anybody else using audyssey calibration??

[STARSCREAM]

I have the Onkyo 805 and have been running audyssey over and over and I just cannot get my sub sounding good. It keeps lacking and I can't seem to compensate for it. Driving me nuts, I'm about to just turn audyssey off and go by ear like I used to.

[blujacket]

I use it on my Denon 3808CI. I think its awesome. Do you like boomy bass?

[drago3451]

i use mine on my denon 3808ci as well and it sounds great...you should be able to manually adjust just your sub if you dont like what the system is giving you..i like that it blends the bass in to give an all around nice sound. it still hits the deep bass when the soundtrack calls for it..did you change your listening position at all because that can affect the bass you are hearing. another suggestion is a second sub

[HAMP]

I recently ran the Audyssey cal. I'm really happy with it. I didn't have any bad issue's with it, set-up like a charm.

What sub are you using?

[Slec]

Originally Posted by drago3451

i use mine on my denon 3808ci as well and it sounds great...you should be able to manually adjust just your sub if you dont like what the system is giving you..i like that it blends the bass in to give an all around nice sound. it still hits the deep bass when the soundtrack calls for it..did you change your listening position at all because that can affect the bass you are hearing. another suggestion is a second sub

This is exactly what I do. put the sub at about 3, run the setup, then turn up the bass to taste.. I bought some new surrounds that were far more efficient than my last set. Movies were virtually unwatchable until i ran Audyssey. now everything is great again (had to turn the volume up on the sub more though... hehe)

[cravnsn]

FWIW – I’ve run it several times on my Onkyo 605, and have not been too happy with the results. It gets the distance from the speakers wrong, and I don’t care for the EQ it sets the speakers to. I seem to get a more accurate level check by using an SPL meter. Just my opinion though…

[ixlegitballinxl]

easy to tweak if you dont like the auto setup, i usually up my center and sub

[Slec]

Originally Posted by cravnsn

. I seem to get a more accurate level check by using an SPL meter. Just my opinion though…

This is the absolute best way to setup your system. Audyssey does a fairly good job of getting you in the ballpark, but an SPL meter calibration is the way to go for best results.

[STARSCREAM]

I'm using a BIC Acoustech ht-100 sub. When turning the sub volume up after audyssey should I do that on the sub itself or use the level calibration setting on the reciever? Just so you know I set the sub gain to 2 and audyssey set the level at -6, I set the sub gain to 5 and audyssey set the level at -15. For the question posed earlier, I guess I do like boomy bass as that is all I'm used to since I have never had a calibration tool before and just went by ear and cranked my sub way up.

[Rustmonkey]

Originally Posted by Slec

This is the absolute best way to setup your system. Audyssey does a fairly good job of getting you in the ballpark, but an SPL meter calibration is the way to go for best results.

I start out by letting audessy do the work and then tweak it using my SPL - audessy actually gets the levels pretty close to the desired level - distances seem a little sporadic somtimes (especially with the sub) - but that's easily fixed using a tape measure

[Woody]

Originally Posted by Slec

This is the absolute best way to setup your system. Audyssey does a fairly good job of getting you in the ballpark, but an SPL meter calibration is the way to go for best results.

I am sorry, I just could not disagree more.

The SPL meter is an "old faithful", but it doesnt come close to what Audyessy does.

SPL meter sets:

Level

Audyessy sets:

Level
Speaker distance
Most importantly: it EQs the speakers based on the room they sit in!!!

Every room has peaks and nulls at every listening position. Audyessy makes up for them.

The old faithful SPL meter is a thing of the past for folks who have a program like Audyessy.

[Slec]

Originally Posted by Woody

I am sorry, I just could not disagree more.
The SPL meter is an "old faithful", but it doesnt come close to what Audyessy does.

SPL meter sets:
Level
Audyessy sets:
Level
Speaker distance
Most importantly: it EQs the speakers based on the room they sit in!!!

Every room has peaks and nulls at every listening position. Audyessy makes up for them.
The old faithful SPL meter is a thing of the past for folks who have a program like Audyessy.

I certainly understand this vantage point, If one can go into the setup menu and set the speaker distance then use and SPL meter, that only leaves the EQ which changes based on personal taste.
but I think we can all agree that if you really want it done right, you have to get acoustic panels and room assessments.....

I use Audyssey for my setup and I'm ok with that. I've heard an A/B SPL vs Audyssey at a Home Theater store and thought the SPL setup was more pleasing to my ears... could be placebo...either way, It wasn't enough for me to buy the SPL meter.... may change once my system is complete.

[Woody]

Originally Posted by Slec

I certainly understand this vantage point, If one can go into the setup menu and set the speaker distance then use and SPL meter, that only leaves the EQ which changes based on personal taste.
but I think we can all agree that if you really want it done right, you have to get acoustic panels and room assessments.....

I use Audyssey for my setup and I'm ok with that. I've heard an A/B SPL vs Audyssey at a Home Theater store and thought the SPL setup was more pleasing to my ears... could be placebo...either way, It wasn't enough for me to buy the SPL meter.... may change once my system is complete.

