Need help with settings on my receiver...please :)

[mjnoles1]

Hi, first let me tell you what audio equipment I have. I own a Pioneer VSX-D514 (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_4153_60646217_tab=B,00.html?compName=PNA_ProductDetailComponent) I also purchased the speakers that go with the Pioneer HTD-540DV system. (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_2047433_98124090_tab=B,00.html?compName=PNA_ProductDetailComponent) The front speakers are a 2 way system with a 10cm woofer and a 5.2cm tweeter, 6ohms and frequency range is 50 Hz to 20 kHz, center speaker is a 8.7 cm 1 way cone type with 6 ohms and 65 Hz to 20 kHz frequency range, surround speakers is a 8.7cm 1 way cone type system, 6ohms and 95Hz to 20kHz. The subwoofer that came with the speakers I did not want so I purchased the Subwoofer that came with the Pioneer htp-240 system (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_2047433_123876882_tab=B,00.html?compName=PNA_ProductDetailComponent). The powered Subwoofer speaker is 8 inches with the power Amp at a continuous Average Power Output is 100 watts min, at 28 ohms from 20 Hertz to 200 Hertz with no more than 1% total harmonic distortion and crossover frequency is 150 Hz.
I have everything set up but I would like some advice with the settings on the receiver. I already set all speakers to small. The front, center and Subwoofer is all set to 11ft from listening position with surround speakers set for 5 feet from listening position. I would like some help with the Xover setting as of now it is set at 150. I also would like some input on the LFE ATT setting which I have no idea what that setting is used for as of now I have it set to 0 but it can be set for 0db,10db or **db
The speakers I have set to + 7.5db for each speaker and the sub.
I added an attachment of how the speakers are set up if that helps any.

Thank you all for the help

 

[MDS]

150 Hz is way too high. Because the fronts go down to 50 Hz and the center to 65 Hz, you should really be around 80hz (60Hz might even work well).

Turn the crossover on the sub as high as it will go or bypass it if the sub allows when you use the crossover in the receiver.

 

[Karp]

I agree. Set the crossover to 80Hz for a start. I would not set it above 100Hz under any circumstances. The goal is to not be able to notice that the low bass is coming from the subwoofer. Everyone is different, but most people cannot localize sounds below 80Hz (and few can localize below 100Hz). The sound should seem to be coming from the speaker that is producing the rest of the sound rather than from the sub.

I would also set the least efficient speakers at +3db and then set the others to less than that to match.
You may want to invest in (or borrow) a sound meter and use the white-noise generator in your receiver to level out the sound for each speaker.

 

[mjnoles1]

Thank you both for the very useful information. If I may I just would like to double check with the information you suggested. "Anonymous" when you wrote "Turn the crossover on the sub as high as it will go or bypass it if the sub allows when you use the crossover in the receiver." My sub only has a knob to adjust the volume, so then you suggest on the receiver I set the LFE attenuator to ** which states in the manual that with that setting the LFE is not available, is that how you suggested I should set that feature? Also "Karp" since from the stats it seems the surround speakers are the least efficient so in that case you suggest I set the surround speakers to +3db and I set the rest of my speakers to lower than that? Lastly, you both suggest I set the Xover to 80Hz?

Thank you again for the great help.

 

[MDS]

I'm not sure I understand the question so please clarify if what I write still doesn't make sense.

Typicallly subs have a volume control, crossover control, and a phase switch. If you connect the receiver to the sub by running a cable from the receiver's sub pre-out to a line level input of the sub, then the crossover of the receiver will be active. Let's say you set the receiver crossover to 80Hz. But then you also have a crossover on the sub and let's say you set it to 60 Hz. Now you have a hole from 80Hz-60Hz - the receiver will only send 80Hz and below, but the sub will only use 60Hz and below and thus discards all frequencies between 80 and 60. That's bad. That's why you want the sub's crossover set as high as it will go (or at least higher than the receiver's crossover) to get it out of the way so to speak.

Some subs allow you to bypass its internal crossover. For example JBL subs have a switch on the back. When that switch is set to LFE, the internal sub crossover is disabled and therefore it doesn't matter what the position of the sub crossover dial is set at. If the sub doesn't have a way to disable the internal crossover, then you just set the dial as high as it will go as already mentioned. Now if your sub has neither, then it likely has a fixed crossover setting that you cannot change and you should try to find out what that frequency is and set the receiver crossover lower.

