Need Advice on system calibration

[k2208]

I need some help on proper system calibration. I just moved and converted my basement into a mini theater. It is a 11x20 perfect shape room. No odd doorways, no poles, just a nice small/medium room. I am running full 7.1 surround. I have a Pioneer Elite VSX-80TXV receiver, and a Panasonic DMP-BD55 BD player.

My receiver does not decode the lossless audio, but it does have 7.1 analog inputs which I am using. That way the BD player sends the HD sound to my receiver. My receiver does have the MCACC but it does not work with the analog signals.

My question is, what is the best way to calibrate my system? I know an SPL meter will help get all the channels to the appropriate level, but is there other settings to mess with? How do I set my delays properly? The MCACC does equalization of the speakers also, is there something I can do manually to match that since I cannot use those settings? When I switch back and forth between Optical and Multi-Channel in, the optical does sound alot different due the the equalization. Should I do the channel levels through the BD player or on my receiver? I cannot change delays or speaker size through my receiver, just manipulate the levels from -10 to +10.

I have been looking at getting a new receiver which has the built in MCACC or equivalent that would work for the new lossless surround modes. I have been looking at Marantz, Integra, Pioneer Elite, Denon, and Onkyo. That is an easy and expensive way to go, but is it worth it? Would a good SPL meter with my system do just as good?

Sorry for all of the questions! I am just trying to get my system all dialed in properly. Thanks in advance for your responses and comments!

[MrBoylan]

I need some help on proper system calibration. I just moved and converted my basement into a mini theater. It is a 11x20 perfect shape room. No odd doorways, no poles, just a nice small/medium room. I am running full 7.1 surround. I have a Pioneer Elite VSX-80TXV receiver, and a Panasonic DMP-BD55 BD player.

My receiver does not decode the lossless audio, but it does have 7.1 analog inputs which I am using. That way the BD player sends the HD sound to my receiver. My receiver does have the MCACC but it does not work with the analog signals.

My question is, what is the best way to calibrate my system? I know an SPL meter will help get all the channels to the appropriate level, but is there other settings to mess with? How do I set my delays properly? The MCACC does equalization of the speakers also, is there something I can do manually to match that since I cannot use those settings? When I switch back and forth between Optical and Multi-Channel in, the optical does sound alot different due the the equalization. Should I do the channel levels through the BD player or on my receiver? I cannot change delays or speaker size through my receiver, just manipulate the levels from -10 to +10.

I have been looking at getting a new receiver which has the built in MCACC or equivalent that would work for the new lossless surround modes. I have been looking at Marantz, Integra, Pioneer Elite, Denon, and Onkyo. That is an easy and expensive way to go, but is it worth it? Would a good SPL meter with my system do just as good?

Sorry for all of the questions! I am just trying to get my system all dialed in properly. Thanks in advance for your responses and comments!

Hi,

The BD55 does have settings for speaker delay and channel levels. The delays are for the channels other than the front left/right which are considered the reference. Just get into the BD55's speaker configuration panel by clicking on the 7.1 or 5.1+2.1 option in the audio set-up screens. To figure out what delays to use Panasonic includes a chart in the user manual which converts feet or meters to milliseconds.

If all your speakers are the exact same distance from your "sweet spot" then you don't need to adjust anything. But if some of the speakers are closer than the front left/right speakers then you can adjust the delay accordingly to simulate them being further away.

You will need to boost the subwoofer channel in your receiver by 10 dB (if speakers are set to large in the BD55) or 15 dB if speakers are set to small (in the player). This cannot be done in the player - only in the receiver. But I think you've done that part already right?

In terms of the best way to set everything up, you wil definitely want to get an SPL meter and one or two test discs. I personally like to use the AVIA Guide to Home Theater DVD, particularly for dialing in the subwoofers, but this will limit you to 5.1 channels. If you have a 7.1 channel system you will need to get a Blu-ray test disc that has tones for all 8 channels. I haven't really played around with any of these.

If you do upgrade your receiver, be careful what you get. I've heard that the Audyssey settings are not properly applied to the bitstream DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD tracks on some current Marantz receivers. They just came out with some new receiver models (saw them yesterday at a press event). Hopefully they've fixed this problem in the new ones.

The Denon AVR1910 is a nice receiver - our writer Peter Suciu is about to publish his review of that, probably early next week. He found that the Audyssey worked pretty well but in his particular listening room he needed to make some minor level tweaks to get the sound to his liking.

