PXA-H701 low bass with dvd

[Blackcharger06 10+ year member]

Hey guys I finally got my iva w205 with my pxa-h701. Everything sounds great, the only problem I have is, when I play dvd's the bass is very very low. Cd's hd radio stuff from the changer mp3's are fine. For some reason though dvd's have very little bass out of my sub. I get good mid bass from inside the car but I popped my trunk and my sub is barely moving. I played around with the endless amount of settings but couldn't figure it out.

I posted on here cause god knows I'm a noob when it comes to this stuff. Does anyone know how to get more thump when playing dvd's.

Click to read more...

 

[Blackcharger06 10+ year member]

Nobody? Come on I see a lot of you guys use this thing in your cars, what did ya do to bring up the bass. Setting the sub at +15 just isn't cutting it.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fro.gif.c695f1f814b01c4ad99fe7f8cccadd29.gif

 

[jluv 10+ year member]

Nobody? Come on I see a lot of you guys use this thing in your cars, what did ya do to bring up the bass. Setting the sub at +15 just isn't cutting it.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fro.gif.c695f1f814b01c4ad99fe7f8cccadd29.gif

I haven't run into that problem. Have you tried several different DVDs?

There are several different settings that have to do with the DVD output. I am at work right now, but should be able to mess with mine and offer some better advice later this evening (if I remember). Good luck.

 

[Blackcharger06 10+ year member]

I haven't run into that problem. Have you tried several different DVDs?
There are several different settings that have to do with the DVD output. I am at work right now, but should be able to mess with mine and offer some better advice later this evening (if I remember). Good luck.

Yea there are tons of settings with this thing. The only thing I can come up with is the fact that I don't have a center channel so it gets confused, idunno. Get back to me when you can, thanx.

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[jluv 10+ year member]

Yea there are tons of settings with this thing. The only thing I can come up with is the fact that I don't have a center channel so it gets confused, idunno. Get back to me when you can, thanx.
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Try the following settings, although I don't know why they woud only affect bass and not overall output.

Dolby PLII/Rear Fill

Dolby PLII/Rear - Off

Center Width - Off

Speaker Select

Center - Off

Multichannel Setup

Bi-phantom +5

Rear Mix - Off

Listening Mode - Max

Speaker Setup

Center - Off

PCM Mode

2 channel

Defeat

Off

Media Xpander

Off

See if that helps. Seems like it has to do with the recording of your DVDs more than anything.

 

[Blackcharger06 10+ year member]

Try the following settings, although I don't know why they woud only affect bass and not overall output.
Dolby PLII/Rear Fill

Dolby PLII/Rear - Off

Center Width - Off

Speaker Select

Center - Off

Multichannel Setup

Bi-phantom +5

Rear Mix - Off

Listening Mode - Max

Speaker Setup

Center - Off

PCM Mode

2 channel

Defeat

Off

Media Xpander

Off

See if that helps. Seems like it has to do with the recording of your DVDs more than anything.

hey Thanx for posting so fast, I tried all those settings and they work great. I had most of them already. The problem I run into is, that is fine for a pcm stereo file. On most of the dvds I have, like the movie cars, or any concert that I have, there is a 5.1 option. When I select that option that sub puts out next to nothing. I don't have a center channel, but I was under the impression that that is what the bi phantom takes care of. It seems when I put it in 5.1 mode more bass comes from the speakers but not much if anything from the subs. I called up both alpine canada, and usa and they said that is pretty much a bi product of the system. There has to be a way to get it to work, and I'm sure it's something stupid like a button or something. Thanx again for giving me some different settings to try.

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fro.gif.c695f1f814b01c4ad99fe7f8cccadd29.gif :fro:

 

[jluv 10+ year member]

hey Thanx for posting so fast, I tried all those settings and they work great. I had most of them already. The problem I run into is, that is fine for a pcm stereo file. On most of the dvds I have, like the movie cars, or any concert that I have, there is a 5.1 option. When I select that option that sub puts out next to nothing. I don't have a center channel, but I was under the impression that that is what the bi phantom takes care of. It seems when I put it in 5.1 mode more bass comes from the speakers but not much if anything from the subs. I called up both alpine canada, and usa and they said that is pretty much a bi product of the system. There has to be a way to get it to work, and I'm sure it's something stupid like a button or something. Thanx again for giving me some different settings to try.
//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fro.gif.c695f1f814b01c4ad99fe7f8cccadd29.gif :fro:

Okay, well, I know exactly what you are talking about now. When you select 5.1 on the DVD menu then you need to change the setting on your H701 to:

Dolby PLII/Rear Fill

PLII Movie

or

PLII Music

Just remember to set it back if you aren't playing 5.1 material (or have presets for each).