I missed the question about LFE attenuation last time. That setting is meant to help with the differing bass levels of DD vs DTS tracks. If you set it to +10 then the receiver will attenuate the LFE channel (the .1) by 10 decibels, supposedly bringing DTS tracks that are mastered 10dB hotter down to the level of DD tracks. Newer receivers do this automatically. I would leave it at 0 unless you notice that the bass is overwhelming on some discs.

Note that setting each speaker to +7.5 is meaningless unless you arrived at the number via a proper calibration. If you haven't, get a Radio Shack SPL meter and read up on calibration - it's easy to do and makes a world of difference.

 

[mjnoles1]

Thanks again "Anonymous" and the sub I have only has in the back a line in spot to connect the cable from the sub to the receiver and a volume control. So, my sub has a fixed crossover frequency and the manual says "Crossover Frequency.................... 150 Hz" for the powered subwoofer. So, whats your suggestion for the settings? I'm leaving it in your hands as my "settings" guy lol.

Thanks again

 

[MDS]

Just use 80Hz. The receiver will send 80Hz and below and the sub's crossover won't interfere because it's much higher.

 

[senleka]

I'm not sure I understand the question so please clarify if what I write still doesn't make sense.

Typicallly subs have a volume control, crossover control, and a phase switch. If you connect the receiver to the sub by running a cable from the receiver's sub pre-out to a line level input of the sub, then the crossover of the receiver will be active. Let's say you set the receiver crossover to 80Hz. But then you also have a crossover on the sub and let's say you set it to 60 Hz. Now you have a hole from 80Hz-60Hz - the receiver will only send 80Hz and below, but the sub will only use 60Hz and below and thus discards all frequencies between 80 and 60. That's bad. That's why you want the sub's crossover set as high as it will go (or at least higher than the receiver's crossover) to get it out of the way so to speak.

Some subs allow you to bypass its internal crossover. For example JBL subs have a switch on the back. When that switch is set to LFE, the internal sub crossover is disabled and therefore it doesn't matter what the position of the sub crossover dial is set at. If the sub doesn't have a way to disable the internal crossover, then you just set the dial as high as it will go as already mentioned. Now if your sub has neither, then it likely has a fixed crossover setting that you cannot change and you should try to find out what that frequency is and set the receiver crossover lower.

I missed the question about LFE attenuation last time. That setting is meant to help with the differing bass levels of DD vs DTS tracks. If you set it to +10 then the receiver will attenuate the LFE channel (the .1) by 10 decibels, supposedly bringing DTS tracks that are mastered 10dB hotter down to the level of DD tracks. Newer receivers do this automatically. I would leave it at 0 unless you notice that the bass is overwhelming on some discs.

Note that setting each speaker to +7.5 is meaningless unless you arrived at the number via a proper calibration. If you haven't, get a Radio Shack SPL meter and read up on calibration - it's easy to do and makes a world of difference.

Hi MDS,

since my question is also releated to reciever subwoofer setiing i thought i will ask you in this same thread. I have a JVC RX-D402B reciever and right now i have set my subwoofer out to LFE. There is another option which is LFE + Main , i want to know what this setting means and how will it affect the subwoofer response. Thanks.

 

[zumbo]

Hi MDS,

since my question is also releated to reciever subwoofer setiing i thought i will ask you in this same thread. I have a JVC RX-D402B reciever and right now i have set my subwoofer out to LFE. There is another option which is LFE + Main , i want to know what this setting means and how will it affect the subwoofer response. Thanks.

LFE + Mains means the LFE signal below your crossover setting will be sent to your sub and the front 2 main speakers. This usually changes your main speaker setting to LARGE. The ideal setting is SMALL and LFE only, with the crossover set about 10Hz above your center speakers lowest frequency response.

ex: My center speakers specs are 50Hz - 32kHz. My crossover is set to 60Hz. The lower the crossover setting, the less chance you will notice sub location.

Set-up tips from Audioholics homepage.

Component Setup and Calibration

There are several things you must do to audio components after they’re connected. Most DVD players and A/V receivers have their own way of doing the same things and might even have a different name for certain settings. Consult your owner’s manual for exact instructions to apply this checklist to your system.



