Speaker Calibration?? & SVS homework....... (1 Viewer)

[Wil_J]

What is speaker calibration? Why is it important? What does it do?
I keep hearing about calibrating to -10db or +5db, etc. WHAT IS IT?
As you no doubt have guessed, I'm still new to this crazy addiction and don't know very much. Help?????
One more question for all you SVS owners out there.
My living room is 18' x 16' x 8'. What SVS sub would give substantial (but not too overpowering) bass to a living room with those dimensions?
I don't have the money yet, but I want to do my homework now so I know what I should be saving for. Help anyone???
Thanks in advance......Wil
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"The rose petal floats on water,
the kingfisher flashes above the pond.
Life and beauty swirl in the midst of death."
al'Lan Mandragoran,
*******The Wheel of Time

 

[Wil_J]

*bump* A little help here guys?.......Wil
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"The rose petal floats on water,
the kingfisher flashes above the pond.
Life and beauty swirl in the midst of death."
al'Lan Mandragoran,
*******The Wheel of Time

 

[Ron Stimpson]

Wil,
In the old days you could just adjust your stereo's balance to get that image right in the middle.
Well no longer. Try to do that with 6 channels! (That's left, right, center, left rear, right rear, left rear, and subwoofer). You just can't do it. And if you don't the great realism on Dobly Digial and DTS soundtracks (on DVD typically but HDTV and laserdisk too) can be wrecked.
All today's home theater receivers have test tones built in (and you can get special disks that do that same) to allow you to use a simple Sound Pressure Level (SPL) meter to adjust each channel so they are balanced. SPL is measured in "decibels" (dB) a measure of sound.
When you adjust the subwoofer (depending on the sub!) you can even dial in a bit more level to allow more massive explosions.
I highly recommend you hang out here more, and at the same time pick up a good general magazine like Sound and Vision for lots more. You'll be an expert in no time. It seems like there is alot to know but the basics are really quite, ummm, BASIC.
P.S. That's a good sized room. One SVS might be enough, but if you like your movies to sound (and feel) as good or better than a theater (not hard to do today really) then we'd recommend twin subs. One sub is nearly never enough to get truly deep and clean bass at theatrical levels.
P.P.S. Go here for more on many of these questions.
Link Removed
Ron
[Edited last by Ron Stimpson on July 28, 2001 at 08:01 PM]

 

[Wil_J]

Ok, I can do that. I still don't know what calibration IS though. I suppose I'll just hang around. Anyone else?......Wil
P.S. Ron, what would you recomend for my situation? I was looking at the PC line so I could just buy it all at once (meaning get the amp and the sub at the same time). Thanks!
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"The rose petal floats on water,
the kingfisher flashes above the pond.
Life and beauty swirl in the midst of death."
al'Lan Mandragoran,
*******The Wheel of Time

 

[Ron Stimpson]

Wil,
"Calibration" is the simple act of doing that channel level balancing that I spoke of. Think of it as something like "calibrating" the pressure in your car tires with a AIR pressure meter.
Run through our FAQs page for a bit on calibration too.
In your case I think a 20-39PC would be perfect. It goes nearly as low in frequency as our biggest sub (the 16-46PC) and nearly as loud as our mighty little 25-31PC. It's our most popular sub for that reason.
Ron

 

[Wil_J]

Ron, 'A' 20-39PC? Meaning one? I thought you were recomending two?....Wil

 

[Tom Vodhanel]

Wil,
In about 2300 cu-ft, a single 20-39PC placed in a good corner should be able to generate some serious clean bass levels. Unless you're the type who likes to wathc FIGHT CLUB every night at reference levels...I think a single 20-39PC be GREAT in this type of room. Tom Nousaine measured the performance of a single 20-39cs...and compensated to a smaller room like yours...it would put out >105dBs of very clean bass down to the 23-24hz range. And in the bass intensive 25-63hz range...you should have a solid 110dB+ from the subwoofer...no problem.
TV

 

[Lee Bailey]

The 25-31PC will generate plenty in a room that size. My room is 24X16 with a vaulted ceiling, and I still shake the house! I never wonder what I'm missing by not getting the 20-39PC(other than the extra cost).
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The Bailey's Web Page and Home Theatre
The Bailey's DVD Collection

 

[Wil_J]

Ok, a 20-39PC it is then. Thanks for the help everyone.....Wil
P.S. I now know what calibration is.
------------------
"The rose petal floats on water,
the kingfisher flashes above the pond.
Life and beauty swirl in the midst of death."
al'Lan Mandragoran,
*******The Wheel of Time