And what they have told you is correct. Even with the correct setting chosen, 5.1 playback is MUCH quieter than stereo playback. I noticed this from day 1, and it seems to be the case with every DVD I have tried. Luckily, there is a fix for this in the settings as well.

DVD Level

Dolby Digital - (?)

Dolby PLII - (?)

DTS - (?)

PCM - (?)

On mine, I have the first three set to +5, and PCM set to 0. Whataver you choose as the PCM setting, make sure to set your gains on your amps around that setting. Then, by making the settings for the 5.1 formats much higher (+5 is the max, but you could set the PCM at -2 or something like that if you really wanted), you will compensate for the lower volume and come close to making them even. Again, just make sure you set your gains on your amps after you choose the PCM setting.

 

[Blackcharger06 10+ year member]

Okay, well, I know exactly what you are talking about now. When you select 5.1 on the DVD menu then you need to change the setting on your H701 to:
Dolby PLII/Rear Fill

PLII Movie

or

PLII Music

Just remember to set it back if you aren't playing 5.1 material (or have presets for each).

And what they have told you is correct. Even with the correct setting chosen, 5.1 playback is MUCH quieter than stereo playback. I noticed this from day 1, and it seems to be the case with every DVD I have tried. Luckily, there is a fix for this in the settings as well.

DVD Level

Dolby Digital - (?)

Dolby PLII - (?)

DTS - (?)

PCM - (?)

On mine, I have the first three set to +5, and PCM set to 0. Whataver you choose as the PCM setting, make sure to set your gains on your amps around that setting. Then, by making the settings for the 5.1 formats much higher (+5 is the max, but you could set the PCM at -2 or something like that if you really wanted), you will compensate for the lower volume and come close to making them even. Again, just make sure you set your gains on your amps after you choose the PCM setting.

Thanx for the reply. I had the first 3 settings on +5 and pcm set to 0. I read a post about how to set the gains with the processor, on another forum. I saw those other setttings I'll have to give them a shot. If I use the movie or music setting does it increase the bass to the sub? I've got 3 presets now. One flat , one for a basic sq set up and preset 3 is sq with more bass.

I'll use the movie or music setting for one of the other presets and see how it goes. I did notice that if I put pcm at +5 is really pounds hard. I've done that some times so that I just have to put the volume at 11 instead of 20 or to get a lot of juice out of it. After having it for a week now I've put the pcm level back at 0 to save my hearing. Thanx again for your help.

Brian

 

[Blackcharger06 10+ year member]

Ok so I tried the settings and this is what I came up with. If I put in a dvd, and select 5.1 mode the bass goes way way down, not out of the speakers, just out of the sub. No matter what settings, double movie, music rear fill little to no bass comes from the sub. When I put the dvd in stereo mode on the dvd menu it self it says it's in lcpm mode on the info screen.

When dolby in the head unit screen is turned to off, then the pcm dvd level is the only option that changes over all sound level. If I put the dolby mode in rear fill, movie or music then the only function in the dvd level that adjusts the sound level is dobly digital.

After playing with the settings I came up with a few conclusions.

1. The head unit can take a lpcm sound track and make it a 5.1, and preserve the low bass.

2. The head unit and the processor fight each other so if you choose 5.1 in the head unit the processor for some reason doesn't play the subwoofer audio tracks.

3. The only way to get a 5.1 soundtrack to play on my current system is to leave the audio option on the disk menu to stereo because the processor will take care of the rest as long as I pick one of the dolby settings. I have sin city which has a dts soundtrack I'll give that a try and see if it makes a difference.

