Some explanation: I own an Xbox 360 with the HD DVD drive. Picture quality is very good(DVD and HD DVD) in comparison to my only other DVD player experience; A crappy $200 Sony HT in-a-box DVD player/reciever combo. It's been heavenly since I've purchased my 60/500 system in september, but of course, after some time when one becomes accustomed to such superior sound I couldn't help but notice how harsh the sound was of almost every live action film I've seen. I can't watch a movie over +3.0db without it hurting my ears -- HD movies included. And I am by no means sensitive to loud noise. I called Axiom about this and they suggested that it very well could be the fact that the Xbox 360 is not a dedicated DVD player. My remedy to this would be to go out and purchase the Denon 2910(or another recommendation at that price point -- I don't like purchasing merely "good" products). But I would like to feel confident before purchasing such an expensive piece of equipment. Here are several questions:
How significant are DVD players in the quality of sound coming through my speakers?
If so would the Denon 2910 represent a significant step up in sound(and picture) quality from the 360?
Is a good HDMI cable worth purchasing? Would a digital signal provide an audible(and visible) difference?
Would a quality pre amp help at all with my system? (Epic 60/500 7.1(M2 back surrounds)
And one last question not exactly related to the above;
Would it be possible to integrate a high end center channel to replace my Vp150? I can't help but feel like the VP150 can't keep up no matter what I try. Would an M22 or even an M60 be a step up as a center channel? One of those RBH Sound Center channels look might tempting.
Is it possible that your receiver is the culprit? Perhaps it is running out of juice at +3 and distorting the sound...which is causing the harshness that you hear.
Are you using the HTIB receiver to power the speakers?
I second the question, what are you using to drive the speakers.
You are not using a digital cable for the audio? Digital is a better signal in my books, especially for movies. I would also suspect that the Xbox has a somewhat weaker signal output than a stand alone player. I noticed a huge difference moving from one brand to another brand DVD player, went from near 0 on my Denon avr to a -20.
I am using a Yamaha V2600. I purchased it when I bought my Axioms.
Where's your center channel located?
I used to have mine mounted with an FMB above my tv, I've since moved it to directly below the screen on a stand and the sound is much much better.
My center channel is located on top of my television. Would it not be possible to use a high end center channel of another company?
It would be possible, but I don't think that that is where your problem lies, and I'm almost certain it's not in the source (ie, the 360). You've outlined several different problems here--harsh sound, VP150 "not keeping up," and having your volume at +3.0dB. What do you mean by the last bit? On my receiver, a volume level (not a speaker level) of +3 dB would mean that it was outrageously loud; almost at the maximum volume the receiver is capable of (+10 dB or +15 dB). Perhaps your amplification is not sufficient?
Placement is always critical (and very frequently overlooked) in audio. Play around with it; that could help you out a lot.
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It would be possible, but I don't think that that is where your problem lies, and I'm almost certain it's not in the source (ie, the 360). You've outlined several different problems here--harsh sound, VP150 "not keeping up," and having your volume at +3.0dB. What do you mean by the last bit? On my receiver, a volume level (not a speaker level) of +3 dB would mean that it was outrageously loud; almost at the maximum volume the receiver is capable of (+10 dB or +15 dB). Perhaps your amplification is not sufficient?
Placement is always critical (and very frequently overlooked) in audio. Play around with it; that could help you out a lot.
Amplification? I was under the knowledge that the Yamaha would have no problem powering my axioms. Could the wires not be connected correctly? I connected them with bare wire. Would banana plugs make a difference?
After reading this I decided to do a direct comparison between my Xbox 360 and my Denon 3910 for DVD's.
I found there was little or no difference in sound quality between the two on my system, the Denon provided a slightly better picture, possibly due to the HDMI and upscaling to 720p.
My guess would be that your receiver or placement is the problem.
How loud do you have this turned up?
No, changing to banana plugs would make no difference at all.
Is there a company I can call that can calibrate my system? Honestly, I'm getting irritated having to deal with this thing. I love the sound but I've had nothing but problems with the system since I've bought it.
Do you have someone that lives in your town or near by that could help. Calibrating a system is not that hard.
Have you checked that all your speakers are wired in phase?
My receiver works similarly when I watch a movie through my computer. The volume needs to be near 0 db to get decent volume, but with the radio, that's WAY too loud. It may just be the way the Xbox 360 outputs sound, similar to my sound card.
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Is there a company I can call that can calibrate my system? Honestly, I'm getting irritated having to deal with this thing. I love the sound but I've had nothing but problems with the system since I've bought it.
I take it you have never tried to calibrate it yourself or with the YPOA? This could be the problem, the YPAO itself could also cause this, as has been stated in a couple of other threads. If you have never set up the speaker levels try it out, follow the manual and do it manually with just your ears as guides, it would be a good start.
I've tried it more than once using the Avia guide, I'm not even sure what I'm suppose to be looking for anymore. All I know is that the speakers hurt my ears when listening to non-pixar movies even at very reasonable levels. The pixar movies for whatever reason sound extremely good in comparison to everything else I've seen since buying the axioms.
Forget the Avia guide, just do it manually with the pink noise from the speakers and just yours as a reference, see if that helps.
There is another possibility as well, in very rare cases the DolbyDigital decoder or some other parts of your receiver can malfunction causing very distorted sound. My neighbor had this happen with a HK receiver once. On stereo it sounded normal, but on DolbyDigital it sounded like his speakers were blown, kinda scary, even though his speakers are pretty cheap, I dont think it would be much of a loss personally.
More probably the settings are screwed. If the center channel is set at +10 and the overall volume is at +3 you would be at the max volume of the receiver and might be clipping. I don't think I ever turn up my volume above -15 to -10, that would be way too loud to listen for very long, especially in action movies.
First check that you are not using any special surround modes that are affecting the sound.
Make sure all the speakers are set at 0 on the individual speaker menu.
Try your cheap DVD player and make sure it is hooked up using the digital connection, optical or coax. Listen to see if it sounds the same. Do all the speakers sound harsh or just the center channel?
If possible try another receiver if all else fails, I know this is a major pain but if nothing else works you could try it.
All the speakers are, and have always been, set to 0 -- I found it to sound the best that way. But anyway, I bought the Denon 2910 and dished out 60 bucks on an HDMI from a company called Impact Acoustics and it really seems to have remedied the problem. It sounds incredible so far. Thank you all for your advice.
Glad you were able to work around the issue, but you have taken away all our fun.
