Onkyo TX-SR805 audyssey questions

Charles_Y · 07-24-2007, 12:15 PM

I will be running the automated set-up tonight and had read through the manual. I have a few questions for those who have used Onkyo receivers of late with this Audyssey feature.

1. I have only ONE listening position. It looks as though the procedure forces me through multiple listenings and their related measurements. Are these additional measurements truly to gather data for alternate listening positions or are they for gathering additional data for averaging and a more accurate assessment of the final settings?

If the latter, will I have to arbitrarily set the mic in different locations? I hope to avoid this.

2. Re: Subwoofers. I have an older Klipsch KSW-10. What would be the best initial settings for this prior to running the calibration?

Volume/Crossover/Phase - those Klipsch owners out there might have a better clue than others.

Thanks!

jrgreene1968 · 07-25-2007, 06:24 PM

you have to do the mic in a minimum of 3 places, or as many as 8....i did 6 on mine

Jeff Gatie · 07-26-2007, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charles_Y

I will be running the automated set-up tonight and had read through the manual. I have a few questions for those who have used Onkyo receivers of late with this Audyssey feature.

1. I have only ONE listening position. It looks as though the procedure forces me through multiple listenings and their related measurements. Are these additional measurements truly to gather data for alternate listening positions or are they for gathering additional data for averaging and a more accurate assessment of the final settings?

If the latter, will I have to arbitrarily set the mic in different locations? I hope to avoid this.

Just leave the mic in the same position for all 3 rounds of testing. What the Audessey does is try to balance the sound between three (to 8) listening postitons, with a bias towards the main postion (the "sweet spot"). If you keep the mic in the original main position for all three rounds, no balancing will take place and it will be just as if you only did the test once.

Charles_Y · 07-27-2007, 06:53 AM

Thanks I did three and it seemed to work. The speaker distances were fairly accurate. The auto calibrator on my older Yamaha never got that correct.

Jeff Gatie · 07-27-2007, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charles_Y

Thanks I did three and it seemed to work. The speaker distances were fairly accurate. The auto calibrator on my older Yamaha never got that correct.

I noticed this too. I've done a couple of auto-calibrations before I got the Onkyo 605 and they were off by a bit when compared to a manual calibration. The Onkyo/Audyssey was basically dead on.

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Charles_Y · 07-27-2007, 10:02 AM

A further question - for Volume Set-up I'm using the default system (Relative). This was the style I used on my old Yamaha and I guess I'm used to it, though the Absolute system is simpler.

Question - what is a prime listening range for most people with DVDs? For my old Yamaha I usually tuned in at between -25dB to -15dB. However, after this first series of measurements I don't find this range loud enough. I'm having to push it closer to 0dB (-10dB to 0 dB).

Am I in the right zone here? this unit has much more power than my last receiver and I would think I wouldn't have to turn it up so much. I'm not really an audiophile so, I may be missing something here.

Any suggestions here? I can't see that a further set of averaging measurements will accomplish anything. Perhaps, I've set something wrong or forgotten to do another step somewhere else.

Jeff Gatie · 07-27-2007, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charles_Y

A further question - for Volume Set-up I'm using the default system (Relative). This was the style I used on my old Yamaha and I guess I'm used to it, though the Absolute system is simpler.

Question - what is a prime listening range for most people with DVDs? For my old Yamaha I usually tuned in at between -25dB to -15dB. However, after this first series of measurements I don't find this range loud enough. I'm having to push it closer to 0dB (-10dB to 0 dB).

Am I in the right zone here? this unit has much more power than my last receiver and I would think I wouldn't have to turn it up so much. I'm not really an audiophile so, I may be missing something here.

Any suggestions here? I can't see that a further set of averaging measurements will accomplish anything. Perhaps, I've set something wrong or forgotten to do another step somewhere else.

You would probably have to use a calibration disk and a SPL meter to set the 0 dB master volume setting to reference; that way the +-dB reading would be relative to reference instead of the arbitrary setting it is using now.

Charles_Y · 07-27-2007, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Gatie

You would probably have to use a calibration disk and a SPL meter to set the 0 dB master volume setting to reference; that way the +-dB reading would be relative to reference instead of the arbitrary setting it is using now.

I got an Radio Shack SPL meter years ago but even with what I read I couldn't see that I was doing it correctly so, I gave up on it instead doing it by ear. Crude I admit. I still have it though.

I then got a Yamaha RX-V1400 and used the auto calibrator (one of the first) there. Not sure if the sound was any better though.

The numbers don't have much meaning for me. Could you explain further? Setting the "0 dB Master Volume setting to Reference?" I guess you mean a reference setting on the calibration disc. I have the Avia I and DVD Video Essentials someone gave me. The DVE is too much a pain to navigate. I prefer the Avia.

I presume there is just such a procedure on the disc for setting master volume? Will this make any difference or is it simply a matter of turning the sound up?

Jeff Gatie · 07-27-2007, 12:31 PM

Set the SPL meter for 'Slow' and 'C Weighted'. Put the Avia in the DVD player and then set the master volume on the receiver to 0 dB. Go to the Avia chapter on speaker calibration and adjust each individual speaker level until the output from the calibration tone measure 85 dB on the SPL meter (Set meter to '80' and adjust speaker volume until the needle hits '5'). Since the tones on Avia are recorded to be exactly 85 dB at "Reference Volume", your receiver is now calibrated to be at reference when the master volume is at 0 dB. "Reference Volume" is a standard level of output that DVD's are supposed to be mastered to. It works out to be 85 db average dialog with peaks at 105 dB non-LFE and 115 dB LFE. WARNING: Playing a DVD at reference can be very LOUD!! It is also very difficult to achieve outside of a small room and/or very expensive equipment. Most play at -10 to -20 dB from reference, which sounds about where your Yamaha was set before.

Charles_Y · 07-27-2007, 02:48 PM

Some of this procedure is coming back to me now. As I said my previous Yamaha listening range was -25dB to -15 dB, so, it appears from your comments that the previous receiver's calibrations were a tad more accurate.

I think I will take another wack doing this manually. If I remember one of the problems I had was that the damn needle wouldn't steady on for an accurate reading. Could be I wasn't handling or orienting it correctly.

I will cross my fingers. I won't be able to get to it for awhile but it is on the list!

Thanks very much for the enlightenment.