SVS PB1-ISD Ordered !

donahue

All SVS Enthusiasts,

I ordered the SVS PB1-ISD today and I can't wait to get it. I'll update this thread when I receive it. Sometime this week I will run out and get the RS SPL meter so I can correctly calibrate this baby.

Ray

HBombToo

another SVS'er joins the ranks!!!

Good for you!

HBomb

izafar

Congrats Ray,

I know that this wait time is very painfull, but you will enjoy it alot once this baby arrives.

RS SPL meter is a must have along with a good caliberation disk (Avia/ SV disk will do the job). You should also prepare list of Bass demos on bith DVDs and music. Read DrSpec post for a comprehensive list of good demo tracks.

Post your review once get this sub.

Dr. Spec

Congrats on the PB1-ISD!!

Here are some great demo discs.

I added harry Potter and Red Dragon. The house explosion - the shockwave (about 25 Hz) blows through the room with such force it's amazing. I never expected such a GREAT explosion in a horror thriller.

Doc


A. I.: Artificial Intelligence (dts)
Air Force One
Atlantis: The Lost Empire
Band of Brothers
Black Hawk Down
Blade II (dts)
Brotherhood of the Wolf
From Hell (dts)
Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets
The Haunting (dts)
Jurassic Park III (dts)
K-19: The Widowmaker
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (theatrical version is strongest)
The Matrix
Minority Report (dts)
Monsters, Inc.
Pearl Harbor (dts)
Red Dragon (house explosion)
Saving Private Ryan (dts)
Star Wars Episode I: Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Terminator 2 (dts)
Titan A. E. (dts)
Toy Story 2
U-571 (dts)
We Were Soldiers

donahue

All SVS Enthusiasts,

I just received my PB1-ISD and it looks awesome! It's about 1 1/2 times bigger than my PSW300. I ran out an bought the RadioShack SPL meter (on sale for $25). I can't wait to get it all hooked up and start hearing this outstanding bass that everyone has been talking about. I'll keep you all posted.

Ray

Dr. Spec

Don't keep us waiting in suspense too long!

Calibrating the sub with Avia is tricky since it is a true DD disc.

You might want to calibrate the sub off the internal test tones at first.

I'll get back to you later with a full guide on how to calibrate the sub with Avia.

Doc

Dr. Spec

As promised:

Avia is true Dolby Digital and therefore allows the surround speaker in question to contribute significant amounts of bass to the subwoofer tone.

I have found the amount of bass each surround speaker contributes is highly dependent on the speaker design itself, and its room location. My left main is several dB higher than any other channel on the subwoofer tone. The best way to check all of the differences in the surround channels is to power down the subwoofer and run the Avia sub test tone for each channel.

With an 80 Hz crossover, it is pretty remarkable how much sound pressure the surround channel speaker can contribute to the subwoofer tone when using Avia. My left main contributes about 82 dB to the sub tone when it is calibrated to 85 dB with surround tone. This "surround speaker contribution" phenomenon can result in undercalibrating the subwoofer. For this reason most HT enthusiasts end up setting the subwoofer about 8 dB higher (93 dB) and wonder why they need to run it so hot when in reality they are not.

After calibrating the surround channels with Avia, I leave the Master Volume untouched and I actually resort to using the discrete test tones from the AVR as my initial sub calibration guide.

Here's my advice:

1) Calibrate all the surround channels to 85 dB with Avia.

2) Leave the Master Volume untouched.

3) Run all the discrete surround speaker test tones in the AVR and note the average volume. It likely won't be 85 dB, but they should all be about the same. Let's say for example, they are at 82 dB.

4) Run the discrete subwoofer test from the AVR and calibrate the sub level 3-4 dB hotter than the SPL noted in 3) above. In this example, you would calibrate the sub to 85-86 dB.

5) Now run the subwoofer test tone in Avia. I'm betting money it will show the sub running about 8 dB hot.

Other tips:

Run the meter on the 90 dB Slow scale for sub calibration since jumping up to the next scale will make the needle less prone to fluctuation. You will need to read off the negative portion of the scale, but that's NBD.

