Pioneer VSX-LX505 AVR Review

[Power Pop 23]

If there's a plan to use REW, then a UMIK1 is still a worthy investment as the included mic won't work w/REW.

Agreed.

I think a calibrated microphone will eventually 'pay' for itself - in the usage cases for many ASR members.

Some members are using a calibrated microphone when measuring their listening space with WiiM's 'RoomFit' room correction feature.

I purchased my UMIK-1 for a standalone app for Dirac Live.

EDIT - in an earlier ASR thread, I replied a 'UMIK-1' microphone would be the first thing I would buy IF I had to completely replace my stereo system.

 

[vitola231]

Well, got the new receiver and installed it. I think the problem is the update. Now that I consider it I think I didn't have a problem until the update on the last one, this one I updated right away and to listen quietly I'm up to -20 on volume and can easily bring it to zero and it isn't loud.

 

[EWL5]

Well, got the new receiver and installed it. I think the problem is the update. Now that I consider it I think I didn't have a problem until the update on the last one, this one I updated right away and to listen quietly I'm up to -20 on volume and can easily bring it to zero and it isn't loud.

So…same issue?

 

[vitola231]

So…same issue?

exactly the same, must be something to do with the update. Very frustrating and time consuming, I'm just going to return it and get my money back. If some big sale comes up I will buy something else I guess but using the Anthem at the moment. Maybe something a few years old also.

 

[vitola231]

So…same issue?

It could be related to your reference on the OHM I guess, though speaker are 93db maybe the update does something odd here.

 

[EWL5]

It could be related to your reference on the OHM I guess, though speaker are 93db maybe the update does something odd here.

View attachment 507983

I'm not pushing you to any particular brand....just don't get anything that has the "limp mode" called out in ASR reviews.

If you're looking for someone in a similar situation to you, dlaloum also had really tough speakers to drive and was able to overcome it by replacing his DRX 3.4. You can do your own research or send me a PM as I wouldn't want to be accused of pushing a specific brand...

 

[MbphotoX]

Well, got the new receiver and installed it. I think the problem is the update. Now that I consider it I think I didn't have a problem until the update on the last one, this one I updated right away and to listen quietly I'm up to -20 on volume and can easily bring it to zero and it isn't loud.

did you run calibration (just the basic one) ?
Tried pure direct for stereo and what not?
Different inputs?
(can easily stream Tidal and Spotify and co straight to the AVR)

Sounds to me like your source is putting out too low volume.

 

[EWL5]

@vitola231, I'm helping a gentlemen w/similar issues over at AVS. Perhaps a bad calibration is to blame for the low output?

 

[vitola231]

did you run calibration (just the basic one) ?
Tried pure direct for stereo and what not?
Different inputs?
(can easily stream Tidal and Spotify and co straight to the AVR)

Sounds to me like your source is putting out too low volume.

I personally haven’t ruled out some weird HDMI issue. On the last one that’s where my mind was. On the last one I did try optical in. Calibrated with MCAC. Right now I don’t believe it’s a protection mode but rather either the update or HDMI. I was thinking of reconnecting it and trying without the TV HDMI connected. Problem is I’m getting tired and frustrated with it all, I’m hours and hours into this issue. Basically though, on the last one I had 3 good days then updated, this one problem was immediate but so was the update. More in depth I can say problem occurred on 3rd bluray on first one and with bluray on second unit. EARC from tv did some odd things on first one, screeching and broken up audio. Now the audio with the anthem connected to the same bluray player is fine. The bluray player has an audio out only HDMI I could try, I have no Tidsl or Spotify

 

[MbphotoX]

