So Ive got everything hooked up now. Im sadly using my ps2 for a dvd player - however it is hooked up with component and optical cords now. The problem I am having is how do I make my pioneer elite 45tx decode? It seems like I cant get it to go to dts or thx or any of the 5.1 formats... Under the osd for thx settings if I select prologic II it will say that on the screen when I watch a movie, if I select neo6 it says that.. etc... How do I get it to do dolby digital and all that? I havent seen that light up yet.... Thanks Jeff
elitefan
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Jeff, First of all leave the signal select funtion on "auto" and don't change it. Is the ps2 able to change the output signal from analog to digital? If so that's all you should have to do. Make sure you are changing the receiver funtion to THX Cinema on the bottom of the remote. My next suggestion is go out right now and buy a stand alone dvd player. Good luck.
Jeff Plous
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Alright Ive done all that youve said, and still nothing lights up. Doesnt give me the diagram of speakers at the bottom of the display, doesnt go to dts, it just stays as pro logic II... Its startin to drive me nuts... I checked the config on the PS2 and it says optical is on and component is on for outputting. Am I missing something here on how to make it decode right? Thanks Jeff
elitefan
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Hard to give you an answer but sounds like the receiver is not receiving a dolby digital signal from the ps2. If the dvd you are playing does not default to dd then you have to change the audio setting on the dvd player which I don't know that you can do on a ps2 as I have not used one for movies playback. To me that's the only thing I can think of. As I said, buy a dvd player. $100 will get you a decent funtional dvd player anymore like the entry level Toshiba. You've got me scratching my head I'll say that.
Kar
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Does the PS2 output audio as a Bitstream or PCM?
In PCM mode you will not see DTS/DD etc (the receiver will use PL2, DTS Neo:6 and other simulations)
Both Bitstream and PCM are digital and hence in both cases the audio information is transmitted over the optical cable.
I know this is true in many DVD players. Not sure if the PS2 has such options.
Kar
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OK here you go. Ripped this from another forum This is one of the most common question when using the PS2 as a DVD player.
The PS2 has a seperate setup menu for DVD playing. It is not the regular menu when you start up the PS2 without a disc. You need to read the PS2 manual, from P.17 onwards to turn on DD and DTS output from movies.
In short, you start a DVD. Stop the disc. Then press "Select" to go to the menu. Find the "setup" menu page, and under audio, you can turn DD and DTS output to "Bitstream", or "DD"/"DTS".
Woot! Thanks that fixed it. Now Im working on setting up the speakers. Im still using awful sub center and surrounds, but it doenst really sound AWFUL... The center is really the weakest point IMO. Any argument for just gettin rid of a center until I can afford a nice one? Thanks Jeff
Kar
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what kind of mains do you have..
Jeff Plous
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I have monitor audio s8s Jeff
elitefan
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Glad to see you have the problem solved. I could not stand to listen to a poor center and as you probably know the center is the most important speaker in a home theater setup. I would get the Monitor Silver center ASAP. If you heard it when you bought your 8's then you know how great it is. I went with the Monitor's over Paradigm Studios mostly for the centers superiority over the Paradigm center. Please do not even think about any other center speaker. I am using the silver 1 as surrounds and they work well. Enjoy!
Jeff Plous
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So would I be better off just ditching the bad center channel and just use the fronts rears and sub? I will be buying the center from the same place I bought my fronts from, but not for awhile - im broke now Thanks Jeff
elitefan
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Get a loan! I can't answer really since I obviously can't hear what you are doing so let your ears tell you what to do. You have the basics of a great system and I hope you can buy the rest of the Monitors soon. Good luck.
Kar
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Just a though.. is switching one of mains as center (and usign ur current center as mains) going to degrade performance a great deal?
G-Man
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Keep the mains where they are. Don't make one a center channel or you'll lose a lot of information from the basic stereo channels.
It sounds to me like you need a neighbor who's good at hooking up a system to see if they can get your set-up working properly.
Jeff Plous
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I think my setup is working just fine. I think the only problem is I really do need a better center channel. Hopefully Ill have more money soon... However I LOVE my s8s Jeff
G-Man
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Congratulations and kudos to Elitefan & Kar for helping you out.
While far from ideal, you can survive with mediocre surrounds until you can afford better ones. But a center channel is critical for dvd movies (it is the dialog channel) and having a poor to mediocre center channel will adversely effect all movies and to a lesser extent your music listening appreciation.
Borrow a MA Silver center channel from your dealer to "hear" the difference. It will startle you I am sure.
Jeff Plous
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Oh Im definetely sure it will. And I will be buying that center channel from him as soon as I have the money. I can definetely tell the difference it will make. Thanks Jeff
Hawk
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Jeff:
Glad to hear that you are happy with your system. Check with Ed at Kief's Audio video (www.kiefs.com) and see what he can do on a Monitor Audio Silver Center speaker--you might be surprised.
Jeff Plous
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Still the only question I have.. And maybe Elitefan can answer this... When you are watching a movie what volume level sounds LOUD? For me around -7 and up depending on the movie sounds really nice and loud for movies. But for audio in 2 channel mode like -18 is crazy loud... Thanks Jeff
Kar
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Wouldn't that be a matter of personal choice? I keep varying my volume level from -25db to -40db (H/K AVR325) depending on time of day (ambient noise) and source.
elitefan
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Jeff, For dvd's I agree with you that between -10and -6 is where I have my volume set. For 2 channle music I listen in direct mode almost always and volume level around -24 or so on cd's. If you like concert dvd's make sure you switch to music mode. The wider the dynamic range the source has the higher the volume setting will have to be. Enjoy your great 45!
geekboy
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Kar, is this also a matter of speaker efficiency too? I have the HK AVR525 and I seem to like music at -20dB. I have Paradigm Reference Eclipse/BP mains with 4 drivers in each. The Paradigms have a 91dB efficiency rating and will handle 15-300 watts. My room is moderate (15x28, mostly boxed). Depending on the audio source, I may listen at -25dB. When I'm watching movies, I generally have it between -13dB and -15dB. Especially for DTS, this is pretty high for the HK. (Note: I did try to see just what the HK was willing to do... so I turned the volume to 0dB. Nice. Then I accidentally kept turning it clockwise and the dial kept going to (+) decibels! I didn't want to see where it would go, but at +4dB... the sound was clear but unbearable -- ear drums couldn't handle the sound pressure).
Kar
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Probably.. I have never gone below -22db except to set the reference levels using EZSet. EZSet set the fronts and center at +4db and surrounds at +8db. Usually at nights and early mornings I never have increase the volume -30db for either TV/DVD or Audio CD. My room is probably smaller that yours but its very open when a complete wall on only one side.
Hawk
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Jeff:
I think what you are observing is that when using your "45" for HT, you are driiving five or more channels. In stereo mode, you are only driving two channels. Now, since the power supply is only feeding two banks of outputs in stereo mode, the amp has a lot more headroom and thus sounds louder at the same reference point.
Jeff Plous
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Is that characteristic of a poor power supply? Do others not react that way? ..Just curious Jeff
elitefan
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Jeff, What Hawk described is the way any amp works. The power supply doesn't have to work as hard in 2 channel mode and rarely has to put out more than a low amount of watts to power speakers for music listening. 5 or more channels of dvd movie watching is a different story and that's where a good power supply is so important. Do not worry; the 45 has a very good power supply and as you probably know can fill a room in multichannel mode with losts of headroom and my 45 does not even get very warm after several hours of being pushed very hard. I hope you enjoy your Elite as much as I do mine.
