Surround Sound Setup Help

Author: Bossk
Date: 5-Jun-2005, 5:28 PM

Author: Bossk
Time: 5-Jun-2005 5:28 PM
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Okay guys, this from someone who knows nothing about surround sound setup. I have a Sony STRDE485 Receiver and have my five speakers hooked up. For several years, while living in an apartment, I had only three of them hooked up because we could never properly mount the rear speakers. Now that we have our own place, we want them hooked up and I have them all plugged in and all that jazz. However, I am getting no sound whatsoever from either of the rear speakers. What can be done? I've read the instructions and wiped the receiver's memory in hopes of that working, but it doesn't. Every time I try to set the speakers in terms of distance/height/size settings, the receiver display keeps telling me that the rear channel is "not used." Help.

I hate stereos.

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Author: Jay
Time: 5-Jun-2005 5:49 PM
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Does the receiver have internal test tones for setting individual speaker volume? Do you hear those when cycling through them?

Do you have a calibration disc (Avia, Digital Video Essentials) with test tones, or a DVD that you're sure has a 5.1 soundtrack with active surrounds?

Does the little DD/DTS symbol light up when playing a DVD?

Does your receiver have multiple digital and analog inputs that need to be assigned to specific equipment inputs (DVD, TV, etc.), and if so, have you assigned the proper digital input (optical or coaxial) for your DVD player? Do you have the DVD player connected to the receiver via its digital connection?

There are so many possibilities that it can be tough to identify the problem. If I were there, I'd probably have it up and running in two minutes.

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Author: greencapt
Time: 5-Jun-2005 5:54 PM
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Quote
Originally posted by: Bossk
Okay guys, this from someone who knows nothing about surround sound setup. I have a Sony STRDE485 Receiver and have my five speakers hooked up. For several years, while living in an apartment, I had only three of them hooked up because we could never properly mount the rear speakers. Now that we have our own place, we want them hooked up and I have them all plugged in and all that jazz. However, I am getting no sound whatsoever from either of the rear speakers. What can be done? I've read the instructions and wiped the receiver's memory in hopes of that working, but it doesn't. Every time I try to set the speakers in terms of distance/height/size settings, the receiver display keeps telling me that the rear channel is "not used." Help.

I hate stereos.

What sound source and cable hook-up are you using? (ie DVD, optical cable, radio on receiver, etc, etc) Perhaps your source is only two-channel stereo?

Author: greencapt
Time: 5-Jun-2005 6:04 PM
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Also, after glancing at the manual for this model... is your 'sound field function' "ON" using the MODE button and you've selected a sound field that contains the words 'C.ST.EX'?

Author: Bossk
Time: 6-Jun-2005 8:30 AM
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There are several of those questions that I will have to look into when I get back home today. I do know that I have C.ST.EX as one of the settings available to me. Actually, I have A-C available. As well as NORM.SURR and others. Most of my stereo components are hooked up via RCA cable to their indie inputs in the back. The DVD player is hooked up via RCA as well only because it's an older model DVD player that didn't have RGB or optical available. My RGB ready DVD player is hooked up in the bedroom only because it is a single disc player whereas this older one is a five-disc changer and is nicer to use with the stereo for CDs and/or DVDs loaded at the same time (my wife prefers this).

However, I did do some reconfiguring and did get sound out of both rear speakers now. However, the receiver only recognizes them as one lump Surround setting instead of allowing me to configure each one as its own speaker (surround left and surround right). But at least they now have sound. That is a step in the right direction.

Also, the Google ads are pretty smart. When I opened up this thread to type this message, the ad was for Orb Audio. Not bad.

Author: greencapt
Time: 6-Jun-2005 8:50 AM
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Good luck and keep us informed!

PS: I didn't forget about those BSG discs... still waiting on my friend to bring them back... lol

Author: Jay
Time: 6-Jun-2005 9:22 AM
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Quote
Originally posted by: Bossk
However, I did do some reconfiguring and did get sound out of both rear speakers now. However, the receiver only recognizes them as one lump Surround setting instead of allowing me to configure each one as its own speaker (surround left and surround right). But at least they now have sound. That is a step in the right direction.

You can only get Dolby Pro Logic, which has one surround channel, via RCA connections. Dolby Digital is a 5.1 bitstream that needs to be fed to the receiver via optical or coaxial.

Quote
Also, the Google ads are pretty smart. When I opened up this thread to type this message, the ad was for Orb Audio. Not bad.

I noticed this also. I'm not making a fortune, but the ads should at least cover hosting costs based on the revenue from the first week of their implementation.

Now if I can just figure out how to get Google to pay me $80/hr for development time.

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Author: PSYCHO_DAYV
Time: 6-Jun-2005 11:40 AM
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I HOOKED UP SURROUND SOUND TO MY MAC MINI A FEW WEEKS AGO. NOW, I JUST NEED TO DO THE SAME FOR MY iMAC.

"I'VE GROWN TIRED OF ASKING, SO THIS WILL BE THE LAST TIME..."
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Author: Bossk
Time: 7-Jun-2005 5:30 AM
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Quote
Originally posted by: Jay
You can only get Dolby Pro Logic, which has one surround channel, via RCA connections. Dolby Digital is a 5.1 bitstream that needs to be fed to the receiver via optical or coaxial.

Ahhhh... that explains it. May have to look in the back of the DVD player again and pray the whole thing doesn't come tumbling down. That's the damnable thing about entertainment centers, you hook 'em up once and pray you never have to go back there as everything is set up so tentatively.

Green, let me know about BSG.