Problems w/analog on my DVD Player

rklein · « **on:** 3 Feb 2005, 04:04 pm »

Hi All:

I recently upgraded to some Odyssey gear. Khartago amp, Etesian pre (just received), & Nightengales w/Nemesis Center

. I also have a Marantz SR-7200 which handles HT duties. My problem is in regards to my Onkyo S535 DVD player. Unfortunately, the Onkyo currently performs double duty as my DVD/CD player (soon to change...). I have a digital coax going out of the Onkyo to my receiver for HT. I also have IC's going from the Onkyo's analog outs to the Etesian CD ins. IC's from the Etesian's HT bypass outs to the L/R preouts of the Marantz receiver. And of course, IC's from the Etesian to the Khartago. Everything works except for no sound when I play a CD.

. The Onkyo's audio section of it's menu allows one to choose between Bitstream(for DTS, DD), PCM, & 2 channel analog. I have changed this setting to PCM & to analog to no avail. I only get sound out of my Stax headphones(hooked up to the receiver) when I choose Bitstream on the Onkyo. By the way, before I received the Etesian, I had the same problem when I used the Marantz as my pre with the Khartago for CD's. Sound only was transferred to the mains when I chose Bitstream on the Onkyo.

After checking my connections multiple times, I must swallow my pride and ask my fellow AC members for HELP!!!!! Please enlighten me to what the HELL I'm missing.

Thanks,

rklein

ted_b · « **Reply #1 on:** 3 Feb 2005, 04:46 pm »

Dunno. Looks right. According to the manual online (page 32) choose "analog 2 channel" in the audio out select; however, the chart at the bottom says the analog outs will get a 16/44 signal from CD's regardless (which is proper way; I'd hate to have to go into the menu just to use the analog outs to listen to a CD after watching a DD movie).

Time to find the culprit. I'd venture to say the analog outs on your Onkyo are bad, or the IC's are. Try a different set. Your last example said you got sound from your Marantz (bitstream) in the old setup. Was this through a digital feed or analog? Try the analog outs into the Marantz, just to see if it's the Onkyo or the new pre.

Ted

TIC · « **Reply #2 on:** 3 Feb 2005, 04:50 pm »

rklein,

You are setting it up wrong as far as I can tell.

Look at it this way. Set up a 2-channel music system first. So, connect the L&R RCA outputs of the DVD/CD player to the CD/DVD/Aux. input of the pre-amp. using a pair of interconnects. Connect the pre-amp to the amp with a pair of interconnects and connect the main front L&R speakers to the amp with a pair of speaker cables.

OK, now you should have a working 2-channel music system. Just pop in a CD and play. There should be no need to select PCM as the player is smart enough to know it is a CD and the RCAs aren't digital anyway, they send the analog signal to the pre-amp.

Now, once you have a working 2-channel system, it's time to add-on the HT rig.

Connect the digital cable from the DVD player to a digital input on the receiver. Connect a pair of interconnects from the reciever's L&R front pre-outs to the HT bypass INs of the pre-amp. I don't think you mentioned surround/center/sub, but if you use those on your HT setup side, connect those speakers to the appropriate speaker connections of the receiver.

So, for 2-channel CD listening, you simply play a CD in the DVD player, select the appropriate source on your pre-amp and play. There is no need to even turn on the receiver at this time unless you want to listen to the CD via the receivers internal DAC.

For HT listening, select HT bypass on your pre-amp, turn on the receiver, select the appropriate source and play. The speakers connected directly to the receiver will be powered by the receiver, and the speakers connected to the 2-channel amp will be powered by the 2-channel amp. When HT bypass is selected, the volume control (and all other pre-amp functions) of the pre-amp are bypassed and the 2-channel gear (pre-amp and amp) simply work as a power amp as far as the HT rig is concerned.

The only consideration you need to make with this setup is that you will need to properly calibrate the HT speaker setting as the gain will be different for the power amp vs. the internal amp of the receiver.

BTW, this is much more simple than it may appear. Let me know if you need additional information. Iv'e used a similar setup many times and it works just fine!

Enjoy,

TIC

TIC · « **Reply #3 on:** 3 Feb 2005, 05:01 pm »

rklein,

I re-read your post and I still think you have it connected incorrectly and the setup I mentioned should work. A quick way to tell is to remove all connections concerning digital and the HT receiver and just have a pair of RCA interconnects going from the DVD player to the pre-amp. Remove everything else so you don't have any chance of having a connection problem.

You should be able to pop in a CD and play it and hear output from the pre-amp/amp system via the speakers.

If this does not work, your DVD player is probably broken. Do you have another DVD or CD player you can try?

Enjoy,

TIC

ted_b · « **Reply #4 on:** 3 Feb 2005, 05:08 pm »

No offense, TIC, but this is a standard setup (HT and 2 channel) that most are familiar with. The only thing he screwed up in the description was that he said "HT bypass out" which is, of course, an "in". There is no HT bypass out. Doesn't matter, though, in this case, cuz he is not concerned about HT, just about why his Onkyo analog outs that are connected to his new pre don't play any sound.

