[kosh2258]

Cycle the Surround mode until you get to Passthru.  This will pass the surround modes without any processing.  For some reason this is never covered in their manuals, SP3 or the predecessor models. 

I have a BDP-105 connect by HDMI and get none of the popping you describe.   You might want to evaluate your BDP-105 settings regarding the HDMI output modes.   I have mine connected such that HDMI 1 is going direct to the Elite with HDMI 2 going to SP3 and only passing audio - no video.   

Refer to page 12 of the manual for Optical issue. You're going to the wrong place to set this.  You need to set it in the SYSTEM SETUP -> DIGITAL SOURCES menu. You need to set DVR to OPT1.  Be aware that each input must be set unique.  If you have a duplication of assignments the duplicates will show in reversed highlight - dark letters on bright box.  You must alter settings on each until they are assigned unique.  When that is done all will be bright lettering on dark background. 

[So There]

Kosh2258, thanks for your kind and very helpful reply:

Oddly, tonight, some of the problems self-healed. No settings have been changed. I had the same experience with my just-received BDP2 and BDA2, which would not emit sound for the first two days and miraculously worked on the third. It remains to be seen whether these are intermittent issues. The joys of merging computer and audio technologies, eh?

Here are the specifics:

1. Oddly, the SP3 tonight for the first time passed native audio through the processor without wanting to process ProLogic and the other synthesized formats. You aptly advised me to cycle through the surround modes until passthru appeared. Interestingly, the passthru option had not appeared until tonight, and it seems to work fine (for now).

2. I still cannot get the TV audio from the Pioneer media box through the SP3. Yesterday, I had what you aptly directed, kosh: yesterday, I set in SYSTEM SETUP -> DIGITAL SOURCES menu the DVR input to OPT1. But when I choose the DVR input and press the Digital button, the light remains red and the SP3 display reads DVR OPT1 NO. I've not a clue what to do to fix this.

3. FWIW, the Oppo 105 player has always been set to Secondary Audio off. I used the HDMI 1 output into the SP3's HDMI 1 input; the SP3's HDMI 1 output goes to our Pioneer Elite TV's media box. I will change this setup, since the SP3 must be powered up for the HDMI passthrough function to work; I'll run HDMI 1 directly to the TV and HDMI2 to the SP3; I won't use either of the SP3's HDMI outputs.

4. Do you know what the G displayed in the lower right-hand part of the SP3 screen means?

Thanks again, kosh, for your very helpful advice. I very much appreciate your expertise and generous help. Your peer-to-peer guidance is extremely valuable.

Best regards,

Rich
__________________
Whiney Napa Valley

[So There]

Thanks again, Kosh2258, and howdy-do, SP3 fans:

I think my gear has time zone lag. My SP3 would not work correctly for two days after I received it last Wednesday; like the BDP2 and BDA2 I received at the same time, it miraculously self-healed on the third day (weird religious allusions, eh?). If you have DOA electronics, just send them to me and see if they resurrect.

James referred me to Stan at Bryston, who was very helpful. He confirmed that the optical signal from our TV was not getting to the SP3. He also noted that the G in the SP3 display indicated that the settings were global, rather than for individual inputs.

I cogitated on this optical signal matter for awhile and thought, what could be the gigantic pain causing this problem? HDMI, of course! And that was it. I called Pioneer tech support, and they confirmed that connecting an HDMI input locked out the optical output (of course, there's no documentation on this in the Pioneer manual). The content providers have to protect their audio streams from being stolen by we criminals who actually purchase the hardware and services. I hope all of you feel extremely guilty, as I do. Moving the optical cable from the TV output to the output on our DVR solved the problem immediately. Whew. Now we can watch the Sharks with decent audio. Game on!

One odd glitch remains: when getting Dolby Digital 5.1 through the DVR-OPT1/Digital settings on the SP3, the input reads Dolby Digital 5.1, but the output only allows the ProLogic and other synthesized modes; there is no passthru option. Weird, eh? I've emailed Stan about this and will report his findings.

Now, I need to talk with Oppo and see which settings for the 105 will let it play well with the SP3 and BDA2. Until Bryston releases their BOT1 optical transport, the Oppo should be a good match with Bryston's D/A converter.

Toodle pip,

Rich
___________________
Whiney Napa Valley

[kosh2258]

Rich,

My pleasure to assist where I can.  I see you got the answers to your remaining questions.   

The explanation of the "G" or "I" setting is in the firmware documentation that goes with Firmware update 2012.11

For a number of practical reasons, I have my BDP-105 connected to the SP3 several different ways.  Besides the HDMI cable, I have also connected the 7.1 analog cables. The coax digital, so I can play some 192/24 discs I have at full rate (HDMI isn't passing at full rate for some reason).  Finally, I also have the balanced stereo cables connected as well.  In playing with the various modes, I've discovered that the SP3 sound character varies from connection to connection.  They all sound good, to be sure,  but I find that playing CDs from the BDP-105 thru the balanced connections creates a wider, more transparent sound stage in my set up.   So, I now play material through the SP3 using the connection that best suits the source material and my ear.  Of course, the quality of the sound is always in the ear of the beholder. 

