Your Help is Needed for Chronic Low Volume

R

rusty1285

Enthusiast
I'm in need of your knowledge and assistance. I made my first foray into the world of higher end audio & home theater and I’m disappointed with the results I’ve been getting. My system is currently suffering from chronic low volume output disease. The volume output when at ¾ of maximum system volume is stupid low. At times it is so low that my TV’s built-in speakers are louder and thus easier to hear dialogue from.

I’ve cut cable and receive my media from a Mohu HDTV OTA antenna and Xbox 360 (Netflix, HBO GO, Amazon Instant Video, Slacker radio, etc.) When playing music from Slacker Radio via the Xbox or iTunes, the volume is what I consider within normal range; it can get fairly loud with the volume at 50%. When watching live TV via the OTA antenna or HBO GO, Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, however, the overall volume output dramatically drops in strength.

My receiver dictates the volume in db, and from 80db being completely silent to 0db being maximum volume. When watching TV or HBO GO, I have to crank the volume to 20db to get anything close to an acceptable listening level, but at this level I’m probably beginning to push the receiver and I'm still not completely satisfied with the volume level.

I’m absolutely no wizard when it comes to this stuff, but I run my Pioneer receiver’s MCACC auto setup program and the only setting adjustment I know to make after running it is setting my fronts to Small instead of Large speakers. The system is in my living room which is fairly large and open; not sure if that could affect the MCACC’s performance or not.

I would be UBER happy and appreciative if you all could share any tips or suggestions to get my system to perform the way it should. I recently helped my sister purchase a stupid Vizio soundbar for her TV, and that friggin’ thing is way louder when listening to just about anything compared to my superior and much more expensive system.

Thanks!!!
 
Pyrrho

Pyrrho

Audioholic Ninja
You are probably not "pushing" the receiver at -20dB. The amount of output power is not determined solely by the volume control, but by other things as well, like the input level. The lower the input level, the lower the actual volume (and the lower the power output) will be at any particular volume control setting.

How do you have the TV hooked up to the receiver?

You should be using the ARC function with the HDMI connection (you will need to consult both the manual for the TV and the manual for the receiver to make sure you have the settings right in both, as well as making sure you are connected to the correct HDMI connectors, as they do not all support ARC).

(You could also use the optical digital output from the TV, but you should use the ARC function for your HDMI connection instead because it is a waste to buy a connecting cable that does not improve anything.)

You should have all of the audio processing off in the TV. You will need to look in your TV manual, to make sure it is outputting things without special processing (like "night mode" or any other thing). Special processing can affect the output levels, depending on how they designed the TV.

And you should shut off the speakers on the TV.


This is probably not relevant to your issue (because it is almost certain that you are not getting a proper signal from the TV; your other source works fine, so the receiver is probably fine), but there is a firmware update for your receiver:

SC-1222-K - 7.2-Channel Network Ready AV Receiver | Pioneer Electronics USA
 
R

rusty1285

Enthusiast
Thanks Pyrrho for the response,

I doubled checked, and I am utilizing the ARC HDMI port on my TV to my receiver. I will check tomorrow after work for any possible audio processing that might be enabled within the TVs menu like you suggested. You mentioned that input level can have an affect on volume; is there any way to adjust this?

I'll see if I can update the firmware as well, but I just finished watching some Netflix and the volume seems to be normal within this app on the Xbox. I checked the other apps again, like HBO GO and Amazon Instant Video and those two apps played at much lower volume levels than Netflix and Slacker Radio. Could the apps themselves be possible causes for low volume? It still would not explain the low volume through live TV.
 
Pyrrho

Pyrrho

Audioholic Ninja
Thanks Pyrrho for the response,

I doubled checked, and I am utilizing the ARC HDMI port on my TV to my receiver. I will check tomorrow after work for any possible audio processing that might be enabled within the TVs menu like you suggested. You mentioned that input level can have an affect on volume; is there any way to adjust this?

If we were talking about a normal analog line level input, the way to control it would be by controlling the output of the source. Since you are dealing with a digital connection, most times there is no way for you to control the level. And most times, there is no need, which makes your situation seem somewhat odd. In fact, my original thought was that you were using some variable line level outputs on the TV (which would have explained your TV tuner volume), but your TV does not seem to have them, which pretty much eliminated that option.


I'll see if I can update the firmware as well, but I just finished watching some Netflix and the volume seems to be normal within this app on the Xbox. I checked the other apps again, like HBO GO and Amazon Instant Video and those two apps played at much lower volume levels than Netflix and Slacker Radio. Could the apps themselves be possible causes for low volume? It still would not explain the low volume through live TV.

Yes, the individual apps and sites can do whatever they want with the volume, though one would expect them to be sending a digital signal that is pretty standard. And when I run Amazon Instant through a Roku, the volume is normal. So I don't think that is where the problem lies. You might want to check your Xbox settings, though that will not explain your issue with broadcast TV via your TV tuner. But if you have some sort of special processing set for some apps and not others, that could explain things in the Xbox. (I am unfamiliar with the settings for an Xbox, so you will want to consult your manual for details on audio processing settings; all of the audio processing should be off [just send a straight or, if it won't do that, a simply decoded signal out], at least until we get your problem sorted out.)


Another thing to look into is the settings you have for different inputs on your receiver. This would not explain differences in different things running through your Xbox, but it could explain what is happening with your TV. Make sure that with your receiver's ARC HDMI input, you are doing a straight decoding, and not some sort of DSP mode (at least until we get your problem sorted out).


While we are trying to get your problem sorted out, I want to emphasize the fact that you will not hurt your receiver by turning up the volume control high to compensate for a low level signal. Assuming, of course, that you remember to turn it down before switching to a high level signal. That, and the fact that it is inconvenient and it should not be this way is why it is worth trying to figure out and deal with the problem. But a low level signal will not hurt your gear, and you can turn up the volume control to compensate without harming anything.
 
R

rusty1285

Enthusiast
I apologize for the delay in response. Life has been hectic - sister gave birth to my first nephew (yay!) and my boss has been nailin' me with hard deadlines at work (boo).

I updated the AVR's firmware and the low volume issue continues to persist. I reviewed my TVs settings and was not able to locate any sort of sound processing. It should be a straight signal to the AVR via the ARC HDMI input. When I get some additional time, I'll have to go through the settings more carefully on the AVR and try to understand their purpose with the manual. The Xbox is set for Dolby Digital 5.1 so that's good too. It wouldn't explain the TV's low volume, but I'm going to try and borrow my sister's Roku to see if the volume is any better with it compare to the Xbox.

I will try to report back as soon as I can with any updates. Thank you again for the help!
 
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