4es owner need some speaker setup advice. Please (1 Viewer)

[Nathan Porteous]

Ok i've bought me 4es about 3 month ago love it very much. I found out on auto dec mode my sub isn't as loud as on dpl 2 or anything else i have to turn up the gain to get same resluts. all my speakers set to small and crossovers at std. i have been told by the store i bought it from that i should set up the speakers at 75 db and the sub to 80db. now first of all i dont have a calibrating disc so hee said us the test tones but i dont see anywhere to set them like that. I have played with my eq's and tweaked any setting i could without messing everything up. the manual is terrible as is the stupid remote. otherwise it fantastic. if anyone knows how to do this please HELP!. should i go buy a calibrating disc? and if so how much are they.
I appreciate your help thx

p.s. my cats breath smells like cat food

 

[BrentPollard]

You must get hold of a SPL meter then you can use the test tones generated by your receiver to set all speakers to 75db. there realy is no other way to get all your speakers set equal. the 75db spkr and 80db sub setting is the way I have my system set, but again you must have a SPL meter to do this, otherwise it's all just guess work.

 

[Steve Schaffer]

Nathan,

The SPL meter you need is available from Radio Shack, Cat. #33-2050. Costs about $35. Set it for slow resonse, C weighting.

You can use the test tones from your reciever or better yet buy a copy of the Avia Guide to Home Theater calibration dvd and follow the voice-over instructions. This disc is commonly available from online dvd retailers for about $30-40, includes completer audio and video calibration instructions.

This will be the best $70 or so you ever spent on your system!

 

[Aaron H]

Does Avia and a SPL meter really make all that of a difference? I ran Avia for my video stuff, but have just left all of the speaker settings +0db in the receiver, except for the sub, which SVS recommended to turn down in the receiver, and then the gain up on the sub. It sounds fine to me. Do you think there'd be a noticable improvement when properly calibrated? I know its the thing to do, just not too sure exactly how to do it and I don't have the SPL meter, either.

Aaron

 

[Dan Joy]

Does Avia and a SPL meter really make all that of a difference?

Try it and find out! Could all the other HTF's be wrong:b

 

[Alex Dydula]

I put off doing this for 6 months, I finally did this and was pleasantly surprised. I finally know where I am at on the dail. ie what level to listen to the movie to hear what they intended it to sound like...the sub output was way too high...boomy etc...and one of the rear surrounds was several db down due to its physical placement...moving it and using the SPL told me the effects of the location and room acoustics had on the SPL level at my listening seat.

Worth the $35, I did not use a Avia disc, just the tones in the receiver...

Alex

 

[JakeMcM]

I though that you were supposed to set the sub to about 4db less that the other speakers because of some inaccuracies with the Radio Shack SPL meter measuring of sub tones.

 

[BrandonB]

I don't know how good it is, but www.partsexpress.com has Ultimate Platinum DVD calibration on sale for $7.77. I just ordered one this week. Shipping is $8.00, so I recommend getting as much other stuff that you need along with it. I got tons of banana plugs with my order, and the shipping only went up about $0.50.

Has anyone else used this DVD?