Help setting up Denon AVR-X2700H

[gibbsy]

This gave a much richer sound, but I feel that there is still something missing, maybe I'm just use to a fuller sound on the Yamaha.

This is the difference I was originally talking about. The Yamaha has a much better sound. You will have to live with the Denon for you to get use to it's sound. You are trying to model the sound from the Denon to that of the Yamaha and that's simply not going to happen with out compromising the Denons.

I would give it some time and then re-run Audyssey once your grey matter is more accustomed to the Denons signature.

I notice that even with the LFE + Main off the stereo mode with music button(remote) did infract include the sub any way, that's nice.

If you are listening in stereo then the Denon is still employing the bass management and the sub will be active. If you are happy with that then turn off +Main and let your sub do all the heavy lifting.

So, I changed the crossover back to 40 Hz

I would still try to get a higher crossover eventually as at the moment you are asking a lot of the Denon in the bass department and I dare say that is only for music as the actual LFE, the .1 channel, is usually pretty good and well balanced with Denon. There is a caveat in that statement as I'm running a higher tier Denon model but with a small and elderly sub.

 

[Darbo]

Apologies - I think I managed to crop the end off!

Guide to Subwoofer Calibration and Bass Preferences

The Guide, which starts here in Post 1, and which continues in Post 2, is intended to be a general guide to Home Theater, HT calibration, and audio quality. Due to its roughly 250 page length, I have had to divide it into two posts. Sections I through III follow the Introduction in this post...

www.avsforum.com

It's long but there is an index with links to help you get around it. Hope you find it useful.

Try this one.
Guide to Subwoofer Calibration and Bass Preferences

Very good of you both, thanks.

 

[josefK666]

The app hade vary bad grade on Android Play store so I went ahead and did a new calibration from the AVR menu with 8 locations, this time with the sub on volume 50 instead of 30. This is what I got:

Speakers : Front and Center Large, back small
Distance : Front L : 3.42, Front R : 2.97, Center : 3.06, Sur L : 2.76, Sur R : 2.76
Level : Front L : -3, Front R : -3, Center : -3.5, Sur L : + 2, Sur R +0.5, Sub -10.5
Crossover : FullBand all 40 hz
LPF for LFE : 80 Hz
Audyssey : Reference

I changed the following :

Crossover : all 80 Hz
Subwoofer Mode : LFE

After trying movie and music I found the sound to be vary canned and strange, so I turned off the Audyssey Dynamic EQ and Dynamic Volume and that helped a lot. I still found the sound to be way to sharp and it feels like it was missing its body, something in the middle. So, I changed the crossover back to 40 Hz I also changed the Level of Sub from -10.5 to -2. This gave a much richer sound, but I feel that there is still something missing, maybe I'm just use to a fuller sound on the Yamaha.

I run an X3700 with KEF R3s as Mains and can't say I've experienced what you describe. Each to their own of course but as the previous poster suggests perhaps you're currently trying to force a square peg into a round hole? I hope you start to like what the Denon can do - especially for HT but it may just be that it's not the right fit for you. Anyway - at least have fun experimenting!

 

[SnowJim]

We have now done a couple of "side by side" tests. It’s not easy, we had to move all the cables back and forth, at least the speaker cables was banana.

I went over some settings and updated the Yamaha, for example right crossover, right size on speakers. Measured stuff was left alone like level and distances.

This a lot of different mode but we started turning of adaptive DRV and likewise on Denon. Yamaha´s standard movie mode is still bad, it adds some kind of eco so we mainly used direct mode. On the Denon there is not a VARY big difference between the DD+ movie mode and the direct so we switched between dem during compare.

We tested 4-5 scenes from different movies and it was clear from the start that there was a noticeable difference even when running both in direct mode.

Denon have a much brighter sound and that makes it sound more detailed, specially talk. But outside all this detailed sounds it is “almost” silent. It’s like it have turned down the middle register a bit.

The Yamaha have a fuller sound in the middle register, wind instrument sounds more. But Yamaha muffels a lot of details and that can even make talk a bit hard to hear compared to the Denon. After listening to the Denon the Yamaha feels a bit like you want to sit closer to the system to hear it clearer.

I find it strange that theses AVR:s sounds different even in direct mode but still both is said to measure great, how is that possible? It’s clear that one or both are coloring the sound.

We will run with the Denon for a couple of days and see what how it goes. There was some problems last night. We hade to turn down the volume and this made the talk to low but the sound around, like music was to much. This was with the Audyssey MultiEQ and Dynamic EQ on. With the Yamaha the adaptive DRV works better, maybe it’s the dynamic volume we have to use but it seems to get a vary artificial sound.

 

[DavidT]

I don't like the effect of Dynamic EQ, the surround channels are bloated in my setup. Having said that these were my findings with my X2100W but I now have an X4500H which still needs to run Audyssey before I can test again.

 

[Deleted member 901590]

I don't like the effect of Dynamic EQ, the surround channels are bloated in my setup. Having said that these were my findings with my X2100W but I now have an X4500H which still needs to run Audyssey before I can test again.