I personally haven’t ruled out some weird HDMI issue. On the last one that’s where my mind was. On the last one I did try optical in. Calibrated with MCAC. Right now I don’t believe it’s a protection mode but rather either the update or HDMI. I was thinking of reconnecting it and trying without the TV HDMI connected. Problem is I’m getting tired and frustrated with it all, I’m hours and hours into this issue. Basically though, on the last one I had 3 good days then updated, this one problem was immediate but so was the update. More in depth I can say problem occurred on 3rd bluray on first one and with bluray on second unit. EARC from tv did some odd things on first one, screeching and broken up audio. Now the audio with the anthem connected to the same bluray player is fine. The bluray player has an audio out only HDMI I could try, I have no Tidsl or Spotify

you can just use Chromecast on your phone (if you have an Android)
if the phone is on the wifi, and the receiver, is in the same network (wired or wifi), you can select the receiver to play audio from.

(With Tidal, it's literally as easy as selecting the "speaker symbol" and choosing the Pioneer, and then the audio comes from the AVR, no hdmi, nothing involved)

If you have an iPhone, Airplay should work, too, but I haven't used airplay in over a decade.


In the past 3 years, I had one instance when it suddenly didn't work correctly anymore.. but I cannot tell you what the issue was.. I reset the device and it worked again.
(We're using the AVR 5 days a week, for music, TV, Youtube, etc. )

 

[vitola231]

you can just use Chromecast on your phone (if you have an Android)
if the phone is on the wifi, and the receiver, is in the same network (wired or wifi), you can select the receiver to play audio from.

(With Tidal, it's literally as easy as selecting the "speaker symbol" and choosing the Pioneer, and then the audio comes from the AVR, no hdmi, nothing involved)

If you have an iPhone, Airplay should work, too, but I haven't used airplay in over a decade.


In the past 3 years, I had one instance when it suddenly didn't work correctly anymore.. but I cannot tell you what the issue was.. I reset the device and it worked again.
(We're using the AVR 5 days a week, for music, TV, Youtube, etc. )

OK, I don't have any Tidal etc etc. My use for this machine is only movies (bluray or Prime), to add perspective that JBL MA9100 was attractive to me due to the lack of connections in the back but seems it's a lackluster machine. I am considering getting a used flagship model of AVR from 2015 to 2020 era, seems these all would fit my needs but there is reliability concerns however the MRX500 is like 2011 vintage and works fine. This pioneer seems to come with Direc which I would never bother using .

I think I will try connecting this receiver up to a non earc monitor and try maybe fm radio, then audio only out from bluray player. I did some reading begrudgingly on audio through HDMI and found many different things can affect volume (PCM, Direct etc) and it's not out of the realm of possibility that a setting on say the TV or bluray player can cause exactly what I'm experiencing due to EARC. This can fit with the sequence of events pertaining to the failure (one fails after 3 days and the other has the failure immediately). Problem with this earc stuff is I have three or four machines that can influence each other all of which have 200/300 page manuals but no interface letting you know exactly what commands are being sent via EARC, it's the craziest system.

 

[MbphotoX]

OK, I don't have any Tidal etc etc. My use for this machine is only movies (bluray or Prime), to add perspective that JBL MA9100 was attractive to me due to the lack of connections in the back but seems it's a lackluster machine. I am considering getting a used flagship model of AVR from 2015 to 2020 era, seems these all would fit my needs but there is reliability concerns however the MRX500 is like 2011 vintage and works fine. This pioneer seems to come with Direc which I would never bother using .

I think I will try connecting this receiver up to a non earc monitor and try maybe fm radio, then audio only out from bluray player. I did some reading begrudgingly on audio through HDMI and found many different things can affect volume (PCM, Direct etc) and it's not out of the realm of possibility that a setting on say the TV or bluray player can cause exactly what I'm experiencing due to EARC. This can fit with the sequence of events pertaining to the failure (one fails after 3 days and the other has the failure immediately). Problem with this earc stuff is I have three or four machines that can influence each other all of which have 200/300 page manuals but no interface letting you know exactly what commands are being sent via EARC, it's the craziest system.

if you have a phone, you have Chromecast or Airplay.. No need for any apps or anything..
Play radio or any other kind of music on your phone, and activate chromecast/airplay for output to your AVR, and the sound will be played by the Pioneer.
No need for a TV, Dirac, nothing.. (my Tv doesn't even get switched on when I stream music to my AVR..)