Receiver setup:



Bass management: Large/Small speaker settings. Set all speakers to small, let your subwoofer handle the low frequencies. Find a comfortable crossover setting, it might not always be THX’s recommended 80Hz.
LFE: Enable LFE (low frequency effects) to drive your sub. Your receiver might have an on/off setting for stereo.
Dynamic Range: Set to 100% (night mode, dynamic compression turned off).
DSP modes: Turn off all DSP modes. Only experiment with these when you’re ready to play with the sound.
Dolby Pro Logic II or IIx: Dolby PL II and IIx are primarily used for two channel (stereo) sources and PL IIx can also be used for discrete 5.1 sources to expand them to 7.1. Double check to see if the PL II or IIx settings are saved for each input selected. IE: Setup “music” appropriately for CD input, switch to VCR and see if your CD settings carried over to the other inputs. PLII presets and saved settings per input are convenient features and often overlooked when shopping for an A/V receiver.
Dolby Digital/DTS: Enable automatic detection of Dolby Digital/DTS for digital audio inputs. This should override any Pro Logic II or DSP setting you have chosen. There should be an indicator on your receiver’s front panel to let you know which audio format is detected.




DVD Player setup:



Bass Management: Large/Small speaker settings. Only one component should handle bass management. Receiver, DVD player or another specialty component such Outlaw’s ICBM. If another component is handling bass management set all speakers to large or turn off bass management.
S/PDIF: Use your DVD player’s digital audio output only (coax or optical). Do not use the RCA stereo output if you already have the digital output connected to the receiver.
Bitstream/PCM: Set audio output to bitstream. The only reason you wouldn’t want to use bitstream is if you’re not using the DVD player’s digital audio outputs. Almost all DVD players have PCM set as default, PCM will not send Dolby Digital or DTS to the receiver even if the DVD player is compatible with those audio formats. Countless new DVD player owners will listen to stereo PCM transmitted to their receiver over digital outputs, wondering why the receiver isn’t detecting Dolby Digital or DTS.
Audio filtering or effects: Disable any audio noise reduction, filtering, DSPs or any other audio effects your DVD Player might provide. The A/V Receiver can handle these. Experiment with these settings later, after you’ve heard the “true” sound of your system.
Aspect Ratio: Enable widescreen mode (16:9) assuming you have a compatible display for this aspect ratio. Disable zoom. Depending on your viewing preferences, zoom/stretch modes may be used on 16:9 displays when watching 4:3 program source material to utilize more screen area. There should be an independent setting on your display to enable these modes when viewing 4:3 program material.
Video output: Always use the best possible video output available on your TV. If your TV is High Definition you MUST use either Component outputs (R,G,B) or digital video such as DVI or HDMI to get a de-interlaced video signal to your TV. S-Video is your best option for non-digital TV.
Progressive Scan: Enable progressive scan if your DVD Player has this feature and your TV is Digital or HD.
Other Video Features: Black level, brightness, filtering etc should all be initially disabled on the DVD Player. In most cases all of the video tweaking should be done on your display. However, if you cannot achieve an accurate picture, you should then look at tweaking using the DVD player video adjustments.

 

[senleka]

Thanks for the reply!!!

 

[MDS]

Zumbo explained the LFE+Main.

I will just add one thing: The 'rule of thumb' for setting the xover frequency is to set it 1/2 to 1 octave above the least capable speaker in the system. Using that rule, with Zumbo's 50 Hz - 32 kHz speaker, a suitable xover would be 75Hz (1/2 octave above) to 100 Hz (one octave above). The reason for that rule is that xovers have a slope and gradually attenuate the frequency - it does not chop it at exactly the frequency you set. Notice that for that particular speaker, the generally recommended 80 Hz xover (THX) is about ideal.

The 'rule' breaks down if the speakers can't go very low. If they are only capble to say 100 Hz (many small bookshelves or satellite speakers), then the rule would have you set 150 or 200 Hz which is way too high. So the alternative is to set it exactly at the lowest frequency (100 Hz in this example) or add a small fudge factor like +10 as zumbo said.

In the end, its what sounds good to you, but it does help to be aware of the general rules as a starting point.

 

[zumbo]

Sounds good to me!

 

[senleka]

Getting a "Boom" sound from my speakers when i switch menus in my DVD player

Thanks for the LFE + Main answers. I have a new problem now...i get a "Boom" sound as if a small bomb is exploding when i switch menus in my DVD player. I was not hearing it before. I have JVC RX-D402 reciever and JBL Northridge speaker systems. I dont hear it when the movie or music is playing i just hear it when i switch menus in my DVD player. Can you guys know why this is happening?