need help with surround sound setup

[jordan21]

i have all my speakers in place.

set my fronts center and surrounds to small

my crossover to 80hz

my lfe to sub only

now the one and only thing i need help with.....

setting my speaker levels....

can anyone give me some detailed advice on how i want to do this.

can i buy a sound meter and just go off of the test tones?

thanks!

 

[Johnd]

Yes.

Or, conversely, you could just use your ears and go off the test tones. From the lp, of course.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Ears will not be very close to an accurate setting. Does your AVR have an auto-cal (what AVR do you have) I have found the auto cal gets very close to the same settings I get when I use my Avia cal disc and the SPL meter.

 

[Halon451]

Using an SPL meter (or sound meter) is the best way to achieve balance in a multi-channel HT setup.

Radioshack has both the analog and digital versions, both of them affordable (less than $50), and opinions are divided as to which is the best to use. Either one will work fine.

The way to do this is set the SPL meter for 'C' weighting factor, and set the response to 'slow'. Most will recommend stabilizing the meter at or very near the prime listening position, and pointed upwards, toward the ceiling. The radioshack version that I use has a small screw hole that allows me to use my camera tripod to stabilize it. The concept here is that you don't want to be moving around, or causing other noises (like your palm rubbing against the plastic, or erroneous readings because the position isn't consistent).

Establish your reference level (using ear-plugs may be recommended); I use a reference level of 70 dB. The meter has a range selector that will give you a reading +/- 10 dB from each direction up and down from where you have it selected.

I would start with all speaker levels at their zero, default point. Calibrate them from there, using the meter, to match all levels to your reference. Of course, make sure there are no other noises in the house, and if you have an overhead ceiling fan, make sure you turn it off, as it will blow straight down into the meter's mic, therefore possibly ruining your efforts.

Lastly - many people run their sub a few dB above the reference level. This means that if all other speakers are calibrated to 70 dB, then the sub would be at, say - 73 or 74 dB. This is intended to provide a little more impact during movies, etc.

Now, go forth and fine-tune, young sir - keep us posted as to how it goes.

EDIT: I would try to get a better sub as soon as humanly possible, and swap out those Bose for something else - but I'll leave that alone for now.

 

[jordan21]

so what your saying is right now my spekers are set in middle level...so i can go 10 db higher and 10 db lower than where it is set right now.....u want me to go so the speakers are all at 0 for test tones? and then start with one speaker lets say center channel, and calibrate it to 70 db....then do the fronts and rears to 70 as well??

with the sub does it work on the sound meter as well?

thanks again!

 

[jordan21]

also which db setting do i want to have on my reciever when i do this

 

[Halon451]

so what your saying is right now my spekers are set in middle level...so i can go 10 db higher and 10 db lower than where it is set right now.....u want me to go so the speakers are all at 0 for test tones? and then start with one speaker lets say center channel, and calibrate it to 70 db....then do the fronts and rears to 70 as well??

with the sub does it work on the sound meter as well?

thanks again!

Um... yes - I think you've got the idea. The +/- 10 dB reference was the range of each setting on the SPL meter though, not exactly what your test tone/speakers will do. So yes, set all the speakers (in test tone mode) to the zero, or middle point and start from there.

And yes, the sub registers on the SPL meter just as the other speakers. The test tone generates what is called 'pink noise', which contains equal energy for each frequency level, which is why it is used for this purpose.

also which db setting do i want to have on my reciever when i do this

Set your meter to 70 dB. Turn up your receiver until it registers mid-range on the SPL meter, which should be right at 70 dB. This is your starting point.

 

[jordan21]

awesome, which speaker should i register first at 70db, or does it matter? should i go with the speaker that has the highest wattage ?

 

[jordan21]

one more last questions, should the spl meter be at the sweet spot facing straight up for all speakers?

 

[Halon451]

one more last questions, should the spl meter be at the sweet spot facing straight up for all speakers?

Yes, straight up for all speakers - as for your other question, I don't think it mattes which one you start with. It's not a difficult process - just adjust the test tone levels for each speaker until the SPL meter reads the same for all.

Good luck - hope it works out.

 

[jordan21]

thanks alot...so if i use a digital meter and set it at 75 db i am calibrated when the speaker level is at 0

 

[Halon451]

Perhaps I'm not explaining this simply enough - I will try again.

The meter will not read '0'. It will read 70 or 75, or whatever you're using as your reference level. The initial setting on the receiver for each speaker's test tone should be set to zero (or mid). Adjust it from there, until the meter reads the same level for every speaker in your system.

 

[jordan21]

ok i think i got it now lol

set the meter to 70db.

then set all speakers to 0..

choose a speaker on test tone and increase the receivers volume until i reach 70db on that speaker. than i would leave the receiver volume alone and go through all the speakers and calibrate the level up or down so they are all at 70db

then perhaps set my sub to about 74db

am i understanding now?

 

[Halon451]

You've got it buddy - it's really that simple. You'll find it even simpler when you actually get down to doing it - all this verbage is like explaining how to tie a shoelace. The words can seem complicated, but the act is not.

Best of luck.

 

[jordan21]

one quick question

isnt 70 db really low, like elevator music haha

 

[ParadigmDawg]

That will just be the static db, the dynamic will be plenty loud, believe me.

 

[Halon451]

Hence why I recommended earplugs, Jordan - 70 dB of pink noise can be a bit harsh on the old hearing.

 

[mtrycrafts]

so what your saying is right now my spekers are set in middle level...so i can go 10 db higher and 10 db lower than where it is set right now.....u want me to go so the speakers are all at 0 for test tones? and then start with one speaker lets say center channel, and calibrate it to 70 db....then do the fronts and rears to 70 as well??

with the sub does it work on the sound meter as well?

thanks again!

It's like this jordan.

If you have a THX receiver, and you begin the test setup, the master volume control should go by itself to a reference point on the volume scale, like 0, if it also has numbers in the + scale as some do.

The internal test tone is recorded at -30dB FS so what you should be getting from the speakers is a 75dB spl limited octave pink noise. This is what you are after. Each channel also has an internal volume trim adjustment for level matching each channel to that 75 dB on the meter.

Or, you can use an external test DVD. Most are recorded at the -30dB level but a few are at -20dB, so you need to be careful.

If your receiver is not a THX receiver, then most likely you need to manually turn the master volume control to a predetermined level to get the desired 75dB spl on the meter. Here you also need to be careful where that is as you don't want the master volume at 0 and the receiver has no + scales on the volume control. Then just repeat the above steps and match all channels.

 

[jordan21]

thanks. when i play the surround sound right now -20 is very loud.
i just purchased a digital spl but i noticed that no matter how quiet a room is, it will not go under around the 60db level, is this normal. does a sound meter ever get down to zero

 

[mtrycrafts]

thanks. when i play the surround sound right now -20 is very loud.
i just purchased a digital spl but i noticed that no matter how quiet a room is, it will not go under around the 60db level, is this normal. does a sound meter ever get down to zero

Is that a Radio Shack meter or another brand? What is the lowest scale on it? 60 sounds rather high when nothing is happening and the house sounds rather quiet in there. The RS on scale 60 can read down to 50.

Is your receiver THX?
What is the highest number on the volume scale? May want to put it in mute and see but be careful, or select an input that has nothing going in to it.