If you cannot be bothered by that, try internet radio directly on the AVR. (yes, it has internet radio included.. even DAB depending on region)

You spent a lot of money on a device that can do a lot. You bemoan having spent many hours for troubleshooting.. But I am feeling like you didn't shoot the trouble with a plan...


eARC shouldn't have anything to do with this, unless you connect the Blu-Ray Player to your TV and not your AVR..
eARC doesn't send any commands..
ARC means "Audio return channel".. and all it does is allocate a few wires on the hdmi cable to send audio from the TV to the AV-Receiver, so that the Tv sound can be played over your surround system, too.
eARC is the 2nd edition of ARC, allowing for lossless surround audio being sent via the hdmi cable..


Always connect everything to the AVR, and only one hdmi cable goes from the AVR to the Tv. (if you run Prime on your Tv, then eARC will be fine to transfer the lackluster Amazon prime surround audio to the AVR, but that's all it does..)

And I would definitely recommend running Dirac Live!
It's a 300 dollar software package you got for free with your AVR, and it's so simple to setup that a child can do it.
It will blow you away by how much it can improve how your movies sound.

 

[vitola231]

if you have a phone, you have Chromecast or Airplay.. No need for any apps or anything..
Play radio or any other kind of music on your phone, and activate chromecast/airplay for output to your AVR, and the sound will be played by the Pioneer.
No need for a TV, Dirac, nothing.. (my Tv doesn't even get switched on when I stream music to my AVR..)

If you cannot be bothered by that, try internet radio directly on the AVR. (yes, it has internet radio included.. even DAB depending on region)

You spent a lot of money on a device that can do a lot. You bemoan having spent many hours for troubleshooting.. But I am feeling like you didn't shoot the trouble with a plan...


eARC shouldn't have anything to do with this, unless you connect the Blu-Ray Player to your TV and not your AVR..
eARC doesn't send any commands..
ARC means "Audio return channel".. and all it does is allocate a few wires on the hdmi cable to send audio from the TV to the AV-Receiver, so that the Tv sound can be played over your surround system, too.
eARC is the 2nd edition of ARC, allowing for lossless surround audio being sent via the hdmi cable..


Always connect everything to the AVR, and only one hdmi cable goes from the AVR to the Tv. (if you run Prime on your Tv, then eARC will be fine to transfer the lackluster Amazon prime surround audio to the AVR, but that's all it does..)

And I would definitely recommend running Dirac Live!
It's a 300 dollar software package you got for free with your AVR, and it's so simple to setup that a child can do it.
It will blow you away by how much it can improve how your movies sound.

I will do one of these tests or a couple of these tests. If I'm understanding correctly this isolates the HDMI board. What does it mean if it works? Does it mean likely it's an HDMI audio output format issue with one of the external devices (TV, Apple TV, Bluray player)? But if EARC has no influence why does this problem occur on multi inputs HDMI? TV EARC, apple tv, bluray player and bluray player via optical. The player also has ability to output using RCA. All these devices are/were plugged into the receiver. Sorry, I just didn't understand what the difference between FM radio or internet radio is. To my mind FM radio bypasses DACa and HDMI, guess internet radio uses dac but not HDMI board. Never used airplay before, can learn about it.

 

[vitola231]

found a few dealing with similar, I was up around -15db for normal listening.