I'm sure I'm missing something. I'm still very very green when it comes to car audio, but I'm sure at some point I'll get to the bottom of it.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fro.gif.c695f1f814b01c4ad99fe7f8cccadd29.gif :fro:

 

[docutech 10+ year member]

what if?:

you turn off the processor?

will you still be able hear sound?

OR

If you have a bass knob, crank that mutha!

dunno, just fishin here...

 

[jluv 10+ year member]

Thanx for the reply. I had the first 3 settings on +5 and pcm set to 0.

That is good.

I read a post about how to set the gains with the processor, on another forum. I saw those other setttings I'll have to give them a shot.

Get yourself a DMM and some test tones and set your amp gains correctly with the PCM set and then leave the PCM setting there. If you increase it, you are throwing off the work you did setting your gains.

If I use the movie or music setting does it increase the bass to the sub? I've got 3 presets now. One flat , one for a basic sq set up and preset 3 is sq with more bass.

It doesn't necessarily just increase bass to the sub. If you select 5.1 in your DVD menu, then the DVD material is going to be played in the 5.1 format. Sending that formatted material through your processor into PCM mode is not ideal. And vice versa. If you set the DVD menu to play in stereo, you do not want to have your processor in 5.1 mode. Think of it like this. Let's say (hypothetically) that you have a truck with two gas tanks and two motors, one diesel and one for regular gas. You have a switch on the dash for either. If you fill the tank with diesel, you need to set the switch on the dash accordingly. If you fill it with regular gas, you need to set the switch to regular gas. Same goes for your system. If you choose stero PCM on the DVD, then set your processor to PCM mode. If you set the DVD menu to 5.1, you are feeding your processor a 5.1 signal, and need to switch it on the processor menu as well.n Doing opposite will result in lower overall output across the baord. You may be perceiving this as lower bass, I don't know.

I'll use the movie or music setting for one of the other presets and see how it goes. I did notice that if I put pcm at +5 is really pounds hard. I've done that some times so that I just have to put the volume at 11 instead of 20 or to get a lot of juice out of it. After having it for a week now I've put the pcm level back at 0 to save my hearing. Thanx again for your help.
Brian

When you increase the PCM level, you are just raising the starting point of output that gets sent to your amps. You shouldn't adjust it once you've set your gains. You can set that at -5, 0, or +5 and get the same output based on where you set your gains afterward. The whole purpose of being able to set those levels differently is so you can correctly match the PCM output to the Dolby or DTS output. This is why I suggested setting the PCM to 0 and the Dolby and DTS to +5. If you set the PCM to +5, then you won't be able to get the others to get loud enough. Also, you may want to revisit your gains and set them so that you get max volume at higher than 20. The Alpine head unit goes up to 35, so ideally you want to have more room between very low volume and very high volume. You'd probably want max without clipping to be somewhere between 24 and 30. 11 is insane, and with each increasing number from 1-11, you increase the volume dramatically, and don't have as many different volume levels to choose from.

 

[jluv 10+ year member]

Ok so I tried the settings and this is what I came up with. If I put in a dvd, and select 5.1 mode the bass goes way way down, not out of the speakers, just out of the sub. No matter what settings, double movie, music rear fill little to no bass comes from the sub. When I put the dvd in stereo mode on the dvd menu it self it says it's in lcpm mode on the info screen.
When dolby in the head unit screen is turned to off, then the pcm dvd level is the only option that changes over all sound level. If I put the dolby mode in rear fill, movie or music then the only function in the dvd level that adjusts the sound level is dobly digital.

It's black and white man. If you set the DVD menu to stereo, choose PCM in the processor settings. If you choose 5.1 in the DVD menu, set the processor to Dolby PLII for music or movie (doesn't really matter much between those two). Doing it flip-flopped is all wrong and will have significantly less output.

5.1 playback from the W205/H701 combo is significantly quieter than stereo. This is why you can adjust those levels on the front end, then set your gains, and then leave it alone.

