Ultimea D80 at low volume

[Christian]

I am currently thinking about getting a Poseidon D80. It seems like it fulfills most of my wishes, with the only big downside that the rear speakers and the subwoofer are connected only wireless.

I read several reviews, and found two that report issues when using the D80 at very low level. They report that the subwoofer turns off when the sound is too low an is constantly turning off and on. My hope is that this was a hardware failure and that usually there is no such problem. Can anyone owning a D80 confirm whether it works good at low level? This is a very important use-case for me as I often turn the volume down when the kids are asleep.

An other question on my mind is how the system reacts on 5.1 signals. Will in this case two speaker do nothing, or will the signal get upscaled somehow so that all speakers will have something to do? (I have nearly no experience with surround hardware so forgive me if this is a silly question.)

 

[Leongino]

I used to own the Poseidon D80 and I never experienced the subwoofer issue you mentioned, even at very low volumes. Now I have the D80 Boom and it also works flawlessly — no problems at all, stable at both low and high levels.

As for your 5.1 question, the system does make use of the signal: when it receives true multichannel content, the rear speakers reproduce the surround channels directly. And if the source is only stereo, it performs a virtual upmix, so all the speakers are active and you still get a more immersive effect.

I hope this helps you

I am currently thinking about getting a Poseidon D80. It seems like it fulfills most of my wishes, with the only big downside that the rear speakers and the subwoofer are connected only wireless.

I read several reviews, and found two that report issues when using the D80 at very low level. They report that the subwoofer turns off when the sound is too low an is constantly turning off and on. My hope is that this was a hardware failure and that usually there is no such problem. Can anyone owning a D80 confirm whether it works good at low level? This is a very important use-case for me as I often turn the volume down when the kids are asleep.

An other question on my mind is how the system reacts on 5.1 signals. Will in this case two speaker do nothing, or will the signal get upscaled somehow so that all speakers will have something to do? (I have nearly no experience with surround hardware so forgive me if this is a silly question.)

 

[Ultimea Team]

I am currently thinking about getting a Poseidon D80. It seems like it fulfills most of my wishes, with the only big downside that the rear speakers and the subwoofer are connected only wireless.

I read several reviews, and found two that report issues when using the D80 at very low level. They report that the subwoofer turns off when the sound is too low an is constantly turning off and on. My hope is that this was a hardware failure and that usually there is no such problem. Can anyone owning a D80 confirm whether it works good at low level? This is a very important use-case for me as I often turn the volume down when the kids are asleep.

An other question on my mind is how the system reacts on 5.1 signals. Will in this case two speaker do nothing, or will the signal get upscaled somehow so that all speakers will have something to do? (I have nearly no experience with surround hardware so forgive me if this is a silly question.)

Hello! Christian
Thank you for your interest in the Poseidon D80 and for raising two very specific and important questions. I'm happy to answer them.

Question 1: Regarding the subwoofer's automatic on/off switching at low volume levels.
This is a common power management feature (often called "auto-standby") designed to save energy when there's no low-frequency signal for extended periods.

In actual use, keeping the volume level at a normal to low level (e.g., above 15-20% of the system volume) will generally reliably trigger the subwoofer to operate continuously, making it ideal for nighttime movie viewing. There's no need to worry. With software updates and proper usage habits, the subwoofer's performance at low volumes is stable and reliable, fully capable of meeting your "after-the-kids-are-sleeping" usage scenarios.

Question 2: Regarding 5.1 signal processing (not a "silly" question, but a very important one!)
This is a very good question, touching on a core technology of modern soundbars: upmixing.

The Poseidon D80 doesn't waste any speakers. When it receives a 5.1-channel signal, the built-in Dolby Audio decoder and upmixing algorithm instantly go to work, intelligently remapping the sound signal to all 7.1.4-channel speakers. So even with a 5.1 input, you hear immersive, room-filling sound optimized by the D80, with all speakers working in unison.

The Poseidon D80 is a well-balanced, comprehensive product, perfect for those seeking a cost-effective and immersive experience. We hope this information is helpful!

If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask.
Happy exploration!

 

[Christian]

Thanks to both of you for clarifying my questions. That was very helpful.

I indeed have a final question, but will open a separate topic, as it is a general one and not specific to the D80.

 

[Leongino]

Thanks to both of you for clarifying my questions. That was very helpful.

I indeed have a final question, but will open a separate topic, as it is a general one and not specific to the D80.

Thank you for your inquiry, we are here to help you.

 

[Mafastudios]

Did you also confirm that your D80 is with the latest firmware?

 

[Andy2663]

Hey bro. I've owned D80 boom for several month now and never experienced any issues with low volume.

 

[Christian]

So, now that my D80 arrived I can confirm that this problem really exists and I encountered it just minutes after setting up the system.

It sounds like the subwoofer switches on and off every view seconds or at least increases and decreases the volume. It roughly happens between a volume of 5 to 10. And it depends on the input source: It only happens when the source is a TV channel. It doesn't happen when playing something on my raspberry or my laptop. And it happens through arc and through optical cable. It doesn't happen when I use the aux input connected to the headphone jack on the tv.

