33klfan Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 I know everone says how crucial it is to have a spl meter to properly calibrate your HT. I just never bought one for some reason, so i finally did. It's an analog radio shack one. Now, i'm pretty sure i know how to use it, but just in case are there any tips i should know to use it. I also have an avia disc. Should i somehow correlate those two together for a test. Also, i read that the rives audio cd is good to pair with it. Any thoughts? I also read somewhere on here how to make your sub sound better and i can't recall the steps. Thanks for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 the radioshack meter does not do so well on the bass area so there are charts that account for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Here is a good "how to" on calibrating your system with that meter... http://www.svsound.com/questions-faqs.cfm#meter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 I didn't realize how loud I was listening until I got an SPL meter. Sitting talking with friends we have the volume at about 80-85. Listening by myself 90-100 but if I had a couple beers the volume increased abit more so that is when I keep the meter out to keep myself in check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Freaking headbanger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Freaking headbanger. Well I have always tried to take care of the ears with ear plugs at concerts that are toooo loud. The Heritage can go so loud so cleanly that I often don't realize how loud I'm listening. When I was running the MC30s I caught myself at 105-110db which really suprised me. I have been concentrating on my room which sounds great now 13.5ft L 15ft W 11ft H. Now with the Tripath I don't like the sound over 90db so that helps but I plan on getting back to tubes as soon as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
33klfan Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 Tell me if this sounds right? I set the meter to c weighting slow response at 80db. The volume for the test tone is a lot louder than say a movie, so i tried to set the volume relative to how loud i listen to a movie. Now, i ended up setting everything to about 76db i think. I had the meter set to 80 db and had it read -4 to set everything to. My front left and front right came out at -1, center +2, Surround right +3, surround left +6. If the sub measurement is accurate, that came out at +1 to measure with all the rest.I have chorus II's front, klf-c7 center, rs-25's surrounds and rw-8 subwoofer. What do you think? Does it sound like i did everything right or should i change something? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 That seems reasonable. What did you use to generate the test tones - the receiver, or a tuning DVD? If you used the Avia setup DVD, get out the meter again and find out what volume setting on your receiver generates 85db on the test tones from the Avia disk (75db if using the DVE disk or the receiver's test tones). Then, if you want to listen to a movie at "reference" volume, just set your receiver to the volume setting you noted from this exercise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 you might want to look at these links http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=505236 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
33klfan Posted January 2, 2008 Author Share Posted January 2, 2008 The receiver's test tones. I didn't try the avia disc yet. It definitely deed seem to make a difference especially in the surrounds. I had those way off by ear. I had the fronts close. It sounds awesome now. Now i should start seeing how to test for room acoustics for any possible treatments. It would be cool to see how to fine tune my system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 Then, if you want to listen to a movie at "reference" volume, just set your receiver to the volume setting you noted from this exercise. Movies can vary a bit in volume, but a good way to find the "right" level is the volume where dialogue sounds about loud enough; then the effects and noises will sound as loud as the director intended. If they're too loud, especially late at night, see if your receiver has a "Night" setting, which will reduce the peak volume, while leaving the dialogue loud enough to hear properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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