Onkyo TX-DS575: What is a "usual" volume level?

[drops88-]

Hi, I recently bought an used Onkyo TX DS575 receiver. I love the device, it is great! I am really excited since I have never had such a quality gear. Limited budget, other family priorities, you know the story. I bought the unit second hand, yet in very good shape. There is one thing I want to check and hope that someone can help me. It regards the playback volume levels. My room is 16x13x9 feets or 5x4x2.7meters. Just a normal size, no football arena. When listening to a CD player, I have my volume level set to 30. For tuner, I use level 30-40. This seemes to me quite high! I am worried there might be something wrong with the unit but I am unable to judge. I have never had an Onkyo brand unit, so I cannot really say if volume level 30 is appropriate for decent sound level or not. I looked up the owners manual and it says the volume can be adjusted up to 79. So with level 40, I am already in the middle of the range. When I compare with other devices I used to have before, this seems to me a little bit unusual. I hope that someone has the same model or brand and can advise me what is the usual volume level to use? I do not want to overload and damage such a beautiful unit. Thanks a lot for your advise!

 

[whoaru99]

It's typical with an AV receiver that you have to turn the volume knob further than with an old/vintage stereo receiver.

On your receiver you can change the volume level display from absolute to relative. Most AV receivers these days display in relative volume - relative, that is, to the calibrated reference level.

Change yours to display relative volume then let us know what the volume number is.

By the way, have you calibrated the channel levels?

 

[drops88-]

Hi whoareu99, thank you for your reply. Yes, I did the channel level calibration. I have the unit wired for simple stereo mode with two large 3-way speakers. Both channels are set to 0db offset. I also did the speaker setup, distance setup and other settings suggested by the owners manual. As per your suggestion, I switched the volume level display to relative values and tried with the input set to Tuner. The display now reads -40db for "late-night" level of sound, -30db for "day-time" music, and -20db for sound level that can be heard in the next room. What do you think?

PS: The owners manuals says: the absolute volume level changes from 1 to 79. The relative volume level changes in the range of -61db to +18db.

 

[whoaru99]

Sounds completely normal to me. For TV watching right at this moment my Yamaha volume is set at -32dB.

If I put on some music then -30 to -25 is about right for normal or turned up just a little.

For louder then maybe - 20 to -10, or more for really blasting the tunes, on the + side.

 

[drops88-]

Hi whoareu99, this is exactly the type of answer I was looking for. Thank you very much! Just for your understanding why I am posting such a silly question. I bought the unit second hand as defective. However, I did not find a single fault on it at all. So I was wondering why the previous owner decided to sell the unit. And as I said, I have no possibility to compare head-to-head the settings with other Onkyo or HT unit. This is my first one. Before, I used to have only regular AV receivers or amplifiers. With those, I always used the volume level at, say 1/4 of nominal level. No wonder I was now surprised now to set my volume level at much higher. Your suggestion to switch into relative volume level was brilliant. It allows to compare apples with apples. Thank you!

 

[mstrane21]

I have that exact same unit amping our TV, Blu Ray, etc. For TV we usually settle on about 38-40. Anything beyond 40 seems really loud. I haven't used our Blu Ray in so long that I can't even remember for sure, but I think we have to turn up the volume to get the same level as for TV. The output for the Tuner is WAY louder at 40 than it is for TV.

Our den is probably 15-18x25 or so, just estimating.

Your speakers efficiency may have some bearing as to how loud you have to ramp it up to get the desired volume. Ours is hooked up to some old Bose 201's.

Ours has been hooked up for 3 years with no issues. You might want to set a fan on top just to keep it cool, as they do run quite hot.

 

[drops88-]

Hi mstrane21, thank you for your reply. I am glad to have information from someone with exactly same unit, it is probably the most fair comparison. It seems that your numbers are matching mine, more or less. So I guess my unit is OK. Nice! I have been now using it for about 1 week and I am still excited about it. The sound is beatiful. Also inside, it is a kind of artwork, when I compare it to some other units that I had open. The speakers seem to be fine as well. These are quite big, self made (me) speakerboxes. Some years old but still much better than many commercial units. I will keep my eye on the temperature and deploy the fan if needed. Thank you!

 

[Pythonman]

I've had that unit for years. Bought it brand new back in 2000-2001 I believe. In my largish AV setup room I normally had the volume set to about 45-52 and on the Studio-Mix mode for most of it. I just replaced it with a new Onkyo TX-NR757 which is far more powerful and yet, I have it set between 50-65 on the volume with the THX Cinema mode for all of it. Overall the old TX DS575X was a fantastic AV reciever which I never really felt the need to upgrade until the front right channel went out recently.
For speakers I have a 5.1 setup with older Polk center channel and rear surround speakers. Front speakers are some excellent Polk Signature S55 towers and a BIC 400 watt powered sub with 12" speaker. They sound great with the older Onkyo reciever and just mind blowing with the new unit.

 

[drops88-]

Hi Pythonman, thank you for your reply. According to all replies I have received so far (including yours), it seems that my unit is perfectly all right. That is very much appreciated. Yes, I like the TX DS575 as well as you. Congratulation to your equipment, it is very nice. Regards, drops88-

 

[onwardjames]

My very first A/V receiver, the Onkyo 575. Nice entry-level, a solid 50 wpc. All of what you need, none of anything you don't.

It finally died about 4 years ago.

Welcome to AudioKarma!

I usually ran it around 45-50 for movies, less so with music.