Assuming you were trying out DeQ to boost LF at lower (or normal) listening levels? But, yes, it boosts surround channels too, which is a pain.

1. Now you have the x4500, you can run Audyssey with the app and you can put your own preferred boost curve in for the subwoofer. Admittedly it applies at all volumes (i.e. it doesn't vary in level with the master volume, like DeQ does) but you could optimise it for your main film listening level.

2. Alternatively, you can go with DeQ which varies the LF boost with master volume, but turn down your master surround levels (again do this at your main film listening level).

Neither are optimal, I've tried (1) with my x4400 then I now use (2) with my x3100 (at a -10dB ref level). But only for normal TV, I now don't engage Audyssey at all for films.

I wish DeQ had a tick box in settings for "leave surrounds alone".

 

[SnowJim]

We got 2 modes, someone sleeping / no one sleeping. When in silent mode we do not care if the sound is correct but we still want to hear the important part like dialog and stuff. When not in silent mode we want to full experience (with some minor tweaks).

Is there any way to program this in a way so it only takes one button to switch between these modes?

We do got a Logitech Harmony Companion remote if that helps?

 

[Deleted member 901590]

We got 2 modes, someone sleeping / no one sleeping. When in silent mode we do not care if the sound is correct but we still want to hear the important part like dialog and stuff. When not in silent mode we want to full experience (with some minor tweaks).

Is there any way to program this in a way so it only takes one button to switch between these modes?

We do got a Logitech Harmony Companion remote if that helps?

Yes, if you look in your manual, you have the QUICK SELECT function that Denons have had for years (so mine does this) which has various settings at the touch of one button including the Audyssey setting for DeQ and Dynamic Vol.

Yours is even cleverer, you have two what are called SPEAKER PRESETS for amp assign and the full Audyssey settings. So you could even have them with different speakers used etc.

 

[SnowJim]

Thanks, that worked great! The dynamic volume really gain the dialog, almost like you will want to lower the center level a bit.

If any setting is changed that you want to include in all your modes(up to 4) you have to redo them. Not a big problem but it takes some work.

 

[SnowJim]

I would want to use direct mode with music where I find the sound to be better but in this mode the sub will not be activated while LFE + Main is deactivated. It seems like the LFE + Main is not picked up by the quick settings? is there any other simple way to turn this on\off depending on if its music or movie?

 

[gibbsy]

Vill man köra direct mode där jag tycker ljudet är bättre så kan man inte få med subben om man inte aktiverar LFE + Main. Tråkigt nog verkar inte denna isntällningen gälla för quick inställningarna, finns det något annat vis att enkelt aktivera\inaktivera funktionen utan att behöva villa sig ner i menysystemet?

‎If you want to run direct mode where I think the sound is better, you can not get the sub unless you activate LFE + Main. Sadly, this isn't seem to apply to the quick settings, is there any other way to easily enable\disable the feature without having to get into the menu system?‎

Could you post in English please.

 

[NewAcousticDimension]

‎If you want to run direct mode where I think the sound is better, you can not get the sub unless you activate LFE + Main. Sadly, this isn't seem to apply to the quick settings, is there any other way to easily enable\disable the feature without having to get into the menu system?‎

Can you hear any difference between "stereo mode and all EQ switched off" and "direct mode"?

 

[SnowJim]

Can you hear any difference between "stereo mode and all EQ switched off" and "direct mode"?

Where do I turn off the EQ while in stereo mode?

 

[NewAcousticDimension]

Where do I turn of the EQ while in stereo mode?

Everything in settings-audio-audyssey switched off.
Settings-audio-graphic EQ switched off.
Everything in settings-audio-surround parameter switched off (except subwoofer).

Once you use the red button and choose "stereo" it should then remember those settings for that input source, e.g. if it is "CD".

 

[SnowJim]

Everything in settings-audio-audyssey switched off.
Settings-audio-graphic EQ switched off.
Everything in settings-audio-surround parameter switched off (except subwoofer).

Once you use the red button and choose "stereo" it should then remember those settings for that input source, e.g. if it is "CD".

Okay, I tired running everything off that you pointed out, most of it was already off. I do not hear any difference between stereo and direct in this setup. BUT the sub is still not helping?

 

[NewAcousticDimension]

Okay, I tired running everything off that you pointed out, most of it was already off. I do not hear any difference between stereo and direct in this setup. BUT the sub is still not helping?

I listen to music in stereo mode with all of that switched off except for Audyssey switched on but Dynamic EQ off. That's what I find best. I've never tried it with Audyssey off, but I believe the subwoofer should still be outputting crossed over bass from the front speakers.

Problem is that the subwoofer will not be EQed so it could give the sensation of not being on - this may depend on where your crossover is etc on how much you'd hear it. And if those lower frequencies are greatly corrected (boosted) by Audyssey then you'd miss out.

 

[SnowJim]

Okay, sounds like I have to run LFE + Main then. After some reading on internet it seems like its okay as long as the front is set to Large.