DV27A - no sub output with 2 channel material

[SMCC]

I have a DV27A attached via the 5.1 analogue outputs to the multichannel inputs of an A85/P85 combo (with 7.1 board).

As I understand it, when the "stereo + sub" option on the Speaker config page of the DVD player's setup menu is set to 'crossover' or 'duplicate' then there should be sound from the sub with 2 channel material. However my player produces nothing.

When playing 5.1 channel material or the player's test tone, there is sound from the sub as expected.

Has anyone else experienced this problem?

(DV27A 5.13.0/LT76)

 

[Jeff]

Are the speakers set to small?

 

[SMCC]

No.

 

[Jeff]

Thats probably the answer then, try setting the speakers to small.

 

[steeled]

Hi SMCC

If you use the duplicate setting you should get bass to the sub no matter wht the speaker size is set to.

Can I ask what at first may be a patronising question? When you are listening to CDs and want the sub to work which input setting do you use? If you use the CD input then only Left and Right are fed into the amp. To hear the sub you need to put your A85 in multi-channel mode.

I made this mistake myself when I first set my system up.

Hope that helps

 

[SMCC]

Thanks David, and no it's a very reasonable question - often it takes someone else to point these things out!
In fact I am using the multichannel input setting on the A85.

Jeff - You've led me towards an answer. My front and rear speakers are set to 'large' and I have no centre. After some experimentation today, I've discovered that no signal is sent to the sub in duplicate mode, unless at least one other speaker is set to 'small'.

Ideally I would like to be able to send a full-frequency ('large') signal to all 4 speakers (avoiding the need to pass through the player's bass redirection circuitry) and a full-frequency signal to the sub - which has it's own adjustable low-pass filter. I don't think my set-up sounds as good with the speakers run as 'small'.

I guess unless Arcam decide to incorporate that setup in a future software update (hint to Andy if you're reading!) I'll have to accept the limitations of the DV27A's bass management. Thanks Jeff and David for your help.

 

[steeled]

Hi SMCC

I tried your configuration on my DV27A which is running 5.8 software. I get the same results as you. It appears that there is a bug in the software. The only way to get the bass management to kick in is to set one of the speakers to small.

I even tried it with just the main speakers configured. If you leave them set at "large" then you do not get any bass through the sub channel. If you configure them to "small" then the cross-over mode works as you would expect. However setting it to duplicate mode gives you full range signals through left and right and the bass through the sub channel.

BTW: I fell for the "wrong input" error because I have one set of left/right outputs wired to the CD input via some expensive inter-connects. I then wire the full 5.1 output using some cheaper cables to the mult-channel input module.

I would send your findings in to the technical support desk and maybe they will modify the software.

From reading reviews it seems that most manufacturers get the bass management wrong in one of the many possible configurations.

 

[tvh3ad]

I was confused by this as well. After extensive playing around both with the 27A and the AVR300, here's how it seems to be working...

For true multichannel source material:

- The bass signal is sent to the sub for the LFE channel and any speakers set to "small". In other words, setting any speaker to "large" disables bass management for that channel.
- There is no way to send the non-LFE bass signal to both the sub and the main channels.

For stereo source material:

- If the "duplicate" setting is selected ("Large+Sub" on the AVR300), the speaker size setting is overridden and the full signal is sent both to the main channels and the sub.
- If the "crossover" setting is selected ("Sub+Sat" on the AVR300), the signal is handled identically to multichannel material.
- If the "large" setting is selected ("Large" on the AVR300), no bass signal is sent to the sub and the full-range signal is sent to the main channels.
- Turning on pro logic (or selecting any DSP option on the AVR300 other than Stereo) kills the stereo mode and puts you back in the land of multichannel bass management.
- On the AVR300, the "Direct" button kills all bass management and sends the full signal to the main channels.


HTH.