AC-3 audio

[frenchhorn]

I also have a Sony SDP-E800 but am having difficulty getting ac3 when I hooked it up to my fortec ultra then captiveworks 600p. Have hooked it up to coaxial and optical digital inputs not giving sound even on non ac3 channels. Using an old jvc amp hooked into left and right rca outputs front then center but no luck. Does my amplifier have to compatible with the sdp-e800 or 5.1 dolby capable, is old and does not have coax or optical imputs just the rca style.

 

[Natedawg63]

French... Yea, you need a receiver that can accept/decode the AC3 signal from your FTA receiver. If you want to use just stereo from your JVC amp - jus use the red/white RCA cord from the back of the FTA receiver to the JVC - but it will only be stereo and you may have to tell the FTA receiver to output L/R stereo and not AC3/DD somewhere in its setup menus.

If you want a cheap/reliable DD amp - look into the lil Accurian # 2647051 amp that Radio Shack sold. I used one for several years, now at my moms - it is a nice lil amp, search Ebay or craigslist. Then jus hookup a optical/digital coax from the FTA receiver to the 6.1 amp and enjoy.

Another lil setup is to find a used 500-watt Logitech Z-5500 THX surround system. It has both optical/digital coax connections. I use the subwoofer with its plate-amp in my livingroom setup using my own front/center/back speakers - but the lil speakers that come with it sound great in a smaller room - it does the job well for a budget system - the lil subwoofer really performs.

 

[Natedawg63]

French... What JVC amp do you have... trying to sort it out, cause it should give you at least stereo sound from the Sony processor. Make sure you have the Captive Works receiver set to output audio on the optical or digital coax if it has that option. Have you tried all the modes on the Sony processor to see if you get any audio sent to the JVC amp? Make sure you have the Sony processor volume control set to 1/2-way on the dial - it acts like a pre-amp to your JVC receiver. Only problem may be if the impedence from the Sony outputs to the JVC inputs are out of range - it may not be able to accept a pre-amp signal, only a lower signal like from a CD player etc.

Nate