Playbar seems to be the weakest link
+1
Just added the SUB to my 5.1 setup (playbar + SUB + play:1 x 2). The sub is spectacular- tight, deep, just perfect. But I'm beginning to feel that the playbar is the weakest link. Firstly, I've got volume at 75% and it is not very loud. Is there any way to turn the gain up on the playbar? Any tricks to retuning to get it louder? Overall, I feel it isn't as pronounced as I'd like it both with music and HT. The surrounds are on just a bit higher than midpoint (~60%) and I'm just not feeling the presence from the front three channels. Any ideas?
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Are you talking about while watching TV, or while streaming music?
I've never heard of a PLAYBAR not being loud enough. I rarely go above around 30% on my system. Is there any chance that your TV has and adjustment for the optical port that allows you to set it to "Variable" or "Fixed"? If you have it set on variable, then the volume on the TV set will influence what is sent to the PLAYBAR, and potentially make it sound "weak". Set it to "Fixed", and you'll get everything the TV can send out, and have only the PLAYBAR's volume be in control.
I've never heard of a PLAYBAR not being loud enough. I rarely go above around 30% on my system. Is there any chance that your TV has and adjustment for the optical port that allows you to set it to "Variable" or "Fixed"? If you have it set on variable, then the volume on the TV set will influence what is sent to the PLAYBAR, and potentially make it sound "weak". Set it to "Fixed", and you'll get everything the TV can send out, and have only the PLAYBAR's volume be in control.
I rearely have my Playbar above 25%, at 75% the Neighbours wod be round in no time!.
When you bond the sub it takes all the bass away from the Playbar by design leaving it to concentrate on the centre audio and left + right mid and treble.
At 75% on TV or Music it would be far too loaud for normal use..
When you bond the sub it takes all the bass away from the Playbar by design leaving it to concentrate on the centre audio and left + right mid and treble.
At 75% on TV or Music it would be far too loaud for normal use..
Userlevel 4
+2
Where is your PLAYBAR positioned? On a wall? In a cabinet?
Positioning is critical here, have you performed Trueplay tuning?
Positioning is critical here, have you performed Trueplay tuning?
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Thanks for the responses. I installed and demoed in the evening, all the more surprising that the volume seemed low.
1. I have an older (2010) Panasonic Plasma and can't find the optical fixed/variable setting.
2. Playbar is positioned, sitting flat, on top of a TV stand about 24" off the ground. TV is mounted on the wall directly above.
3. Trueplay has been performed, twice actually.
I wonder if the characteristics of my space have to do with it. My first floor is open floor plan- dining room transitions into living room. The transition isn't separated by a wall, so half of the living room has walls, and the other half flows into the dining room. When I perform Trueplay, I walk around the outside living room walls and then at the dining-living transition (which isn't an actual wall). Should I be walking the entire perimeter of the space?
1. I have an older (2010) Panasonic Plasma and can't find the optical fixed/variable setting.
2. Playbar is positioned, sitting flat, on top of a TV stand about 24" off the ground. TV is mounted on the wall directly above.
3. Trueplay has been performed, twice actually.
I wonder if the characteristics of my space have to do with it. My first floor is open floor plan- dining room transitions into living room. The transition isn't separated by a wall, so half of the living room has walls, and the other half flows into the dining room. When I perform Trueplay, I walk around the outside living room walls and then at the dining-living transition (which isn't an actual wall). Should I be walking the entire perimeter of the space?
+1
When you bond the sub it takes all the bass away from the Playbar by design leaving it to concentrate on the centre audio and left + right mid and treble.
At 75% on TV or Music it would be far too loaud for normal use..
At 25%, my setup is barely audible. The kind of volume you'd set while taking a phone call.
Hi. A few thoughts.
1. The space can make a huge difference to perceived volume, but I doubt Trueplaying differently would have a significant effect.
2. 75% along the slider is not 75% of volume - it isn't linear. What happens at 90%?
3. Not with my system at the moment to check, but I think those volume sliders for the surrounds control relative volume of Playbar and surrounds. So try sliding the music one left and see if that gives a better distribution of volume. (I could be wrong on that.)
1. The space can make a huge difference to perceived volume, but I doubt Trueplaying differently would have a significant effect.
2. 75% along the slider is not 75% of volume - it isn't linear. What happens at 90%?
3. Not with my system at the moment to check, but I think those volume sliders for the surrounds control relative volume of Playbar and surrounds. So try sliding the music one left and see if that gives a better distribution of volume. (I could be wrong on that.)
Also, what's the model number of that TV, so we can look up the user manual to see if there's something there that we've missed?
+1
Panasonic TC-P65S2
Userlevel 7
+19
Hi there, stas:
Do you happen to have anything that we can test the PLAYBAR's optical port with?
You may find it helpful to test the PLAYBAR using another source like a Blu-Ray player or cable box. If you plug the PLAYBAR directly into another source and the sound works as expected, then it helps us to determine if the problem is with the PLAYBAR or with the signal it is receiving from the TV.
Additionally, if you don't mind, submit a diagnostic report while playing TV audio to the PLAYBAR. This will give us some data on how the PLAYBAR is setup and the signal it is receiving. Be sure to reply with the confirmation number it gives at the end.
Do you happen to have anything that we can test the PLAYBAR's optical port with?
You may find it helpful to test the PLAYBAR using another source like a Blu-Ray player or cable box. If you plug the PLAYBAR directly into another source and the sound works as expected, then it helps us to determine if the problem is with the PLAYBAR or with the signal it is receiving from the TV.
Additionally, if you don't mind, submit a diagnostic report while playing TV audio to the PLAYBAR. This will give us some data on how the PLAYBAR is setup and the signal it is receiving. Be sure to reply with the confirmation number it gives at the end.
+1
Diagnostics confirmation number 7890211
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