DirecTV Satillite Audio

[cadolfan]

I'm a newbie to HT. I just got a starter reciever. harman/karon AVR 325. I'm trying to connect the RCA DirecTV sattilite reciever to it(model# DRD435RH). I noticed I have a digital audio hook up to it. Can I use this with this reciever? Should I?

[TinHere]

I'm a newbie to HT. I just got a starter reciever. harman/karon AVR 325. I'm trying to connect the RCA DirecTV sattilite reciever to it(model# DRD435RH). I noticed I have a digital audio hook up to it. Can I use this with this reciever? Should I?

Yes and yes. Either coax or optical depending on what the sat rec. has as an output. If it has both coax will cost less and work just as well. This will allow you to get 5.1 when it is broadcast.

[cadolfan]

Yes and yes. Either coax or optical depending on what the sat rec. has as an output. If it has both coax will cost less and work just as well. This will allow you to get 5.1 when it is broadcast.

thank tin, ok you opened a can of worms. are there two different types of digital audio output? i'm looking at the sat rec guide and it says your digital satellite reciever has a PCM digital audio output jack. if you own an a/v reciever that includes a PCM-compatible decoder, use a digital audio cable. Not sure what a PCM-compatible decoder is or if my AVR325 has one? What do you think?

[TinHere]

thank tin, ok you opened a can of worms. are there two different types of digital audio output? i'm looking at the sat rec guide and it says your digital satellite reciever has a PCM digital audio output jack. if you own an a/v reciever that includes a PCM-compatible decoder, use a digital audio cable. Not sure what a PCM-compatible decoder is or if my AVR325 has one? What do you think?

The signals can be sent by eitther type of connection. Some units have one or the other and some have both. You can use either one. PCM [Pulse Code Modulation] "Frequently used format for creating digital signals from analog signals and then recreating the analog signals with a digital-to-analog converter a means of digital encoding." Your receiver will handle it and play cds.

BTW If you have a DVD player you must also hook up the digital connections and make sure the menu on the DVD player is set to "bitstream".

Here's a link that the definition of PMC came from:

http://www.audiovideo101.com/diction...t.asp?catid=14

Hook it up and enjoy.

[poneal]

Hi, I have an AVR-325 also. IMO that I'm very happy with its performance. Yes your receiver has a PCM decoder. PCM stands for Pulse Code Modulation and is how CD's are encoded. Just get an optical or coax cable, depending on what outputs your sat box has and connect it to an available optical/coax input on your receiver. You will notice that your remote has a dedicated sat button. Go into the receiver setup menu and select optical as the input source. IMO that I have all my gear running into my receiver and have the mon out on the receiver connected to the TV. So all my sound comes through the HT speakers and not the TV. Basically, I have the TV used as a monitor. Once you have everything hooked up and functioning, then you can do the advanced stuff like setting the speaker levels using the built-in pink noise generator and the mic built into the remote. This will balance your system out. It does a pretty good job at it too. I just received an SPL meter for christmas and checked it out. The readings were only off by most 1db from the receiver settings vs the SPL meter settings. You can also set up your bass optimization via the receiver. Just make sure you download the errata sheet from harman kardon that explains how to do this. You must be careful, otherwise, you may be losing some frequency ranges. Here is the link:

http://manuals.harman.com/hk/Owner%27s%20Manual/AVR%20325,525,4550,5550%20insert%20(FINAL).pdf

You must have the adobe PDF reader to read this via the net. The reader can be downloaded from adobe.com at no charge. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. There are quite a few regulars that have Harman Kardon receivers that would be willing to help you out. Good luck and enjoy.

[cadolfan]

Hi, I have an AVR-325 also. IMO that I'm very happy with its performance. Yes your receiver has a PCM decoder. PCM stands for Pulse Code Modulation and is how CD's are encoded. Just get an optical or coax cable, depending on what outputs your sat box has and connect it to an available optical/coax input on your receiver. You will notice that your remote has a dedicated sat button. Go into the receiver setup menu and select optical as the input source. IMO that I have all my gear running into my receiver and have the mon out on the receiver connected to the TV. So all my sound comes through the HT speakers and not the TV. Basically, I have the TV used as a monitor. Once you have everything hooked up and functioning, then you can do the advanced stuff like setting the speaker levels using the built-in pink noise generator and the mic built into the remote. This will balance your system out. It does a pretty good job at it too. I just received an SPL meter for christmas and checked it out. The readings were only off by most 1db from the receiver settings vs the SPL meter settings. You can also set up your bass optimization via the receiver. Just make sure you download the errata sheet from harman kardon that explains how to do this. You must be careful, otherwise, you may be losing some frequency ranges. Here is the link:

http://manuals.harman.com/hk/Owner%27s%20Manual/AVR%20325,525,4550,5550%20insert%20(FINAL).pdf

You must have the adobe PDF reader to read this via the net. The reader can be downloaded from adobe.com at no charge. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. There are quite a few regulars that have Harman Kardon receivers that would be willing to help you out. Good luck and enjoy.

thanks poneal,
i finally got my hk.(long story) i got it 4 weeks ago from etronics.com but the top was bent they sent me another a week ago in between that time i saw them at costco for about what i paid.(ugh). oh well i finally got it and i'm glad i did. i was worried about getting all the connections right but i followed the instructions and i've got video and some output. gosh the picture looks so much better from the sat reciever since i'm not going through the vcr f connecters.

anyway i'm glad i came back to this post becuase i forgot all about optimizing the sub. i saw your link and the pdf sheet was actually included with the manual. i hope i don't have any problems there.

my next hurdle to overcome is setting up the speakers. i'm a little confused there. there are some many setting i don't know which ones to use or how to set them up for my dvd, cd, tape deck, am/fm, vcr, satillite.

once i get that figured out i should then use the spl meter that's on the remote.

anymore advice would be helpful.

cadolfan.