Onkyo 805 and Audyssey

[aramis109]

Ok, so I got the 805 in tonight. Some things I really like about it. Got it all set up and ran Audyssey and didn't like the results. Read some on it, ran it again and got better results. However, it just feels like a couple things are off/different from my 605:

1. I feel like I'm turning it up quite a bit more than before.
2. The levels are set a lot lower- instead of 0, -1 I have as low as -7db.
3. The sub feels like it's overpowering everything. I've turned it down a bit but it's still way up there. This is the biggie for me.

So- why is it so different from the 605's Audyssey results (which I loved and tweaked very little)? What can I do? I've got my speakers all crossed over at 80hz. Before I had the LPF of LFE at 120hz but I've since brought it down to 80hz in the hopes of taming the bass a bit. The sub responds great, but it's not balanced to me.

Thoughts/help?

[Audiophile_At_Birth]

IMO, I hate the way Audyssey sounds with my room setup and equalizer adjustments it calculates. I understand by all means that my room is not in the best setup right now...but like you Aramis, after Audyssey:

1) I also felt like I had to turn it up more: my solution, raise everything closer to zero and in equal ammounts. My center was down -7.0 dbs, now I think it's -3.0dbs

2) My levels were low too, I thought that it just might be because my room is so small, thus the SPL increased.

3) Sub totally bottoms out at reference level with me....The bass does seem overpowering as well, and I ran Audyssey several times to get it to a decent level I liked. I still think that it's too much from time to time, but too lazy to tweak it: plus I feel like it's a good medium with all my sources...Movies, Music, Games.

My crossovers are all at 80, bounced back and fourth between another setting I really liked, but 80 sounds pretty good to me.

[mrjackolanterns]

how do your deftechs's sound compared to your 60's and which model are your def?

[mrjackolanterns]

80's for the fonts and center and 100's for the backs and surrounds 80 also for the sub

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Originally Posted by aramis109

Ok, so I got the 805 in tonight. Some things I really like about it. Got it all set up and ran Audyssey and didn't like the results. Read some on it, ran it again and got better results. However, it just feels like a couple things are off/different from my 605:

1. I feel like I'm turning it up quite a bit more than before.
2. The levels are set a lot lower- instead of 0, -1 I have as low as -7db.
3. The sub feels like it's overpowering everything. I've turned it down a bit but it's still way up there. This is the biggie for me.

So- why is it so different from the 605's Audyssey results (which I loved and tweaked very little)? What can I do? I've got my speakers all crossed over at 80hz. Before I had the LPF of LFE at 120hz but I've since brought it down to 80hz in the hopes of taming the bass a bit. The sub responds great, but it's not balanced to me.

Thoughts/help?

I had the same thing happen to me with my 805. However, my attitude going into the setup was that I would use Audyssey strictly as a foundation upon which to make my own personal adjustments. It still took me a good hour and a half after the Audyssey setup to tweak the settings to how I liked them.

[Audiophile_At_Birth]

How do you tweak the Audyssey settings? I've tried, but I don't want to mess anything up really.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Originally Posted by Audiophile_At_Birth

How do you tweak the Audyssey settings? I've tried, but I don't want to mess anything up really.

You just adjust volumes and frequencies according to what sounds best to your ears. I believe that it will technically turn off the "Audyssey" light on the display since you changed it from the Audyseey settings. But, if I remember correctly, all of its settings remain unless you change them each individually.

[Big Daddy]

If you are not happy with the results of Audyssey, get a $50 Radio Shack SPL Meter and TWEAK it yourself.

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

If you are not happy with the results of Audyssey, get a $50 Radio Shack SPL Meter and TWEAK it yourself.

I really have the feeling like I would be lost doing this. Never done it before or seen it done. I am interested in trying it. Might try and see if I can find a Radio Shack this weekend.

I feel like 80hz is a good crossover point for my system. In actuality all of them are rated lower than that, so setting surrounds to 100hz doesn't make sense. I'm running what's in my sig- Def Tech BP6b fronts, CLR2002 center, Polk Monitor 40 surrounds, and a PA-120 250watt RMS sub.

