Denon AVR-1602 - Weak Output?

[DeBilbao]

I have recently bought a fantastic iPod + Grado SR-80 combo and I'm enjoying it to the max. Yesterday I tried to put the Grados in the headphone output of my Denon AVR-1602 receiver, selected H/P only, Stereo and found that it almost cannot drive the Grados.

Being only 32 ohms I don't think it's a problem of power from the amp. I know it's a five channel amp that is not intended for stereo output but the so so output makes me think I'm doing something wrong.

Any advice?

TIA

 

[markl]

Why do you say it can't drive the Grados? What does it sound like, how does sound change vs. your ipod? How do you hook up your ipod to the receiver or are you using a different source with the Denon?

All receivers have a pre-amp section with its own power supply, so you are not tapping into the 500 watts or whatever your Denon puts out into 5 speakers, but the pre-amp section instead.

Low impedence phones require lots of current, it's not really a truism that "low-impedence cans don't need an amp". Every headphone needs an amp of course to play at all, but the characteristics of that amp/jack will determine how successfully it can drive any given headphone.

 

[DeBilbao]

Maybe I'm not in the technicisms of the electronics around this but what I was trying to explain is that my Grados sound fantastic when plugged to the iPod and the same pair of cans sound too low in volume connected to the Denon using a Pioneer DV-530 as the source.

I'm not talking about sounding bad, but sounding too low. I need to push the volume knob to -10 or -5 dB to hear it as loud as the iPod at 3/4 of the volume slider. And at the same volume, I like much more the sound the iPod produces compared to the Pioneer.

 

[NewSc2]

Quote:

Originally posted by DeBilbao Maybe I'm not in the technicisms of the electronics around this but what I was trying to explain is that my Grados sound fantastic when plugged to the iPod and the same pair of cans sound too low in volume connected to the Denon using a Pioneer DV-530 as the source. I'm not talking about sounding bad, but sounding too low. I need to push the volume knob to -10 or -5 dB to hear it as loud as the iPod at 3/4 of the volume slider. And at the same volume, I like much more the sound the iPod produces compared to the Pioneer.

This happened to me too. Whenever I plug in my iPod directly into my receiver the output is very low. Doesn't happen with my DVD player or computer, though, but both are digital.

 

[SuperGiraffe]

That is really strange, I have had several receivers in my system of various lower price leves (from a $199 JVC to a $500 Yamaha) and not one of them had any problem driving any number of different headphones -- In fact, all of them could drive headphones (Sony V-6 and Sennheiser HD-525, back then) to very high levels. How is the Pioneer DV-530 hooked up -- via digital out or via analog ICs? I wonder if that has something to do with it.

Otherwise, I would say that there may be something wrong with the electronics in your receiver. An easy way to check would be to take your phones to a store that sells the 1602 (or its replacement) and try out the headphone jack there.

 

[DeBilbao]

Thanks SuperGiraffe,

The DV-530 is hooked to the receiver both ways. Profigold interconnect digital coaxial to the reciever digital input and also with Profigold interconnect 2RCA-2RCA to the receiver analog input.

The output level of the headphone jack is moreless the same using the digital or the analog input but it's too much louder if I select Dolby Prologic II than if I choose Stereo mode.

I think in stereo mode there are only two channels working and when you select a surround mode the five channels start working and produce the volume increase.

You can take a look at the receiver user guide at http://www.usa.denon.com/catalog/pdfs/AVR1602DFU.pdf where it reflects the following specs for the audio section:

POWER AMPLIFIER
Front Rated Output:
70 W + 70 W (8 Ω/ohms, 20 Hz ~ 20 kHz with 0.08% T.H.D.)
100 W + 100 W (6 Ω/ohms, 1 kHz with 0.7% T.H.D.)
Center Rated Output: 70 W (8 Ω/ohms, 20 Hz ~ 20 kHz with 0.08% T.H.D.)
100 W (6 Ω/ohms, 1 kHz with 0.7% T.H.D.)
Surround Rated Output: 70 W + 70 W (8 Ω/ohms, 20 Hz ~ 20 kHz with 0.08% T.H.D.)
100 W + 100 W (6 Ω/ohms, 1 kHz with 0.7% T.H.D.)

Output terminals:
Front:
A or B 16 to 16 Ω/ohms
A + B 12 to 16 Ω/ohms
Center/Surround:
16 to 16 Ω/ohms

ANALOG
LINE input - SPEAKER OUT
Input sensitivity / input impedance: 200 mV / 47 kΩ/kohms
Frequency response: 10 Hz ~ 100 kHz: +1, –3 dB (TONE DEFEAT ON)
S/N ratio: 98 dB (IHF-A weighted) (TONE DEFEAT ON)


Hope this helps

 

[SuperGiraffe]

That the volume is so much louder when a surround effect is engaged is odd -- it sounds like what you said: the headphone out (whether it is running off the preamp or the power amp) basically gets a summed signal from all five channels. Is the volume the only thing different when you change the soundfield setting? Or does it sound like there are effects from the soundfields that you can hear, such as delay with DPLII? Summing the outputs really does not sound like the best way to get hifi sound, though. I think it would be preferable to just use the L & R fronts.