Bought new TV and now having troubles with Master Volume, receiver & speakers

[benjibliss]

I have a pair of Yamaha HS80M Monitors that have been working great and were able to plug into my old TV. I never had a problem controlling the volume of the speakers with the TV remote, they were synced to do that. But, after having purchased my new LG 4K TV I was forced to buy a Denon AVR-991 Receiver, because the TV only had an optical output. So, the optical out on the TV goes to the Denon receiver and I'm able to hear the TV volume through my Yamaha speakers, BUT I cannot control the speaker volume with the Denon remote, nor the TV remote. I've been through all of the setting and tried everything possible, and I'm hosting an sporting event this weekend. It's really annoying not to be able to mute during commercials and/or turn up the volume. I have to manually adjust the volume of the Yamahas on each of the speakers.

The Yamaha's are connected to the receiver with XLR cables. And the TV is connected to the receiver with the optical cable.

Can anyone please help me figure out how to sync the speakers with receiver remote?

 

[lovinthehd]

You're using the speaker pre-outs on the Denon avr to your active speakers with some sort of converter cable since the Denon doesn't have XLR pre-outs? Confirm the specific connections in any case for input and outputs. Should be fine controlling volume via speaker pre-outs, though. Is this (presumably used) receiver fully functioning otherwise?

ps I just looked at an image of the back of the 991 and don't see that it has speaker pre-outs except for zone 2....is that what you're using?

 

[slipperybidness]

I have a pair of Yamaha HS80M Monitors that have been working great and were able to plug into my old TV. I never had a problem controlling the volume of the speakers with the TV remote, they were synced to do that. But, after having purchased my new LG 4K TV I was forced to buy a Denon AVR-991 Receiver, because the TV only had an optical output. So, the optical out on the TV goes to the Denon receiver and I'm able to hear the TV volume through my Yamaha speakers, BUT I cannot control the speaker volume with the Denon remote, nor the TV remote. I've been through all of the setting and tried everything possible, and I'm hosting an sporting event this weekend. It's really annoying not to be able to mute during commercials and/or turn up the volume. I have to manually adjust the volume of the Yamahas on each of the speakers.

The Yamaha's are connected to the receiver with XLR cables. And the TV is connected to the receiver with the optical cable.

Can anyone please help me figure out how to sync the speakers with receiver remote?

Are your sources hooked to the TV? Then the TV output goes to the Denon?

That really is not the way that is recommended. Instead, hook all the sources to the Denon, then a single HDMI cable goes from the Denon output to the TV input.

BUT.....that may be a side issue to improve things.

Those Yammies are POWERED SPEAKERS??? How the heck are you using XLR from the Denon to those??? The Denon Does NOT have XLR ouputs, right????

Does that denon AVR have Pre-amp outputs??? I can't seem to find a good pic of the back of that unit. Are you using a Monitor output from the denon? If you are, then that is the problem!

You need a set of pre-amp outs, and I'm not sure if that AVR has those.

 

[slipperybidness]

@benjibliss

I think HD and I are on the same page here.

Please confirm--that 991 Denon does not have Pre-amp outputs, right???

If that 991 indeed has no pre-amp outs, then (sorry to tell you this) you bought the wrong AVR to try to hook up powered speakers! Now, you need to make a choice: Either a different AVR with pre-amp outs (more $ than the 991 cost, likely), or new PASSIVE (unpowered) speakers that will play nice with that 991 AVR.

Or, use what you have and no remote functionality, gotta go turn the knobs every time on the speakers.

 

[benjibliss]

Hey, lovinthehd! Thanks for the quick response. I appreciate your help. Below are a few pics of the current setup. The grey cable is the optical, the green & black on the left are the XLRs. They are currently plugged into the DVR Outputs, that was the only one I could get to work. There are Pre-Outs to the right of that, as pictured.

What do you recommend?

You're using the speaker pre-outs on the Denon avr to your active speakers with some sort of converter cable since the Denon doesn't have XLR pre-outs? Confirm the specific connections in any case for input and outputs. Should be fine controlling volume via speaker pre-outs, though. Is this (presumably used) receiver fully functioning otherwise?

ps I just looked at an image of the back of the 991 and don't see that it has speaker pre-outs except for zone 2....is that what you're using?

 

[lovinthehd]

Are your sources hooked to the TV? Then the TV output goes to the Denon?

That really is not the way that is recommended. Instead, hook all the sources to the Denon, then a single HDMI cable goes from the Denon output to the TV input.

BUT.....that may be a side issue to improve things.

Those Yammies are POWERED SPEAKERS??? How the heck are you using XLR from the Denon to those??? The Denon Does NOT have XLR ouputs, right????

Does that denon AVR have Pre-amp outputs??? I can't seem to find a good pic of the back of that unit. Are you using a Monitor output from the denon? If you are, then that is the problem!

You need a set of pre-amp outs, and I'm not sure if that AVR has those.

I only see zone two pre-outs plus a recording output (which as you said may explain no volume control). Found the image of the rear of the unit with a search fairly easily, tho.

 

[lovinthehd]

Hey, lovinthehd! Thanks for the quick response. I appreciate your help. Below are a few pics of the current setup. The grey cable is the optical, the green & black on the left are the XLRs. They are currently plugged into the DVR Outputs, that was the only one I could get to work. There are Pre-Outs to the right of that, as pictured.

What do you recommend?


