Question re Pioneer VSX 1015 Volume & thanks!

[Quadzilla]

Hi All,
I want to thank those on the list that responded to my post from a few weeks ago on a new receiver I was thinking of buying. I was considering the VSX 815 which most said was a great unit but a few recommended the VSX 1015 which I bought and am extremely happy with!

I do have one concern though, if I turn the volume up, the vol. level on the units display decreases, ie 50 down to 40 even though the vol. is actually increasing. Same thing for decreasing the volume, the number increases. Looks like its a negative number which may explain it & but I just want to be sure it's not something wrong w/the unit. If it's normal for it to do that, are there any settings that I can change so the number increases or decreases w/the volume? Thanks!

 

[A/VUSMCSGT]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think turning the volume up is actually turning the attenuation down. If you were at -45, you turn the volume up, which is attenuating the signal less, which is why the number goes down towards zero, and the volume gets louder. I think the number you're seeing is dbm, which is what attenuation is measured in. I may be totally off, but I think I'm somewhat right. I work in intermediate level navigation systems for aircraft, and what I said is how we measure signal strength in certain systems. To your question, it's perfectly normal. If the number went up when the volume went up, that would be a problem. Hope I helped.

Joe

 

[farscaper]

The Pioneer 1015 has volume levels that start in the negative numbers. I'll usually listen to music about -25. I'll have a good movie bit louder at about -15. Make sure you run the setup program to have all channels at the same level.

 

[Hi Ho]

I haven't seen a receiver that didn't use negative numbers. I believe A/VUSMCSGT is correct though I am not sure either.

 

[rumble]

When you run the auto calibration(MCACC) the volume level of zero is set to reference level, 75 or 85 db I don't remember exactly. After MCACC is run the volume level numbers simply state how much below(negative numbers) or above(positive numbers) the reference level you are. The volume ranges from a low of -80 to a high of 12 I believe.

 

[JMO_PWR]

The negative volume number have been on Pioneer Receivers for a long time, yamaha however go from -80(or so) to +18 (*RX-V 757 and lower). Im pretty sure yamaha's go into negatives anyway. Main point is, it doesnt mean you are at a disadvantage, just simply their way of displaying volume.

 

[MDS]

What has been said so far is absolutely correct including the fact that increasing the volume attenuates the signal less. The negative number display is called the 'relative' volume scale - as opposed to 'absolute' volume scale which is where the numbers start from zero and go up to some positive value. Most mid-level and higher models use the relative scale although some, like Onkyo, let you choose to see either relative or absolute.


It doesn't matter. The key thing to remember is it is just a scale - a range from minimum to maximum. There is no difference between the range 0 to 100 and -80 to +20 as both have 100 discrete steps between minimum and maximum.

The relative scale is convenient when you choose 0 as the 'reference' point. If you calibrate the receiver according to Dolby Reference Level standards so that 0 on the display yields 105 dB output SPL, then when the display reads -10 dB you are 10 dB below that level. If your receiver happens to use the absolute scale and you choose say 60 on the scale from 0 to 80 as the reference point, then when the display reads 50 you are once again 10 dB below reference level - but that is not as convenient simply because your brain has to look at the number and make the conversion (ie 50 is 10 less than 60 and 60 is my reference level, so I am 10 dB below reference). With the relative scale you see at a glance where you are relative to the reference level.