Please help me Fine Tune my Logitech Z-680's

[retromangia]

hey guys,

This is my very first post here at Audioholics... and I'm glad i found this place. Seems like the best spot on the net for Audio junkies.

Anyhow, i know this system is probably crap to most people, but I have the Logitech Z-680's setup for my Home Theater pleasure. I've had it for a couple years now, and it never sounded the way i wanted it to.

Does anyone know where i can find a guide to tuning this speaker system? The instruction booklet tells my squat about the tuning settings on the pod.

My first concern is that when watching TV/movies/ playing Video games... the voices are very low... but when a crowd applauses or something "loud" happens, the speakers are way to loud! I'm thinking there's some tuning needed here, but I don't know where to start.

Also when playing games on my xbox or ps2 that have dolby support, I almost always use the "2x stereo" option instead of the true "5.1 dolby dts" because the dolby option always sounds lower and dull, and the voices coming out of the middle speaker are always way to low compared to the other 4.

If anyone has experience with this system I'd love to hear from you!

sorry for the novel =)

-Retromangia

 

[bpape]

The first thing I'd do is get an SPL meter and make sure your channels are balanced properly. Other than that, what you describe is very typical of a lack of bass control in the room. I know that sounds odd and you may dismiss this because I work for an acoustics company but it's very true.

If your sub is in a corner, you might try pulling it out a bit too. While corners give the most sheer output, rarely do they yield the best frequency response.

Bryan

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Sounds like the center channel is just trimmed to low.

 

[retromangia]

thanks for the reply guys.

My Sub is plenty loud.. actually it's WAY to loud, so i keep it around the 2nd or 3rd notch.

what exactly does "trimmed too low" mean?

there's settings on the control pod for speakers called "surround delay".

anybody?

i'm ready to give up

 

[bpape]

Greg is referring to the same things I was. It may be that the level of the center channel is set (trimmed) too low in comparison to the L and R. There should be an individual level setting for each speaker.

Bryan

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Is there any kind of auto cal on the system? "Surround delay" is just the distance setting for the surround speakers so they reach the listening position at the same time as the mains. If you do not have an auto cal then a SPL meter and cal disc will be required.

 

[retromangia]

thanks for the help guys, you both are awesome.

what can you recommend for a starter level dpl meter and cal disc?

 

[bpape]

You can get a basic meter at Radio Shack.

There are a ton of different disks out there. Don't remember where right now, but I know there are free file downloads of pink noise or white noise. Play that through each speaker and adjust accordingly - that'll get you very very close.

Bryan

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Rat Shack for the SPL meter and Avia or DVE for the cal disc. You can rent the cal disc if you are a member of BB online or Netflix, if not you can get them through Amazon or a bunch of different online dealers including SVSound.

 

[ThA tRiXtA]

If you use a SPL meter to calibrate your levels, every tutorial I have read states to calibrate each speaker to anywhere between 75 to 85 dB, although as long as the same value is used for each channel, it's largely up to you. I would recommend to calibrate each to your average/desired listening level.

One side note - some people like to calibrate either their subs or center channel a little hot over the other channels, once again, your mileage may vary.

Good luck.