SP Distance and audio adjust settings

[edjamesx]

Recently bought ONKYO a/v receiver.
I wanted to know about the SP Distance , and audio adjust setiings. I think these are the most common settings in all a/v receivers.

These are the settings i tried to set myself. There is a huge difference in sound in variations of these settings..wanted to how to set for best performance.

1.SP distance (user manual says it's distance from my listening position) But when i set more feets than my listening position it sounds good.
Is it the maximum distance the sound can travel?

2.I am not sure about the following settings , Audio adjust
Panorama ?
Dimension - i set to 4.
Center width- i set to 3.
center image: 4
SW Sense ; I set to +5B.

I would really appreciate the help.

 

[MDS]

1.SP distance (user manual says it's distance from my listening position) But when i set more feets than my listening position it sounds good. Is it the maximum distance the sound can travel?

It's the actual physical distance from the speaker to the listening position and is used to set the delay time between channels (so they all arrive at your ears at roughly the same time). Sound travels approximately 1.1 feet per millisecond and the AVR will calculate the required delay based on the distance you set.

2.I am not sure about the following settings , Audio adjust
Panorama ?
Dimension - i set to 4.
Center width- i set to 3.

Those settings apply to Dolby ProLogic II(x) mode only.
Panorama take some of the sound that would go to the rears and redirects it to the fronts in order to broaden the image you hear. I usually leave it off.
Dimension moves the sound field forwards or backwards; so if for example, the center was slightly behind the mains and sounds a bit recesssed you could move it forward to compensate.
Center Width determines how much info goes to the center. If you leave it at the default position, any signal that is destined for the center goes to the center only. If you move the number higher, more goes to the front left and right speakers which has the effect of making the soundstage seem wider. I keep mine at 4 which mixes a tad bit of the center to the left and right and makes it sound a bit wider. If you put it at zero, that is known as a 'phantom center'; in other words anything destined for the center channel is instead sent entirely to the left and right fronts.

center image: 4

That setting is for DTS Neo:6 and is analogous to the Center Width setting for PLII.

SW Sense ; I set to +5B.

Not sure what model you have but that setting sounds like the switch to compensate for overly boomy bass tracks. Some discs are incorrectly mastered and some DVD players boost the LFE track by too much. These problems don't exist much anymore but that setting allows you to compensate for it. It is usually best to set it at zero unless you definitely have a problem. The rub of course is that you can't really know that the bass is boosted too much unless you use an SPL meter and do a proper calibration.

 

[edjamesx]

Thanks.. Few more questions!

Thanks a lot MDS ! It helped me a lot to know about the settings.
Have few more questions ..

It's the actual physical distance from the speaker to the listening position and is used to set the delay time between channels (so they all arrive at your ears at roughly the same time). Sound travels approximately 1.1 feet per millisecond and the AVR will calculate the required delay based on the distance you set..

Can't we calculate the physical distance based on the Room size (without using the SPL meter)?..Say my room size is : W:10 feet Len:20 feet. Can we arrive at some calculation ..Some X*Y...

Not sure what model you have but that setting sounds like the switch to compensate for overly boomy bass tracks. Some discs are incorrectly mastered and some DVD players boost the LFE track by too much.

I have TX SRS574 model. I also observed that my settings not suitable for some of the DVDs , which boost too much bass. Do i need to change the settings every time based on DVD track ?.

Thanks again ...!!

 

[jcPanny]

Receiver setup.

Thanks a lot MDS ! It helped me a lot to know about the settings.
Have few more questions ..

Can't we calculate the physical distance based on the Room size (without using the SPL meter)?..Say my room size is : W:10 feet Len:20 feet. Can we arrive at some calculation ..Some X*Y...


I have TX SRS574 model. I also observed that my settings not suitable for some of the DVDs , which boost too much bass. Do i need to change the settings every time based on DVD track ?.

Thanks again ...!!

Yes there is an easy way to "calculate" speaker distance, it is called a tape measure. Simply measure from the speaker in question to the primary listening position.

If your speaker and sub levels are calibrated properly (w/ SPL meter or auto setup) than the sub won't be too boomy during movies. The sub location and performance are also a factor.

 

[agarwalro]

Its possible that increasing the distance causes your system to play louder. It has been proved that louder systems are perceived to have better sound quality.

 

[OttoMatic]

Its possible that increasing the distance causes your system to play louder. It has been proved that louder systems are perceived to have better sound quality.

No, the distance settings are there to induce delays in signals for speakers that are at different distances from the listening position.

Usually, your L/R speakers are further from you than you center. Therefore, the signal to the center will be delayed, just a bit (about 1.1 ms per foot difference) such that the signals from all speakers reach your ears at the same time.

 

[edjamesx]

Sound improved in front speakers..still problem

Hi jcPanny
Sorry for not understanding .
I am new to this. I measured the distance from my listening position to the speakers and i set it up. Even though my front and center speakers sound is improved , Still my surround speakers volume is very low..very hardly to hear.
And Now my woofer boosts too much bass.

My room size is 10 ftx20 ft . My settings in feets ,

Front : 12 feet , Center :10 feet. ( I set front speakers distane 2 feet more than center speaker ..since it's placed 2ft above my center speaker. Is it right ?)
Surround Left : 8 ft, Surround Right:8 ft.
Woofer : same distance as center speaker.

Pls refer the attachment containing room layout which explains my room size and placement of speakers in my room and Shelf_layout which explains how my Center , Front and Woofer has been placed in my shelf.

I called up ONKYO and they were telling they will cahrge arnd 40$ for installation and they told me it would be set right only with professional installation. It seems like it's a marketing technique..

I beleive i can resolve it myself ...

 

[edjamesx]

Question about Multiplex Main,Sub L/R

Not sure about setting Multiplex (Comes under Audio adjust) to main/Sub, L/R . ?? Which one need to use ?.

 

[avaserfi]

To set speaker distance just measure the distance from the main listening position to your speakers tweeter and input that to your receivers memory. To set loudness levels go to radioshack and buy an SPL meter either analog or digital, I prefer the latter. Attach the SPL to a tripod if possible and set to to C weighting, slow. Run pink noise, static, from your receiver speaker level adjust screen through each specific speaker setting the loudness of each speaker to 75 DB. After this all your speakers will be the same loudness so it should all integrate much more seamlessly. On thing you should realize is if you don't watch movies loud enough the mix might sound as if the surround are too faint that is just how the movie was recorded as they are designed to be played at 85DB.