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HT Pass-through: do I need to change the volume?
#1
I'm sure I'm just over-thinking this but here goes:

I recently built a 7.2.4 Atmos theater system.  My AVR is a Pioneer Elite LX901, which pre-outs to dual-mono Devialet D Premiers which drive my main Left and Right speakers, allowing me to use the Devialets for the theater and two-channel audio as well.  I've configured the Devialets to function on the pass-through input function.  My pass-through volume setting in the configurator is set to the default (-15 db).  Notably, I also set my default source input on turning on the Devialets to be this input (ie. should default to pass-through mode).

Okay, so when I power on the Devialets, they do NOT default to pass-through input but instead default to phono.  No big deal, I can tab the source button.  But the units also default to the standard starting volume of -40 db, and not -15.

I ran the audio correction program on the Pioneer and it eq'd the room.  Notably it adjusted my left and right speakers DOWN in volume despite the "-40 db" setting, probably because they are seeing 500 watts each instead of 80 watts each and therefore are louder.

My question is:  is this functioning as intended?  Should I be manually changing my Devialet volume to -15 db as prescribed and re-doing the room eq?  Is it in any way detrimental to leave these units running at -40 db if the Pioneer microphone says the room is running "flat" speakers?  Or, should I just say "it's working, don't mess with it" and leave things as they are?

Thanks!
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#2
[attachment=3244]

I can’t say for sure about the ht passthru since I don’t use that option,  it it sounds like you need to start by setting your default input at startup on the general settings so it defaults to your ht analog input.
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#3
And just Incase you need the link for ht passthru setup

https://help.devialet.com/hc/en-us/artic...ema-set-up-
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#4
@Zedeff, I think you should be able to configure selection of HT system and volume of -15 at switch on. You are probably suffering from the buggy Configurator syndrome that seems to afflict a lot of users. Try making a fresh configuration using the anonymous setup method. It means that you can’t save or change any settings, but you should be able to configure your setup the way you want it.
Project Eperience X Pack with Ortofon Rondo Red MC, Oppo BDP 105D, 2 x Sonos Connect, QNAP HS251+ NAS with 2 X 6TB Western Digital Red, Mac 5K 32GB running Lifetime Roon, iPad Pro 12.9" for remote control.  Etalon Ethernet Isolator, Devialet 440 Pro CI, Sonus faber Olympica ll with Isoacoustics Gaia ll feet, Auralic Taurus Mkll headphone amp.Denon AH-D5000, Sennheiser HD600 and HD800 with Cardas cable,  Van Den Hul The First Ultimate and Crystal interconnects, Furutech power cables, GSP Audio Spatia speaker cable.
South Coast England
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#5
You need to understand what is going on when you're using a separate integrated amp in HT passthrough mode with an AVR.

When you set up an AVR for multichannel sound you go through a setup process in which you adjust trim settings for each channel to ensure that each channel is producing the same volume at your listening position and distance settings ensure that the sound from each speaker arrives at the listening position at the same time. Once that's done, the AVR's volume control adjusts your overall listening volume and each speaker's output is adjusted equally as you adjust the overall volume level.

The trim or gain setting in the AVR is located between the volume control and the amplifier stage for each channel. When you connect another amp in HT pass through mode, it replaces the AVR's power amp for the channels you connect it to. HT pass through mode on the amp you add disables the volume control in that amp so that the only volume control you have is the AVR volume control. When you do the setup process after connecting the Devialet to the AVR's pre outs for the channels you're going to drive with the Devialet, the trim setting adjustment for those channels matches the output of the Devialet in HT pass through mode to the output of the speakers connected to the AVR's speaker outputs. Effectively you replace 2 channels of power amplification in the AVR with the 2 channels of amplification in the Devialet and the AVR's volume control controls all channels of the setup. The Devialet's volume control is ignored and the startup volume setting should be inactive since volume is being controlled by the AVR.

The HT pass through setting only applies to the input you set to HT pass through. All other inputs of the Devialet work normally and the Devialet's volume control adjusts your listening level for those inputs. The startup volume setting also works for those inputs.

If you already have the AVR set up and channels balanced when you connect the Devialet to the AVR you will need to do the whole setup process for the AVR again because you're now replaced 2 of the AVR's internal power amps with the Devialet's 2 channels of amplification and you have to redo the process of channel matching.
Roon Nucleus+, Devilalet Expert 140 Pro CI, Focal Sopra 2, PS Audio P12, Keces P8 LPS, Uptone Audio EtherREGEN with optical fibre link to my router, Shunyata Alpha NR and Sigma NR power cables, Shunyata Sigma ethernet cables, Shunyata Alpha V2 speaker cables, Grand Prix Audio Monaco rack, RealTRAPS acoustic treatment.

Brisbane, Qld, Australia
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#6
I have more or less the same setup as yourself but thought I would review it this evening. I signed into the Configurator and found that none of my older configurations actually had a configuration in the various historic files, I could not load my SD card either and decided that I did not want to risk losing my configuration on the SD card so abandoned the exercise. Anyone know if there is an issue with the Configurator? About time Devialet got rid of the SD card and gave us a more sensible online version.
Devialet 1000 Pro CI, Chord Signature Reference speaker cables, B&W 803 D3 speakers

Roon lifetime licence, Tidal.
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#7
I confirmed that my system is NOT functioning as designed by doing a simple test: I unplugged my centre channel speaker, and found I had almost no audio from the fronts. The front L/R were making sound, but whisper quiet.

Well I've tried the following to make HT pass-through work:

1. I've made a brand new configuration and re-loaded all of my previous efforts
2. I've made an "anonymous" configuration
3. I've made a brand-new anonymous configuration which has ONLY ONE INPUT active - a line-level pass through
4. I've set the default Devialet volume to as high as 0 db
5. I've changed the line-level source sample rate from 196 to 92 kbps
6. I've given up.