View attachment 22212 View attachment 22213

Move the connectors to the zone 2 pre-outs (and use zone 2 for control), should get volume control that way, the volume is fixed on the outputs you're using (it's for recording purposes).

 

[lovinthehd]

LOL and gotta say it, did you RTFM?

 

[benjibliss]

I have read the manual and tried the zone 2 pre-outs, the sound came on previously but wasn't controllable with the remote. Which was frustrating. I will try again, perhaps I missed something when I did that?

 

[slipperybidness]

Move the connectors to the zone 2 pre-outs (and use zone 2 for control), should get volume control that way, the volume is fixed on the outputs you're using (it's for recording purposes).

I know that some AVRs can ONLY do analog inputs to Zone#2 (and of course an optical cable is not analog). But, I don't know about this AVR.

But, yeah, if this AVR will do digi to Zone2, then you just gave him a workaround!

@benjibliss Look at the "Pre-out" boxed section in your pics. The only true pre-amp outs that you have are for the subwoofers (SW). What you need is a main L/R pre-amp output (and clearly you don't have that).

So, as HD said, those cxns that you are using are fixed-level, the volume knob does nothing to that output.

 

[slipperybidness]

I have read the manual and tried the zone 2 pre-outs, the sound came on previously but wasn't controllable with the remote. Which was frustrating. I will try again, perhaps I missed something when I did that?

When you had them hooked to Zone2, were you controlling the main zone or the zone2 with the remote?

Honestly, I'm not a good resource when it comes to multiple-zones with AVRs (I always just buy an AVR for the other zone rather than trying to use any Zone 2 functions).

 

[lovinthehd]

I have read the manual and tried the zone 2 pre-outs, the sound came on previously but wasn't controllable with the remote. Which was frustrating. I will try again, perhaps I missed something when I did that?

Hmmm looking at page 59 of the manual (on manualslib.com) it seems to expect you to control volume with the external amplifier (and even shows a pic of an external amplifier like another avr or an integrated amp) so you indeed seem to have purchased the wrong avr for your purposes....at least without more digging in the manual...

 

[lovinthehd]

I know that some AVRs can ONLY do analog inputs to Zone#2 (and of course an optical cable is not analog). But, I don't know about this AVR.

But, yeah, if this AVR will do digi to Zone2, then you just gave him a workaround!

@benjibliss Look at the "Pre-out" boxed section in your pics. The only true pre-amp outs that you have are for the subwoofers (SW). What you need is a main L/R pre-amp output (and clearly you don't have that).

So, as HD said, those cxns that you are using are fixed-level, the volume knob does nothing to that output.

Wasn't thinking about that aspect of DRM problems so that could indeed be a factor but this avr may be old enuf to allow? I really don't want to read the whole manual

 

[slipperybidness]

Wasn't thinking about that aspect of DRM problems so that could indeed be a factor but this avr may be old enuf to allow? I really don't want to read the whole manual

Honestly, I'm not even sure if this is DRM related. It may be Silicon chip limitation related.

I know that "most" AVRs from a few years ago could only output to zone2 if the input was analog. But, there were/are a few that can output a digi source to zone2. Dunno, maybe you need 2 DACs in the AVR to be able to handle that??? I've read about several people that learned this the hard way after a purchase.

 

[lovinthehd]

Honestly, I'm not even sure if this is DRM related. It may be Silicon chip limitation related.

I know that "most" AVRs from a few years ago could only output to zone2 if the input was analog. But, there were/are a few that can output a digi source to zone2. Dunno, maybe you need 2 DACs in the AVR to be able to handle that??? I've read about several people that learned this the hard way after a purchase.

Yeah, not up on my zones, only use a zone in one of my units (and can use that with the avr volume control ); I thought older units didn't care about digi inputs but I could be wrong, thought that was DRM induced in any case to prevent copying and such via analog outs....but makes sense if DAC limited.

 

[benjibliss]

slipperybidness and lovinthehd, thanks for your help! I appreciate your time.

I just plugged the cables into the Zone2 and nothing. Even the AVR said Zone2 has no power. I don't think this AVR is going to work. I'm about to go buy a different one.

Any recommendations on what I should buy?

 

[lovinthehd]

slipperybidness and lovinthehd, thanks for your help! I appreciate your time.

I just plugged the cables into the Zone2 and nothing. Even the AVR said Zone2 has no power. I don't think this AVR is going to work. I'm about to go buy a different one.

Any recommendations on what I should buy?

You sure you turned on the power to zone 2? It has a separate turn on/off from the main zone, usually...

As was mentioned for active speakers, a unit with normal speaker pre-outs are the way to go. Many avrs have such, altho with newer units you usually have to look at mid-level units and up...you looking new or used and what's the budget?

 

[benjibliss]

I'm going to try these first. This might be the ULTIMATE work around- https://www.amazon.com/Rockford-Fosgate-Speaker-Female-Adapter/dp/B00G352P2C/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1504901256&sr=1-3&keywords=female+rca+to+speaker

 

[lovinthehd]

I'm going to try these first. This might be the ULTIMATE work around- https://www.amazon.com/Rockford-Fosgate-Speaker-Female-Adapter/dp/B00G352P2C/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1504901256&sr=1-3&keywords=female+rca+to+speaker

Uh, just how do you plan to use those?

 

[benjibliss]

Call me crazy, but if I stick the female RCA on the end of male and then hookup the speaker wire to the receiver... it should work. Right?