Regarding the DVR input, DVR box, and the surround mode,  I am not having that issue.  However, I am using the SAT input rather than the DVR input as my connection source.   I show Dolby 5.1 as the input and Passthru 5.1 as the output using that arrangement.  The other difference is that I'm using the coax digital SPDIF 2 rather than Toslink.  Actually, I've abandon using Toslink optical as a connection method.  Mostly because there's a bandwidth limitation with Toslink that the coax digital doesn't have.  Again, a choice. 

I imagine that with some experimenting you'll be able to sort out your connections and find the combination that will yield the results you're after.

Ted

[So There]

Halloo, kosh and SP3 fans:

As promised, here are the results of my email exchange with Stan Bleszynski, SP3 software engineer. Looks like there's good news ahead for us.

The symptoms:
When receiving Dolby Digital 5.1 through the DVR-OPT1/Digital settings on my SP3, the input reads Dolby Digital 5.1, but the output only allows the ProLogic and other synthesized modes; there is no passthru option.

Stan asked me what the displayed showed, and I sent him a photo; the SP3 display indicated 5.1 DD in and synthesized modes out. The Toslink comes from our Motorola DCX3501 DVR (Comcast cable TV). There is no bypass option when cycling through the surround modes.

Stan's first reply:
This is OK, those are the 5.1 to 7.1 re-creation modes, it is used to restore the back speakers only, if they are not present in the original stream.  You can select several modes.

My ah-ha moment:
Am I correct in surmising, Stan, that the reason I'm getting the synthesized modes is because in my quick setup of the SP3, I chose global settings and 7.1 for speakers? Is there any way to turn off the re-creation modes and select the native audio stream?
 
If I do individual settings and choose 5.1 speakers for the DVR input, would I get a native stream from the Toslink signal?

Stan's second reply, with a prospective goodie for all of us:
Yes, it would work!  Setting individual sources and selecting Back=None would disable PLII modes for back speakers.   Your email may indicate that perhaps adding "none" or "pass-through" mode selection to prevent 5.1-->7.1 re-creation in such situations may be useful. We will probably add it in the future revisions.

Thus, it looks like the ability to add passthrough as a playback option is in our future. Thanks, Stan! Stan is the man!

Best fishes, guys.

Rich
_______________
Whiney Napa Valley

[kosh2258]

Rich,

The response to the second question explains why I don't see that in my set up.  I have the same model DVR and do have the Global settings option enabled.  What I don't have, and don't have configured, are the rear channel speakers - just a 5.1 configuration.   So, that confirms the statement Stan made about the output. 

Ted

[So There]

You're right, kosh:

It appears that I need to change my speaker configuration in the SP3 from 7.1 to 5.1 to avoid the ProLogic modes on 5.1 content played through a 7.1 system. For 7.1 material, I have to reconfigure the SP3 speaker settings to 7.1. What's odd, though, is that when I play a 2.0 DVD, such as a BBC series disc, the SP3 input and outputs the 2.0 audio stream.

This makes Stan's proposed pass-through update discussed above much more important, as the existing method is very clunky. From Stan's email, it looks like it will happen with the next firmware update.

Rich

[So There]

Howdy-do, SP3 fans:

I'm still getting some weird events with my SP3. For clarification, here are some photos of the display and examples to clarify what's happening. I also get fairly loud popping through my speakers at the beginning of DVDs and Bly-rays, when the discs are moving through their usual startup screens. Are you experiencing any behaviours like this?

1.   5.1 DTS-HDMA: Chronos Blu-ray disc - with SP3 speaker config set at 5.1.




2.   5.1 DTS-HDMA: Chronos Blu-ray disc - with SP3 speaker config set at 7.1. The SP3 will only make available ProLogic and DTS synthesized modes. There is no pass-through available to play the native audio stream, and I look forward to the fix on the forthcoming update.




3.   7.1 speaker config screen; connections from Oppo BDP-105 disc player through the SP3's HDMI 1 digital input.




4.   7.1 Dolby TrueHD - AIX Sampler Blu-ray - with SP3 speaker config set at 7.1. This disc plays fine.




5.   7.1 DTS-HDMA - Pan's Labyrinth Blu-ray -  with SP3 speaker config set at 7.1. Oddly, this disc outputs the 7.1 stream to 5.1, though the speakers are configured as 7.1. The disc played fine in 7.1 through my old system.




I've asked Stan, the SP3's software guru, if these glitches will be fixed in the next firmware update and remain hopeful.

Cheerio,

Rich
_______________
Whiney Napa Valley

The means — Bryston SP3 | Bryston 6B-SST(C) - L/C/R; 4B-SST(C) - surrounds; 4B-SST(C) - rears | Bryston BDP-2 Digital Player; BDA-2 D/A Converter; Oppo BDP-105 | Paradigm Reference Signature S8 fronts; C5 center; ADP surrounds; S4 rears; two Velodyne DD15 subs | APC S20 | Pioneer Elite PRO-1130

[So There]

Halloo, gents:

I heard from Stan at Bryston on an earlier email regarding enabling the bypass option for 7.1. Here are his key points:

1.  The option used to be enabled in very old versions of the firmware.
2.  It is reenabled in the current firmware test release (not yet available, as it's not yet fully tested).
3.  They took it out because they thought, "who may ever want to do 5.1 if they have 7.1 speakers?" Little did we know . . .

