I have recently moved to a new home. I set up the system the way I had it before, I think. I'm playing XBox Series X through my Denon AVR-X1500H. In order to hear voices I have to have in on stereo mode. The sound is loud, very loud. I use the AVR remote and Samsung TV remote but the volume will not decrease. The graphics say 0 on both but it's movie theater loud in my study. I can't play any games. The Denon chat said use the knob on the receiver but that doesn't work either, They also said disconnect the HDMI cables and try the volume knob again.. That's a pain in the butt for something that probably not work. Does anyone have any solution? I looked at the XBox settings but I saw nothing about changing thr volumr output controls.

Do you have to run the xbox through the Denon? Can you connect HMDI from it to TV and then use Optical from Xbox to Denon for audio? If you still need to run it through it, try also connecting optical from Xbox to Denon and tell the xbox in its settings to only output audio though optical. Unless you need like 7.1 Atmos or similar, optical can handle 5.1 systems and below without much issue.

Also check your settings in Xbox itself to see what you are outputting for sound. Try changing things around to like PCM output and such instead of dolby or auto etc. See if the receiver acts differently with any of the above. For some reason it sounds like everything is acting like the Xbox is sending ARC out and controlling everything including the Denon, which is weird and preventing others from controlling the volume.

Thanks, I do have optical cables so I'll try that. I think I have a vacant HDMI port on the TV. I looked at the XBox settings but I could have missed that. I had to move a few teas ago and my manual for the AR receiver is somewhere in storage. It may be the XBox settings since the TV and AR receiver controls don't change anything.

Su far nothing has worked but I've tried a few things as suggested. XBox said to connect the AV Receiver to the television with the optic able. I'm going to see how that works tomorrow.

Here's a link to the manual for your Denon: https://manuals.denon.com/AVRX1500H/NA/EN/

What specific ports are you connecting between Xbox, TV and the Denon receiver? Are you maybe using a different HDMI cable than you were before you moved? If so, you might want to change it out to eliminate that as the source of the problem. Spend a few bucks for a new one maybe. Make sure you're using a High Speed or Premium High Speed HDMI cable.

For audio, the best connection is HDMI cable from an HDMI eARC (preferable) or ARC port on the TV to the HDMI Out port on the receiver. This is the best for advanced surround sound like Dolby TrueHD or Dolby Atmos. Then you need to be sure the receiver is setup properly.

From Google:

Setting Up TV Audio (ARC)
If you are playing audio from smart apps on your TV or devices connected directly to your TV, you must use the Audio Return Channel (ARC). [1]
[ol]

Connect: Plug one end of the HDMI cable into the receiver's HDMI OUT port and the other end into your TV's HDMI ARC port.

Enable HDMI Control: On the Denon, press Setup on the remote, go to Video > HDMI Setup, and turn HDMI Control to On.

Turn on ARC: Ensure TV Audio Switching or ARC is enabled in your TV's audio or system settings menu. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

[/ol]

Configuring HDMI Audio Output
You can customize how the receiver manages audio routing if you have multiple zones or prefer TV speakers.[1]
[ol]

Press Setup on your remote.

Navigate to Video > HDMI Setup. [1]

Locate HDMI Audio Out and choose your preferred output:

• AVR (Default): Audio plays through your connected surround sound speakers.
• TV: Audio plays through your TV's built-in speakers. [1]

[/ol]

Thank you for the info. I'm not sure at all if I'm using the same cable for the XBox in this set up. I have a bunch of HDMI cables. Everything changes. We used to have cable but now just a Firestick. That is in HDMI1 while the AR is in HDMI2. Since the remote and volume knob show that the volume is changing but isn't, I was thinking that it's the XBox set up. I've looked and tried those settings but to no avail. I think I'll purchase a new HDMI cable just to try but things are still the same. When the game starts the dog barks like bigfoot is at the door. I've never had a problem like this before./. I'll go through all the steps you provided.

76Ag said:

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Thank you for the info. I'm not sure at all if I'm using the same cable for the XBox in this set up. I have a bunch of HDMI cables. Everything changes. We used to have cable but now just a Firestick. That is in HDMI1 while the AR is in HDMI2. Since the remote and volume knob show that the volume is changing but isn't, I was thinking that it's the XBox set up. I've looked and tried those settings but to no avail. I think I'll purchase a new HDMI cable just to try but things are still the same. When the game starts the dog barks like bigfoot is at the door. I've never had a problem like this before./. I'll go through all the steps you provided.

