Problems with SACD 5.1 playback
 

I was wondering if I could get some advice here.

I recently bought a Sony DVP-NS775V DVD player, which also plays SACD. My
problem is that I can't get 5.1 SACD playback.

I successfully get sterio SACD playback - that seems to work fine. My
receiver (Yamaha RX-V800) does not have analog 5.1 inputs- but it does have
an analog 6ch input. So, I picked up a couple of sets of run-of-the-mill
RCA cable (el cheapos from Best Buy) and ran them from the 5.1 output on the
DVD player to the 6ch input on my receiver, made sure I was playing a
muti-channel disc, set the DVD player to multi channel, and played it -
still no surround sound. I only get audio from my main speakers.

So, I'm at a loss. Anybody have any ideas as to how I can further
troubleshoot this?

Go into the players menu under the 'SACD output' section and make sure it's
set to 'multi' and not '2-channel'.


"John Fox" wrote in message
...
I was wondering if I could get some advice here.

I recently bought a Sony DVP-NS775V DVD player, which also plays SACD. My
problem is that I can't get 5.1 SACD playback.

I successfully get sterio SACD playback - that seems to work fine. My
receiver (Yamaha RX-V800) does not have analog 5.1 inputs- but it does
have
an analog 6ch input. So, I picked up a couple of sets of run-of-the-mill
RCA cable (el cheapos from Best Buy) and ran them from the 5.1 output on
the
DVD player to the 6ch input on my receiver, made sure I was playing a
muti-channel disc, set the DVD player to multi channel, and played it -
still no surround sound. I only get audio from my main speakers.

So, I'm at a loss. Anybody have any ideas as to how I can further
troubleshoot this?

I was wondering if I could get some advice here.

Well, you could start by reminding Delhomme, Muhammad and Peppers that NFL
contracts aren't guaranteed.

What?

Er...

Oh, sorry, wrong John Fox.

Heh - yeah, I get that sometimes....

Go into the players menu under the 'SACD output' section and make sure
it's
set to 'multi' and not '2-channel'.

It's on multi.

I'm starting to think that the 5.1 output on the player may need fixin' (I
tested and my receiver's 6ch input seems to be functioning properly).

John Fox wrote:
I was wondering if I could get some advice here.

I recently bought a Sony DVP-NS775V DVD player, which also plays
SACD. My problem is that I can't get 5.1 SACD playback.

I successfully get sterio SACD playback - that seems to work fine.
My receiver (Yamaha RX-V800) does not have analog 5.1 inputs- but it
does have an analog 6ch input. So, I picked up a couple of sets of
run-of-the-mill RCA cable (el cheapos from Best Buy) and ran them
from the 5.1 output on the DVD player to the 6ch input on my
receiver, made sure I was playing a muti-channel disc, set the DVD
player to multi channel, and played it - still no surround sound. I
only get audio from my main speakers.

So, I'm at a loss. Anybody have any ideas as to how I can further
troubleshoot this?

John,

Not to sound overly simplistic here, but have you tried other SACDs? I have
a Yamaha as well (HTR-5450), and have my DVD player connected via the analog
6-channel input for SACDs and DVD-As. I bought a classical SACD at BestBuy
that would not output 5.1, only stereo, even tho' my player (Denon 2910)
ID'd it as SACD. Other SACDs and DVD-As I have play fine, so I returned the
disc for another. Same thing happened.

I don't know the reason for this, but it clearly had to do with the way the
disc was produced. Perhaps something similar is happening to you.

Bruce

"John Fox" wrote in message
...
I was wondering if I could get some advice here.

I recently bought a Sony DVP-NS775V DVD player, which also plays SACD. My
problem is that I can't get 5.1 SACD playback.

I successfully get sterio SACD playback - that seems to work fine. My
receiver (Yamaha RX-V800) does not have analog 5.1 inputs- but it does
have
an analog 6ch input. So, I picked up a couple of sets of run-of-the-mill
RCA cable (el cheapos from Best Buy) and ran them from the 5.1 output on
the
DVD player to the 6ch input on my receiver, made sure I was playing a
muti-channel disc, set the DVD player to multi channel, and played it -
still no surround sound. I only get audio from my main speakers.

So, I'm at a loss. Anybody have any ideas as to how I can further
troubleshoot this?

1. Re-check the instructions on pages 38-39 of the manual.

2. Make sure your SACD actually has surround sound. Many don't.

RichC

Rich is right. Try another disc. When you buy it, make certain on the back
side disc-label (not that label stuck on the front of the box) that it is
marked "Multichannel". Even then, it may only be stereo (Aerosmith disc a
notable example of mis-labeled SACD. MOST SACD discs are stereo only. Sorry
you are having to learn this the hard way.