 

[Printdivision]

In my Pioneer, HDMI from the bluray player (Sony X800M2) enters and HDMI comes out to the TV (55G3LA). A Pioneer A50K is also connected to the surround back preout, for the 7.1.4 configuration. The front speakers are 6 ohms (280 W - RMS), the center is 8 ohms (125 W - RMS), the rest are 4 - 8 ohms (200 W - RMS) and the SVS SB 1000 PRO subwoofer (325 W - RMS). If I turn the volume down to -15 db ...... it's very loud, almost unbearable (depending on the movie), for music ...... I can't listen to it, it's exaggerated. I don't know what settings you make (and connections), and the second unit ....... it's strange

 

[vitola231]

In my Pioneer, HDMI from the bluray player (Sony X800M2) enters and HDMI comes out to the TV (55G3LA). A Pioneer A50K is also connected to the surround back preout, for the 7.1.4 configuration. The front speakers are 6 ohms (280 W - RMS), the center is 8 ohms (125 W - RMS), the rest are 4 - 8 ohms (200 W - RMS) and the SVS SB 1000 PRO subwoofer (325 W - RMS). If I turn the volume down to -15 db ...... it's very loud, almost unbearable (depending on the movie), for music ...... I can't listen to it, it's exaggerated. I don't know what settings you make (and connections), and the second unit ....... it's strange

Before the first one failed or had the issue -15 would be extremely loud, I couldn't imagine it, then suddenly -15 is like -45 and not at all dynamic, easily go to 0 without it being loud. The replacement unit after setup was immediately very low volume. Samsung U8200f TV and Panasonic DPUB820K bluray. There was some weird sound issues between tv and receiver the night before the failure.

 

[EWL5]

Before the first one failed or had the issue -15 would be extremely loud, I couldn't imagine it, then suddenly -15 is like -45 and not at all dynamic, easily go to 0 without it being loud. The replacement unit after setup was immediately very low volume. Samsung U8200f TV and Panasonic DPUB820K bluray. There was some weird sound issues between tv and receiver the night before the failure.

Is the low volume for all sources or only some?

 

[vitola231]

Is the low volume for all sources or only some?

all HDMI sources and optical. I have some time tomorrow so will connect unit to speakers only and try an internet radio I think. I have a computer monitor I can plug in to view menu if I need. Will try FM also. If volume is good I will reconnect one HDMI at a time and see if anything triggers the issue.

 

[Printdivision]

I'm waiting to see what happens.

 

[MbphotoX]

I will do one of these tests or a couple of these tests. If I'm understanding correctly this isolates the HDMI board. What does it mean if it works? Does it mean likely it's an HDMI audio output format issue with one of the external devices (TV, Apple TV, Bluray player)? But if EARC has no influence why does this problem occur on multi inputs HDMI? TV EARC, apple tv, bluray player and bluray player via optical. The player also has ability to output using RCA. All these devices are/were plugged into the receiver. Sorry, I just didn't understand what the difference between FM radio or internet radio is. To my mind FM radio bypasses DACa and HDMI, guess internet radio uses dac but not HDMI board. Never used airplay before, can learn about it.

Here's my suggestion:

1. Factory reset the receiver

2. Run MCACC or Dirac Live (no need to run a dozen measurement positions, 3 is fine), the test tones should be really loud (as was found by the people with that issue years ago on Reddit)
I would set all speakers to Small, crossover LFE at 80 Hz, just for the start.

3. Test Audio from a simple source, like RCA stereo, or Internet Radio (yes, this ignores the Hdmi board completely) in different modes, but especially in Stereo and Pure Direct. (those weird-ass fake surround Dolby whatever modes... don't use them right away!)

4. If everything still sounds fine, hook up the Apple Tv (I'd wager Apple doesn't allow its users to play around with settings, so the output will likely be pre-determined?) and play some music or Youtube, or Prime Video, or all of it.. On my system, we usually have Youtube at -45 to -25 dB setting.. it's very unreliable depending on the video itself.

5. Use a Blu-Ray and hook up the Player to another input. Blu-Rays should be very straightforward.


Again, eARC from TV only matters if you try to get the sound FROM the Tv to the Receiver.


Lack of dynamics screams "fake surround" and "midnight mode" to me.