Quiet_Hollow

Just use your receiver to sample your system. It'll display results specific to your setup. It's a feature available in the MCACC menu and removes a fair bit of the leg work involved with using outboard gear. (calibration files, loop backs, etc.) Not to sway you one way or the other, but it's already paid for. Might as well give it a try. Everything in the digital signal processing domain is calculated. The only measurements taking place are time and sound pressure.

You're not alone. A crap mix is just that, and where dialogue is concerned it's just that much more annoying to have to put up with. I feel your pain. It makes you curl up in your chair, grit your teeth in disgust, and has you quickly dropping anchor on the volume knob. Bear with it because there's nothing you can do with it at the source end. Cooked is simply cooked, no matter what. There's no bringing it back. The only positive is that the listening experience builds a sincere appreciation for a better mix.

At the moment I've got a half-width (15" wide) Tuba HT subwoofer loaded with a 12" driver (Dayton DVC 310-88). Corner-loaded and using a Radio Shack SPL meter set to "C weighting / slow" with a 20 Hz test tone from the Bink CD, the unit measures 100 dB SPL on 2.87V at 6" from the mouth. I also measured what voltage it took to maintain 100 dB SPL, one meter into my room.

Have you tried measuring the voltage across each channel while using the amp's built-in test tones (which typically bypass internal processing)? Symmetric measurements would be a pretty good indicator that it's not the amp.

Me too...

All the compromises certainly add up. Easy enough to cherry pick them "out" of a particular design, particularly in regards to the Heritage line, but it's certainly not the same result as a design that mitigates as many concessions as possible from the start.

Comparing physical alignment vs. DSP yesterday. Not easy considering all the variables involved. Bearing in mind that simply moving the tweeter changes a lot of things at once....much more so that just lining up an impulse. The difference is noticeable, but not as profound as switching the DSP ON/OFF. Aligning the squawker signal to the bass bin is no joke in that regard. Overall, I liked what I heard though, and like others on this forum, would go so far as to recommend trying it out (in the absence of DSP). I'd wager that physically aligning all three drivers of a split LSI (because the squawker can also be moved) would have them sounding pretty damn good.

Looks like a tastefully executed vinyl wrap. I seriously doubt that's a genuine Klipsch finish.

+1 When using the SPL meter function of REW, the mic has to be calibrated every time the meter function is activated. I've seen very little mention of SPL calibrators in all the REW forums over the years, yet possessing/using one is as much of a requirement to the proper use of the software as having a multimeter when setting up gains.

An ice cold glass of Kristall in late June, running the grill, when it's still pushing 95+ degrees after sunset. ...that or High Life if I need a break from wrenching on the cars.

For the minimum, see Page 18: https://www.jblpro.com/pub/cinema/cinedsgn.pdf The old Dolby AC-3 literature suggests full "main channel" capability for the surround / satellites (naturally )....but as practical compromise I'd stick with surrounds that can maintain at least some semblance of timbre matching to the LC&R down to ~400 Hz (the 1st and 2nd harmonics of the male voice). Using distance and delays to compensate for SPL requirements. I've found that 5.1 concerts or specialty 5.1 tracks work the surrounds harder than actual movies, where they typically loaf along the majority of the time.

No old shells or fire engines, but our local grocer sells dry ice. Does that count?

Original buyer? I wager that nixes 3/4 of the Heritage crowd. Been with Klipsch for 22 years, but I didn't buy them new.

Associate degree in an applied field (IT, comm, software, electronics, mechanics, finance, business, etc.). Hands down the best bang for the buck. A person can always continue beyond that if required, and there are tricks to managing the debt from biting off too much too early. Ignorant parents insist on sending their kids off to college like it's their only salvation in life. It's not....and the majority of people pursuing a bachelors degree shouldn't be there. Most simply aren't scholars or professional material. Many guidance counselors can't say this outright, but it's really not about the money, it's about the quality of the person.

