Analog bass management on receiver.

[EdS]

Check this thread out for more information, it has a lot of postings from actual users. This is the page where the BM discussions started:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=490256&perpage=20&highlight=avr635 AND BM&pagenumber=4

Also, on page 12 of that thread there is an email from a HK customer rep who explicitly states that there is a typo in the AVR635 brochure and manual and that the AVR635 does not perform BM on the 6/8 channel direct inputs.

 

[shokhead]

Same old story. I've complained about the lack of bass on both my multi-channel players and other have said either i dont have it set up right{thats wrong} or there just isnt any bass in what i'm listening to{another wrong one}. I have a SACD i play and it sounds great but for the lack of good bass,its there but slight. Now i have the same disc in a DTS music disc,wow,thats what i'm talking about. Why. Better bass management in the reciever,imo. Why cant they do that in the DVD players? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ They could but why when everyone is getting them the way they are and when its flooded enough,whew,look,2007 players with great bass management,time to upgrade,again.

 

[drogulus]

Analog workaround II, then on to iLink??

EdS,

Thanks for helping me out in a major way!! Very enlightening discussion in that thread!

Some tentative conclusions:

1) AVR 635 is one helluva receiver for anyone who does not own an inexpensive SACD player with rotten bass management!

2) HKs' reasoning may have been driven by cost concerns, as well as the fact that their DVD/DVD-A player w/ good bass management lacks SACD.

3) One of the less expensive iLink equipped players appears to be in my future at some point, along with the Pio 56txi. Shame . An AVR 735(i?) would have been something!
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For now, its' workaround II....... I'd like to keep a single LFE to the sub if I can, and try to apply the solution between player and receiver. Is there any reason why I can't, or shouldn't, use the 2 ch. out Y-connected to sub in, connect MC w/o LFE??? If both 2 ch. and MC are active simultaneously, I'd have full range MC stereo mixdown. How about that for quick'n'dirty??

Edit: For SACD only, everything else would be handled digitally. Sub xover compromise shoudn't be too much of a problem.

 

[EdS]

The lack of BM & TA for the direct inputs is a deal breaker for me. I'm ready to upgrade to a new receiver, and at first I thought the AVR-635 was the one. Supposedly very good room equalization, better than that offered by either Pioneer or Denon at similar price points. However, IMO, not providing the room eq feature for the direct inputs is similar to a TV providing picture controls for the SD input, but no picture controls for the HD input. It means you can not optimize your listening environment for the best source, you can only optimize for the lower quality source.

I'm probably going to wait on the sidelines (currently have a Yam 2095 which has had zero problems and is a solid performer) until the HDMI/i-link sources and receivers or pre-pros have settled in, and see what is going on with the upcoming HD-DVD / Blu-Ray Players. Rumor has it that Sony is going to abandon DSD/SACD format as it is not part of the Blu-Ray standard.

I know that you can always play catch-up with technology, but I'd hate to jump in and find out in six months that the technology I bet on is the loser. At this point no one is sure if the future medium and protocol for Hi-Rez audio is going to be DVD-A or SACD, HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, and HDMI or i-link.

It was over six years ago when I bought my first DVD player and DD/DTS receiver, and I didn't feel like I was gambling that the technology would be abandoned in a year or two, or that it was a half-assed solution filled with compromises. However, that is the way I feel now, so I'll probably wait until the path forward becomes a little clearer.

 

[drogulus]

Well, in the near term, it's possible that I can get away with 2 players, one for high rez audio iLinked to the receiver, and one for high rez video HDMI'd to the display. Unless the new HD DVD/ Blu Ray players are true universals, playing all audio/video formats....but that is probably years away, if it ever happens.

Of course, a receiver with both HDMI and iLink would simplify things greatly! No doubt it will be pricier than the 56txi, but considering their support for both connections, Pioneer will do it if anyone does.

 

[drogulus]

No one has commented on my idea of using the stereo outs on my Sony 775 to the sub in on the receiver for SACD. The problem with SACD music is very often there is nothing on the LFE out, at least on the classical discs I listen to. Whatever bass there is can be found on the full range tracks. So the 2 ch. mixdown is in fact an ideal source for a sub signal. The multichannel outs would be connected as usual, except the sub out. Crossover on the sub should be abit higher than normal, say 90 Hz, so as not to interfere with DD/DTS digital stuff,which uses the receivers crossover.

Ok, anybody think this won't work?