Denon 1713 + Polk Audio TL 1600, Anyone???

[neeraj.panday]

Audio Champs,

I recently purchased Denon 1713 AVR with "Polk Audio TL 1600" 2 way satellite speakers with woofer. Though i am happy with the overall surround and clarity, i somehow have this feeling that the overall clarity could be better as i have not done any custom settings after installation. I have following questions, if anyone could help me with..

1. I am not an expert and have followed the posts in various thread todecide on my 5.1 HT. Can anyone of you suggest me with best practice & optimal Audio VDO custome setting to get a Kick Ass effect? My Center channel speaker is 2 way, with bandwidth b/w 95 - 22000 Hz & 8 Ohm rating. Sensitivity of my satellite speakers are 89 db with 8 OHM rating and bandwith of 120 - 22000 Hz. Woofer response bandwidth of 40 - 22000 Hz. As of now, i have set a cross over frequency of 120 Hz.

2. When i play with multi-channel option, i get all the speakers (& woofer) work properly. However, on opting for Dolby 5.1 sound options for 5.1 recorded movie (transmission of Movies Now HD channel) , my rear speakers remain silent 90% of the time and work only for 10% of time whenever surround effect comes into the picture. Though i understand that rear speakers are only for surround effect, does that mean rear would remain silent all the time unless some surround effect comes in the movie.

3. Does this mean, while listening to song in 5.1 dolby option, rear speakers would remain silent 99.99% of the time (as songs rerely have surround effect)??

4. Would only HD cable channels have 5.1 transmission? Will SD channels not have 5.1 transmission? I do have HD set-top box (Hathway) and clearly see the difference in sound clarity between SD & HD transmission.

5. Playing multi-channel option (all speaker +subwoofer active all the time) is better or playing Dolby is better? When to choose what for better effect?

6. In what way buying separate HT components better than purchasing HTiB? What is the basic difference from layman's perspective?

Look forward to your expert opinions. Many Thanks in advance.

-Neeraj.

 

[baijuxavior]

1. Do the audessey auto setup. It will improve the sound performance.

2. Yes, it is correct. Don't expect sound through the rear channel always while playing real 5.1 contents. The sound through any speaker depends on the movie situation.

3. Set the AVR in Dolby Prologic or DTS Neo6 mode. This way you can hear sound through all the speakers when the content is 2 channel. When a 5.1 DTS or Dolby Digital movie is played, the avr will switch back automatically.

4. SD channels don't support 5.1. Even some HD channels have no 5.1. If the audio is in 5.1, the avr will display Dolby Digital symbol. But as I said before, use Dolby prologic or DTS Neo6 for a virtual surround sound.

5. It depends on your listening habit. I like hearing 2 channel music and movies in 2.1.

6. Better speakers, AVR with additional options all will result in a better sound experience.

 

[slash1814]

Hi Neeraj,

Check for the individual channel tone test, to see if the default volume of each channel is same. If you find it to be less or same, increase the volume level of Rear Surrounds only by +2 to 3 Decibels.
If you have tested the same on a handful of movies, it may be too early, try few more movies...I recommend "Master & commander", this movie will keep your Sats busy in few action scenes, or try Terminator -2 (easily available).

SD channels do not have digital transmition, hence no 5.1 output.
Multi channel option is only good for stereo resources, may be mp-3 or fm radio listening.
HTiBs are not a bad idea for a not-so-audio enthusiast. Mixing and matching all components is not easy, becoz you can never have a Demo of everything in one shot.

Regards

 

[neeraj.panday]

Thanks for posting your replies, any suggestions on 5.1 Blue Ray Movie (Hollywood or Bollywood) with great 5.1 effect that will keep my surround speakers busy (with or without low frequency effects)??? Now that i have spent on AVR HT, need to enjoy some of the great sound effects!!!

 

[Kittu]

Did u try all channel stereo mode ?

 

[Rupam]

What is the distance between your REAR speakers ? Refer to you speaker Manuel for correct distance. Use Audyssey to calibrate your speakers.
Or you can adjust your rear speaker volume by +1 db ( don't push them too high)
Movies with surround effects ?

Theres lot : AVATAR, TRANSFORMERS, MATRIX, DARK KNIGHT, MASTER AND COMMANDER,

LOOK HERE FOR MORE > http://www.avsforum.com/t/1190265/new-audio-tier-thread

I was eying for this particular speaker set to buy. Can you post a review?

 

[soamz]

Fast and Furious
Matrix
Tron Legacy
GI Joe

I loved those movies and the sound effects.

 

[neeraj.panday]

What is the distance between your REAR speakers ? Refer to you speaker Manuel for correct distance. Use Audyssey to calibrate your speakers.
Or you can adjust your rear speaker volume by +1 db ( don't push them too high)
Movies with surround effects ?

Theres lot : AVATAR, TRANSFORMERS, MATRIX, DARK KNIGHT, MASTER AND COMMANDER,

LOOK HERE FOR MORE > http://www.avsforum.com/t/1190265/new-audio-tier-thread

I was eying for this particular speaker set to buy. Can you post a review?

Rupam,

Polk Audio TL 1600 comes with its own set of advantages & disadvantages.. I have been using it for over a month now and am yet to un-cover all of its potential effects. To answer to your question, i have seen few 5.1 so far (and HD cable transmission, mostly hollywood flicks), based on which this is what i feel:

+ives:
Great Design, very sleek, easy to place (my rears are ceiling mounted due to acoustic limitations);
Small speakers but better than most of satellites in this size range that i have auditioned, i would say one of the best in satellite segment!!!;
Value for money (i got it at 32K INR), AVR extra!!!;
great centre speaker with crisp dailogue delivery output;
Sensitivity of 89 DB (Most of small segment speakers come with a rating of 87 DB);
Reviews of most of the users are very good that encouraged me to buy TL1600.

-ives:
Woofer is good but not very great, you might want to invest in another woofer depending on your preference of low frequency effect;
Frequency response range is a letdown! Due to frequency response rating limitation of satellite speakers, you might want to settle down with cross over frequency of 120 Hz ( i would have preferred cross over frequency of 80 Hz);

Overall, for my personal requirement (satellite speakers) & my living room size (15X13 feet), i am happy with TL 1600 but if you want a better bass effect and more powerful speakers, i would recommend
-Polk Audio TSi100 front bookshelf speakers
-Polk Audio CS10 centre speakers
-Polk audio Ohm 5 surround
-Polk Audio PSW110 Sub woofer

You will need to shell-out another 10-12 K to get the above combination but the over all sound qaulity would definitely be much better than TL1600!!! Had i not purchased TL 1600, i definitely would have gone with above combination, which i did not, primarily because i was specifically looking for satellite speakers.

Hope this helps!!! And hey, thanks for the movie lists....

-Neeraj.