I have Denon 2900 hooked up with 950 via 6 Outlaws cables. I can see from Denon display the signal goes out 6 channels when I play DVDA or SACD but no sound from center or surround speakers.
950 is set at 6-channel input bypass without bass management (I use Denon bass management instead). My system doesn't have a sub and the front speakers are set as large (the rest is set as small).
I think the setup is straight forward, and I can't figure out why there is no sound except from front speakers.
What can go wrong? Please help.
Thanks,
tvd51

You're getting stereo only from the six-channel analog input? You've encountered a 950 quirk/bug. When switching to the six-channel analog input from a stereo source, the 950 stays in stereo mode. If you switch to a source that is set to any surround mode before switching to six-channel analog, you should be good to go.

------------------
gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Thanks, gonk.
I'll try what you suggested and hope it works. Has this bug been fixed ? Does Outlaw know or plan to do something about this ?

tvd51

Outlaw is aware of it and has been for some time. I don't know if a fix is planned or not; since there is a simple work-around for it, it may be a low priority.

I've been able to avoid running into this problem by using a couple of macros -- macros that I originally created for the sake of convenience unrelated to the bug. I leave the DVD input set to surround processing all the time (it either uses PLII, Dolby, or DTS, depending on what's in the DVD player). When I used the 950's remote, I had two macros set up on M3 and M4. One macro switched to the AUX2 input, which was set up to use the DVD player's digital input and decode in stereo for listening to CD's (which saved me -- and my wife -- from having to change processing modes). The other macro switched to the six-channel input. By selecting the DVD input, I was switched automatically to an input using surround. Macros there saved me having to press "AUD", selecting the inputs there, and covering the IR emitter while pressing "DVD" to return the remote to the DVD player controls. Since I switched to an MX-500 remote last summer, I replaced the M3 and M4 macros with two buttons (labeled "AUXCD" and "6 CH") that I set up to send the "AUX1" or "6CH" input signals.

------------------
gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

The 950 punishes people who use it for stereo operation.

It's not a bug.

Just a reminder that it's one more small step for a man to get back to the future from the dark ages.

P.S.
You should know by now that Gonk never, ever, ever gives instructions that one 'hopes' will work.

Gonk: I try what you suggest and it works. Thanks again.
Since it's a known bug, Outlaw should fix it. There shouldn't be any excuse on priority.

tvd51

I came across a simiar issue with my cable box. I can swear that the TV channel display indicates that I am getting a 5.1 broadcast yet only the front and surrounds work the cc does not seem to be getting a signal ( although I can hear some white noise) I seem to recover by reconfiguring the input for the device back to DD. Think this is related?

That is probably not related. It is more likely the result of how your decoding mode works with the incoming format. What format is the 950 in when the center is inactive? Is your cable box connected to the 950 with a digital audio cable?

------------------
gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Gonk, I have the format set to Dolby Digital and I am using a coax cable. I did have an optical cable and got the same result.

The stereo/surround behavior only affects the six-channel analog input from what I understand, so your cable box is not running into that. When you encounter this problem, what signal does the 950 see? (Dolby 2/0.0 or Dolby 3/2.1, for example -- it appears on the right side of the front panel display for a few seconds when the signal is acquired...)

I'm curious about your digital cable service -- I have Time Warner digital cable (without any premium channels) and have found that in general I get only Dolby Digital 2.0 (not 5.1) on digital channels when I get DD at all. Some channels broadcast in PCM digital rather than DD, while others are analog only (I did switch my Scientific Atlanta box for a Pace box that will convert analog audio to PCM digital so I can use the coax digital audio output on all channels if I want to). Because of all of this, I use Pro Logic II for the Video3 input. In my case, even the channels that provide DD would yield a stereo signal only if I set the 950 to Dolby Digital.

------------------
gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

I e-mailed Outlaw asking them about this 2-channel to 6-channel bug and this was the reply:

"The feature you are describing is intentional and helps to ensure the highest quality playback. Though the user you have quoted perceived this as a software glitch, it is not. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you."

I'm confused how this is a feature... I didn't see this feature listed in the manual or anywhere else. Can anyone explain how this is a feature?

I hadn't heard this before, so I can only guess. If it is was intentionally included in the design, then it is most likely a mute of some sort applied to unused channels when in stereo mode to prevent unwanted interference or noise from reaching the amps. It could be considered similar to the "disable video" option included in many DVD-Audio players allowing the player's video circuitry to be shut down during playback to minimize signal traffic (and possible EMI) in the chassis.

At first glance, this sounds a bit odd, but on closer reflection it reminds me of one aspect of the 950's analog bass management design. In that case, the design team made a very deliberate decision to configure the crossovers in a specific way - a way that some people have disagreed with - in hopes of optimizing performance for most users. The crossover design came to light during the 950's initial roll-out, and even though there was the opportunity to change the 950 at that time they elected to stick with their original design because they felt it was the best solution for most prospective 950 owners. The bug we're looking at here could be similar - something they did intentionally to optimize stereo playback performance. Just a thought...

Hello Jamin,

As suggested by Gonk, this feature is analogous to a video muting circuit. Can you really hear the difference when video circuitry is disable on most HT systems? Maybe, maybe not. Along that same principal we have selected to offer a means in which to mute channels that are not being used in an effort to maximize the 950's bypass performance. We do apologize for any inconvenience that is caused by this feature's implementation.

Thanks for the replies. I totally understand now why it's being done.

And really, I don't think it would be much inconvenience - I can simply setup extra step(s) in my macros to make sure it goes into the full 6-channel mode.

I'm still doing research to decide if the 950 has all the features I want, but it sounds like it'll be a good match.

thanks!