out of the back LR surround speakers if the source doesn't have the Dolby EX flag? For music videos, I don't really care about realism, I just want to be surrounded. Thanks.

You need to use a matrix decoder that can turn 5.1 into 7.1 such as Dolby ProLogic IIx or Neo:6. Most receivers allow you to force DD EX regardless of whether the disc is flagged or not so that should be an option too.

 

[lmanifold]

Thanks again TLS and MDS. Sorry for the delayed response - been traveling. Yeah, I can push sound through all 7 channels using the 7-channel music enhancer setting, but as TLS noted, it's the same signal through all channels. The receiver is rated at 90 watts RMS x 7, and this is a setting on the receiver, so I don't think it puts too much stress on the receiver.

Per MDS's suggestion, I'll see if I have a setting to force DD EX. Otherwise I may just have to "suffer" through 5-channel surround on those music videos w/out the EX encoding.

Cheers!