1. Re-check the instructions on pages 38-39 of the manual.

2. Make sure your SACD actually has surround sound. Many don't.

RichC

John,

Not to sound overly simplistic here, but have you tried other SACDs? I have
a Yamaha as well (HTR-5450), and have my DVD player connected via the analog
6-channel input for SACDs and DVD-As. I bought a classical SACD at BestBuy
that would not output 5.1, only stereo, even tho' my player (Denon 2910)
ID'd it as SACD. Other SACDs and DVD-As I have play fine, so I returned the
disc for another. Same thing happened.

Yeah - I tried a couple. The SACDs that I tried specifically state
that they are mixed in multi cahnnel surround sound. I know the
difference, because I also have a couple of SACDs that are just 2ch
sterio mixes. The ones I'm trying are definitely advertised as 5.1
surround sound playback SACDs; I just can't get them to play as such.

I don't know the reason for this, but it clearly had to do with the way the
disc was produced. Perhaps something similar is happening to you.

It's definitely the way the discs are produced. If you look closely
in the future I think you'll find that most SACDs specify somewhere on
the packaging whether they're multi channel surround sound SACDs or
just sterio SACDs (which still sound great).

Are you getting a 5.1 Dolby signal when you play a DVD movie?


in article , John Fox at
wrote on 11/10/04 8:17 AM:

John,

Not to sound overly simplistic here, but have you tried other SACDs? I have
a Yamaha as well (HTR-5450), and have my DVD player connected via the analog
6-channel input for SACDs and DVD-As. I bought a classical SACD at BestBuy
that would not output 5.1, only stereo, even tho' my player (Denon 2910)
ID'd it as SACD. Other SACDs and DVD-As I have play fine, so I returned the
disc for another. Same thing happened.

Yeah - I tried a couple. The SACDs that I tried specifically state
that they are mixed in multi cahnnel surround sound. I know the
difference, because I also have a couple of SACDs that are just 2ch
sterio mixes. The ones I'm trying are definitely advertised as 5.1
surround sound playback SACDs; I just can't get them to play as such.

I don't know the reason for this, but it clearly had to do with the way the
disc was produced. Perhaps something similar is happening to you.

It's definitely the way the discs are produced. If you look closely
in the future I think you'll find that most SACDs specify somewhere on
the packaging whether they're multi channel surround sound SACDs or
just sterio SACDs (which still sound great).

Are you getting a 5.1 Dolby signal when you play a DVD movie?


Yup. But that's obviously going through a different output (optical out).

"John Fox" wrote in message
...
I was wondering if I could get some advice here.

I recently bought a Sony DVP-NS775V DVD player, which also plays SACD. My
problem is that I can't get 5.1 SACD playback.

I successfully get sterio SACD playback - that seems to work fine. My
receiver (Yamaha RX-V800) does not have analog 5.1 inputs- but it does
have
an analog 6ch input. So, I picked up a couple of sets of run-of-the-mill
RCA cable (el cheapos from Best Buy) and ran them from the 5.1 output on
the
DVD player to the 6ch input on my receiver, made sure I was playing a
muti-channel disc, set the DVD player to multi channel, and played it -
still no surround sound. I only get audio from my main speakers.

So, I'm at a loss. Anybody have any ideas as to how I can further
troubleshoot this?

I have an rxv-800, its in a box in my dining room, DOA AFTER 4 YEARS
Anyway that "six channel in is actually 5.1 channel, but thats semantics.
With a sony sacd player my old setup was basically the same as yours
You say the DVD menu is set for multichannel?
Do you have the button on your receiver "6 chan in" pushed in?
Doublecheck the dvd menu with a sacd in the slot, make suree it says multi
out

Rich is right. Try another disc. When you buy it, make certain on the back
side disc-label (not that label stuck on the front of the box) that it is
marked "Multichannel". Even then, it may only be stereo (Aerosmith disc a
notable example of mis-labeled SACD. MOST SACD discs are stereo only. Sorry
you are having to learn this the hard way.

I've tried two, both of which are labelled "Multi-channel." One of
them is distributed by Sony, and describes in detail in the jacket
that it is "surround sound" formatted.

So, if they're in fact NOT multi channel, then it's blatant false
advertising.

Sure is puzzling. The discs are right; it's not the receiver output, since
you're getting full sound via DVD.

