sometimes its the discs themselves....there are no standards for ther multi channel mixes.....try the other audio options...mono, 2.0 etc
Problem with Arcam or JM LABS
I have an Arcam AVR 250 with an Arcam DV78. The speakers are JM Lab 716S Chorus Line(mains) w/ a JM Lab 700S Chorus Line (center) and JM Lab 716S (rears). The front 3 spkrs have Rega cables. The problem is understanding the dialogue from the center channel when watching movies. We think we have everything hooked up correctly and every setting set proberly. We have adjusted and readjusted every setting many times with little or no improvement. I have been running the mains on 0-5 with the center at 6 and the rears around 2-4. I purchased a sound level meter and set the levels correctly. No help. The voices coming from the center sound thick at times and slurred. We have tried the center at 5' and 2' with no improvement. The odd part is that I can understand every word coming from my TV during a broadcast when it is coming out of the center. Is there anything I can do to brighten the sound or is it just the British sound that I will have to learn to deal with. Thank you for your time.
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Sounds like a problem in the DV78. Check the audio output settings in the player and make sure that you are not "double processing". I have the AV8 and DV29 and had problems with cds because the player was trying to do surround processing on the stereo signal before sending it digitally to the AV8. It was apparenly trying to process cds like dvds. Volume would change randomly and voices were almost inaudibly quiet. Set the player so that it did no processing and cleared everything up. So, check the DV78 audio settings. |
Is there anything I can do to brighten the sound or is it just the British sound that I will have to learn to deal with I don't know if your Arcam has the equalizer settings where you can adjust the treble, midrange and bass to suit your liking. My AV processor has this function. This will really help in your case if you find dialogues from the center somewhat unclear. Since you mentioned you have tried numerous times in adjusting every settings on the Arcam, I think this may not be of any help. It's unlikely your center speaker would be faulty(you can always run simple tests on it) so I would guess the center channel of your Arcam may have some problem. Arcam gears being warm is no excuse for unclear dialogues from the center. Hence I share the same opinion as with Shardone. |
Here are a couple other points of interest that i did not mention about my system. The Arcan AVR 250 and DV 78 both sit in a pine entertainment center. The 250 is located above the 78 with a 1 inch hole drilled through the pine shelf for the cables to run through. The digital coaxial lead runs alongside the two analog interconnects through this hole. All three cables are made by Wasatch. Is it possible that the analog interconnects are causing distortion in the digital cable by being too close or are these cables just junk? |
My wife and I have had the same ongoing problem with the intelligibility of dialog in 5.1 movies. Maybe it is that we are both getting north of 50 yrs now. I have a decent center speaker, cables, and receiver and amp, but still sometimes have to turn on the subtitles to understand all the dialog. I think part of it is just the mix they create, with a lot of effects going on all over the place, which can obscure the dialog a bit. I do have the center channel bumped up just a tad, which helps some. Another problem is some of these actors just mumble and mutter a lot in some movies. And another problem occurs when they are recording in some old mansion with huge echoing rooms. You may be interested in this thread I started some time ago on the same subject. A lot of folks offered various types of advice. http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?cspkr&1110503464&openmine&zzMtrot&4&5#Mtrot |
THANK YOU SO MUCH Mtrot!! I have been waiting for someone to mention this. I am also just north of fifty and share the same feeling about the muttering. It's not just in movies though. Talking to young people these days is like pulling teeth with all that mumbling. Whatever happened to enunciate? You and all the others have been very helpful. I am going to upgrade my CC cable and do a few tweeks and be done with it. Maybe I should run down to Wal-Mart and see if they sell hearing aids. Thanks to all |
Try something different than the Rega cables. As much as I think in general that Rega is a good brand, I was not impressed with their cables at all when I heard them. On the system I heard them in initially, I was not impressed with the system until the cables were swapped out for another brand. The difference between the two brands in terms of sound quality and overall clarity was huge. Borrow some other speaker cables from a friend to try. To answer your other question, the coaxial digital interconnect can definitely make a difference ... without a doubt. In a system like this, it is one of the most crucial cables since absolutely everything for the home theatre audio signal is riding on this cable. I'm not sure what digital interconnect you're using, but definitely try the different speaker cables. |
Thanks Rick but this is all old news to me. I purchased a sound level meter with little or no improvement. I agree with Shane and Jeff but the calibration and delays are set perfect. I am going to switch from the Rega cables going to the center shortly. I am breaking in a set of Oval 9s on another system right now to try on the center later. I am also looking for a recommendation on a digital coaxial cable from anyone who has seen improvement on their system from using one. I have a Wasatch on it now and I'm beginning to believe it is of very poor quality. I bought the system as a whole from a dealer and I think most of the cables are junk. Any cable recommendations would be greatly appreciated, as this will be my last investment in this problem. |
My wife and I are also just north of 50 and she has a slight drop in hearing as well. as I said in my earlier post we were using JMLab 707S and 700 center. We just changed our speakers. We went with Paradigm S8 fronts and a C3 center - and the center has made all the difference in the world - dialogue is now improved drastically. The C3 is larger than the JMLab 700 and is also a 3way design. I would think about upgrading the center channel based on our experience. |
No, dont upgrade the center channel just yet. Try a new speaker cable first. Also, if you are using cheap interconnects. Try upgrading here as well. Do some more experimenting before you come to the new center channel conclusion. I have good luck with Wireworld Starlight Digital Cable. Call The Cable Company http://www.thecableco.com/ and ask them for a demo. Also, Wireworld has a full compliment of cables for your entire system. They are very clear sounding. |
I had the same problem with my centre channel (Wharfedale Diamond with Cambridge receiver). Some of my problem was because I had the cc placed vertical, instead of horizontal (recommended way) but I needed to save some space. and I had to angle the cc slightly upward, as it was at about knee level when sitting down. But, the biggest help was adding this device called a BBB Sonic Maximizer, its cheap and well worth it. Before I did that I wasted a bunch of money on MIT cables, B&K amp,cardis cables. Oh well, live and learn |
