I need some help, and I'll have a hard time explaining this.

I only have LF, LR and Center speakers.

My DVD audio is hooked up to my 950 via the Optical 2 input. When I watch a movie or listen to a CD on my DVD, I only get sound through my Center speaker. The only sound from the front speakers are an occasional distorted signal.

To listen to stereo I need to hit the bypass button, but then I'll lose the voices in the movies.

Everything worked fine but I have a visitor to my house and I think they screwed with buttons and messed smething up - probably playing with my Exbox (which I now have completely disconnected).

I've tried resetting the system to no avail. Any ideas?

You don't want to switch to stereo with the bypass button. Use the Stereo button just under it on the remote and cycle through to plain stereo (past 7-channel and 5-channel.) [Frankly, you must ALSO have analog audio connected from your DVD player, otherwise you wouldn't hear ANYTHING in Bypass mode.]

Also be sure that in your setup, you have told the system that you DON'T have a subwoofer or surround speakers.

If you're only watching monaural movies -- that is they don't have multichannel or stereo soundtracks -- you ARE ONLY going to hear sound through the center channel.

Also doublecheck your DVD player's setup screens to make sure it's consistent with your speaker setup.

[This message has been edited by boblinds (edited April 04, 2004).]

Thanks for the response.

I tried to switch using the stereo button but it didn't work. It didn't toggle through the different stereo sources, the display just went from stereo to showing me PCM in the upper right corner.

Everything is hooked up right and I made sure the rears and subwoofer reflects none.

I told you, this is wierd - any other suggestions?

It probably doesn't cycle through those multichannel stereo options because you don't have those speakers connected. The response you describe sounds normal to me. If you were playing a CD in stereo, you should get PCM on your display.

However, did hear anything when you selected Stereo that way?

Just to verify that everything is connected properly, use the 950-generated test tone and make sure the correct signal is going to the correct speaker. Sometimes weird crap happens. (It's happened to me when I thought everything was connected just right. )

Additionally, you should check your DVD player to make sure when you're playing Dolby Digital or DTS movies, you're passing Bitstream and not PCM digital data to the 950.

Out of curiosity, what do you have connected to your Optical 1 input? Does that exhibit the same issues as your DVD player?

If you don't have anything connected to Optical 1, just as an experiment, you might try switching your DVD player to that input and see what happens. (If it works OK, then that would suggest a hardware problem with the Optical 2 input. I suspect that ISN'T the case, but you try things when you're trying to shake something down....)

If you do change the input, just be sure to change the DVD configuration on the 950 to identify Optical 1 as the audio source in your setup.

Let's just keep at this. Since you say the system was working properly, it's probably just a setting that needs to be located and corrected someplace.

(By the way, I have an Xbox connected to my 950, too, via an optical input. Works great. So keep the Xbox. Just get rid of the visitor who screws around with stuff. )

[This message has been edited by boblinds (edited April 04, 2004).]

I appreciate your help.

I did what you recommended but I'm still getting distorted signals to the mains unless I'm in Bypass mode. In any other mode I get clear C speaker signals, but only an occasional distorted signal to the mains.

Optical 1 has my HDTV Receiver hooked up to it. It also is not working. Nothing is - not even the Tuner - unless I'm in Bypass.

I switched the DVD to Optical 3 but it didn't work either.

I've had this system with no problems for a year - then came the button pusher. This past Monday I telephone Outlaw and the guy had me try different stuff and we got it working. My visitor played XBox and I'm not sure what else and now it's not working again. I've tried to simulate what the Outlaw guy had me do but I'm unable to recollect the series he went through.

He said some kind of power surge could have interrupted the circuitry - or something like that. He started talking "binary" stuff and I knew I was in over my head.

Anyway, the bottom line is the mains are not getting proper signals from the 950. The connections are all the same, less the XBox, so the solution is some how massaging the internal circuitry. And I'll put the XBox back in when the visitor is gone - my kid in between homes. I'll lock up my remotes while he's here - that will solve part of the problem.

Any other ideas?

Well, I guess your best bet at this point will be to contact Outlaw tomorrow and try to work through that same process with the tech support guy.

Then next time your visitor shows up, just connect the Xbox directly to the inputs on the back of the TV so you can offer unlimited Xbox play without getting into the guts of your sound system.

Good luck!!!

PS -- By the way, when you talk to Outlaw, you might want to take notes. You know.... just in case.

Best Wishes,
Bob

[This message has been edited by boblinds (edited April 05, 2004).]

Make certain the software you're attempting to play really is multi-channel. I've found the number 1 limiter in the quality of sound I hear from my ht is the software. Much of it is inferior and only a few recordings are superior.

Jay

How did things work out?