Mittman

Right now I have my HD DVD player hooked up through my receiver via digital optical cable. The sound quality is good, though a little quieter than a standard DVD or my cable box. No problems, I just have to crank up the sound a few more dBs. I have a handful of old RCA audio cables lying around, but they are pretty cheap. (Not Monster quality, more like they came free with my cable box quality) Would I notice a sound improvement if I hooked up the A1 through the analog audio outputs? I know I must do this if I want True HD sound, but would the sound be better even though my optical cable is a top of the line Moster cable and I'd be replacing it with low end audio cables?

Josh Z

You don't have to spend a lot of money to get decent cables. Monster charges about an 8,000% markup on their actual costs. I would recommend buying 2 sets of decently shielded Component Video cables and using those.

Mr. Cinema

This is the first I've heard of someone saying a HD DVD being presented in full DTS (1.5mbps) sounding lower than a standard dvd, which I think maxes out at 769Kbps.

www.monoprice.com offers great quality cables for a much lower price than most competitors.

Mittman

Cool. I already have one spare set of component cables. I wasn't sure if I could use those or not.

cornflakeguy

Lots of people at AVS (and me) have nothing but problems using the analog outs on the A1. The Subwoofer out is about 10db lower than everything else and it's damn near impossible to even out.

I gave up and went back to optical out. And yes, even that is a bit lower, too, but managable.

lizard

"Even out" how? My understanding is that sound meters aren't as sensitive to low frequencies as higher ones, so trying to match subwoofer output by meter would make it much too loud. I balance my sub by ear.

I have mine boosted 5 to 7 db over the other speakers using analog out from the A1, but anything more than that causes the sub to become too noticeable. The sub is supposed to fill in the LFE, not draw attention to itself. I find that movie theaters sometimes have the sub cranked up so high as to be obnoxious (not to mention the ear-splitting volumes in some). Got to make the building and seats shake, I guess.

It's a matter of personal preference, I suppose. Some people like to hear lots of rumble, like those cars with souped up sound systems that go thumping down the street. I don't get the attraction.

cornflakeguy

By even out I mean that with all 6 channels going to the amp as they are from the A1, the sub is very low. So to "even out", you go into the A1, lower the db's on the fronts and rears and leave the sub where it is.

Now the volume on the amp should control all of the speakers normally, like they should.

But this doesn't fix it for me. I have to turn my amp volume up about 150% higher than I ever had before to get the A1 volume where it should be.

And thats all on analog. On optical its still a 'softer' volume, but at least the sub and the speakers are 'even'.

nazz

I just boost the sub on my receiver for the analog input and it works just fine. I have it set for +10 db right now but I'm considering backing that off just a bit.

cornflakeguy

Yeah I did that too, but even then it's not enough to "compensate" on mine.

But the point is: We shouldn't have to do that.

Plus, what happens when you switch to another source? CD player, cable/satellite? It's all out of whack.

The audio on the A1 is a mess, and I wonder if a firmware upgrade can fix it?

nazz

I agree that it shouldn't benecessary and a fix would be great.

I have a Denon AVR3805 and it only applies the boost to that input. You can have different settings for each input.

lizard

Something's not right there. I have my volume slightly higher using analog in from the A1 versus optical in from my DVD player: 54 on a scale of 80 verses 50.

There were a few early HD DVDs (from WB I think, Phantom of the Opera was one) that had sound that was unusually low. But nothing recent, so far as I have heard.

Spiky

They had this same problem (low bass) when DVD-A/SACD players first came out. If I made repeated mistakes like this in my profession, I'd get canned within weeks. (accountant)

One more reason why it costs a lot more to be on the bleeding edge. No doubt they will get this straightened out in subsequent generations and then you'll want to buy a new one.

Note, the difference lizard points out is no big deal, or at least not an HDDVD-specific issue. The only real issue is the extremely low bass some are reporting. A difference of a few db from one machine to another is perfectly normal, that's why the adjustments exist on some receivers, like the Denon mentioned above. None of my players is anywhere near as loud as my Macintosh HTPC, it's a good 8 db louder than any other source. I think I have one that is much lower than average, too. So that one is probably 15 db below the Mac.

exm

I would go for it. I am using Monster cables (since it's worth it on a $20k setup), and my Lexicon takes care of bass management. Even without bass management, you should be able to calibrate your system in order to compensate for the -10 db in LFE.

Spiky

If you ever want to upgrade, you should be able to sell all that over-hyped crap and get some better cables, although less flashy. If you DIY, you could even make some money on the switch.

exm

I spend $50 on a 5.1 (6 cables) Monster MK400mkii set. And on my set, you DO notice the difference between cheap cables and good quality cables, so I'm not sure what your point it. Not everyone hates Monster.

cpgator

Wouldn't your setup be a bit more than 20k if you have a Lexicon?

exm

I bought my MC-12 used, after selling my MC-1

cpgator

Must have got a good deal! Just asking because the few people I know with a Lexicon have 20k invested in just the processor and amps. Maybe one day I can step up to a lexicon...

nazz

I think the point is not Monster vs 'cheap cables' but Monster vs other high quality cables. You can get more bang for your buck by going with an equal or higher quality cable than Monster without paying for the name.

exm

Okay, I agree with you on that one. I do have Monster cables for a lot of interlinks, but I've been replacing some, like my speaker cables that I upgraded recently (QED BiWire). For video cables, I am using Blue Jeans Cables these days. One of the 'legacy' cables that I have, Monster Interlink Reference 2, is a cable I purchased 10-15 years ago, when Monster wasn't as commercial as it is now.

However, I still think that $50 is not a lot of money for 6 Monster 400MkII cables, all color coded (it is the Monster SACD/DVDA kit that I purchased).

exm

You can do that easily! The old MC-12 is $12k and the replacement (MC-12HD) is also going for that amount of money. Factor in a couple of thousands for amps and you're easily at $20k. I love high-end gear for mid-end prices: I bought my MC-12 used (they go for $3k-$4k these days used), and I also purchase my (Parasound) amps used.

The big advantage with high-end gear is that you can be sure that (most) owners take excellent care of it.

matrixrok9

Has the bass management issue in the A1 ever been fixed with a firmware upgrade? I want to get the A-1 refurbished at Vanns but don't want it if the problem has not been fixed.

Gracias in advance.