I only listened through processed audio for years until I got some decent speakers, in order to evaluate them I started listening in pure audio mode, now I exclusively listen in pure audio. If you're into precision and detailed sound this is the only way to listen. Soundstage becomes more realistic and imaging is far better than surround mode
A key point worth mentioning is if you're going to use this mode for 2 channel listening, you have to make sure your speakers are positioned properly for 2 channel listening! Music and movies are vastly different. Make sure you get that center image locked in by towing them in and your speakers away from the walls, start with at least a foot. Speaker location is very important.
Pure direct may or may not sound better for you, it is very much room and speaker dependant. What it is though is undeniably the purest signal that your receiver / pre amp can provide, and has the potential to sound amazing in the correct setting. Trust your ears, if it sounds better to you use it, if not don't 😉
I just tried this on the new Marantz 6015, it's one month old. Been listening to everything processed, and playing around with the many available settings. I'll settle on a setting one day, but not like it the next. This setting is a setting I can enjoy from day to day. Thanks for the tip. The two channel sound on Pure Direct, took me back to the 70's when listening to the analog receiver. Sweet vintage sounds, that were easier on the ears with no fatigue. Thanks again.
If you’re playing your music on a surround sound receiver than yea use pure direct because this bypasses the surround processor and gives you a better sound most of the time
I think Pure direct is in the ear of the beholder.. I use it occasionally on my Yamaha 3060. Like you said in the video it cuts out all extraneous circuitry, display, bass management, EQ, etc. It's a different sound for sure. I noticed, I do have to turn the volume up when I listen in Pure Direct. I think it's fine for some sources. I do enjoy listening to music in Dolby Surround too. It just sounds fuller to me and a sub woofer does add something to the music for sure. My speakers are the Ascend Acoustic Tower speakers which have been described as fairly neutral sounding speaker, so Pure Direct works some of the time but not all the time. when I don't want EQ, I use the "Through" mode on the Yamaha 3060 which gives you subwoofer output but bypasses EQ. Through mode sounds great!
My Onkyo TX-RZ800 has Pure Audio mode and when it is changed from stereo to Pure Audio it is amazingly clear and with much better sound stage compared to the stereo option Direct was nearly as good as pure audio I also found that it also works with surround sound modes as well I have had to connect my subwoofer to the main front pre outs as the sub output is one of the things disabled
Nice video on this. You’re right that it might take a concentrated effort to enjoy it. I recently found out my Audyssey resamples to 48khz PCM and I decided to give Pure Direct another shot with my SACD discs so the DSD wasn’t converted. Honestly, I still don’t know the signal path of that DSD in Pure Direct mode either. At any rate the SACD discs do sound really good in PD. Not as dull as I thought it used to sound. I’ve also recently added an amp that helps that too.
hi there i thought i would pass on the info about source direct .. the facts its not for playback .. check out my comment . steve hobday . please pass on the info and spread the love ...
Another tip , you can switch audessey to L/R bypass mode. This keeps the Eq engaged for the subwoofer but sends the direct sound to the front stereo speakers. Not ideal if your using full range speakers as your now getting two sources trying to produce the same bass frequencies, but works well for bookshelf speakers, just set your crossover point slightly above where your bookshelf speakers are effective (typically somewhere between 40-60hz) Not quite pure direct but a good compromise worth trying.
Direct and Pure Direct are two different modes, at least they are on my Denon X7200wa. I use “Stereo” and have the settings in Speakers/2 Channel Playback set differently than the global settings. Pure Direct ignores the tweaks I have made to create a pinpoint center image by adjusting distances. Pure Direct also ignores the crossover settings I use for 2 Channel Playback. I prefer to listen to my system the way I want to listen to my system in my house. Tool - Chocolate Chip Trip is one of my reference songs. It one of those songs that tricks your brain and sounds like it’s in surround sound. I love when an artist takes the time on production and mastering to use the full with of the soundstage. My X7200wa is driving a pair of Paradigm Monitor p90 v1. It’s amazing how much of a difference a 1/4 inch of toe and adjusting distances can make to narrow that center image to the size of a mouth.
@@2001cobra1 cheers EJ! They are finally releasing a somewhat affordable version of Fear Innoculum on vinyl! Hopefully, we will have an amazing Atmos version of it in the future! Cheers!
Just ran a test, I still prefer "Pure Audio" (Onkyo TX-NR686) to "Stereo". In Stereo mode the top end is more lively but the separation isn't that great, and the bass is a bit thin. I've set my front mains to small. Will try and set them to large (full range) and see if it makes any difference.
Love pure direct mode to, and absolutely love your taste in speakers I to have Polk audio’s RT/RTI line, but those LSIM’s are super nice... love your setup to...
