calibrating sub

klove2

I was told to adjust the spl level for the sub to leave the reciever at 0db flat and adjust the volume setting on the sub to about 10db higher than all other speakers.I am asking because the main point this person was making clear to me is do not adjust the level using the reciever always use the volume level on the sub. Any suggestions or comments.When i say the reciever at 0db flat ia am talking about the LFE setting for the subwoofer in base management settings. I also have this setting to adjust my speakers which i am not to sure about. does this give the front speakers more bass again i am not sure. the book says use this setting to adjust the speaker LFE LEVEL.Again any suggestions or comments woud be appreciated.

R30s front

R15s rear

CS1 CENTER

YAMAH 5740 RECEIVER

SONY SA-WM500 SUBWOOFER

John K.

KL, at least part of what you were told appears curious. The sub should be balanced in volume with the other speakers, not set 10dB higher. Some prefer to set their sub maybe 3-4dB "hot" for movies, but 10dB appears entirely too strong.

As to the arrangement of sub level settings, starting with the receiver sub level at 0 and adjusting the level control on the sub is one way, but you can also start with the control on the sub about in the middle and then adjust the sub level on the receiver. It isn't a crucial matter. Probably the receiver sub level shouldn't be allowed to wind up much above 0, so that the possibility of distortion is minimized. If it would, increase the control on the sub instead.

It would be better to be more specific than "this setting" on your last point, but I'll guess that you're referring to the bass output setting of either subwoofer or both. You set all speakers "small" with an 80Hz crossover and set subwoofer rather than both. "Both" would duplicate front channel low bass in both the front speakers and the sub and isn't generally desirable.

klove2

Thanks for the reply. The setting that i am talking about is called the speaker lfe level. The manual says you should use the setting to adjust the speaker lfe level. It also has the same setting for the head phones.Maybe the best thing to do is show you exaxtly how it is written in the manual.

SPEAKER SP LFE
Select to adjust the speaker lfe level

HEADPHONE HP LFE
Select to adjust the headphone lfe level.

I hope this makes it a little more easier to understand what i am talking about. Both of these settings are independent from the sub lfe level.

John K.

That setting could lower the level of the special low frequency effects that sometimes are present in movies. This would be used if you were sending the LFE to speakers(or headphones)which couldn't handle the full output. This wouldn't be the case with your setup, so it can just be left at the default 0 setting.

Dr. Spec

Yes, there is a big difference between the LFE channel (the ".1" in 5.1) "trim" (i.e., attenuator) control, and the subwoofer level control.

Some AVRs or pre/pros allow the LFE channel to be attenuated, but generally (as John states) it is best to leave it at the default setting of 0 (on a scale of 0 to -10 typically).

For the subwoofer level, set the AVR sub level to around -5 (on a scale of -10 to +10), and make gross calibration adjustments at the sub plate amp. When you are close, then fine tune with the sub level control in the AVR.

Willow

Interesting as with the energy sub if I use the xover in the receiver we cannot controle the volume on the sub's plate amp, only through the receiver. If I use the xover in the sub this allows me to controle the volume and the xover. I like many other energy sub owners use the xover in receiver and must adjust the volume in the receiver. I had to lower my sub volume to -15.