Help a noob

[tcc]

Hello all,

Great forum here.

I'm not that new to HT stuff but am getting into it again from a little "lay off"

I didn't know there was so much involved with it (i.e. testing/calibrating).

What I want to do with my current setup is to calibrate it. I've read a few threads about a disc called AVIA and to get a radio shack spl meter. Where can I get said disc? Is it hard to do the calibration?

Any help or other information is greatly appreciated

 

[tcc]

Anyone??

Where can I get the disc in Toronto, Canada?

 

[MDS]

You can get it straight from the source: http://www.ovationmultimedia.com/avia.html or you can buy it from amazon.com. I think NetFlix rents it. Many a/v stores sell it.

Calibration isn't all that difficult. In a nutshell, you play the test tones and adjust the channel trims on the receiver until the SPL meter reads your target SPL (85 dB if you want Dolby Reference Level and are using the tones on the AVIA disc). Search for threads on calibration or reference level - it's been discussed many times.

Note that you can do the calibration using the receiver's internal test tones instead of AVIA. AVIA is more useful for calibrating the video for your tv, although it does have other audio tests that can be useful too.

 

[tcc]

Thanks for the reply MDS.

If I was just using the tones from the receiver what are the recommended SPL levels for DD and DTS?

 

[MDS]

Dolby Reference Level is defined as 105 dB PEAKS at the listening position. The LFE can be 115 dB (most receivers now add the +10 dB automatically although some allow you to set it).

The level of the test tone you use determines what level you should shoot for on the SPL meter. All receiver's internal test tones are at -30 dB (it's a THX requirement and they all use it, whether the unit is THX certified or not). Thus, if you want Dolby Reference Level you want the SPL meter to read 75 dB (75+30=105).