The best thing to do is run 2 channel out of your marantz to an A/B amplifier . The chip power amp in marantz are the weak link ..... Keep any internal equalization and time alignment on . The pre section is pretty good , As is the bluetooth module
Serendipitously discovered pure direct mode on my Pioneer vsx 534 and I'm hooked. Analog sources (Pioneer calls them analogdirect) are without bass management (subwoofer), so cassettes and vinyl play in 2.0, whereas digital sources like Chromecast, DVD/BD players are bass managed, so 2.0 plays in 2.1 and 5.1/7.1 plays with .1 and crossover steering. Overall, I'm finding PD mode more natural and textured than stereo or surround modes. Obviously mcacc room eq and bass treble controls are disabled though.
You have some very nice gear along with a nice home hope one appreciates all you have .one really does have nice equipment and one appears to enjoy talking g about music and equipment and describes it very well .
Same think here. Once I set my Yamaha RXV480 after I saw your video, everything changed. I noticed that excess bass disappeared and highs got normal and flat that created good separation. Also no coloration.
You are correct sir my listening experience was vastly changed by using pure direct mode also if you have the option set it to Pure Direct Auto this will help with your movie experience as well
Thank you for this video; I'm curious, though, about how it works (Pure Direct) when the SOURCE is lossless streaming (through a Bluesound Node 2i, or Roon Nucleus) (TIDAL or Qobuz) going through a Yamaha receiver with Pure Direct mode on/off. Does it leave the internal DAC in the Bluesound alone? i.e., "Pure" sound is still processed by the Node's DAC? Or it "refuses" the DAC processed sound? Still undecided if it actually sounds better or not in my room....All comments welcome.
Pure Direct whenever I use my headphones. All two channel music processed as “multi channel stereo” . I much prefer the “full” sound coming from all around instead of two front speakers. I did that in the 70’s. This is better!
I have Marantz SR 6013 with Q Acoustic Concept 40 it sounds great on pure direct mode but you have to get used to it from surround sound I tried it only recently 👍
I use straight on my Yamaha for casual listening but always pure direct whenever I want to focus my listening and viewing. Pure direct cuts out the sub but I use the high pass connections on my sub in addition to the LFE connection. The lfe channel stays active in pure direct on my avr but the fronts are treated like full range speakers so I don’t lose bass in 2 channel listening.
So are you saying if my normal setup where I'm sending the LFE signal to the subs, when I activate Pure Direct (Marantz SR6015) it will not allow my towers (Martin Logan ESL 13A) to play as a full range speaker?
@@everettspain2739 pure direct is channel in channel out and eliminates all processing including crossover settings, sending full range signals to your towers. I use bookshelf speakers so the speaker level connections to the sub sends the the low frequencies beyond the range of my book shelf speakers to the sub. Pure direct will only send LFE material to the sub if the source sends out a discrete LFE signal. For 2 channel music only the front LR will receive any signals and they will be full range
@@raulgarcia1718 I have noticed that if I set my front mains to small (klipsch rp 8000) I can utilize the SVS sub using pure direct. Sounds excellent 👍
@@rmccallum1966 I think pure direct is implemented differently by manufacturers. My Yamaha is a channel through situation and eliminates all the processing other than channels and amp distribution including the display. However, if I remember correctly, on my old pioneer avr pure direct only disabled the room correction processing but left the crossovers and display on. It certainly pays of to compare the straight/direct setting against the pure direct in one’s setup. It’s good to be able to use processing when needed but pure direct will show the full capability of the speakers with a specific avr.
just hooked up my system, marantz nr1200 reciever, marantz Cd 6007 Cd player, pro-ject evo turntable all going through monitor audio bronze 100 speakers. Newbie to it all and I love the pure direct sound.
hey bud I just purchased a Denon DRA-800H when Im on Pure Direct everything turn off,,is there a way to keep it off but all the info from HEOS still show on the TV...and also I cant really tell the difference betwen Pure direc. Direct and Stereo,,thanks
Studio music does not sound better. It's just louder and synthesis/mixed but a studio adds character to music that isn't there. And, unfortunately, people like that sound more than sitting in front of the live thing.
I just fixed one of the many Yamaha home cinema amplifiers. The DAC was not working so sound was only coming through main speakers when in 2ch stereo mode and only if bass and treble were in the zero position. When pure direct was selected there was no sound, suggesting it is converted to digital and then back to analogue as it was not passing the DAC chip. It seems that 2ch stereo is actually direct mode with the Yamaha amps. Once i changed the tiny 28 pin DAC chip PCM 1681 it was back to fully working.
Thanks a lot. Well explained! When I have it OFF Marantz (PM5005) then only one speaker is off. Which componeng wojld be broken in this case? Any ideas?
Hey man nice setup, just remember that the purpose of hifi home audio is to get what sounds best to that particular person, the only time "coloration" is inherently a bad thing is if you are a sound engineer working professionally.
