Denon 2105 Auto Setup Help

[millhouse]

After the setup completes I am able to verify that all of the delay settings are accurate. However the decibel levels seem to be a bit out of whack. First off all of the speakers were set between +6 and +7.5. To me this seems a tad high, but then again what do I know. But the real issue is that it determines my sub to be -5, which practically eliminates all of my bass reproduction in Dolby Digital movies, and Direct CD’s. Do you guys agree that these levels are out of range? My living room is rather airy with 12 foot ceilings and hard wood floors. Could this be throwing off the mic?

The setup also determines that all of my speakers are large. After reading up on this I agree that they should be re-set to small. If ignore the auto setup and set all of the levels to 0, and the speakers to small my bass is pretty evident, however I have to crank the volume way up to get it loud enough. I cannot seem to find a good mix. Any suggestions?

If it helps here are a few of my other settings:

X-over = 80
LFE only (not LFE+Main)

Thanks in advance.

 

[MDS]

You can't really tell if they are off unless you use an SPL meter to verify that all the channels are equal in volume. I would use the receiver's test tones or a setup disc like AVIA after running the auto setup and see if each channel registers roughly the same SPL level. If they don't, then do it manually.

It seems that all of the auto setup routines set the speakers to Large. I would change it to small.

The sub is tricky. It may be integrated well with the other speakers when set to -5, but then maybe not. Again use an SPL meter to verify. The only problem with it set to -5 is that some sub's auto turn on feature doesn't work too well if the signal from the receiver is too low. It might be better to set it at zero manually and then recalibrate manually with an SPL meter (trying to keep the level from the receiver in the positive range and turning the volume on the sub down if the meter reads too high).

 

[millhouse]

Thanks for the advice. I have never used SPL meter before...how will I know what the highest decibal level should be? What would my baseline be, what speaker do I beign with? Also the manual says to set the volume half way when doing the auto setup, deos this hold true when doing it manually? Thanks a lot.

 

[MDS]

First let me say that the auto-setup probably got real close to what you want. I was just saying that you could verify it for yourself if you want.

Generally you want to calibrate to Dolby Reference Level which is 85 dB SPL at the listening position. This is when the test signal is at -20 dB. So 85+20 = 105 dB peaks (plus up to +10 dB more for the LFE channel). That is very loud and you will probably actually listen at lower levels - at least I do. Of course you can calibrate to any level you desire - what matters most is that each channel produces the same level (within a decibel or two, it's very difficult to get each exactly the same).

The catch is that you need to know the level of the test tones you are using. Receiver test tones are usually at -30 dB, so to achieve Dolby Ref Level you would calibrate so the meter reads 75 dB (75+30=105 dB peak).
I usually get it backwards, so don't quote me on this, but I think the AVIA setup disc is at -30 and DVE is at -20 dB. So use 75 dB if using AVIA and 85 dB if using DVE.

Now for the volume setting of the receiver:
It depends on the receiver. Some of them automatically increase the volume to the reference level when you use the internal test tones and thus the setting of the knob is irrelevant. Others do not. For example, my Onkyo 502 does not, but the 702 does.

If the receiver does not automatically set the volume or you are using AVIA or DVE instead of the internal test tones, you can set it wherever you like but 0 dB (if the display is relative; eg. -80 - +10) is the standard. If the receiver uses absolute display (0-80) then you should pick a point about 80% of max. I used 60 for the tx-sr502.

- Set the volume
- Start the test tones
- Hold the meter about ear level at your seating position and pointing straight up. Better yet, put it on a tripod and step away from it so your body doesn't get in the way.
- Cycle thru the channels with the remote and adjust the levels until the meter reads the number you are looking for. Do that for each channel until they all read about the same.

Now if you chose 0dB on the receiver, that is your 'reference level' and when the volume knob is in that position you will get the reference SPL at your listening position. If you turn the volume knob to -10, you will be listening at 10 dB below reference. I doubt you can stand true reference level for very long - I know I can't.

Many will use a lower value - the key point again is that all the channels are balanced at the same level, whatever that level is.

That's the quick and dirty overview of the process. I bet the Denon auto-setup got it pretty close anyway, with the exception of setting the mains to large and (possibly) the sub not being quite right.

 

[Nick250]

If it helps here are a few of my other settings:

X-over = 80
LFE only (not LFE+Main)

Thanks in advance.

You did not mention what the receiver you are using but it would seem to me that if your speakers are set to small you want your set sub to" LFE+Main". My Onkyo only has a sub setting of "on" or "off", and it will not let you set the mains to small if you have the sub set to "off".