Unable to hear music at low volumes, is this normal for A/V receivers?

[mikehcm]

New Year Wishes to all.

I'm in the process of building my first home theater, So far i have Onkyo TX-SR-805(B), connected to a pair of Jamo C605, this is a new setup which was completed three days ago :yahoo:, I'm not sure if this can be called a problem, when i turn on the receiver, the volume number starts at -81.5 db at this point no volume is heard, when i try to increase the volume there is no sound until the volume level is at -61.5db, at about -35db and above the sound is picking up, even 0.5db increase in volume is felt after this range. Is it normal for a receiver not to be heard at lower volumes?. The receiver i'm using is THX Ultra certified, so i guess i should be sensitive to lower volumes as well.

I've not tried driving the speakers with full volume and i think the max volume in the receiver is +17 db(i'm not sure). Here are few information which may be useful,

- I've setup both front speakers using Audyssey MIC calibration(i've also tried manuel configuration, which makes no difference).
- The source is through playstation 3 which is networked to my computer, music format is mp3 played @ 128 kbps. Tried with regular music CD, makes no difference.
- Receiver is set to handle speakers with 6 ohms and above
- It is not bi-amped.
- Music is heard through stereo mode/Pure Audio mode(Onkyo Feature)
- No sub woofer is used in the setup(will be adding in the later point of time)

any thoughts on this will be greatly appreciated.

 

[venkatcr]

The speakers would need a minimum power before they start singing. Secondly the input to the receiver from the Playstation may be low. If the Playstation has a volume control, try adjusting that.

There is nothing to worry about.

Cheers

 

[vin_eme]

Just check if the volume is set to logarithmic mode and not linear mode. If yes try changing to linear mode. Denon has this option

*Sent from an Android device*

 

[jaudere]

This was my observation too. I had a yamaha receiver. Hardly any sound till -50db and then it used to increase quite fast. This happened with my comp,TV as well as dvd player used as source.

This linear vs log increase in the volume seems to be most plausible explanation.

 

[saj2001ind]

Just check if the volume is set to logarithmic mode and not linear mode. If yes try changing to linear mode. Denon has this option

*Sent from an Android device*

hey buddy where is the option in denon ? I have 1312 and cant see that option anywhere ?

 

[kumarab]

Linear or dB steps don't matter..just different ways of representation. Just increase the preamp gain on the receiver if you want things louder. With Denons, it's under input settings>source level. There must be something similar in Onkyos

 

[spirovious]

There must be option to set start volume if you dont want to increase level everytime.
But do not play movie before you turn of AVR.Secondly you need to turn on rest of devices.

 

[mikehcm]

The speakers would need a minimum power before they start singing. Secondly the input to the receiver from the Playstation may be low. If the Playstation has a volume control, try adjusting that.

There is nothing to worry about.

Cheers

Thank you, The volume in playstation 3 is set at maximum, i also tried with regular CD, makes no difference, will the minimum power vary based on the ohms/sensitivity of the speaker?

 

[mikehcm]

Just check if the volume is set to logarithmic mode and not linear mode. If yes try changing to linear mode. Denon has this option

*Sent from an Android device*

I did check the manual, the closest i found is relative and absolute, again its just the volume representation in Onkyo.

 

[vin_eme]

Yep this is the same setting what I meant.

*Sent from an Android device*

 

[mikehcm]

There must be option to set start volume if you dont want to increase level everytime.
But do not play movie before you turn of AVR.Secondly you need to turn on rest of devices.

The receiver by default remembers the last volume and displays the same when the unit is turned on.

 

[mikehcm]

Linear or dB steps don't matter..just different ways of representation. Just increase the preamp gain on the receiver if you want things louder. With Denons, it's under input settings>source level. There must be something similar in Onkyos

I did check my manual, i dont see any preamp gain or similar option.

 

[jaudere]

You can try 'speaker level' adjustment. In multichannel receiver,gain/level of each speaker can be adjusted separately in the settings menu. Actually this feature is meant to match SPL Of various speakers if there is mismatch but you can push it up to get higher volume at lower position of volume knob.
I used to keep volume at -35db. After increasing the speaker level , -45db was enough for me.

 

[kumarab]

I did check my manual, i dont see any preamp gain or similar option.

I just checked the online manual. Page no.94..Source Setup>Intellivolume. Exactly the same thing I told you..you can set the individual volume for all sources from -12 to 12 dB. Here is a screenshot for your reference

EDIT: The image isn't going through for some reason after repeated attempts.

 

[mikehcm]

Thank you Kumarab, i will try this out and will update on how the output is.

 

[ranjeetrain]

when i turn on the receiver, the volume number starts at -81.5 db at this point no volume is heard,

This is perfectly normal. This is called "Default startup volume". It's a customizable setting on all AVRs. Just check the manual how to set it. A general guideline is to go to "Advanced setup" and look for a setting similar to "Startup volume".

when i try to increase the volume there is no sound until the volume level is at -61.5db, at about -35db and above the sound is picking up, even 0.5db increase in volume is felt after this range. Is it normal for a receiver not to be heard at lower volumes?.

This is perfectly normal too. If you check this post midnight you may be able to hear faint sounds -75/70db onwards. Basically, it depends on the noise floor of your environment. In any case, there is absolutely nothing to worry about.

The receiver i'm using is THX Ultra certified, so i guess i should be sensitive to lower volumes as well.

These are not relevant things. THX doesn't regulate this aspect of AVRs. Don't worry that much about it, even the Ultra reference AVRs behave the same way.

Happy new year and happy listening. Enjoy your theater.

 

[ranjeetrain]

Thanks for all the info, sir. Wish you a happy new year, though you should be gone soon.

<strong><a href="http://www.christianlouboutinlady.org/">christian louboutin ladies</a></strong><br>
<strong><a href="http://www.christianlouboutinlady.org/pumps-newstyle-christian-louboutin-sale-c-28.html">Cheap New-style Louboutin </a></strong><br>
<strong><a href="http://www.christianlouboutinlady.org/pumps-newstyle-christian-louboutin-sale-c-28.html">Discount New-style Louboutin</a></strong><br>
<strong><a href="http://www.christianlouboutinlady.org/pumps-newstyle-christian-louboutin-sale-c-28.html">Cheap New-style Christian Louboutin </a></strong><br>
<strong><a href="http://www.christianlouboutinlady.org/pumps-newstyle-christian-louboutin-sale-c-28.html">Discount New-style Christian Louboutin </a></strong><br>
.Designer shoes are made to "look good" to not ever last.<br />
Now, going in to my initial statement, I said that boots and shoes were originally intended to protect each of our feet.Women's creator shoes are usually not made for the either and in some cases they can certainly injure the foot.Most designer shoes will be less shoe and more skin.<br />
<br />
If that you are thinking that you are going to buy custom shoes for the purpose of comfort, think again.This is not the purpose is actually they are made.Usually they can be as far as can always be from relaxation.They also do not offer aid or protection from the sole in most cases.<br />
<br />
Everyone loves to look good and it is worth more to some than other people.For a number of women stylish shoes are worth every penny and those women pays the required steps to own the most up-to-date fashion by the best custom made shoe makers