Great Video. Managed to get my device hooked up and played music in Pure Direct mode and it works well. Question: the volume level I set is perfect for home theatre or normal TV watching but in Pure Direct, I need to crank the volume up by a lot. Is that normal or is it a settings thing?
It's normal. Because there is none of the processing turned on that adds extra volume to the sound. It's just your speakers and the amps untouched power
Can a standalone DAC (Chord Qutest or Hugo TT2) be connected to an AVR-X 4700H? Aiming at bypassing build in DAC in the AVR(Pure Direct Mode). Streaming music through Qobuz on my laptop, for better sound production through my front tower speakers. Thanks.
Can you adjust tone under Pure Direct mode on the Marantz? I have the SR 7011 and just upgraded my Polk tower fronts and center (RTi A7's/ CSi A6) to Bowers & Wilkins 704 S2 tower fronts / HTM72 S2 center. Sounds rather flat in Pure Direct mode and needs a ton of volume.
Very nice and useful explanation. Thank you! You have on your monolith amplifier some kind of ventilation unit. Can you tell the make and model and is it silent? Do you recommend this?
Thanks for the review. Just a question that I still get confused. When U use pure direct mode. Do you also use the preamp of the receiver? My setup is a tablet connected to an external DAC via USB C to USB C otg, and the external DAC is connected to either 4.4mm jack to rca to receiver or 3.5mm jack to rca to receiver. Tha ks for the feedback and this video is very informative.
Thank you for your videos. On the Denon amplifier pure direct mode What setting is that? Cuz I don't have the button for it. I think it's on the menu list. When you turn on the TV and everything? Thank you.
On my receiver, (Yamaha RX-V583) it’s called Straight. So, it allows the “straight” signal from the original source. If I’m watching a Dolby Atmos movie via my Xbox, that’s the signal I get. If I’m listening to Spotify, I just get 2.1 audio. I love it!
@John Smith I have different setups for rooms. I have a particular setup which is completely analog As the turntable, intregated amplifiers and the speakers belong to my grandfather s time. Setting up a receiver just by switching on analog assign mode is not at all enough. It took me sometime before I got the analog flavour while playing records and cd s but definitely not a easy process as I have not found a single tutorial viedo on this as av receivers are for watching films and that s the idea everyone has. But have any one ever thought why phono input s are given to av receiver specially marantz. Av receiver a like marantz make excellent music amplifiers too where you get that analog pleasure and playing records with svs subwoofer s is another experience if you work hard on those settings something which you will never get from the big towers with large drivers as they can never ever form the base like a expensive subwoofer does. Now on paper this may not be analog as every av receiver has a software too
@John Smith Maybe you have not heard with real lows . So for me speakers, turntable s and amplifiers from the past. But definitely av receivers and subwoofers from the present. Your personal experience is not cor all.
@John Smith and last but no⁰ the least it also depends on your equipments which varies from person to person. So even if the equipments or even the settings are incorrect then too base will never sound the same way. Now these are very long topics so not at all easy to just type . But your question was completely different about av receivers being real analog amplifiers or not and you moved to subwoofer s . Have answered your first question and now the second part. Actually the problem is people forget to keep their personal opinions personal and remember little knowledge is very dangerous like zero knowledge.
Great video! I love hitting buttons and I just hit that one! Can't here any interference whatsoever. I got a question that I hope u can help me. When I go to manual setup for my 2 floor standers it's got the db level, from -10db/0db/+10db and everything in between. What should I be setting this too?
And even if you used auto correct it could still be wrong. You typically don't want to go above 0db or 'reference'. Anything over 0 is a gain that could introduce distortion or clipping which prematurely destroys speakers.
Hi. I have an AV 7005 and wonders if ill ever can get digitial audio from my computer to this pre amp processor and further out to my genelec 4020B. The computer is a Zbook g7 17" from HP.
U have direct mode with sub it have other things like reference mode no sub just pure 2 channel emotiva have both no turning off of light though I think that's bs seing the music player via electric already no avoiding it only difference is there is little to no type of processing on direct mode n none one reference mode but that's what I know for emotiva
I always use pure direct on my yamaha RX-A800 loved it so much that I sold all my surround speakers and just kept the towers. the house is also cleaner and saves more space this way.
@@LAOBASS Easy, pure direct uses whatever channels the music or movie has in it. If the source is 2.0 then no subwoofer. If it’s 2.1 then it’s stereo with a subwoofer track. If the source is 5.1, it’s 5 speakers plus the subwoofer. All speakers work independently rather than mixing stereo into surround or the bass being enhanced by the subwoofer.
@@LAOBASS I have a Yamaha RX4A and it plays surround sound when the movie or source is encoded with it. Most music is on a CD, tape, Vinyl or MP3 which is 2.0 stereo. So unless you have a multi channel (surround) track, you’re going to only have 2.0 at best.
