Why is my 950 losing audio sync now?

I have had my 950 since late June of this year with no problems at all. Starting last week it started losing sync on the audio from time to time. It is very fustrating! What could cause this now? I haven't changed any of my components. Same DVD player same coax cable. I know I can lock the 950 to a specific mode, but that is a pain when I play DTS encoded movies.

Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks to everyone for their help in the past.

By losing sync, are we talking about the signal dropping out and being re-acquired? If so, there are a few possibilities that I'd invetigate: the interconnect (is it loose or is there any damage like perhaps a pet chewing on it), the disc(s) involved, and heat buildup at the player and at the 950. It is possible that excessive heat buildup in the 950 could cause similar behavior. If you haven't done so already, I'd also run the question past Outlaw Tech Support .

is it out of sync with everything or just the dvd player?

gonk,

Yes, the audio signal dropping out then being re-acquired. I checked and the interconnect is tight, no pets. The drop out is not repeatable in the same location of a disc when it happens. Temp is even lower now than in the summer.

curegeorg,

Only the DVD player and only with DVD-V's not with any other format CD, DVD-A or SACD.

I logged a ticket with Tech Support. I'll pass along what I get from the Outlaws.

it never hurts to disconnect everything, and then reconnect everything again (if access is easy...). sometimes doing that and/or totally unplugging all the units will fix the odd quirk.

curegeorg,

I guess it cann't hurt. I'll get it a try.

Well, I spoke with Steve today and his suggestions were to:

Look for lose cables
Change cable
Change cable type
Change input on 950
Change Digital device

And if all else fails, do a hard reset of the 950.

I will start this tonight and see what happens.

The drop outs were never frequent so it may take some time to see if I find the problem.

Do you have Fluorescent Lighting anywhere in your house and do you have a powerline conditioner? My 950 used to drop the signal from any digital source whenever anyone turned on the Kitchen or bathroom lights, both Fluorescent. I purchased a Monster Power 3500 MKII and the drop outs stopped with the DVD player, which is an optical in, but the CD player, which is a digital Coax in, still does it. Analog signals were never effected. If you do have any Fluorescent Lighting in your home, test this theory it may be the problem.

Spatula,

Nope, not a single fluorescent light in the house. My concern is that after almost 4 months this started.

Yes, I am using a line conditioner it's make by Monster, but I don't remember the model number.

Sorry that it didn't help. Then I would definitely continue to work with tech support to figure out the problem and experiment with different sources in your house that cause a spike or power draw. If they can't figure it out, don't panic Outlaw takes very good care of their Gunslinger's. They will probably repair or replace the unit at no charge.

Hey! No problem. Thanks for the suggestions. I am completly confident that the issue will be resolved regardless of what it takes.

Well, I'm not sure yet if the problem has been resolved. I checked the coax to make sure it was tight and played a few movies. I haven't had any drop outs, but they never did occur all that ofen. So, time will tell.

Thanks all.

OK I finally had some time to look into my issue. I made sure that the digital coax was secure and watched some moview. Well, I got through Elf with no drop-outs, but not through the next movie.

So, next I will move the coax from Input 1 to Input 2 and see what happens. I just don't get a lot of time for viewing this time of year.

I'll keep you informed as I find out more.

Well, so far so good. I've gotten through 3 movies without a single dropout. I'll give it more time just to make sure.

OK Several more movies under my belt and still no dropouts. Maybe I'll switch back to coax 1 and see if they return. If so, I'll call the Outlaws and see what they say.

Later

Update. Well, coax 2 started producing dropouts. I spoke with Steve and he gave me some things to try. Go with optical link, change players etc. Nothing helped still had intermittent dropouts. I just lived with it. Then several weeks ago a read some link here about a similar problem that was fixed by turning on an extra channel. So, I turned on a back surround and so far no dropouts. I'm still evaluatiing this. I'll keep everyone advised.

Thanks for the help.

Norman

Please do!

Well, I still checking it out. I haven't had a lot of time for movies, but so far no drop outs during the last 6. I'll post here on occassion as I spend more time with this.

this is a prob on other not just 950 units .. i had a 2200 $ HK 7300 that did it between some chapters in movies etc .. have you noticed if it is at chapter breaks in dvd .. that is where the hk did .. very annoying .. some resistor or time delay in unit was thinking that that little breeak in signal was end of movie or someshing .. like timing between title screen audio feed when you start movie.. title screen is one sig then when go to movie you switch dts.. i dont know how fast of internal trigger the unit looks for .. youve heard people complain of when starting a cd it lags a second or 2 .. i believe this is all the same area of unit .. signal aquire/ change sensor..to be simple ..

I have had a 950 for almost a year, and I have noticed that it loses sync whenever there is a voltage sag caused by my air conditioner kicking in. You might have a similar prob and a power conditioner might help. Good luck.

travk13 & Simon

Thanks for your comments.

travk13,

The loss of sync I was experiencing was a little different. The losses were never repeatable. When I got one and went back it would not drop out again at the same time on the disc. Now, I do sometimes have a small lag at the start of a movie where the type of soundtrack changes and yes CDs sometimes lag at first.


Simon,

Maybe your theory has some merit. That would explain why when I repeat a part of a movie I don't get the dropout. I think it strange that since I told my 950 that there is a 6th speaker I haven't gotten a single dropout.

Odd very odd.

Well, two months later and still not a single dropout.

Anyone at Outlaw know why if the 950 is set to more than 5 channels this problem goes away?

Thanks,

Norman

About 2 months ago I started having the exact same problem with my first-gen 950 (one of only a handful that didn't have the hiss problem). Happened on all digital inputs. The only pattern I could establish was that it would happen after the system was on for 6 hours or so (a common occurance in my household). Went through the same series of tests, plus Steve had me get power from a different circuit and get the 950 out of the equipment stack to rule out heat issues. Nothing changed, so my 950 is currently at Outlaw getting the once-over...