As we continue our slow expansion from Mac stereo to our first surround area, I've done a lot of surround-related reading and corresponding to get a basic grip on what's been going on in the post-stereo entertainment world.
During that research, I ran into a guy who really likes quad recordings and, considering that we now have (4) channels of Mac amplification and (5) B&W speakers, which includes a new center, we
should have the foundation for a quad listening experiment. This being the case, we found and purchased some physical quad media and went to work setting up the equipment we presently have for a quad listening session.
Although all of this gear appears in our signature block, I'll list the source equipment in the quad setup I'm referring to herein:
Oppo 105D >>> MX151 >>> MC452 >>> 2 x N802
>>> MC300 >>> 2 x N805
Unfortunately, the MC300 isn't getting a signal from the MX151, so I began checking the interconnects. We've got the appropriate RCA surround outputs form the Oppo 105D running to the commensurate multichannel inputs on the back of the MX151. We also have the MX151's L & R RCA outputs connected to the MC452 and the MX151's LS & RS RCA outputs connected to the MC300.
Although our MX151 looked nearly brand new when we received it, we are, nevertheless, the second owners. We're also new to surround, so we're learning as we go....but I digress. If you take a close look at the photo, below, you can see that the MX151 initializes with a Multichannel input setting...but the part that has me scratching my head are the other front panel indicators. As you can see, both the Input Format and the Output Format indicators [seem] to indicate a 7.1 surround setup. The "ANALOG SIGNAL" indicator also lit...but its the lit "ROOMPERFECT" indicator that really has me thinking.
Assuming that I'm reading the front panel correctly, the MX151 is defaulting to accept a 7.1 analog input signal, which is being processed for output via the Room Perfect treatment feature. Although I'm fairly sure that we could hook the MX151 to our TV, via an HDMI connection, and [somehow] change the default input configuration, I'm beginning to wonder if we should go through the process of returning the MX151 to its factory default settings and start from scratch?
Although it's rather difficult to garner much that's suitable for beginners from the Owner's Manual, I did read -- in the Surround Mode section on pages 39 and 40 -- that
"...Up to 16 Custom Surround Mode choices can be added, and the default settings for both 2-channel and Multichannel signal types can be changed."
So if anyone on the Mac board has experience with resetting the MX151 to its factory defaults and/or setting up "Custom Surround Mode" options, we would really appreciate your advice.
Thank you very much for your time...