dialoug question/calibration question

[E6NCO]

1. The dialoug is hard to understand without turning the volume way up. When i do that, everything else is way to loud so I run into the volume up volume down thing. This leads to my next question.
2. I have a Harman Kardon AVR 215 reciever with infinity beta speakers. The revciever comes with a microphone and an EZ setup feature that suposedly balances out all the speakers. That does not help with the dialoug problem. Swould it be worth the money to purchase the RS SPL meter and a disc such as AVIA or something similiar? Firedog was not able to do this for me so I'm gonna do what i should've done to begin with. Learn to do it myself!!!

 

[AVRat]

An SPL meter, tape measure, and the receiver's internal test tones will get your system balanced. You can also tweak the system to your liking. You may add a dB or two to increase only the center's volume.

 

[supervij]

The receiver's auto-calibration is a good place to start. These things usually get the levels close. Not perfect, mind you, but close. If you're looking to get things absolutely perfect, than an SPL meter would definitely help. Once you've finished setting levels, bump up the centre by 2 dB. That's what I ended up doing, after calibration, as I found the same problem as you.

 

[E6NCO]

So its a yes on the SPL meter. What about the Avia disc or something similiar? I have to keep the WAF in mind with expense, but also want it to sound its absolute best. What about that other DVD that is supposedly matched up up the radio shack SPL?

 

[mtrycrafts]

So its a yes on the SPL meter. What about the Avia disc or something similiar? I have to keep the WAF in mind with expense, but also want it to sound its absolute best. What about that other DVD that is supposedly matched up up the radio shack SPL?

That Avia can also help with TV calibration too. You should be able to get it used on Amazon. Just make sure it has the filters included instead of lost.

 

[Don_T]

I had the same problem as you. I found that the problem was room acoustics. Once the room was treated the dialog was very audible at standard listening levels. I used Auralex room treatments and the Rives CD that has tracks matched to the Radio Shack SPL meter. The room treatments did the most good then I was able to balance out the rest with the test tones and my receivers equalizer.

WAF is a problem with room treatments. Try to sell her on a couple of bass traps and that will help a lot.

 

[E6NCO]

my wife hates these forums. between this one and the truck forum, everytime i get done looking at them, i have a new idea to try. Now i will be spending a few hours researching bass traps. Then i will talk to her about those after spending time convincing her that all i need is just the spl meter and this disc. There is always just one more thing it seems like.

 

[mtrycrafts]

my wife hates these forums. between this one and the truck forum, everytime i get done looking at them, i have a new idea to try. Now i will be spending a few hours researching bass traps. Then i will talk to her about those after spending time convincing her that all i need is just the spl meter and this disc. There is always just one more thing it seems like.

Does she have a hobby? If not get her into something, then, you got her.

 

[MACCA350]

1. The dialoug is hard to understand without turning the volume way up. When i do that, everything else is way to loud so I run into the volume up volume down thing. This leads to my next question.
2. I have a Harman Kardon AVR 215 reciever with infinity beta speakers. The revciever comes with a microphone and an EZ setup feature that suposedly balances out all the speakers. That does not help with the dialoug problem. Swould it be worth the money to purchase the RS SPL meter and a disc such as AVIA or something similiar? Firedog was not able to do this for me so I'm gonna do what i should've done to begin with. Learn to do it myself!!!

Movie soundtracks are quite dynamic. If you don't want the dynamics then use the 'dynamic compression' or 'night mode' feature in your receiver, this will allow you to turn it up so you can hear the dialog better but stop the loud scenes being too loud. Just remember you'll lose some of the impact of the soundtrack.

cheers

 

[bpape]

Sorry but IMO that's treating the symptom, not fixing the problem.

Calibrating the center and making sure the room has the appropriate decay times/reflection control will allow good intelligibility and enjoyment of the full dynamic range as recorded on the disk.

Bryan

 

[Don_T]

I absolutely agree with bpage. Once the room problems are treated you will get clear audibility of the entire dynamic range of the track at any listening level.

I am a FIRM believer of acoustic treatment as the MOST important part of a listening environment.

And yes, there is always just one more thing...

 

[MACCA350]

Did you guys read the first post?

cheers

 

[no. 5]

...and a disc such as AVIA or something similiar?

I don't recamend it inplace of the AVIA disc, but if you have any moives that have the "THX" logo, there is a "THX optimizer" on those discs that could be used as a starting point.