24x18x11 here with a relatively open floor plan into the kitchen (via large pass-through), main hallway, and openings to two other rooms along the back wall. ~4500 cu feet considering the the adjacent rooms. Couch (main listening position) is 6 feet from the back wall. L & R are asymmetrically placed on the long wall -14 feet apart -42 degrees of toe -12 feet from the LP Center channel cross-fired pair, 9 feet from the LP. LS & RS are asymmetrically placed on the back wall -45 degrees of toe -raised with the tweeters 55" off the floor -tilted 10 degrees down -9 feet from the LP. Sub is in the left rear corner. No acoustic treatments beyond full Berber carpeting, a plush couch, and a plush reclining chair. Pic is in my profile.

That's to be expected. You're learning. It also sucks, but that's part of learning too. Every discipline has it's grind....from crab fishing to research That'd missing the point. You'll know you hit your mark when at the drop of a hat you can write a 1-3 page structured paper on essentially anything, and make it somewhat interesting. You'll get there. Steve's got your back. He's cool like that.

If Fry's is doing any volume business online, then just like Walmart and Home Depot, they're only shooting themselves in the foot. On the brighter side, it's the only place I know of where a person can still walk through the door with a wad of cash and walk out the door with enough parts in-hand to build a completely custom PC. BTY - Demo'd some RP-260/280's while I was there last. I liked what I heard.

From the Genelec site: General Setup Guide In addition, there's a lot to glean from reviewing their well-written owners manuals too. They are not shy on explaining things. No Monitors Subwoofers These are some of the most practical summaries of the topic I've seen to date. Yet even so, they still miss a few key points with respect to crossover setup.

This is one of those tenets of speaker setup that doesn't translate to words easily....books and papers be damned. A few years back, Genelec had available a very nicely illustrated and concise manual on the topic. Even then, it still wasn't exactly "light reading". I'll see if I can find it.

Love the tremolo on the xylophones an the spinning-down at the end. Oddly enough, I find the marble cacophony of the real sound clip just as delightful as the DI'd one.

It also goes without saying that when I state "move the crossover point" that it's not just a matter of adjusting one value in the receiver. Shifting the crossover point involves pushing up the low pass filter controlling the sub (either on the sub amp itself or in the receiver if bypassed) in tandem with the global high pass in the receiver. Then checking phase and re-adjusting trim levels. This can be accomplished by a trained ear, but even a basic SPL meter (calibration not required) makes this process loads easier. I'd try simply bumping up the global high pass to 125-200 Hz to clean up the 28's output a little...just a hunch.

Bumping up the crossover point shifts the power out of the main channels and puts it into the sub. Keeps the mid bass "on-target" instead of finding it's way through the walls by controlling how much power the mains dump off into the room (and neighbors) below their baffle-step. Any content (and more importantly distortion) in the 120-400 Hz range is usually the biggest offender. This is typically either from the LCR and subwoofer walking over one another, or running a crossover point that is below ideal for the front three and their boundary relationships. There's a practical limit here of course, and it helps immensely to know first what the system is actually doing via RTA before picking a strategy. Sliding around a few Hz either way can make a profound difference. At this point, all that can be done is to experiment a little. There's nothing to lose. Really clean bass below 100 Hz is not easily localized, so it's a red flag that something is not ideal setup-wise when a neighbor can simply pace around or put their ear to a wall to find the source of the problem. You'll know you've got it in the ball park when you play some really low, loud stuff then step outside and you're more inclined to look up or down rather than directly at something....and the stuff that really slams at the listening position stays inside.

That's not what I said. You'd be much better served by going over to your neighbor's place while your system is running full-tilt and measuring the spectrum of what they're actually hearing. It ain't bass.

Try a higher crossover point.

One of the best kept secrets in a good overhaul shop. Especially in the rust belt. Replaces a MAPP torch for most stuck fastener jobs. Quicker and safer too. Nice score MKP!