Ted

TIC · « **Reply #5 on:** 3 Feb 2005, 05:54 pm »

ted-b,

You should see how often this question is asked on all of the audio forums. It comes up at least once a week here, audiogon, audiocircle, etc.

Many folks have no clue how to go about integrating a 2-channel and HT system. (No offense intended toward the original poster)

My point to the original poster was to eliminate ANYTHING that could be causing his issue. In logical troubleshooting courses it called "divide and conquer", "minimum possible configuration", etc.

Simplifing the system to it's minimum required configuration will prove where the problem resides. If he removes everything except the DVD player, pre-amp/amp and speakers and it still doesn't work via the RCA jack, the DVD player is broken.

Enjoy,

TIC

bubba966 · « **Reply #6 on:** 3 Feb 2005, 06:29 pm »

Which analog outs are you using, the Direct or TV outs?

John Casler · « **Reply #7 on:** 3 Feb 2005, 07:28 pm »

Unplug your headphones and see what happens

TIC · « **Reply #8 on:** 3 Feb 2005, 07:32 pm »

Good point John. The headphones may be muting the output.

John Casler · « **Reply #9 on:** 3 Feb 2005, 08:18 pm »

Quote from: TIC

Good point John. The headphones may be muting the output.

Well he said they were plugged into the receiver, which shouldn't cause it, but you have to try everything.

rklein · « **Reply #10 on:** 3 Feb 2005, 09:38 pm »

Thanks so much for all your responses.

Ted-b:

I agree with you that this is the standard setup for integrating HT w/2 channel. And yes, it should be HT bypass "out" not "in". Thanks.

TIC:

No offense taken...

I read and re-read your response and as far as I can see, I set it up exactly as you have described also. I do however, agree with you about the "divide & conquer" method. I don't have another CD/DVD player to try. Actually, my son has an xbox. I will have to see if they have RCA connections as it is capable of playing DVD's/CD's.

Bubba926:

Not sure of your question. The Onkyo only has one set of RCA connections and they don't really specify if they are direct or TV. In addition, there is nothing in the Onkyo setup menu that mentions this choice. The only other connections are s-video(not used) and component(which goes right to my Hitachi Ultravision 57S500 TV.

John Cassler:

I am most certain that my Stax headphones are not the culprit. The phones are plugged into a separate "electrostratic" box which is hardwired to speaker cable running under my family room via a crawl space which comes out behind the wall unit which houses everything and the speaker cable is then connected directly to my "speaker B" binding posts on the Marantz. I don't use the headphone connection in the front of the receiver. By the way, these headphones were purchased back in 1977 for around $90 and they still work very well indeed!

Thanks again to everyone who responded. When I get home tonight I will try some of your suggestions. If the damn Onkyo is broke, I'll just have to break it to my wife that we need to upgrade to something else...

rklein

rklein · « **Reply #11 on:** 3 Feb 2005, 09:45 pm »

By the way, I was able to listen to CD's before getting the Etesian pre. I just couldn't use the CD selection on the Marantz receiver(where my IC"S were connected). I always had to use the DVD selection which utilized the digital coax cable.

rklein

ted_b · « **Reply #12 on:** 3 Feb 2005, 09:46 pm »

According to the manual, the Onkyo has two sets of stereo audio outputs, one labeled "direct" (and is unaffected by front panel bass boosts, etc) and one is labeled "tv, acoustic control" (which uses bass boosts, etc.); aditionally there is a mono output next to the tv ones. As was said earlier, make sure you're connected to the "direct" ones. The menu settings shoudn't matter, as the analog outs should be live for all standard 16/44.1 CD's.

Ted

P.S. I see your last post above; really sounds like it's your analog outs or possibly your IC's (assuming you've used the same ones...easy to test that one).

rklein · « **Reply #13 on:** 3 Feb 2005, 10:00 pm »

Thanks Ted.

As I recall, what you and bubba926 must be referring to is in the setup menu?? The back of the unit only has one set of stereo "outs". I will look into this also when I get home

Randy

rklein · « **Reply #14 on:** 4 Feb 2005, 01:39 am »

Well I got home from work and after dinner & dishes

, I started to isolate one thing at a time. First of all, both Ted & bubba926 were absolutely right. There are two set of RCA outs. One for TV and one for Direct. I did happen to have the IC's plugged into the direct, which is where they needed to be. I checked my IC's and they also were not the problem. I didn't have an extra CD player laying around but I was hoping that my son's PS2 player or x-box had RCA in the back. No such luck. It tuned out the problem lies with the Etesian!

When I pulled the IC's out of the CD section and put them into the AUX section voila!! SOUND!!

But only out of the left Nightengale!

The Khartago is ok because when I switch to the TV or play a DVD with the Etesian set to HT bypass everything works fine. I called Klaus and he said to send both pieces back... Etesian & Khartago. I'll send them off tomorrow and will have them back by the time I get back from my business trip to Washington D.C.

Thanks again to all who responded to my request for guidance on my problem. I am assuming that everyone is pretty busy with their own work & lives and I appreciate you taking time to answer back. Hopefully there will be a time when I may see a post that I can contribute to.

rklein