Acoustic panels, check
Modal room drawing, check
and still run Audyessy

Of course everything depends on personal taste when it comes to audio. But, the facts exist that there are frequency issues in 95% of rooms that Audyessy (and similar programs) help minimize.

If nothing else, after you set the levels with an SPL meter and distances with a tape measure, you will still be better off utilizing the EQ.

[Slec]

Originally Posted by Woody

Acoustic panels, check
Modal room drawing, check
and still run Audyessy

Of course everything depends on personal taste when it comes to audio. But, the facts exist that there are frequency issues in 95% of rooms that Audyessy (and similar programs) help minimize.

If nothing else, after you set the levels with an SPL meter and distances with a tape measure, you will still be better off utilizing the EQ.

Fair enough....

[Woody]

Originally Posted by Slec

Fair enough....

So throw that SPL meter away!!!

Kidding, kidding (I know you said you didn't have one anyway)

[Slec]

Originally Posted by Woody

So throw that SPL meter away!!!

Kidding, kidding (I know you said you didn't have one anyway)

more importantly, I see you weren't kidding...wow

[cravnsn]

OK, so how about this - my mic is the "puck" style, designed to be mounted pointing up at the ceiling (I mount mine on a tripod). But, what about sitting in my listening position, and pointing the mic at each speaker as it's being measured?

Also, what if I leave the mic in the same place for all 3 measurements, wanting to make my "sweet spot" sweetest?

[Slec]

Originally Posted by cravnsn

Also, what if I leave the mic in the same place for all 3 measurements, wanting to make my "sweet spot" sweetest?

My pops set up his home theater this way. There's a noticeable difference based on seating position. To the point where I didn't think his sounded nearly as good as mine... then we switched seats and I heard what I had expected. If it's just you a good bit of time watching movies (or your selfish ) I say go for it!

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Woody

I am sorry, I just could not disagree more.

The SPL meter is an "old faithful", but it doesnt come close to what Audyessy does.

SPL meter sets:

Level

Audyessy sets:

Level
Speaker distance
Most importantly: it EQs the speakers based on the room they sit in!!!

Every room has peaks and nulls at every listening position. Audyessy makes up for them.

The old faithful SPL meter is a thing of the past for folks who have a program like Audyessy.

You are wrong about SPL meters. No auto program is 100% accurate. You can always start with the Audyssey program (as I do with my Denon receiver) and make personal adjustments with an SPL meter and an ordinary measurement tape.

I assume by peaks and nulls, you are referring to standing waves. Most of these peaks and nulls are the results of subwoofers interacting with a home theater room.

Standing waves in a room are called room modes or room resonance modes. The crests (high points) of the standing waves and the troughs (low points) between them represent what happens when a single subwoofer generates the long wavelengths of bass. Those peaks and dips in bass energy do not change unless you change the dimensions (length, width, and height) of the room and the frequency of the bass tones. Even if you did alter these, you would be left with a whole new set of standing waves to deal with.

Room dimensions and subwoofer location create room modes. And the modes are what determine whether your listening position gets great bass or poor bass. If your chair or sofa happens to be located in one of the troughs of the standing waves, you are not going to hear much deep bass. But if you get up and walk a few feet back, or to the left, or to the right, chances are you will hit one of the peaks and the bass will be very strong, perhaps too much of a good thing. An equalizer will solve some problems, primarily those related to peaks. A null is an entirely different situation and no amount of boost can fill a room-induced null. Think of it as a water drain. No amount of water can fill a drain.

With some care in placement of a single subwoofer and the listening location, one listener can experience fairly smooth and deep bass in a rectangular room. Unfortunately, other listeners seated elsewhere in the same room will hear different bass response, which may be significantly irregular. Trying to reduce some of the largest peaks (too much bass) at one or two frequencies is possible with careful placement and equalization for one location and one listener. But attempting to apply equalization for multiple locations is usually ineffective. There are far too many problems in a small home theater room that cannot be solved with one subwoofer. Using two subwoofers is preferable as you will get a better bass performance and will have less of a problem with standing waves, since the bass will originate from two locations.

You should all read A Guide to Subwoofers (Part II) to understand room modes and see how the old SPL meter can be helpful for subwoofer placement.

[HAMP]

Originally Posted by STARSCREAM

I'm using a BIC Acoustech ht-100 sub. When turning the sub volume up after audyssey should I do that on the sub itself or use the level calibration setting on the reciever? Just so you know I set the sub gain to 2 and audyssey set the level at -6, I set the sub gain to 5 and audyssey set the level at -15. For the question posed earlier, I guess I do like boomy bass as that is all I'm used to since I have never had a calibration tool before and just went by ear and cranked my sub way up.

After the Aud cal, I wasn't that happy with the sub. I set the distance closer, adjust the aud level stronger and turned the gain up abit.

I'm not home right now, but I remember there is another place in the set-up that the audyssey did not adjust. It's where you can adjust the treb and bass for each speaker. I cannot remember where or what it is called, but I do remember making those adjustments before I ran the Audyssey.