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Does the volume work like normal when using firestick and Xbox is unplugged? If its still broken, its the receiver or tv causing the issue. Also, try not using ARC if you currently are from tv to receiver. See if that lets receiver control volume again.

I spent a long time with Denon support and made lots of changes with no positive result.. I'll try using a non ARC port now. I'm going to replace the HDMI cables with new ones tomorrow I'm just finally using the TV speakers now.

Man, on the surface it wouldn't seem to be something that difficult to solve, especially with tech support involved.

If all else fails, you could post on AVS Forum and maybe get some help there. Lots of highly technical folks hang out on the boards.

Try here:

https://www.avsforum.com/forums/receivers-amps-and-processors.90/

And/or here:

https://www.avsforum.com/forums/xbox-area.141/

I don't want to bore everyone with one more question but at some point the XBox support told me to connect the AR receiver to the TV with an optical cord. Which I did then later on someone else said to disconnect it. I have connected electronics with optical lines in the past but I never saw any benefit. So why bother? I purchased a new one because the one I had did not seem to snap into place securely. What is the real benefit?

76Ag said:

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I don't want to bore everyone with one more question but at some point the XBox support told me to connect the AR receiver to the TV with an optical cord. Which I did then later on someone else said to disconnect it. I have connected electronics with optical lines in the past but I never saw any benefit. So why bother? I purchased a new one because the one I had did not seem to snap into place securely. What is the real benefit?

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Its audio only. Way less troubles with it than arc or rca. The light beam either travels through the cable or it doesn't so its easy to tell if cable is working too and it travels much further without needing a repeater.

Yes, I Thought it's only for audio but it never seemed to make a difference. I'm still working on the issue.

Swapped out the HDMI cables for some new ones I purchased from Amazon. Both from AVR to TV and XBox to AVR. I did not use the ARC port. The problem is resolved. I guess I just used some random HDMI cable when I reset everything up after the move, I really never thought there was a difference. Looks liike I need a new HDMi cord for PS4, too.

Nice, glad you found the solution!

HDMI can easily be a bad cable not built to spec.

76Ag said:

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I don't want to bore everyone with one more question but at some point the XBox support told me to connect the AR receiver to the TV with an optical cord. Which I did then later on someone else said to disconnect it. I have connected electronics with optical lines in the past but I never saw any benefit. So why bother? I purchased a new one because the one I had did not seem to snap into place securely. What is the real benefit?

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The fiber optic interface (Toslink) is limited when it comes to surround sound. It supports only up to 5.1 surround and with you having a 7.2 AVR, your preferred connection is HDMI to get the most out of your system. Toslink also doesn't support lossless audio like Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, etc.

My question is, what application is appropriate to use the optical wire? I connected an old CD changer to my AVR but the CD player doesn't have the fiber optic port so I had to use RCA wires using the "media player" plugins. It is really hard to believe how much CD players cost these days.

76Ag said:

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My question is, what application is appropriate to use the optical wire? I connected an old CD changer to my AVR but the CD player doesn't have the fiber optic port so I had to use RCA wires using the "media player" plugins. It is really hard to believe how much CD players cost these days.

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My honest opinion is anything 5.1 channel and below, just use optical unless you are dead set on using CEC controls. Especially if using a soundbar, you are going to have a hell of a time distinguishing 5.1 dolby from anything above that.

76Ag said:

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My question is, what application is appropriate to use the optical wire? I connected an old CD changer to my AVR but the CD player doesn't have the fiber optic port so I had to use RCA wires using the "media player" plugins. It is really hard to believe how much CD players cost these days.

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Most modern Blu-ray players (with HDMI output) will also handle CDs. You don't need a dedicated CD player. Sounds like time for an upgrade! And you don't have to spend a lot.

Agree with Fatzilla, fiber optic is fine for something like a simple soundbar application or surround sound up to 5.1. Anything more (like your 7.2 system) and you want to use HDMI and specifically HDMI ARC/eARC.

How many speakers are actually set up with your unit? Even if the receiver is 7.2, most wont set up anywhere near that many speakers as its a royal pita to cable manage without prebuilt in-wall cable runs.