I think I'll try and adjust it some more, but it's weird because previously I really liked how Audyssey set me up (once I changed the crossover points, that is).

*edi* After reading the SPL meter again, I think I can do this. Question though- "set the db range to 75 or 80"- is this like a dial setting or something?

[JasonR]

100Hz doesn't make sense. I know with my speakers, anything 80 or above made them sound very light and lacking midbass. This was especially apparent with dialog on the center channel. I now keep my front soundstage at 60Hz and my rear at 70Hz. I tried following the maufacturers specs on the speakers, going about 10Hz over on the settings, as well as tuning it by ear.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by aramis109

After reading the SPL meter again, I think I can do this. Question though- "set the db range to 75 or 80"- is this like a dial setting or something?

On the SPL meter, you can set the dial to either 80 or 70. When you set it to 70, it can give you readings up to higher 70's and lower 60's. If your sound volume goes up beyond 80db or lower than 60db, it will give you an error message. The same with 80 setting, 90 setting, or ....

Set the SPL dial to 70 or 80 and calibrate your level for 75db. The digital SPL meter is easier to use than the analog meter.

[Audiophile_At_Birth]

I'm really curious about doint this also

[aramis109]

So I picked up a digital SPL meter at Radio Shack yesterday (only one they had, and it was beat up, so I plan on returning it at some point). Anyway, here's what I did:

1. Set the meter to 80, set the response to slow, and set the weighting to C.
2. Went into the Speaker levels menu where you can set the trim.
3. Went through each speaker, turning up or down the trim so it hit 75db.

I need to go back and recalibrate the sub evidently, since I left the SPL meter set on 80 instead of setting it to 50 (just read that). When I try and just use the "test tones" button on the receiver remote, I get the test tones (complete with a listing of the trim levels) but can't seem to change it there. I also can't change the volume as it's set.

Was this right? In almost every case, the Audyssey had it set pretty close to 75db.

[nezff]

Just get a SPL meter like I did, and use it to adjust your levels all to match. You can even run everything a litle hot. I like my sub run hot just a touch.

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by nezff

Just get a SPL meter like I did, and use it to adjust your levels all to match. You can even run everything a litle hot. I like my sub run hot just a touch.

That's uh... what I did.

Well, after using the SPL meter some more and getting used to it, I feel I have a pretty good setup for the trim levels now. Thanks BD for posting that FAQ. It was really helpful.

[SPH]

Originally Posted by aramis109

That's uh... what I did.

Well, after using the SPL meter some more and getting used to it, I feel I have a pretty good setup for the trim levels now. Thanks BD for posting that FAQ. It was really helpful.

I like the spl method a lot more than audessy. Aud makes my system sound like a cardboard box.

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by SPH

I like the spl method a lot more than audessy. Aud makes my system sound like a cardboard box.

I'm still using Audyssey's EQ and room corrections for the most part. Just the trim and crossover points are what I have changed.

[Silo5]

Audyssey is actually a really good tool for calibration. At first, I wasn't really impressed with it either. I spent time researching & reading about Audyssey at their website: http://www.audyssey.com/index.html and also at the avs forum here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=795421. The info provided in the first post will be very useful. I also emailed Chris at the Audyssey website with specific questions and he was very helpful.

The bottom line is that you can set up your system however it sounds best to you, but the info about Audyssey helped me and now I have a better understanding and appreciation for it.

[SPH]

I dont think the 605 does dynamic room correction, so I think that is why it hasnt ever sounded that good to me.


I could be wrong because I havent messed with it much

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by SPH

I dont think the 605 does dynamic room correction, so I think that is why it hasnt ever sounded that good to me.


I could be wrong because I havent messed with it much

605's auto-cal doesn't have all the bells and whistles that the 705 and up have, no. I still found it to be pretty good personally. That's why I was a little when I ran it on the 805 and it was way too bass-heavy.