Hi guys!
I just put together my new setup together, I'm happy to say that i took my time and got the best deals possible... but i'm still a real noob in terms of dialing it all in.
I seem to have one, or two, or a dozen issues that i don't know how to address. Any and all suggestions are welcome.
1. My receiver, a Pioneer VSX-9120THX(some kind of Canada only model ...eh) is supposed to have a microphone for its "mcacc" self calibration hoohaa. i bought the receiver from a retailer on clearance and it came with no accessories. Can i just buy a random mic someplace and giver or do i need to call pioneer and pony up for a real one?
Also: As it stands i have no idea how to set this thing up in terms of what surround modes to use and THXselect2?!... how does that **** work.... and so on. Has any of you guys got one of these ******* things and how do i work it? sometimes the surround just seems to fall flat on its *** and just echos a lot or i wonder if the rear speakers are working at all... will calibration help this?
2. Currently, i have a problem with some static or noise (?) ..ambiguous, i know... from the left and right front channels(Athena LS500 floor standing speakers), sometimes i can blast music and not hear it but other times its very noticeable i got these units from a retailer on clearance...they seem to be to blame but i cant really isolate the problem... so im not really sure.. They are still under the manufacturers warranty.
To be clear the crackle/noise/sound is intermittent and difficult to reproduce, it is a faint crackle/distortion in the mid to high range, it took me some time to suss it out but when i sit right in front of the speaker and blast the "Califonia surfing" type menu music from battlefield bad company i can hear it in the higher frequency(?), or when i play Nessun Dorma i can hear it clearly in the dialogue. Needless to say its very annoying. I initially thought i had a damaged or blown tweeter, but i can hear it from both speakers!! but not from the rest of the system(a klipsch rc-52 center channel and an Energy "take 5.2" ...5.1 channel setup (-the center channel) I am using to round out the 7.1 channels...) so i guess it could be the amp...maybe. or the lone signal source: my PS3??
can someone with some experience fill me in here, how do i go about determining/isolating where the faulty component is?
a couple of other factors:
-I'm using heavy duty speaker cable all around, Rocketfish brand 16gauage.
-The whole system is hooked up through a Monster Power HTPS 7000. So im guessing its not a power problem(?)
-As i said the sole source of media is my PS3, its connected to the receiver using an HDMI cable i got from a local high end audio shop. Ditto between the receiver and my Toshiba Regza 1080p 42" LCD.
-I live in BC Canada.. if that matters at all.
I hope the description of the these problems isnt too vague or amateurish, if any has any suggestions i would be most grateful. Thanks in advance for your time. Let me know if more info is needed.
