Xbox 360 Elite Optical/HDMI strange issue

[wiggum]

Hi,

Hope someone can help me or has maybe experienced this before. I just recently upgraded my Xbox 360 Core to an Elite and am having a strange problem with my audio. I am using the supplied HDMI cable, directly into my TV (was using a little Neet HDMI switcher box but I've taken that out of the equation) and a Profigold optical cable, connected to the adapter provided with the Elite. My TV is a Panasonic TH42PX80 and my receiver is a Sony STRDA 1200-ES. What happens is, certain effects are missing, when listening through my receiver (for example, commentary and ESPN audio feed in Tiger Woods 09, doors closing/opening in Fallout 3). If I turn the volume up to about -10db, I can just about it hear it. I have tried a different optical cable, reseated all the connections, powered everything on and off again and tried a different socket in my receiver - no good.

I did a bit more investiagation and found 2 things -

1) If I switch the output to stereo in the dashboard, I can hear everything fine through my receiver.

2) This is probably the most critical one, if I turn the sound up on my TV, I can hear everything! So it's like the HDMI audio is overriding the optical.

Has anyone come across this before and does anyone know a fix? I'm starting to think I prefered my 20GB core model.

edit - I did notice a few similar threads, but nothing exactly the same, hence the new thread.

[Dao Fei Long]

Your tv speakers should be off when using ya surround. Set the 360 settings to Dolby Digital and enable Pro Logic on your receiver. If the sound coming from your tv through hdmi is fine the your receiver is the problem not the 360.

Another thing, have you bent your optical cable past 50 Degrees?

[Rich9600]

It sounds like you are only getting the front left and right channels of a DD5.1 output. Lots of the sounds you say are missing will mostly come from the centre speaker and surrounds. Do you have the other surround speakers connected or are you just running a stereo set-up?

[welshcraig]

i get same problem on fifa 09. i can hear the commentry for half the games and then sometimes i need to turn it up so i can just about hear it. dont have this problem on any other games. all settings is right and it is on 5.1.

[wiggum]

Thanks for the replies. I'll try to answer your questions:

Your tv speakers should be off when using ya surround.

Using my old TV (Sony KDL 32U2000) and my old 360, I'd have the TV speakers turned off though I can't find an option to do that on my new set.

Set the 360 settings to Dolby Digital and enable Pro Logic on your receiver.

I've done that and the receiver lights up and indicates it is receiving a DD 5.1 signal, like it does with my working devices.

Another thing, have you bent your optical cable past 50 Degrees?

I don't think so, but I tried the optical cable from my PS3 which gave me the same problem.

Do you have the other surround speakers connected or are you just running a stereo set-up?

I have a Morduant-Short 5.1 setup and get DD/DTS from my PC, Sky HD, PS3, through all speakers.

Again, thanks for the replies. Any more suggestions would be great. Welshcraig - is your setup similar to mine?

[Dao Fei Long]

On Fallout, pop your radio on. It should come from your back left. If you dont have an internal mute dude Id just mute it or turn it all the way down.

[wiggum]

Yeah, I do always have the TV speakers down at 0. Just turned them up last night to test this. When I get home from work, I'm going to try connecting up my old VGA cable that has it's own optical socket, see if that works on my elite.

[Rich9600]

Originally Posted by wiggum

So it's like the HDMI audio is overriding the optical.

Can your Sony take multi channel audio from the HDMI? If so, have you tried passing the HDMI through your AV-R and letting it take the sound from it? I don't think the Xbox discriminates at all between HDMI and optical, but it could be worth a try. If nothing else you'll rule out a fault on the optical system. With my old AV-R I used an optical for the audio, now I use the HDMI so I can confirm both work.

On the offending games do you get audio out of all of the speakers? This still sounds to me like you're not getting the sound out of the correct speakers. Have you balanced your speakers?

The only other thought I have is if there is a way of increasing the comentry volume in game.

[welshcraig]

Originally Posted by wiggum

Thanks for the replies. I'll try to answer your questions:

Using my old TV (Sony KDL 32U2000) and my old 360, I'd have the TV speakers turned off though I can't find an option to do that on my new set.

I've done that and the receiver lights up and indicates it is receiving a DD 5.1 signal, like it does with my working devices.

I don't think so, but I tried the optical cable from my PS3 which gave me the same problem.

I have a Morduant-Short 5.1 setup and get DD/DTS from my PC, Sky HD, PS3, through all speakers.

Again, thanks for the replies. Any more suggestions would be great. Welshcraig - is your setup similar to mine?

my set up is optic from xbox to ht/z310 and hdmi from xbox to t,v. but ive only had that problem when playing fifa 09.some times i hear commentry and other times commentry is very quiet yet all other sound is fine.

[Dao Fei Long]

Are you hearing the radio on Fallout in the back left speaker?