My setup: (1) Kenwood VR-409 receiver (2) Fisher ST-56B front speakers (1) BIC Venturi DV32CLR center (1) BIC Venturi V69 subwoofer (2) BIC Venturi DV32-B surround (1) Pioneer DV-260 DVD using optical/digital out
Ok now here is my problem. I have had this setup for about 3 years now and have never had a problem. Now all of a sudden it seems like the voices are always very quiet, and any musical interludes are very loud. I'm constantly turning the volume up, down, up, down.
I just held my center speaker to my ear while in 5.1 channel surround, and nothing comes out of it, so I'm assuming this is the problem? However when I run setup and do a speaker test, I get sound out of it. What could the problem be? Any help would be appreciated. I've had the setup a long time, however I would consider myself a newbie.
Edit: I realize that this isn't a $1000+ setup or anything, so I realize that could be part of the problem, however I'm a poor college student and can't afford a lot. I just don't understand why I've never noticed the problem before. Thanks again.
Not bad for a poor college student. I had a crappy 2-channel system made of spare parts and mismatched drivers.
Just a few ideas to consider...
Does your receiver have separate channel adjustments? Maybe your center got turned way down somehow?
Also, make sure your center did not get 'turned off' somewhere in one of the surround modes.
You can connect your center into one of your left/right main speaker leads and play some music to check it an ensure it is working properly. Don't crank it though if it is a small center.
Check it with more than one source, i.e. try several Dolby Digital or DTS DVD's that have center dialogue which should be just about any DD or DTS movie. You could try a different digital input on the receiver to eliminate the input as a problem.
Make sure DD/DTS is enabled in your DVD player and make sure the receiver is set to 'auto-detect surround' or whatever it is called on Kenwood... so that it is not using some other soundfield that may not have center information. Make sure DD or DTS lights up on the receiver when playing a DD/DTS DVD.
To eliminate the source as the problem, you could try a difference source... borrow a DVD player so you can insure you are in fact injecting center channel info into your receiver.
As far as adjustments, I have fronts turn to 0, and center turned all the way up. I hear nothing.
I run a speaker test, and it works perfect fine.
I plugged it into a main speaker lead and it played fine.
I have tried several dvd's, and several formats (DD, DTS, etc) and get nothing out of my center channel.
I have tried it through multiple inputs, and still no center. Also through multiple players, on different inputs, no center.
DD/DTS is enabled on all sources I used, auto detect surround is on, and everything lights up and functions correctly, and it says center is functioning, but nothing comes out.
ANY IDEAS?!?! this is really starting to annoy me. thanks guys
OMG. thank you sooo much!! months of fighting with this thing and something SO simple fixed it!! i don't know why that fixed it, or what could have been wrong w/ it, but voices are blaring out of that center speaker now. thanks so much berny! ill mail you a case of beer. whats your preference? :P cheers
