RX-V661 independent inputs

[AbyssalLoris]

This is going to sound rather stupid, but after trying to hook up my computer to the receiver (Yammy RX-V661), I am very confused.

Can someone tell me how many independent inputs the receiver has? I mean, there is a HDMI input labeled DVD, and there is a digital coax input also labeled DVD. Are these 2 independent inputs, or does it mean that I can only use one of the two?

I am trying to use the S/PDIF output on my computer (either sound card or motherboard) to feed the digital coax in on the receiver (there are 2 of them). So far, I have been able to get NO sound out of my speakers. I do have 2 devices connected through the 2 HDMI inputs (DVD player and cable set top box). Any help here? I'm sure I'm doing something silly with the AVR. But there are so many I/Os and so many settings that this is making me mad now. I have already burnt so much time on this...

 

[Nomo]

The inputs on the Yamahas are assignable in the manual set-up / Input menu.
You need to tell the receiver which ones you prefer to use.

 

[AbyssalLoris]

Yeah I looked at the manual and went into the input setup. All that does reassign the input from its default label (DVD or CD or whatever) to another.

I have the SPDIF out of my computer going to the digital coax input called 'CD' on the receiver. I went into the input selection menu and reassigned the 'CD' input to 'V-AUX'. Not really sure what this achieves. My question is, are the digital coax inputs independent from and in addition to the HDMI inputs? Or are they provided on a 'use either one or the other' basis?

 

[Nomo]

Sorry. I miised your point.
I'm not sure. My feeling is the the digital and HDMI inputs will both work and it will depend on which input you choose. (Digital, analog, or HDMI.)

 

[AbyssalLoris]

Hmm.. that's what I'm doing. I go to 'audio select' and switch to optical/digital when I want to hear something from the computer. But no love. There is nothing coming out.

So, if there is nothing wrong with my connection/setup on the receiver, it must be something in the computer I guess. Can't think of anything, except maybe that some sort of decoder/encoder option needs to be turned off on the computer.

 

[gus6464]

Hmm.. that's what I'm doing. I go to 'audio select' and switch to optical/digital when I want to hear something from the computer. But no love. There is nothing coming out.

So, if there is nothing wrong with my connection/setup on the receiver, it must be something in the computer I guess. Can't think of anything, except maybe that some sort of decoder/encoder option needs to be turned off on the computer.

The toslink output on my PC will only work when I actually turn it on in the control panel. I have an nvidia motherboard and I have to actually go in the output settings and select toslink or it will not output sound. And in the RX-V661 just use the CD toslink input and make sure CD is selected and you should be fine.

 

[AbyssalLoris]

Hey, I managed to get some sound out from my computer for the first time just now. It seems I was missing something really silly. Happens all the time .

It's like this: I had gone into 'input rename' and set the 'CD' digital coax input (that I was using) to 'computer'. But I had not set the 'input select' to pick 'computer' for that input. It was pointing to 'V-Aux' and I really don't know why I did that. So, though I was setting 'audio select' to 'optical/digital', I was hearing nothing. Now that's really simple.

I guess I was confused by all the labeling. I really don't understand why there is any need to label any of the inputs. They should just say these are the HDMI inputs and these are the digital coax inputs and so on. Then you connect whatever you want to them without needing to make sure the name on the input selector matches the label of that input.

Now I will have to go and figure out how to get the best quality sound out of this. Thanks.

 

[gus6464]

Hey, I managed to get some sound out from my computer for the first time just now. It seems I was missing something really silly. Happens all the time .

It's like this: I had gone into 'input rename' and set the 'CD' digital coax input (that I was using) to 'computer'. But I had not set the 'input select' to pick 'computer' for that input. It was pointing to 'V-Aux' and I really don't know why I did that. So, though I was setting 'audio select' to 'optical/digital', I was hearing nothing. Now that's really simple.

I guess I was confused by all the labeling. I really don't understand why there is any need to label any of the inputs. They should just say these are the HDMI inputs and these are the digital coax inputs and so on. Then you connect whatever you want to them without needing to make sure the name on the input selector matches the label of that input.

Now I will have to go and figure out how to get the best quality sound out of this. Thanks.

Are you just trying to play your music from your PC to the receiver? If you are there is a simpler and IMO better way to do this without having the receiver directly connected to the receiver. I used to have my receiver connected to my pc via toslink but I encountered some electronic noise when doing this. This is even more apparent with built-in sound cards on motherboards.

I just went out and bought an Airport express and got myself a mini toslink -> toslink cable to hook it up to the receiver. I have all my music stored on one PC in either Apple Lossless or AIFF (fully uncompressed) and it works like a charm. Not only can I control what music is being played from any PC or Mac in the house (desktop or laptop), but I also have my wife's iphone setup so that she can use it as a fully wireless remote as well. Now I did encounter that heavily compressed MP3s (128/160/190 kbit) sound like crap but that is not the fault of the airport express.

 

[AbyssalLoris]

I'm not really making my PC a music source. It is not really an HTPC in that sense. I still use my DVD (CD) player as a music source. I guess at some point, I might rip all my music into lossless formats and use my PC as a media center. Not sure what all needs to be done for this. I'm sure I'll encounter enough trouble to take up another few weekends so I'm leaving it be for now.

All I need is to be able to get A/V out of my computer as and when needed. Like, if I play a game (which is pretty rare these days). For that, I'm not terribly concerned with audio quality. So it's easy at the moment. The whole reason I hooked up the PC was to get rid of the need for a separate monitor and the associated furniture.

By the way, it is useful to know potential media center solutions. I don't understand the whole airport express thing. I thought that was like a router. So you're connecting a router to your AVR? Can you help me out here?

 

[gus6464]

I'm not really making my PC a music source. It is not really an HTPC in that sense. I still use my DVD (CD) player as a music source. I guess at some point, I might rip all my music into lossless formats and use my PC as a media center. Not sure what all needs to be done for this. I'm sure I'll encounter enough trouble to take up another few weekends so I'm leaving it be for now.

All I need is to be able to get A/V out of my computer as and when needed. Like, if I play a game (which is pretty rare these days). For that, I'm not terribly concerned with audio quality. So it's easy at the moment. The whole reason I hooked up the PC was to get rid of the need for a separate monitor and the associated furniture.

By the way, it is useful to know potential media center solutions. I don't understand the whole airport express thing. I thought that was like a router. So you're connecting a router to your AVR? Can you help me out here?

The airport express can function as both a router or a music bridge. So you still need a wireless router where all your PCs are hooked up to and then Airport express is just another wireless client. What it does is it allows for your music on your PC to be streamed wirelessly to your receiver without having to run a long cable. It also allows for you to control what is played through the receiver from your music server with any PC or mac in the house.

So for example let's say your music server PC is in another room of the house that is pretty far from the receiver. Now you want to hear music in the living room where your receiver and speakers are but your music PC is upstairs. All you do is open up itunes from your laptop in the living room and connect to your music server through the airport express and you will get music out of your receiver which is all the way downstairs. So basically you don't have to keep going upstairs to select what music to play downstairs. It works the same way as a Sonos but it is a whole lot cheaper if you already have a laptop, iphone, or ipod touch.