System Calibration

[mitch57]

When calibrating my HT System what should I set the Sub level to? I have powered towers and I am using a SPL meter to adjust the levels of all my speakers. I currently have all of them set to produce 75db on the SPL meter at the listening position.

Should I set the sub level the same or bump it up to 85db at the listening position?

 

[mtrycrafts]

When calibrating my HT System what should I set the Sub level to? I have powered towers and I am using a SPL meter to adjust the levels of all my speakers. I currently have all of them set to produce 75db on the SPL meter at the listening position.

Should I set the sub level the same or bump it up to 85db at the listening position?

You may want to experiment with the sub level from 75 dB on up. I doubt you will like it all the way at 85 though as every low will be annunciated too much. Or, perhaps just set if about 79dB spl.

 

[plhart]

If you are using the Radio shack meter you need the Rives test disc from Rives Audio to set bass levels. The Radio Shack meter in C weighting cannot accurately measure bass frequencies because the C weighting rolls off the low frequencies. The Rives test disc has an inverse C weighting boost applied at the correct frequencies to simulate a flat response.

The .1 channel is supposed to be set 10dB higher than the mains to make up for the human ears' insensitivity to bass frequencies. Look at the Flecher-Munson loudness curves to understand this phenomena.

 

[MDS]

The .1 channel is supposed to be set 10dB higher than the mains to make up for the human ears' insensitivity to bass frequencies. Look at the Flecher-Munson loudness curves to understand this phenomena.

The LFE channel on a multi channel disc is already +10dB higher than the other channels. You definitely don't want to calibrate your system so that the subwoofer is +10dB. Maybe a few dB's higher if you are really into bass, but 10 would be excessive.

 

[plhart]

Thanks for the correction! I've gotta promise myself to stop answering some of these forum question late at night or too early in the morning before ingesting sufficient quantities of caffeine..