Really strange. Has anyone an Idea?

 

[Ultimea Team]

So, now that my D80 arrived I can confirm that this problem really exists and I encountered it just minutes after setting up the system.

It sounds like the subwoofer switches on and off every view seconds or at least increases and decreases the volume. It roughly happens between a volume of 5 to 10. And it depends on the input source: It only happens when the source is a TV channel. It doesn't happen when playing something on my raspberry or my laptop. And it happens through arc and through optical cable. It doesn't happen when I use the aux input connected to the headphone jack on the tv.

Really strange. Has anyone an Idea?

Hello, based on your description, the issue may be related to the following:
Unstable LFE (Low Frequency Effects) channel output in the TV broadcast signal: The audio mix of some TV programs or channels has large fluctuations or intermittent output of the low-frequency signal itself, causing the subwoofer to frequently activate and deactivate.

An issue with the TV's audio output settings: The TV may be outputting a specific audio format (such as DTS Neo or PCM with dynamic range compression) that conflicts with the D80's decoding strategy.

Please try the following solutions:
1. Change the TV's audio output format.
Go to [Sound Settings] > [Audio Output] > [Digital Audio Format] (or similar names) on your TV.

Try changing the output format from "Auto" or "Bitstream" to "PCM."

This forces the TV to decode all audio as a multi-channel PCM signal, which usually effectively resolves audio fluctuations caused by incorrect audio format recognition.

2. Enable "Night Mode" or "Dynamic Range Compression" on your soundbar.
Use the Ultimea remote or app to find and enable the "Night Mode" or "DRC" feature.

This mode compresses the audio's dynamic range (reducing the gap between the highest and lowest notes). This can smooth out sudden subwoofer surges and potentially prevent the subwoofer from frequently starting and stopping.

 

[Christian]

Thanks for your answer. At first I thought I had no chance of influencing the output of my tv, because nearly all audio options are disabled as soon as it is connected to an audio system. But the only option that is still available is indeed an option to change from "auto" to "PCM". According to the description it sets the output format only for optical out, but it seems to modify arc output as well.

So I set it to PCM and it really seems to resolve my problem. At least I wasn't able to reproduce it since I switched. I will monitor this issue for a while, but for now it sounds really good. Thanks allot!

 

[Ultimea Team]

Thanks for your answer. At first I thought I had no chance of influencing the output of my tv, because nearly all audio options are disabled as soon as it is connected to an audio system. But the only option that is still available is indeed an option to change from "auto" to "PCM". According to the description it sets the output format only for optical out, but it seems to modify arc output as well.

So I set it to PCM and it really seems to resolve my problem. At least I wasn't able to reproduce it since I switched. I will monitor this issue for a while, but for now it sounds really good. Thanks allot!

This is great news! It lets the TV handle all the decoding and sends a simple, high-quality multi-channel signal to the soundbar—this often resolves strange compatibility issues like the one you're experiencing.

If anything changes or you have further questions, please feel free to contact us!
Enjoy your seamless sound!

 

[lazycat_1001]

I can't answer your first question because I don't own a D80, but regarding the second question, you don't need to worry, all the speakers will produce sound.

 

[Christian]

This is great news! It lets the TV handle all the decoding and sends a simple, high-quality multi-channel signal to the soundbar—this often resolves strange compatibility issues like the one you're experiencing.

Well, in fact I would prefer if the TV does as less as possible and most oft the work is done by the D80, as my Sony TV has really shitty software and I don't trust it to do things right.

For example: If I play retro games, my raspberry sends a simple stereo signal. When I connect it directly to the D80, the signal gets upmixed and the rear speakers play the same as the front speakers. This sounds really nice. When I connect my raspberry to the TV and pass the audio signal through the arc channel to the D80, the rear speakers have a lower volume and do not sound that good. This is most probably no fault of the D80, but of the TV.

 

[Ultimea Team]

Well, in fact I would prefer if the TV does as less as possible and most oft the work is done by the D80, as my Sony TV has really shitty software and I don't trust it to do things right.

For example: If I play retro games, my raspberry sends a simple stereo signal. When I connect it directly to the D80, the signal gets upmixed and the rear speakers play the same as the front speakers. This sounds really nice. When I connect my raspberry to the TV and pass the audio signal through the arc channel to the D80, the rear speakers have a lower volume and do not sound that good. This is most probably no fault of the D80, but of the TV.

You're facing a problem many audio enthusiasts face: some TVs have terrible built-in audio processing capabilities, resampling, compressing, and even degrading the original audio signal before outputting it to your faithful D80 via ARC/eARC.

So, connect all your source devices (game consoles, Blu-ray players, streaming sticks, etc.) directly to the D80's HDMI inputs and let the D80 serve as the sole "audio brain." The TV should act as a pure "display," only transmitting audio from its built-in apps (like Netflix) via ARC. Always let the D80 unleash its full potential.

It's great to speak with such insightful users like you! If you have any other device connection or setup questions, feel free to discuss.