STR-DN1080 no audio from FD & TM speakers with DTS:X content

[grolschie]

Hello. I'm using Onkyo SKH-410 up-firing speakers. When configured correctly as "FD", they are silent when playing DTS:X content. I believe that this is the case for "TM" speakers as well.

If I do the trick of setting them to "FH", they work with DTS:X content, however:

1. Dolby Atmos audio then sounds slightly different, e.g. the opening scene of Mad Max Fury Road placed the main voice more behind me instead of in front. (This is dependant on other speaker settings such as sub crossover, etc.)

2. Every time I change from "FD" to "FH" and vice versa, my front speakers keep changing back to "Large" (which is what auto-calibration detected), so I have to change 2 settings each time I wish to play DTS:X content, and then change said 2 settings back afterwards. Annoying.

It would be great if Sony would route height audio to "FD" and "TM" speakers when playing DTS:X content. Otherwise, they should adjust their advertising to say that height channel content only works with "FH" speakers with DTS:X.

I presume other brand AVRs can manage this. Right?

Please, Sony, release a firmware fix for this.

[grolschie]

Oh my! So much fail in that response from Sony support. And the page linked doesn't even seem to relate to the issue or the instructions. Maybe next you'll be asked to power the receiver off and on, and then a factory reset. 😜

[mirrormurr]

Looking forward to the continuation...!

[mirrormurr]

And so hilarity ensues, this is the next reply from Sony (sorry for the huge paragraph, just had to show the kind of generic nonsense they might suggest if you follow up on an issue):

"Thank you for your recent e-mail.

With reference to your enquiry. please follow the steps provided below then monitor the performance of your device after each step:

- We would like to highlight that audio signals are output in another format if the playback device does not correspond to the actual format. For details, refer to the operating instructions of the playback device.

- Please try a different HDMI cable.

- Please try a different HDMI port on your device.

- Please try a different playback device.

- Please try a different DTS:X content.

Please make sure to enable the EARC port using the steps below:

https://helpguide.sony.net/ha/strdn108/v1/en/contents/TP0001696880.html

Please make sure that your amplifier is updated to the latest software update using the link below.

https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/downloads/00015532

- Please try an optical cable and unplug the HDMI cable.

If the issue still remains please follow the below steps to factory reset the devices to default settings:

http://helpguide.sony.net/ha/strdn108/v1/en/contents/TP0001221267.html

After performing the above steps if the issue remains, please confirm to us the below details for further investigation:

• Does the issue occur with any other external devices ?
• Does the issue occur with different HDMI cable and ports ?
• How frequent does the issue occur?
• What are the exact reproduction steps? What are the steps you have to go through to reproduce the issue?
• Was the device working fine before or have you been having the issue since day one?
• If it occurred recently, when did the issue start?
• What are all the devices connected to your device including cable used for connections?

For registration purposes, please reply back with the device’s 7 digits serial number.

Should you have any further questions, please feel free to reply to this email.

Thank you for your enquiry.

Yours sincerely,"

Don't know really where to start, this is just silly, DTS-X through an optical cable? use eARC? Oh, ignorance...

[grolschie]

This would be hilarious if it wasn't frustrating. The support person clearly doesn't understand the product or the technology and is just throwing random advice at you. 

[mirrormurr]

Ok, another answer from Sony, disappointing I might add, referring to the manual.

Not a word about DTS-X..

"Thank you for your recent e-mail.

With reference to your enquiry, we would like to highlight that this is within the specifications for more information please check the link below for more information:

https://helpguide.sony.net/ha/strdn108/v1/en/contents/TP0001227304.html

For DTS audio streams, no sound is output when the speaker pattern is set to <5.1.2 (TM)>, <5.1.2 (FD)>, or <5.1.2 (SRD)>.

Should you have any further questions, please feel free to reply to this email.   

Thank you for your enquiry"

Oh, I have replied..

[grolschie]

Technically the online manual would cover both DTS:X and also DTS material upconverted with Neutral:X, not being supported with anything but "FH".

This whole debacle has been discussed at length over at AVForums. Even lower spec model Denons support height channel audio with DTS:X with other speaker pattern configurations besides "FH". Unbelievable.

[grolschie]

It gets worse. People are now reporting (ref: one & two) that Dolby Atmos is available WITHOUT height speakers, with only a 5.1 speaker arrangement when enabling PhantomSurroundBack feature! 

This is a huge issue because much of the sound field will be missing!

(@dutchice a heads up on a big issue.)