Arcam AVR280 and Sony BDP-S350

Simon6776

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Hi folks, hope someone can help me out here. :)

I have an Arcam AVR280 AV amp, which I only purchased a few weeks ago, and although it has two HDMI inputs and one output, I can't seem to get any sound from the amp via HDMI. This is also the case with my old Marantz DVD player. I have looked at the manual for the amp, and it says nothing about HDMI audio, only that it's a 'switching unit' for HDMI. Does this mean that the amp doesn't 'do' HDMI audio? It works fine with the digital coax cable connected, and I get DD5.1 from the one BD disc I have, I Robot. Bit of a bummer if this is so, as the Arcam wasn't cheap!

TIA,

Simon.
 
hi have you checked the settings on the players if they are set to bitstream that could be your problem.:smashin:
 
ok simon ive just checked your amp spec, it only switches video and not the audio :thumbsdow so it looks like optical or coaxial.
 
can you return any of the two? ... if you're happy with the arcam's sound and the bluray is a recent purchase (i'm assuming it must be), you could return that and get a model with 5.1 analog out (to be connected to the multi.ch. input on the arcam)
 
The Arcam has had hefty price cuts for the reason that on paper at least it isn't very well specified. However its core DTS and Dolby Digital decoding is pretty good as is its music performance with comparably prices models - as sniper mentioned, one option would be to stick with the AVR280 and hook it up to a different standalone blu ray player; look for one that does in-built decoding of all the 'hd' associated surround formats and that has 5.1/7.1 analogue output. Something like the Panasonic BD50/BD55 or imminent Sony S550, for example.

Robert
 
Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Trouble being, the other BD players mentioned are at least double the price of the S350. I guess you get what you pay for. I bought both of them online, so it would be a drama to return either, and given that I've had the amp for a few weeks, and there's nothing actually wrong with it, I don't think that's a possibility.

As has been said, the DD and DTS sound from the Arcam is very good - am I really missing out all that much by not being able to use the BD sound formats? I live in a flat, not a big house in the middle of nowhere with a home cinema conversion, so volume is a factor, and I'm not sure that the 'HD' sound formats would be justified, given the additional expense.
 
I'd just buy a decent coax cable and revel in the fact that plain old DD and DTS tracks invariably sound better via your Arcam than the new HD codecs would on a comparably priced 'better' (on paper) specced receiver :)
 
I'd just buy a decent coax cable and revel in the fact that plain old DD and DTS tracks invariably sound better via your Arcam than the new HD codecs would on a comparably priced 'better' (on paper) specced receiver :)

I think I love you! :D That's just what I wanted to hear! :smashin:
 
Hehe, steady on ;)

I was in the same boat a couple of months back before I bought my Arcam.

I'm ashamed to say I was almost tempted into thinking I needed to 'future-proof' myself blah ** Comet style sales speech ** blah. Then I had a common-sense epiphany and realised, hmmm £600 buys me premium grade electronics and hi-fi heritage, or a plastic nightmare which may have all the bells and whistles, but sounds on a par with...a plastic box full of bells and whistles!!!

Enjoy!
 

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