Onkyo TX-SR700 Speaker setup (1 Viewer)

[stymie222]

I have always had a lower volume on my center channel. It causes me to raise the volume to hear the voice track and then lower the volume when the thunder begins
I would like to have someone with this receiver post their speaker (Set-Up) numbers .
I have already entered in the menu as to size, distance and if I have a sub woofer
Should all of the speakers be set at lets say 2db and the center channel at the max?
I even noticed at the theater, that some movies have a low voice track and then all hell breaks loose on the effects.

I am using custom D'Apolito, do it yourself, home theater speakers, Audax drivers

 

[Ed Moxley]

All the speakers would be set to same setting, only if they are all the same exact distance from your ears.
You need an SPL meter and calibration disc, to calibrate your speakers, if your receiver doesn't have the auto calibration feature.

Here is a calibration disc:
Amazon.com: Digital Video Essentials: Optimize Your Home Entertainment System (NTSC Component): Digital Video Essentials: Movies & TV
Here is an SPL meter:
7-Range Analog Display Sound Level Meter - RadioShack.com

 

[Scott Merryfield]

The volume settings for your speaker channels cannot be compared to the settings of other owners of the same receiver. There are other variables involved -- the speakers used and the room layout.

As Ed suggested, you have a few ways to calibrate your speaker levels. In order of preference:

(1) Use the auto calibration setup of your receiver.

(2) Use a setup disc and a sound pressure level (SPL) meter to get all the speakers set to the same volume.

(3) Use the internal speaker tones of your receiver and a SPL meter.

(4) Use the internal speaker tones of your receiver and your own ears to try to get all the speakers at the same level. This rarely works for me, though. A SPL meter is much more accurate than my own ears for judging sound levels.

 

[Stephen Tu]

I imagine that if a bomb exploded in real life, it would sound a lot louder than normal conversation

. And home theater is supposed to mimic the movie theater experience ...

No, you shouldn't jack up the center, you should adjust it as Ed/Scott described, to have the test tone be equal with the other channels. Jacking up the center just throws it off balance with everything, you are boosting both the dialog and effects on that channel.

You are supposed to raise the main volume until you can hear the dialog. If the effects sequences are then too loud for your preference (or disturbing neighbors), then what you want to do, rather than adjusting center level, is to utilize the "late night" dynamic range reduction feature on the receiver. Look in your manual to see how to activate it. This is for Dolby digital sources, for other sources you can look in their setup if they have a dynamic range "reduction" or "compression" feature. Reducing dynamic range reduces the intensity difference between the loudest sounds & softest sounds, which is what you are looking for here. Then you can raise the dialog up to where you can hear it, and the explosions will only be somewhat louder rather than massively louder.