Originally Posted by
surroundnewbie
Thanks, MusicHead, that's very interesting...and touches on my original confusion. I don't have a sound meter, but I'm a former audio engineer and do lots of AV production for my current company, so I feel I'm a pretty disciplined, critical listener. I also turned up the volume on the bitstream to see if I could hear some of the details that came through on the PCM, and they were still faint or nonexistent. That doesn't exempt me from hearing incorrectly, just throwing it out there.
The difference is noticeable at all volume levels, and involves very specific details that I couldn't hear in bitstream even at higher volumes: certain high percussion parts, certain panning and other surround mix effects I couldn't hear nearly as well in the bitstream. Like I said, my wife could hear the difference from the kitchen. The bass parts are much more defined, but in that area I wondered myself if it could be a level or output issue between the two modes....but those midrange and upper register details just don't come out in bitstream the same way, if at all.
I had assumed the AVR would be handling anything over HDMI, which is why I was so surprised. I guess I shouldn't rule out the level issue...maybe I'll get a sound meter. Thanks for the help and suggestions!