In general 5.1 playback is going to be quieter than stereo in any circumstance simply because you don't have multiple speakers playing all of the material at the same time. You only have two separate channels with stereo, so everything that happens on the left comes from all left speakers. Everything that happens on the right comes from all right speakers. All low frequencies from either channel come through the sub. With 5.1, each speaker only plays a portion of the action. Most of the material comes from the front speakers. Your rears play very little, and your sub only plays material that was formatted during the recording process to come from the sub. Play something with big explosions, and you should notice the sub comeing to life at those times. Don't expect it to be anything like a rap song on the radio or a CD. It's just not going to be that way. You might need to adjust the subwoofer setting all the way up to 15 when playing back movies in 5.1 to be happy, but there again, to get any result from doing that, you need to leave you subwoofer setting lower than that (maybe 8 or 10) for playing music, or you won't have anywhere to increase. It's all about headroom. Leave yourself room to increase these levels when needed.

After playing with the settings I came up with a few conclusions.1. The head unit can take a lpcm sound track and make it a 5.1, and preserve the low bass.

No, it cannot.

2. The head unit and the processor fight each other so if you choose 5.1 in the head unit the processor for some reason doesn't play the subwoofer audio tracks.

That is not true.

3. The only way to get a 5.1 soundtrack to play on my current system is to leave the audio option on the disk menu to stereo because the processor will take care of the rest as long as I pick one of the dolby settings. I have sin city which has a dts soundtrack I'll give that a try and see if it makes a difference.

If you leave the DVD menu setting on stereo, then you are not getting true 5.1 from your processor. You need to match the DVD menu seting to the processor setting.

I'm sure I'm missing something. I'm still very very green when it comes to car audio, but I'm sure at some point I'll get to the bottom of it.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fro.gif.c695f1f814b01c4ad99fe7f8cccadd29.gif :fro:

It is somewhat complicated, but I'm doing my best to help you understand how it works. It's tough sometimes to do that in text, whereas if we were both sitting in front of the unit I could show you what I am talking about visually and give you real examples of how the settings work.

In the end, I think you are expecting more bass output in 5.1 than what you will get. In order to make it as much like 5.1 in a home, you need to set things correctly, and this includes starting with your PCM level at 0 (or maybe even -1 or -2), and then setting your gains correctly with test tones and a DMM, and then maxing out your Dolby and DTS level at +5. If you do this first, and then follow the rest of the settings I laid out for you, you should be happier.

 

[jluv 10+ year member]

By the way, you are using a digital optical cable from the head unit to the processor, right? If not, this whole conversation has been for nothing. lol

 

[Blackcharger06 10+ year member]

Hey man, thanx for the posts, I'm sure it's frustrating trying to invent the wheel. I understand what are you are saying about the gains. I have the JL audio cleansweep cd with test tones and I set everything with pcm level at 0, using a volt meter.

I also understand that if I want dobly I need to pick it in the dvd menu and set the processor accordingly. I read on page 48 or the pxa manual today that if you have the rear speakers set for large that you get no subwoofer out put. I didn't notice much of a difference, when setting my speakers to small or none, but oh well.

If I leave the dvd menu in stereo mode, and then pick dolby movie or music is does mimic that setting or effect like a home stereo in a box would, but I do understand that I am not getting true 5.1. I also understand that 5.1 is a lot quiter and little or nothing comes from the rear speakers and that the sub response is nothing like that of a rap or hip hop song.

I'm just being *****y and what more bass out of the sub //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif And don't worry yes I am using the optical out of the head unit to the processor. At least I am doing something right. Sound issues aside I still need to figure out what is wrong with my cd changer. I got it used and it has a dent, some times it;s a source some times it;s gone. I threw in a new ai net cable the other day and it worked fine until today. Then it frooze and then disappeared as a source. Time to get a new changer **** internet oh well.

Thanx again for your help

 

[jluv 10+ year member]

I read on page 48 or the pxa manual today that if you have the rear speakers set for large that you get no subwoofer out put. I didn't notice much of a difference, when setting my speakers to small or none, but oh well.

Really? That can't be right. I have my rear speakers set to large and I definitely get output from the sub. I'm at work so I obviously don't have the manual with me, but when I opened it from Alpine's website, page 48 was the very last page with warranty disclaimer stuff.

http://vault.alpine-usa.com/products/documents/OM%20PXA-H701.pdf

Strange...