Doc

donahue

Hi,

I've got some questions about calibration based on some things I'v learned about the NAD T761 AVR (Quotes refer to NAD manual):

"NOTE:
There is no output in the Subwoofer during noise sequencer operation; therefore it is difficult to adjust the level in test mode. The Subwoofer level can be adjusted in the OSD setup menu with musical input."

Does this force me into using the AVIA disk for calibration?

10. VOLUME & SET UP
"In the default function, this control acts as a Volume control, adjusting the overall loudness of the signals being fed to the loudspeakers. Unlike conventional controls, the T 761’s volume control doesn’t have a start or end position. The volume level is indicated in the display panel when it is being adjusted. After three seconds the display defaults to its previous status. Volume
setting can range from - °°(infinity) to +18dB ······"

What the heck should I use as a reference level for calibration,
based on this?

"With speakers set to small, frequencies above 100Hz are filtered out. When you set Speakers to "Large" on the T761, the subwoofer output is no longer filtered. This is the setting you should use if you want to avoid the T761's filter (at 100Hz).That way you will not be robbed of the subwoofer's LFE (Low Frequenct Effects) output, which is quite important."

What exactly does this mean? I currently have all my speakers
set to small and have disabled the crossover on my PB1-ISD. Is
this correct?

"With any of the Digital Inputs 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 selected, the T 761 automatically recognizes if the selected source carries a Dolby Digital ™ or DTS ™ signal. When no Dolby Digital or DTS signal is available, the Surround Mode buttons scrolls through the other
available surround sound modes:
Stereo->Pro Logic->Ears->Stereo, etc."

How can I calibrate differently for Music vs. Movies?

Thanks in advance for any feedback,

Ray

Dr. Spec

That's some pretty funky wording from NAD.

I would use 00 as the Master Volume for reference level and calibrate to 85 dB for all surround channels using Avia. If the NAD has an OSD that uses different video inputs than the DVD player, you can toggle back and forth between video inputs while Avia and the NAD OSD are both running and it will make adjusting the channel levels easier and quicker. Since the NAD seems to not have a discrete sub test tone (?), try around 90 dB for the subwoofer level when using Avia and see how it sounds. Set the NAD sub level in the negative range (-3 to -5) and adjust the sub volume at the SVS plate amp. Fine tune with the NAD, but try to keep it in the negative range to minimize pre-out distortion.

If I understand the NAD wording, you should set all your speakers to small, the sub to on/yes, and this will give you a 100 Hz crossover point. Yes, disable the filter on the SVS.

There are three ways to alter the sub level for music:

1) Manually every time you play a music CD in the DVD player, and this is a PITA.

2) Use external analog outputs for music on the DVD player and adjust each channel level that way (this is what I do).

3) The NAD may have the capability to "remember" different speaker levels for each audio input. The 3803 has the capability (it's called Personal Memory Plus), but I don't use it for music. I do use it for VCR and TV inputs, though.

Doc

donahue

Doc,

Can you elaborate on this?

2) Use external analog outputs for music on the DVD player and adjust each channel level that way (this is what I do).

Are you saying that the DVD player should be hooked up via analog inputs to the CD input on the receiver? If so, I think this will cause me to have to choose between Digital and Analog (on the receiver) when I play a DVD vs. a CD. I'll have to experiment with this.

Thanks again,

Ray

Dr. Spec

I have a digital coax running from the DVD player to the 3803. I use this input on the 3803 to decode and process movies.

I also have six analog cables running from the DVD player to the external inputs in the 3803. I use these inputs to listen to all my music (CD, SACD, DVD-A). This bypasses the 3803 entirely, except for the amps.

The 2900 has a full digital bass management circuit and speaker level controls, so I can set the sub level to anything I want and it won't affect the sub level for movies.

The 2900 outputs the signal to both the coax and the analog outputs, except when playing DVD-A and SACD. Then only the analog outputs work.

Doc