I have the Sony 685 DVD/SACD. I took a look at the front buttons. There is a
toggle button for SACD Multi / SACD-CD (I assume this means stereo). Might
punch around on the face and see if you have a switch like that. When I
punch it and play a MultiChannel SACD, the set of lights changes. Maybe
that's it? Hope the bug turns up -- nothing like good 6 channel music
cranked up loud!


in article , John Fox at
wrote on 11/10/04 1:06 PM:

Rich is right. Try another disc. When you buy it, make certain on the back
side disc-label (not that label stuck on the front of the box) that it is
marked "Multichannel". Even then, it may only be stereo (Aerosmith disc a
notable example of mis-labeled SACD. MOST SACD discs are stereo only. Sorry
you are having to learn this the hard way.

I've tried two, both of which are labelled "Multi-channel." One of
them is distributed by Sony, and describes in detail in the jacket
that it is "surround sound" formatted.

So, if they're in fact NOT multi channel, then it's blatant false
advertising.

Got it! It was something simple of course: The speaker settings on my DVD
player. The center and rear speakers were set to "none".

I didn't notice it when playing movies because, obviously, the receiver does
all of the decoding then, so the speaker settings on the player are
irrelevant. For SACD, the player needs to do it.

Thanks, everyone, for your helpful suggestions!


"Dan Baw" wrote in message
...
Sure is puzzling. The discs are right; it's not the receiver output, since
you're getting full sound via DVD.

I have the Sony 685 DVD/SACD. I took a look at the front buttons. There is
a
toggle button for SACD Multi / SACD-CD (I assume this means stereo). Might
punch around on the face and see if you have a switch like that. When I
punch it and play a MultiChannel SACD, the set of lights changes. Maybe
that's it? Hope the bug turns up -- nothing like good 6 channel music
cranked up loud!


in article , John Fox at
wrote on 11/10/04 1:06 PM:

Rich is right. Try another disc. When you buy it, make certain on the
back
side disc-label (not that label stuck on the front of the box) that it
is
marked "Multichannel". Even then, it may only be stereo (Aerosmith disc
a
notable example of mis-labeled SACD. MOST SACD discs are stereo only.
Sorry
you are having to learn this the hard way.

I've tried two, both of which are labelled "Multi-channel." One of
them is distributed by Sony, and describes in detail in the jacket
that it is "surround sound" formatted.

So, if they're in fact NOT multi channel, then it's blatant false
advertising.

I have an rxv-800, its in a box in my dining room, DOA AFTER 4 YEARS

Mine has served me quite well over the past four years. I'll upgrade
eventually, but the RX-V800 will do for now. It's been a worthy
purchase so far (knocking on wood).

Dan Baw wrote:
...make certain on
the back side disc-label (not that label stuck on the front of the
box) that it is marked "Multichannel"... MOST
SACD discs are stereo only.

Hmmm, I thought by definition that SACDs were multi-channel. That's good to
know.

So what sets a stereo-only SACD apart from a normal CD if it isn't
multichannel? Higher bitrate?

"Bruce Phillips" wrote in message
...

So what sets a stereo-only SACD apart from a normal CD if it isn't
multichannel? Higher bitrate?

Different storage format entirely, so yes, so to speak, but more
importantly: the same masters aren't even used much of the time. The CD
layer gets the louder but less dynamic "for the masses" track while the SACD
layer can get the "we have dynamic range capability so let's actually use
it" track. Not that normal CD couldn't do that too, it's all about
producer's choice, but CD mastering got to the point quite a while ago that
it might as well be a 45 rpm single on a top 40 station - in your face as
much as possible, who cares if it's distorted.

B. Earp wrote:
"Bruce Phillips" wrote in message
...

So what sets a stereo-only SACD apart from a normal CD if it isn't
multichannel? Higher bitrate?

Different storage format entirely, so yes, so to speak, but more
importantly: the same masters aren't even used much of the time.
The CD layer gets the louder but less dynamic "for the masses" track
while the SACD layer can get the "we have dynamic range capability
so let's actually use it" track. Not that normal CD couldn't do
that too, it's all about producer's choice, but CD mastering got to
the point quite a while ago that it might as well be a 45 rpm single
on a top 40 station - in your face as much as possible, who cares if
it's distorted.

OK, thanks.

On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 06:47:36 -0800, "Bruce Phillips"
wrote:

Dan Baw wrote:
...make certain on
the back side disc-label (not that label stuck on the front of the
box) that it is marked "Multichannel"... MOST
SACD discs are stereo only.

Hmmm, I thought by definition that SACDs were multi-channel. That's good to
know.

Actually, the comment is misleading as almost all recent SACDs and, I
believe, the majority overall are multichannel. There is a
significant number of stereo-only ones.

Kal