Is it normal for the total output to drop significantly? I normally ran my SR6010 at volume 30-35 with Audyssey enable, however have to run the receiver at 55-60 to get the same output in Direct?
I agree about using direct/pure direct, especially pure direct. I even noticed using pure direct mode when I'm playing CD's or records, it significantly "cools down" my AVR, because it is additionally disabling all HDMI processing (which cause heat at the back of my HDMI board). Not using any video processing when not needed, may be a good way to expand the life-time of one's AVR. My thinking...
hi there . please check out my comment steve hobday . its not for playback . you are robing your self of audio quality . i explain the real truth . take it from me . i produced for 14 years ... please pass on this info . its funny how so many people get source direct wrong . i like to pass on my experience to help other people ..
I could be doing something wrong here, but, within my house hold there is a marantz sr7015, an old onkyo ht and a pioneer vsx920 and no matter what speaker on either of the avr's it just sounds hollow and tinny compared to their stereo or neo6 musical modes
If I'm listening to music while cleaning or background music or something like that I'll put it in all channel stereo If I'm sitting down and listening I'll put it in pure direct mode
the big truth about source direct ,,, its not for playback what so ever . you use it to record out of source direct into audio software for a neutral sound signiture . meaning flat eq . when the track has been put to disc or any other format you then use the eq settings at which you had previously i had been producing for 14 years and every track thats recorded has to be a neutral and flat sound signiture you simply add eq later ...
I almost always use Pure Direct mode when watching ac3/dts movie. This made me feel the AVR bells & whistles are useless since I almost never use the DSP such as Neo, Prologic II, Rock, Movie, Classical, Bass, Treble, etc. The time I use the DSP is when I watch movie late at night, put it in "Midnight Mode" in order my neighbour won't call the police to report me. With DSP "Midnight" mode, the sound is processed for "normalization". I can't do anything to the sound if I use the Pure Direct mode. If i insist to use the Pure Direct mode when watching movie similar like "Transformer" late at night, then many times I have to turn the volume up during the dialogue scenes, then turn the volume down during the action scenes 😄. Thank you for the video, Sir 🙏.
on my pioneer elite receiver it has direct, pure direct and another one. my manual says that in pure direct mode all of the internal processors that would add to the sound turn off and the audio coming from what ever source i have connected to it sounds exactly how its meant to be heard. when i watch a movie with dts master audio, in pure direct mode it plays without the ceiling channels, in any other mode it plays it in dts neural x which adds the "fake" ceiling effects but the overall sound quality lowers, same with a disc with DD true hd, anything other than pure direct mode adds "fake" atmos effects. i always bump my music in extended stereo mode.
Not that I know of. If you have good speakers with decent bass you won't need a sub. I use SVS Ultra bookshelf that go down to 45hz and they sound amazing in pure direct.
The anthem is a better amp. Better power, better signal to noise ratio, better low distortion. But it's not 1000+ dollars better. Unless you have quality speakers and components that would really shine with something like the anthem
Lyngdorf MP 50, 2x IOTAVX AVXP1, ELAC Vela FS 409 (front), FS, 407 (rear), CC401 (center), BS403 (back surroundl) 2x Sub 2070 and 4x SW1645 in a 7.1.4 setup - would be the calibration never switch off. Not even in stereo.
Thanks for the review on pure Direct Mode.You saved me 3 hours on hold calling Yamaha because they really suck I had to say that . so I have a question I have Polk audio RTI A1 Im thinking about upgrade to Polk audio RTI A3 is that jump in sound quality.
The Direct Mode on my Denon 4700h does not turn off the sub is 2.1. I prefer all channel stereo. Also i have to turn up the Direct mode at least 5 db or more compared to all channel stereo
@@Kpaceguy wow man, just tried pure direct and it does sound better with both music and movies. All this time I have been missing out! My buddy told me years back that auto calibration does more harm than good . He said the mics that avrs come with are garbage. Should have believed him.
I have my turntable connected with phono to my sound receiver and when I turn off the direct pure mode there’s no sound from the turntable, what do I do? I have an lp 120 and ax-596
Ho kpace...in pure direct can u adjust eq...for example if I need to increase the treble in 2 channel mode...when I listen to 2 channel I select stereo and with audyseey running it spunds good as I have increased the curve editor on the treble side.is this correct way to do it?? Sounds awesome though...
Audyssey XT (not 32) isn't very good and even if I have the EQ Audyssey applied, it will be with the freq filter range set to 250 or 300 Hz. For my room and my speakers (B&W 603s and previous B&Ws), setting to Direct mode gives me more bass, sometimes "boomier" because the crossovers are also bypassed in Direct mode (for D&M receivers), so L & R are passed the full range signal. my bass settings are set to "LFE + Main" so I'm getting "double bass" from my subwoofer as well.
