Receiver Has No Juevos

[RedneckHunter]

I just had my new Sony STR-DE897/s Receiver delivered and hooked it up to my brand new pair of JBL E30's and a EC35 Center. I also have some generic surrounds and a sub (till I get the JBL E60's and a E250p) hooked up. The Receiver is a 7.1 DTS rated @ 100w/ch 7 true channels ofcourse. This is hooked up to a Sony DVP-NC665P DVD Player.

Here is the issue:
When playing a DVD(any) it will Show "Dolby Digital 3/2.1" on the LCD screen and it sounds whimpy @ 30vol. I have to crank it to 50vol to even get the THX sound to give me a woody. I am using the Digital DVD in and even tried using the SPDIF in but they sound the same. Now when I play the tuner (FM), 50 is WAY to loud. 30 is more acceptable but then I test the DVD again and 30 sounds like a flea farting in a hurricane (can't hear diddly).

I am no newb but for me this is annoying.

 

[anamorphic96]

Plain and simple. Sony receivers dont have any Juevos. At all. Try a unit from Denon, Yamaha, or Onkyo. You will be glad you did.

Cheers

 

[Lincoln]

What you are experiencing is normal. Some recievers have settings to level match the inputs but this still doesn't completely solve the level difference problem. I attribute this difference to the difference in potential dynamic range for different sources. For Example, a DVD with DD or DTS soundtracks have huge range compared to a compressed FM signal.

 

[Electone]

Is the Dynamic Range setting on "Max", or is it stuck in "Night" mode? This may be compressing the dynamics and be the cause of the low volume you are experiencing.

 

[RedneckHunter]

Is the Dynamic Range setting on "Max", or is it stuck in "Night" mode? This may be compressing the dynamics and be the cause of the low volume you are experiencing.

The Dynamic is set to Normal or Wide I believe. I just find it odd that the Tuner would be louder than a DVD. The Tuner is lod at 30 but the DVD is barely audible unless you goto 40-50, max setting is 79.

 

[rgriffin25]

Don't get stuck on how the FM tuner sounds compared to DVD. Like the other guys mentioned there is a lot more dynamic contrast on DVDs than you will ever hear on FM radio. (Dynamic contrast - quiet scenes= quiet, explosions= Loud.)

I owned a Sony receiver for several years and never had a problem with volume. So there is probably a setting that is not configured properly or the unit is defective. I would also suggest checking the Dynamic Range compression. It should be OFF.

 

[bigbassdave]

I agree with anamorphic. Sony still makes some good products but their receivers are just not up to par. Most are not high current models. I used to work at circuit city and had the chance to hear many receivers driving the same speakers and the Onkyos and Harmon Kardons with lower power ratings always sounded more powerful. When you pick up and Onkyo, HK, Dennon or any of the other high end models you will notice they are much heavier than the sonys. That's because they are high current units built with quality parts. I don't mean to say the Sony is junk because its not. Just turn it up as high as you need to and maybe sometime in the future you can pick up a different one.

 

[toquemon]

If you're trying to write in spanish and you're trying to say "eggs" or "nuts" using the word Juevos, you're wrong, the correct word is HUEVOS.

THIS RECEIVER HAS NO HUEVOS!

 

[nova]

50's not too bad, I have a Sony DE-995 and had to crank it to 68 to get good sound from it. Then it would usually go into protect mode,.....then I went out and bought a Denon 3805,... much better;-)

 

[zipper]

I agree with a couple points..............Sonys are kind of weak although the ES models I would grade as "OK"................& it can be hard to get used to watching movies in 5.1 as,for much of the movie, you're only getting sound & dialogue from the center speaker. I had to adjust the center chan volume up because otherwise I had to have the receiver volume pretty high to hear the dialogue on many movies, then I'd get blasted out of my chair during action scenes.

 

[Duffinator]

More Sony Receiver Bashing

Here is the issue:
When playing a DVD(any) it will Show "Dolby Digital 3/2.1" on the LCD screen and it sounds whimpy @ 30vol. I have to crank it to 50vol to even get the THX sound to give me a woody. I am using the Digital DVD in and even tried using the SPDIF in but they sound the same. Now when I play the tuner (FM), 50 is WAY to loud. 30 is more acceptable but then I test the DVD again and 30 sounds like a flea farting in a hurricane (can't hear diddly).

I am no newb but for me this is annoying.

Sounds like a Sony alright.

 

[superman180]

toquemon If you're trying to write in spanish and you're trying to say "eggs" or "nuts" using the word Juevos, you're wrong, the correct word is HUEVOS.

THIS RECEIVER HAS NO HUEVOS!

Thank you for the Spanish lesson how about helping him with the question.

 

[RedneckHunter]

I guess 50 isn't so bad. It will be a big differnece once I get the other speakers hooked up. It does sound quite nice as it is (Generic sub and surrounds). I can always upgrade when I get bored with it in a year or so. Till then I will enjoy it.

 

[toquemon]

toquemon If you're trying to write in spanish and you're trying to say "eggs" or "nuts" using the word Juevos, you're wrong, the correct word is HUEVOS.

THIS RECEIVER HAS NO HUEVOS!

Thank you for the Spanish lesson how about helping him with the question.

I never had a Sony receiver so i don't know. For the things i've read in this and other forums, I think only the top of the line of Sony receivers are well built.

If anyone is interested in other Spahish lessons, feel free to contact me; for example I don't know anything in French, except for "tu ve cushe avec mua", and i don't even know how to write it.

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

Actually, I thought a more idiomatically correct way of saying it would be, "This receiver has no cojones!"

(cojones = testicles/balls)

 

[Duffinator]

Actually, I thought a more idiomatically correct way of saying it would be, "This receiver has no cojones!"

(cojones = testicles/balls)

It figures that it would take someone from the East Side of Detroit to get this right.

 

[Audioholics]

Since volume numbers really mean nothing - the real issue (with many receivers) is balancing out the starting input levels so that one input isn't so much louder (or softer) than another... that would be the only overt fault I see so far from what's written.

 

[RedneckHunter]

Since volume numbers really mean nothing - the real issue (with many receivers) is balancing out the starting input levels so that one input isn't so much louder (or softer) than another... that would be the only overt fault I see so far from what's written.

I agree. I also notice that when using different cables to connect the devices, the input is drastically less when I use RCA and the same between the spdif and toslink.

 

[hopjohn]

Here we go again with he Sony bashing. There ES receivers of a couple of years ago were the heaviest models in their class. That may have changed with their new digital amp designs, don't know. The tumer section is typically louder on nearly every receiver I've ever listened to, not a big deal. Think of the tumer section as being too loud and not the other way around and it won't bother you so much. Also keep in mind volume controls from model to model are arbitrary, and from my experience wth Sony they have had controls that you do need to turn more before meeting reference levels, which is probably just a more gradual range of attenuation. I have a Harmon Kardon that you can barely nudge before it gets to ref levels, but that doesnt make it superior, only more dangerous when a child is in the room.

 

[SQ Kid]

is ther any way to "amplify" (for lack of better words) the digital in? like boost it or adjust the other inputs to be a bit more equal?