None of those functions actually generate reasonable volumes from the from L/R. The most obnoxiously frustrating one was when I made a fresh configuration with the only active source input being an HT pass through... and the Devialet on boot-up defaults to an inactive Optical in.

So I've disconnected the Devialet, wired the speakers to the Pioneer directly and now have a functioning home theatre. I think that this is my last nerve with this glitchy technology. The configurator doesn't work, the amps are unreliable, and they don't function as advertised. A shame that $50k retail of amplifiers have been replaced with a $4k AVR which I could buy at Best Buy!

I could upgrade the D Premiers to D1000 CI for $12,990 CAD, but at this point it seems like throwing good money after bad.
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#8
@Zedeff If you have settled on point 6, then feel free to ignore this post, I am just offering this as a suggestion.

I have gone from a 240 Expert to D800 to 1000Pro, and used all three in a surround setup with a Yamaha AVR. One thing that is different in my case is that I have chosen not to use the Devialet in pass-through mode, instead I have the input for the surround main channels set up as a conventional line input. The reason for this is that I like the option to "fine tune" the volume levels of each channel to suit whatever I am watching. For example, I often find the level of the center channel varies quite a lot between different movies, particularly if you are swapping between DTS HD Blu-rays, DVD's with Dolby Digital, a PVR or whatever. Although in this regard, my set up is a little different to yours in that I have the center and surround channels on separate amps too, so I can fine tune all channels with a tweak of the volume control on the respective amp, rather than messing with fiddly AVR menus.

OK - I am not suggesting that you buy separate amps for the center and rear channels, not a good plan considering you are already running a beast like the Pioneer Elite, but I do think there is some merit in you retrying your set-up with the Devialet running as a simple line input. Consider that you could take this in steps. First, configure the line input, you could then test this with anything you have with a line out, an old CD player, tuner, or even your AVR set in stereo mode. Once you have established that the line input to the Devialet works as it should, you can then select this input, manually set it to -10dB or whatever (you could go higher or lower), then the only remaining issue is getting the sound balance right with the AVR and other speakers. If you still have sound balance issues and you know the Devialet line input is working as it should, then this would indicate that the problem is with the set-up of the AVR, not the Devialet.

I think that setting up the line input to your Devialet as a conventional input will at least give you some visibility as to what the problem is and let you troubleshoot with a degree of clarity. Plus, if you eventually get everything to work and typically have the Devialet's input manually set to say -8dB, you could then revert back to pass-through mode -8dB, knowing the set-up and volume settings worked before. Of course, if you can't get a conventional (not pass-through) line input to work on the Devialet, with say an old CD player running analog out, then this would indicate that the Devilaet is faulty in some way. Not good news, but at least you will have isolated the problem.

Good luck if you choose to give this a try!
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
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#9
(27-Jan-2019, 00:55)Zedeff Wrote: I confirmed that my system is NOT functioning as designed by doing a simple test:  I unplugged my centre channel speaker, and found I had almost no audio from the fronts.  The front L/R were making sound, but whisper quiet.

Well I've tried the following to make HT pass-through work:

1.  I've made a brand new configuration and re-loaded all of my previous efforts
2.  I've made an "anonymous" configuration
3.  I've made a brand-new anonymous configuration which has ONLY ONE INPUT active - a line-level pass through
4.  I've set the default Devialet volume to as high as 0 db
5.  I've changed the line-level source sample rate from 196 to 92 kbps
6.  I've given up.

None of those functions actually generate reasonable volumes from the from L/R.  The most obnoxiously frustrating one was when I made a fresh configuration with the only active source input being an HT pass through... and the Devialet on boot-up defaults to an inactive Optical in.

So I've disconnected the Devialet, wired the speakers to the Pioneer directly and now have a functioning home theatre.  I think that this is my last nerve with this glitchy technology.  The configurator doesn't work, the amps are unreliable, and they don't function as advertised.  A shame that $50k retail of amplifiers have been replaced with a $4k AVR which I could buy at Best Buy!

I could upgrade the D Premiers to D1000 CI for $12,990 CAD, but at this point it seems like throwing good money after bad.


I was recently looking for a solution to my problem on pass-thru setup and came across this forum out of frustration.

In the end, I was able to get pass thru working on my 220pro (by sheer luck I think).
I kept getting the "wong config" message each time I loaded a pass thru setting for my line 1 input.
Then I came across a note mention somewhere in a Devialet help resource about configuring the WIFI on and off in the configuration setting to avoid the wrong config message.

Rather than do that, I simply setup the 220pro to connect to my home WIFI network.
Then the Pass Thru config setting was accepted by the 220pro on startup! Unbelievable!

Now it works as suggested (I set the pass thru at +3dB on the Line 1, as well as support Trigger IN so that when the other linked upstream amps turn on, so does my 220pro)
The display will still show the general/master volume startup setting at -40dB (which you ignore as it is configured to pass thru on the input and be controlled by my HT receiver)

Devialet mention a future fix in the firmware for this WIFI config issue (but I have yet to see or find it)

I posted this in case it helps a frustreted someone one day Big Grin .
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#10
My D220's A/V passthrough level is set to 0dB. This produces an equal loudness level between my Devialet-driven front channels, and the rear channels being driven by my 200W/channel Denon A/V amp. When I had a D120, I had to set the passthrough to +2-3dB for equal levels.
i.e. after the Denon has performed a room calibration, all its channel level adjustments are within +/-1dB.
JRiver v25 (Windows) >> 220Pro/CI >> PMC Twenty5.23 + twin KEF KC62 subs. One White Phantom.
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