So . . . it looks like the option will return. Stan is the man!

I also asked Stan about the issues noted in my post 1947 above and will share his response upon receipt.

Little knowing and knowing little,

Rich
_______________
Whiney Napa Valley

[dminches]

Is anyone using a URC MX-980 with their SP3? I don't see any codes in their database for either the SP-2 or SP-3. I guess I could just learn all of them but I would like to avoid having to do that.

[yartle]

I've just got a great deal on a second sub woofer and I have set it up using the right Aux output, all is working fine but I have a question - does the SP3 apply the same crossover to this sub or do I need to set the crossover on the sub itself? 

Also is this the recommended setup for 2 subs or should I set the speakers to large and use the Aux in stereo and use the crossovers in the subs?

Many thanks,

Chris

[brucek]

should I set the speakers to large and use the Aux in stereo and use the crossovers in the subs?

If the mains were capable of frequencies lower than 80Hz, and were set to large, the subs and mains would then be sharing the same frequencies and could result in cancellations. It's best to bass manage both the mains and subs.

[yartle]

Many thanks. that makes sense 

All I need to know now is if the SP3 uses its internal crossover frequency when using the Aux R. 

[dminches]

If the mains were capable of frequencies lower than 80Hz, and were set to large, the subs and mains would then be sharing the same frequencies and could result in cancellations. It's best to bass manage both the mains and subs.

What does that mean, "could result in cancellations."  Why would that be?  I thought that if the mains are set to large then the low frequency information wouldn't be re-routed to the sub.  Why wouldn't you want that if your mains could handle it?

[brucek]

What does that mean, "could result in cancellations."  Why would that be?  I thought that if the mains are set to large then the low frequency information wouldn't be re-routed to the sub.  Why wouldn't you want that if your mains could handle it?

Bryston processors allow you to send a full range signal to the mains while bass managing the subs at the same time.

brucek

[So There]

Congrats on the SP3 and second sub, Chris:

The back of the SP3 manual has a discussion on sub options, but Stan Bleszynski, SP3 software guru, replied to my detailed query on multiple subs, and I hope this will be of help to you. See post 1886 on February 8th.

Cheerio,

Rich
________________
Whiney Napa Valley

[dminches]

Last night I set the speaker levels for input 2 - SAT which is getting the DD 5.1 information via S/PDIF. Tonight I put a blu ray on in my Oppo and fed the audio via HDMI 1 - DVD. I flipped through the menus and noticed that the speaker sizes and speaker levels were set at the default and zero, respectively. Does this mean I need to set speaker sizes and levels for each input source or is it for each signal type (DD 5.1 vs. DTS-HDMA).

[Mag]

Last night I set the speaker levels for input 2 - SAT which is getting the DD 5.1 information via S/PDIF. Tonight I put a blu ray on in my Oppo and fed the audio via HDMI 1 - DVD. I flipped through the menus and noticed that the speaker sizes and speaker levels were set at the default and zero, respectively. Does this mean I need to set speaker sizes and levels for each input source or is it for each signal type (DD 5.1 vs. DTS-HDMA).

I have an SP2, you can set the parameters for each soundfield, inputs should not matter. Remember to hit the save button, should be on the remote or it will set to default on restart.

I have not set the parameters with Dolby on mine as I don't listen in Dolby. I however listen in DTS Music mode, I have my center channel adjusted which is important in this mode to get a seemless soundfield. DTS Movie mode is slightly different as it puts more emphasis on the center channel mix.

[James Tanner]

Last night I set the speaker levels for input 2 - SAT which is getting the DD 5.1 information via S/PDIF. Tonight I put a blu ray on in my Oppo and fed the audio via HDMI 1 - DVD. I flipped through the menus and noticed that the speaker sizes and speaker levels were set at the default and zero, respectively. Does this mean I need to set speaker sizes and levels for each input source or is it for each signal type (DD 5.1 vs. DTS-HDMA).

The SP3 can set speakers sizes and levels independently for each source (factory setting) of Globally (setting in source menu).

james

[adidino]

Wanted to share an interesting little issue with the SP3. Finally just arrived from my dealer. I had requested a 19 inch rackmount version. Out of the box, the front face plate is 19 inches (as expected) with mounting holes for the the rack on the face plate. There is also a set of rack ears mounted behind the face plate. I assume this was for additional mounting support, which makes sense.

However, the screw holes on the rack ears do not align with the holes on the front face plate. They are off by 1/8 inch or so. This was right out of the box. Who ever installed the rack ears at Bryston had to notice this. Gotta say, I was a bit disappointed. Any ideas? Did Bryston simply install the wrong rack ears for the 19 face plate? Only thing that makes sense.