[thestorm]

Hey all!

How can I get 5 channel direct sound from my 400? I used to have this option on my previous Denon receiver.

For example if I'm watching Sky it goes to stereo direct for non Dolby digital broadcasts. How can manually choose to switch over to using all 5 channels directly?

This would solve so many problems. Please help!

Cheers

[jowi]

Select Dolby Matrix with the Mode button. (you probably have to turn off direct mode)
Anyway, i'm curious why you would want something like this...?

[thestorm]

Hi Jowi

Thanks for the tip, I have scrolled through the options available to me and nothing pumps pure direct digital sound to all speakers.Dolby Matrix was not listed - the only direct option is stereo.
Please see attached screen shots for options available to me.

The reason why I want to do this is because some SKY transmissions(World channels) are of bad quality mostly because the original material is not remastered from VHS, so if the picture can't be improved much then I can at least improve the sound. It's no so much for DD special effects but to improve the over all range of it. Stereo Direct is not enough and Pro Logic sounds wrong.

Of course if I'm watching something available in DD then I'd prefer that always eg Football or Sky movies.

What should I do next?

[nrighton]

I do not have an AVR400 but do have some experience with Arcam. In my experience the Direct function in Arcam equipment refers to analog direct and analog signals only. When my AVR 300 is put in direct mode it utilizes the analog input only. The receiver then shuts down all digital processing and other unnecessary (video etc) processes to ensure the least amount of interference with the "Direct" source. The receiver then amplifies the signal from the sending device only. To get multi channel (5 or 7 channel) direct you need an input source with multichannel analog outputs. If I am utilizing a digital 2 channel source that I want in all 5 speakers I choose the "Party" effect which outputs the same sound information into all 5 speakers. Hope this helps.

Nick

[nrighton]

From the manual regarding Direct mode for the AVR 400 (Page19)::

Stereo direct
To listen to a pure analogue stereo input, press the DiRECT button. The Stereo Direct mode automatically bypasses all processing and any surround functions. In direct mode, digital processing is shut down to improve the sound quality and reduces digital noise with the AVr400 to an absolute minimum.
note: when Stereo Direct mode is selected, no digital output is available and no bass management is performed, meaning that bass signals will not be redirected to a subwoofer.

From the manual regarding 2 channel digital sources (Page 40)


DTS neo:6 provides up to six full-band channels of decoding from stereo material. The AVr400 will derive separate channels corresponding to the standard home theatre layout.
< Cinema : A movie mode designed to reproduce
a movie theatre environment. neo:6 technology allows various sound elements within a channel or channels to be steered separately, and in a way which follows the original presentation naturally.
< Music : A music mode designed to produce a lively, high-integrity surround-effect from most two- channel music sources from all available speakers. neo:6 music mode expands stereo recordings into the five or six-channel layout without diminishing the subtlety and integrity of the original stereo recording.

[jowi]

The Denon mode you are reffering to is a sort of 7 channel stereo mode in which the receiver simply outputs the stereo signal on all speakers at once. This option is not available in the Arcam. Your best option is indeed to use the DTS Neo:6 option since there is no DP IIX matrix mode in the 400. In fact Neo:6 is MUCH better than the Denon mode... thinking the denon mode 'improves' the sound is just wrong Neo:6 does a much better job; it doesn't just output all at once but it creates a nice surround effect and does a pretty good job using the center speaker for voices etc. The denon mode is just brute force 'party' mode, and has nothing to do with improving anything

Offcourse, using RoomEQ and sometimes Dolby Volume (just a bit) can do wonders as well.

[thestorm]

Originally Posted by nrighton

I do not have an AVR400 but do have some experience with Arcam. In my experience the Direct function in Arcam equipment refers to analog direct and analog signals only. When my AVR 300 is put in direct mode it utilizes the analog input only. The receiver then shuts down all digital processing and other unnecessary (video etc) processes to ensure the least amount of interference with the "Direct" source. The receiver then amplifies the signal from the sending device only. To get multi channel (5 or 7 channel) direct you need an input source with multichannel analog outputs. If I am utilizing a digital 2 channel source that I want in all 5 speakers I choose the "Party" effect which outputs the same sound information into all 5 speakers. Hope this helps.

Nick

Using the analogue connections didn't delivery pure direct to all 5 channels.pls see attachment- I changed the connection setting from digital to analogue.
If only there was a party option on the Arcam. This would solve a few problems.

[thestorm]

Nick / Jowi

Thanks for your advice it is much more speedier and helpful than Arcam.

Tonight I will test the Neo effects for stereo digital sound and see if it is any good. I did try pro logic 2 last night and it was depressing. The music sounded ok 'ish and voices sounded warbled from the rear speakers.

[jowi]

I remember using the Denon mode on my 3805 a few years ago, you could also add effects to it like hall, church or stadium etc. It was more like a gadget.

If it is the best possible 'pseudo' surround created from 2 channel material that you want, Neo and PLII etc. is the way to go. Basically those surround modes will try to get voices over the center, the main music/soundtrack over the fronts, and effects and surround over the sides/rears, to create some sort of surround bubble. The Denon option has nothing to do with surround.

You have to remember that the Denon is built for quantity, the more options the better, where the Arcam is built for quality, less is more

[nrighton]

In a nutshell the Neo 6 cinema will create a surround sound mix separating the front, center, and surround speaker source in the way surround sound movie mixes are created. Front music/ main effect, center dialog, and surround ambient effects.. Neo 6 music should create a larger and fuller sonic presence putting more sound information into all the speakers. Let us know how it goes.

Nick

[thestorm]

Guys,
Thanks for your help. I have experimented with this after re-configuring my AVR400 several times.
I've finally settled for the above recommended solution for all sources that need it eg Sky, Apple Tv etc. Neo 6 does indeed sound better.
So basically if the input source is rubbish then it's tough luck if the output sounds the same. I found that on some Sky transmission channels be it a foreign channel or even Discovery channel, if I applied Neo 6 to it then the sound would be like a warble or like "alien radio speak", and this would shift from the back to the front depending if I chose Neo 6 Music or Movie.

So far so good and I'm almost satisfied with the sub woofer integration too!