I will tell you that getting a new receiver with HDMI audio decoding is the simplest way to solve the problem, but in the interrim you should be able to get very nice sound out of the BD55 using the multi-channel analog outputs. Check out Peter O'Connell's article on the subject in order to get some more tips, if you haven't already done so:

How To Set up a Blu-ray Player Using Multi-Channel Analog Outputs... And Why: BigPictureBigSound

Regards,

-Chris

[k2208]

Thanks Chris!

I have the LFE boosted to +10. Should I set my speakers in the BD player to what they actually are, or should I set them all to large?

I picked up a SPL meter and ran through the tests. It is hard through the player because it will not stay on one channel while I adjust it. It moves between the channels too fast if you are just listening to it. I am actually adjusting the levels in my receiver because there is more range, and it is easier to manipulate. That is why the Panasonic moves so fast through the channels.

The sub is tougher. The BD player will not give the low frequency sound to check it. I set my sub to reference level or 0, and the phase switch to -. I will have to mess around with it until I can get it where I want. I have it dialed to -10(as low as it goes) in my receiver and it is still pretty loud. All of the other channels range from 0 to +8.

I think I can get what I want for now with my Pioneer Elite. I really like the warm sound of Pioneer, does Denon compare favorably in that category?

One last question. My Harman/Kardon CD player died and I am looking for a new one. Anybody have a recommendation for a nice cheap CD player?

Thanks Again!

[MrBoylan]

Thanks Chris!

I have the LFE boosted to +10. Should I set my speakers in the BD player to what they actually are, or should I set them all to large?

It's a trade-off. If you set them to small in the player, then the low bass will be removed from those speakers and will be redirected to the subwoofer output, *BUT* it will drop the subwoofer output by an additional 5 dB. If you don't have enough adjustment range in your receiver to compensate then the bass may be a bit light overall. You could try both ways and see which you like better.

I picked up a SPL meter and ran through the tests. It is hard through the player because it will not stay on one channel while I adjust it.

This is why test discs like AVIA are good because the test tones generally last a bit longer.

It moves between the channels too fast if you are just listening to it. I am actually adjusting the levels in my receiver because there is more range, and it is easier to manipulate. That is why the Panasonic moves so fast through the channels.

The relative adjustments between channels are fine to do in the player. But it's tricky to do it in the player because you can't hear the results of your settings changes until you close out of the multi-channel set-up screen saving your changes.

The sub is tougher. The BD player will not give the low frequency sound to check it. I set my sub to reference level or 0, and the phase switch to -. I will have to mess around with it until I can get it where I want. I have it dialed to -10(as low as it goes) in my receiver and it is still pretty loud.

Then you should either lower it in the player or on the subwoofer itself. But if you're getting good hefty solid bass and you have your other speakers set to small in the player, then you may as well leave them like that if this is an accurate setting for your specific speakers. But yes, the player does not generate a subwoofer channel test tone. Another reason you need a good test disc.

All of the other channels range from 0 to +8.

As long as these settings don't also affect the digital inputs, then this should be fine, as long as it sounds good.

I think I can get what I want for now with my Pioneer Elite. I really like the warm sound of Pioneer, does Denon compare favorably in that category?

I think it would be wrong to generalize that all Pioneer Elites or all Denons sound a certain way. I find the Pioner Elite and the Denon and the higher end Onkyo and Integra to all sound pretty accurate with good dynamics and headroom.

One last question. My Harman/Kardon CD player died and I am looking for a new one. Anybody have a recommendation for a nice cheap CD player?

Thanks Again!

Why not use the BD80 for CDs too? It's a perfectly fine transport, just use the fiberoptic or coax output for this so you can still engage DPLII or other surround effects in case you want to hear sound from more than just the two main left/right channels.

-CB

[k2208]

Update!

I fixed my CD player! I have 3 boys who love to take apart dead electronics, so they took the cover off of the CD player. Well we discovered a disc had somehow got wedged under the carousel. It took some work to get it out, but now it works fine. It must have got messed up during my move. It is a Harman Kardon that was manufactured in 1995. I have got some good use out of her and hated to see it go.

On a side note, I am intrigued by the new 30.1 Integra receiver. Anyone have opinions on this receiver? Is it better than the sister Onkyo line equivalent?

Thanks.