onkyo integra tx-sv919thx

Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 & 12.2 Speakers
I haven't ever used an external decoder with any of my amps. In fact I have a Yamaha DDP-1 (I think) that doubles as a damn good DAC, but never used it in any other function.
Harsh ??? May work perfectly with the rounded and plum sounding 909 ... or may not. You never know. I never had a CD player I'd call Harsh, so no idea.
Cool.
Srinath.
 
I had connected optical cable yesterday and could see a drastic improvement in the audio quality although had to settle for stereo as 5.1 processing was not possible without an external decoder.

I thought that the DIY snake cable was an expense down the drain. Today, AVR shut off probably because of overheating (it was running for more than 10 hours). I let it cool for about 30 minutes and again powered it to listen to music. When it started, I noticed that the standard DSP error that I get for Dolby prologic wasn't there. Something had changed after the AVR restarted.
I immediately enabled the external decoder source setting on and the AVR started processing the 5.1 DSP. I disconnected optical cable just to be sure that the audio source was RCA analogs from DVD connected to DB-25 port and yes they were. My joy was unbound. Tested the surround system with Boys DTS CD and Matrix movie. I had Elac BS 243 for LR and old Philips DH-215 for rears.. The surround music was really good but there seems to delay issues. I need to manually configure the systems setup to make the speakers coherent. I am planning to add a SW and center to my setup now.
 
You managed to drive this into thermal shutdown ?
OK You sure its ventilated ?
I've never shut down my 909, but I also may have not run it 10 hours - I probably did though, but it is in a cool location in my house, and it likely wont ever get as hot.
Cool.
Srinath.
 
Srinath_seshadri said:
You managed to drive this into thermal shutdown ?
OK You sure its ventilated ?
I've never shut down my 909, but I also may have not run it 10 hours - I probably did though, but it is in a cool location in my house, and it likely wont ever get as hot.
Cool.
Srinath.
Click to expand...

Yes, I think so. It is well ventilated, sitting in the middle of the hall, on the floor as I am yet to get a good rack to hold 25 Kg load. I had asked my parents to keep playing as frequently as possible as I was trying to get my speakers to break in. I have asked them to be cautious with the hours spent on AVR. Whatever it may be, I never expected it throw such a surprise at me.
 
arunkvivek said:
Yes, I think so. It is well ventilated, sitting in the middle of the hall, on the floor as I am yet to get a good rack to hold 25 Kg load. I had asked my parents to keep playing as frequently as possible as I was trying to get my speakers to break in. I have asked them to be cautious with the hours spent on AVR. Whatever it may be, I never expected it throw such a surprise at me.
Click to expand...

In a hurry to "break in" speakers (assuming they are new), don't push the limits of both amp and speakers. Even cinema systems get a break between shows. 10 hours is a lot.
Speakers will eventually break in. Remember coils in speakers are also in play here. 3-4 hours a day is good enough with a break for 5-10 mins every hour.
Cheers,
Raghu
 
raghupb said:
Speakers will eventually break in. Remember coils in speakers are also in play here. 3-4 hours a day is good enough with a break for 5-10 mins every hour.
Cheers,
Raghu
Click to expand...

Oh.. Thanks for the valuable piece of info! I did not know that I was pushing the limits... Will keep my folks updated!
 
I have the same receiver that I picked up when it first came out in the U.S. two decades ago! If you want to use the volume knob on the receiver itself for a discrete 5.1 DTS source, your only bet is to go with the DB-25 input because it comes before the level control of the receiver (feeding them directly to the main in of the amplifiers after removing the pre-out/main-in plugs bypasses this level control). Jury rigging the DB-25 cable is not very difficult. The pin-outs are in the manual on page 15 (available off the web) so you can pick up a 25 pin RS-232 male connector at your local electronics ghetto, 6 RCA cables preferably with separate wires for center pin and outer ground to easily identify them, cut off one end, strip the leads and solder them onto the RS-232 connector. Make sure you label each cable to avoid confusion. The only difficulty I had was to stuff all six cables through the cover of the connector. Remember that there is no separate amplifier for the sub-woofer in the receiver so you need a powered sub-woofer to work with this receiver via the sub-woofer pre-out.
 
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arunkvivek said:
Great to know! Do you still use it? Can you compare it with any modern day AVRs?

The snake cable has made this AVR buy a steal for me!
Click to expand...

I had used it in a HTPC setup feeding only the audio signal via the jury rigged snake cable but retired it in favor of a Pioneer VSX-1021 because I wanted the HDMI switchability to incorporate other video sources into my projector. To be honest, I didn't consciously make any attempt to find out which one is better sonically. Obviously you get much more bang for the buck today but man, the thing is built like a rock compared to the flimsy Pioneer.
 
grebe925 said:
I had used it in a HTPC setup feeding only the audio signal via the jury rigged snake cable but retired it in favor of a Pioneer VSX-1021 because I wanted the HDMI switchability to incorporate other video sources into my projector. To be honest, I didn't consciously make any attempt to find out which one is better sonically. Obviously you get much more bang for the buck today but man, the thing is built like a rock compared to the flimsy Pioneer.
Click to expand...

The jargon heavy-lifting suits the person who moves it one room to another... Moving it from Chennai to Bangalore has almost popped my left arm out of the socket. All the weight leaning on one corner of the AVR makes it a difficult animal to move around.
 
arunkvivek said:
The jargon heavy-lifting suits the person who moves it one room to another... Moving it from Chennai to Bangalore has almost popped my left arm out of the socket. All the weight leaning on one corner of the AVR makes it a difficult animal to move around.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know. There's a hulking industrial size transformer off to one side that must weigh a ton and huge heat-sinks. I believe these step-down transformers have been replaced by switching power supplies nowadays that do everything electronically thereby reducing the weight. Overall, the receiver looks luxurious compared to the tin-can style Pioneer.
 
The DIY Cable from SP Road wasn't working properly due to bad soldering job. The wires were getting cut off (they were too thin).

My dad has experience in electrical work. So we started off with the soldering on a new DB25 pin. We chopped off wire from old mercury speakers, tinned them and soldered them in. The new cables are working very well.
Couple of photos https://www.flickr.com/photos/88451104@N00/25427532391/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/88451104@N00/25152792079/in/dateposted-public/
 
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Managed to get a DB25 to 6 RCA cable from Audiogon for $7 and it has improved the audio quality compared to the DIY cable. I understand the importance of insulation of pre wires better now. Oppo UDP 203's DAC sounds great with Integra's signature.
 
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