pioner DV-563a SACD bass management problems

gshisme

Works fine with DVD-video/audio but with SACD I'm not getting a low frequency signal to my sub (JBL250e). Scratching my head. I also have a H/K AVR 225 A/V receiver which works fine with all the surround formats using the LFE input for two channel. I have tried every imaginable setup for the DV-563 (or maybe not) trying to get the LFE signal to the sub using SACD format. Any help guys (gals)?

Greg

polkatese

How's thing, Greg? are you settling down in SC yet? I must have missed what's going on with your gears, since I don't remember you're getting a Pio-563. I have one modded to two channels. Great unit! sorry, no help to your problem though.

edit: did you try the OSD setup? I know that I have to do that initially when I got my unit, a couple years ago, to set it up so that I am always in two channels, and I did remember a setting about Bass Management and LFE output setting. Just a thought.

gshisme

Fransesco, Things are geting a little better right now but I feel like i have a 1/4" steel plate inserted in my back. Pretty pathethic watching me crawl around on the floor. Yea, I grabbed the 563 before making the treck out here and the SACD thingy is driving me cracy. Saw ya parted with the B&K....I was drooling with that one. Right now I just have a "thrown together" system to get me by for now. That 563 is a pretty nice piece for the price however. Take care and I'm still looking forward to meeting ya with a cold one in hand.

polkatese

Greg, when you are ready, let me know. I'll be around, and likewise. it should be fun.

I hope you feel better, take it easy!

gshisme

OK, think I figured it out. On the SACD playback menu there are three options...2ch area, Multi-ch area and CD area. For 5.1 click on Multi-ch area but do not press the enter button. Just click on the Home Menu button and voila! A little out of the norm but it works.

This for those that may be interested. Ah...and Pink Floyd all day!

gshisme

Nope, no go on the SACD bass management. I'm startin' to wonder if it is a firmware thingy. Gonna give Pioneer and see how far that goes.

billbillw

Greg,
Could you describe exactly how you have the DVD hooked up, how you are playing back the SACD, and how your sub is wired? FYI, the setting you mentioned above only changes how the player handles Hybrid SACD discs.

gshisme

billbillw wrote:

Greg,
Could you describe exactly how you have the DVD hooked up, how you are playing back the SACD, and how your sub is wired? FYI, the setting you mentioned above only changes how the player handles Hybrid SACD discs.

I'm using an optical cable for the digital out duties from the DVD to the optical #1 in on the H/K receiver which seems to work just fine for DVD. I'm also using component cables for the video. No problems with that either. For the SACD format connections, I have the six rca terminated audio cables connected from the DVD 5.1 analog connections to the H/K's anolog connections. I'm also using a sub cable from the subwoofer preout on the H/K to the LFE input on the JBL sub.

For SACD playback on the DV-563a it gives you three settings....2ch Area, Multi-ch Area, and CD area. For 2ch Area setting I can only get the RT800i's (mains) to play...no LFE. Same for the Multi-ch Area setting except that all channels will play (mains, center, surrounds) but no LFE. For the CD Area setting I can use any of the H/K virtual surround settings.

I have used every possible menu setting available and am wondering at this point if SACD multi channel doesn't include an LFE signal.

I have listened to Elton John's "Madman Asross the Water", Steely Dan's "Gaucho" and of course Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon". They sound absolutely terrific in multi-channel and 2ch Area but man I would love to have that extra bottom end from my sub.

Just to mention here is that DVD-Audio plays just fine on the DV-563a.

Greg

jrlouie

I think it is the DV-563a that I have also. I don't recall not getting the sub to turn on with SACD. I do remember it acting strange when tinkering with the speaker size selection on the player. In a weird way, the sub's volume increased relative to the number of speakers you set to large, but maybe it was my imagination. Seems to me the sub's output would increase with the more speakers you have set to small. But that was a long time ago when I thought I noticed that, and maybe it was one particular album or something.
My AVR has a different set of speaker level settings for multi-channel than regular. It's not visible via the regular AVR menus. It only does it when I utilize the immediate channel-level selection and up or down arrows when in multi-channel mode. I'd suggest this as a possible cause, but that wouldn't make sense since DVD-Audio works fine for you.

When I get home from work this evening, I'll try out another SACD on mine and let you know what happens, to see if I notice sub-problems.

gshisme

Thanks for the help guys.

billbillw

Do you have all of the speakers set to 5.1 and also set to small in the DVD setup? If so, maybe the unit just doesn't have full bass management for SACD. It was actually a rarity in non-Sony units until just a couple year or two ago. The Denon 2900 and the Yamaha S2300 were among the first to do it right.

gshisme

billbillw wrote:

Do you have all of the speakers set to 5.1 and also set to small in the DVD setup? If so, maybe the unit just doesn't have full bass management for SACD. It was actually a rarity in non-Sony units until just a couple year or two ago. The Denon 2900 and the Yamaha S2300 were among the first to do it right.

Bill, I did own the Yammy2300 at one point and it worked like a charm! I sold it to a member here to purchase some 2 channel equipement. The hi-res thingy wasn't really that big of a deal to me after a while so off to the FM she went. I purchased the 563 mainly for DVD-video but it would be nice to throw in a SACD once in a while and let 'er rip.

I also tried setting the speaker settings in every imaginable configuration. No go. I was on another forum today and it seems there was a firmware problem associated with certain DVD-Audio's playing in the 563. Seems there are a few other problems associated with the player also.

Anyway I guess you get what you pay for on most of these universal players.

I'm curious to see how jrlouie makes out with his experiment.

jrlouie

Okay, I put in Dark Side Of The Moon (SACD). The first song with the heart-beat kickin, it was rockin out of the SUB. So, it seemed okay on my end. I have the following settings in case you want to mimic.
Channel Level: Variable (but all set to zero since I control this with AVR)
Audio Output Mode: 5.1
Speakers: L/R=large, rest small, SUB=on
SACD Playback: Multi-ch Area
Digital Out: Off

I have all 5 cables going to 5.1 in on AVR and I utilize the SUB pre-out on my AVR, going to the SUB.

As to my comment about the SUB being louder when the rest of the speakers were set to large, must of been my imagination a long time back. I don't hear that now, and neither does the SPL meter

After each time I change a setting, just for the heck of it I go right back into the menu to ensure the setting locked in place. As you indicated below, sometimes its quirky between the enter button or whatever.

organ

I haven't tried multichannel for my SACD on my 563 but keep this in mind. The 563 will not give you pure DSD once you've set any speaker setting to "small" on the bass management. Keep everything "large" or you won't get high resolution.

Maurice