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Home theater receiver problem - can't hear voices

post #1 of 10
7/4/10 at 10:06am
Thread Starter 
I just bought a Denon 7.1 channel receiver to go with two KEF speakers I already owned. I have my PVR and PS3 running in with HDMI and I have an HDMI out to the TV. The speakers have both Hi and Lo frequency inputs (so four inputs total per speaker, since Hi and Lo each have a + and -). The receiver only has + and - inputs for each speaker and no Hi/Lo, so I've tied the Hi and Lo + and the Hi and Lo - together and the receiver end. My problem is that the sound is perfect when I'm watching TV through my PVR box, but I can't hear people speaking for either the PS3 or the on-demand programming from the PVR box (specifically voices -- I can hear sound effects, or at least some sound effects). Anybody have any ideas what could be wrong? And yes, I've definitely secured all the speaker wires; I'm sure of it.
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post #2 of 10
7/4/10 at 10:37am
do you have a center channel speaker? ps3 would bitstream dolby digital, and maybe your receiver is misconfigured and thinks there's a center and there isn't? This prob wouldn't affect you with regular tv because it's just stereo, but on-demand is again probably DD, so all the voices are sent to the absent center...

also, don't you have plates for your speakers that fit across both terminals hi/low terminals? Having to tie shit together on the receiver end seems kinda ghetto...
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post #3 of 10
7/4/10 at 10:39am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by GQgeek View Post
do you have a center channel speaker? ps3 would bitstream dolby digital, and maybe your receiver is misconfigured and thinks there's a center and there isn't? This prob wouldn't affect you with regular tv because it's just stereo, but on-demand is again probably DD, so all the voices are sent to the absent center...

also, don't you have plates for your speakers that fit across both terminals hi/low terminals? Having to tie shit together on the receiver end seems kinda ghetto...

Ohhhhh, so that's what the plates are for.... I had no idea and took them off and put them on the side (speakers are $600 each so they're definitely not ghetto).

Meanwhile, I fixed the problem -- I kept mashing EQ buttons on the receiver remote until one normalized the sound (the D/ST button).
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post #4 of 10
7/4/10 at 10:50am
Styrofoam cups. No seriously, search for it here.
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post #5 of 10
7/4/10 at 1:00pm
I think the Geek got it right. Most speech from a multichannel soundtrack is sent to the center channel speaker which is absent in your setup. The "D/ST" button on the Denon remote switches between Direct and Stereo modes. The Stereo mode downmixes everything into two channels which is what you want with just two speakers. You can also run initial setup on your receiver to tell it you only have two speakers, so it always downmixies mutlichannel signals (mostly Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1) independent of what sound program or effect you select on the receiver.
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post #6 of 10
7/4/10 at 1:10pm
I would just like to add that I thoroughly enjoy my 7.1 setup.
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post #7 of 10
7/7/10 at 10:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim View Post
I would just like to add that I thoroughly enjoy my 7.1 setup.

I just bought but have yet to hook up a 7.1. Not sure where I am going to put the extra speakers!!
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post #8 of 10
7/7/10 at 2:07pm
I have extra speakers and a 7.1 receiver...

No place to put them though. I'll stick with my 5.1 for now.

OP should get a center speaker, it will help bring voices to the forefront and give them more depth/clarity compared to listening to them played on the Main L/R speakers competing with other sounds.
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post #9 of 10
7/7/10 at 8:25pm
+1

I don't have space for rear speakers but do have a 3.1 satelitte + sub setup. centre speaker really does a lot of work during movies
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post #10 of 10
7/8/10 at 2:37pm
For your PS3:

http://us.playstation.com/support/an...x.htm?a_id=788
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