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[Jovi1964]

Hello,

I've set up different "Zones" within my JRiver MC.  One zone is for music and set to 2 Channel (with a check in move center to r/l) under the audio DSP options.  The other zone is for Movies, and set to output 5.1 channels.  However, regardless of whether or not movies or music are playing the center channel always plays when I select Multi Channel Stereo on my Marantz 8801.  This makes no sense, I should be able to play just the fronts and rears with no center if JRiver is out putting to 2 channels.  Any help with this is extremely appreciated.

[csimon]

Multichannel Stereo is actually a DSP/surround mode on your amp. It will take a 2-channel source and re-mix it. I don't think anything you do in MC's DSP can alter this.  What you are doing in MC is downmixing any multi-channel music (do you actually have any?) into 2-channels (therefore it will move all mono centre-channel stuff equally to L & R) and your amp will simply move all that mono information back to centre. You don't actually need to move C to L/R in MC as it will do this automatically if your output is 2 channels and you are playing a multichannel source.

I think the only way you'll be able to do this is to set up different zones for 2-channel, 5.1-channel, and multichannel output and connect your 5.1 sound card to the the multichannel inputs on your amp if it has them, or use SPDIF to your amp and output from MC in Dolby Digital. Your amp will then use what it gets from MC verbatim without re-mixing it in any way.

[mojave]

You can do the multi-channel stereo from within JRiver by copying the front channels to the rear channels using the Parametric Equalizer DSP and Mix Channels.

[csimon]

You can do the multi-channel stereo from within JRiver by copying the front channels to the rear channels using the Parametric Equalizer DSP and Mix Channels.

Will that work by leaving the amp on Pro-Logic/DTS etc?

[mojave]

Will that work by leaving the amp on Pro-Logic/DTS etc?

No, on the Marantz 8801 the listening mode needs to be set to Auto which will detect the PCM multi-channel. I assume he is using HDMI input.

[Jovi1964]

Thanks for the input.  I tried using the Parametric Equalizer 2, but no success.  I need to dig out my sound card and test the other suggestion.

[fitbrit]

Thanks for the input.  I tried using the Parametric Equalizer 2, but no success.  I need to dig out my sound card and test the other suggestion.

Nothing will work as you want, unless your receiver is in some sort of 'direct' mode, faithfully reproducing the PCM signal fed to it without adding any DSP (including 'all channel stereo'). Once you have the receiver in a 'direct' mode, you can use MC's PEQ to reproduce multi-channel stereo without the centre channel.

[csimon]

First of all for completeness, what is your current connection method from MC to amp?  Line-level outputs one per channel, HDMI, SPDIF, DLNA, etc?

[Jovi1964]

I am currently connecting the PC to the Marantz AVP 8801 via HDMI cable

[csimon]

I'm not sure but in the output format, mix to 4 channels and output in Dolby Digital, don't use Parametric Eq and make sure your amp is set to Auto so that it recognises DD and doesn't try to mix it with its own DSP (i.e. multi-channel stereo). I'm not familiar with HDMI output so I don't know if that will work, but it works for me via SPDIF.