Hello everyone, I am in need of advice. I'm ready to calibrate my system with an SPL meter, but I do have a question. My receiver is a Sony 2100ES, and is about 2.5 years old. I realize in order to calibrate, I need to use the test tones in the receiver, and measure with the SPL accordingly. The problem is my receiver gives me the options to change my levels in only the center, surrounds, and sub. It does not allow me to do this with my main speakers. The only thing it offers for adjustment for the fronts is balance.

Is it still possible to calibrate with this situation? I could turn up my master volume and measure for the correct db reading, adjust the other channels, but how would I make sure the fronts would be correct? Does not being able to adjust the fronts matter? My receiver allows for -10db to +10db in those channels and it almost seems like when I lower the center channel, the fronts go down in volume accordingly. Is this possible as well? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Does it send separate test tones for front left and front right, or just both main speakers at once? Either way, the FR and FL *probably* won't be all that different (assuming that they're not placed really differently with respect to each other or the back/side walls). You could check just to see, but if you can't set them independently, there's not much you can do about it.

I'd just play the "front" test tone and adjust the master volume on the receiver until you hit 75dB. Whatever that setting is on the MV, that's your reference setting. Leave it there for the rest of the calibration. Then, using your receiver's settings, adjust the center, surrounds and sub accordingly.


Scott

I can do each front individually using test tone fix, or phase noise, but can't set the levels other than using the master volume. Thanks for the info.

Some people say use the Balance L/R to set levels between.

Run the test tones and adjust your balance L/R till the levels match. Then go from there.

Now mind you, I am no expert. If I am wrong someone correct me so I will no, but that is how I do it.

Reylas

Some people say use the Balance L/R to set levels between.

Run the test tones and adjust your balance L/R till the levels match. Then go from there.

Now mind you, I am no expert. If I am wrong someone correct me so I will no, but that is how I do it.

Reylas

Thanks, that is kind of what I did. My front right speaker was running a little hotter than my left, so I adjusted the balance to the left speaker. When I did another test tone test, the db's were so close +-3 that I decided to just keep the balance set in the middle. Also, as a side note, I calibrated my sub to 85db, 10 higher than the other speakers, is this a bad idea?....it seems to sound good.

My other question is, since I cannot control the front levels through the receiver other than the master volume, it took me to 00 volume on the receiver to get the fronts to 75db. When I listen at lower volumes, which will almost always be the case, will my system still be relatively leveled?

Should be. Not knowing your receiver (and being somewhat new to this myself), once you set the levels in relation to each other, the master volume controls all equally.

So if you balanced them, then raised master to 75 on those, then set levels on the others to match 75, they should all be close at any given volume. 75db is way to loud for me, so I listen at a lower db.

So yes, if that is what you did, then as I understand it, you should be good to go.

Thanks, that is kind of what I did. My front right speaker was running a little hotter than my left, so I adjusted the balance to the left speaker. When I did another test tone test, the db's were so close +-3 that I decided to just keep the balance set in the middle. Also, as a side note, I calibrated my sub to 85db, 10 higher than the other speakers, is this a bad idea?....it seems to sound good.

My other question is, since I cannot control the front levels through the receiver other than the master volume, it took me to 00 volume on the receiver to get the fronts to 75db. When I listen at lower volumes, which will almost always be the case, will my system still be relatively leveled?

There are a lot of older receivers that operate like yours. I have an old Yamaha RX-V2095 that also uses the main volume to set the front mains. You did it exactly right. The only thing I would say is that you didn't need to adjust your sub 10db hotter. Actually the proper way would have been to set it 10db lower to compensate for the low bass inaccuracies of the meter. But this is really up to each individual users taste. If the bass sounds good to you, then it is set properly :)

There are a lot of older receivers that operate like yours. I have an old Yamaha RX-V2095 that also uses the main volume to set the front mains. You did it exactly right. The only thing I would say is that you didn't need to adjust your sub 10db hotter. Actually the proper way would have been to set it 10db lower to compensate for the low bass inaccuracies of the meter. But this is really up to each individual users taste. If the bass sounds good to you, then it is set properly :)

Thanks for the info! Good to know that I set it up correctly. I hear you on the bass setting being to high, and I have to admit, I do enjoy the extra punch. My media room is small, and the sub is up in the right corner near the right speaker. It almost seems when I turn the sub level down, I lose considerable output, like it needs to travel out more? Plus there is a pretty thick carpet in the room, which makes the output a seem a little dead at lower volumes.

I agree with others in that your primary channels are set fine, but thought it was interesting you said they were within +/-3db. That's quite a difference in the main channels. You should be able to get them within 1db.

As for the sub, the advice of 10db lower or 10db higher is not correct. The meter is not so inaccurate that you need to add 10db. And those that say calibrate 10db higher, are usually talking about the actual LFE track which is boosted 10db automatically by the decoder in your receiver and you do not calibrate this in. That being said, I don't know that there is a good way to set the sub level using an SPL meter, you pretty much need RTA or some other way to see the true response in your room. Depending on the source of your test tones and your equipment things can vary. Similar discussion is going on here.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=978465

But if you lack those other tools, I'd recommend setting the sub about equal to the mains, so 75db as a starting point, and then listen to 2 channel music and set it to your liking.

I agree with others in that your primary channels are set fine, but thought it was interesting you said they were within +/-3db. That's quite a difference in the main channels. You should be able to get them within 1db.

As for the sub, the advice of 10db lower or 10db higher is not correct. The meter is not so inaccurate that you need to add 10db. And those that say calibrate 10db higher, are usually talking about the actual LFE track which is boosted 10db automatically by the decoder in your receiver and you do not calibrate this in. That being said, I don't know that there is a good way to set the sub level using an SPL meter, you pretty much need RTA or some other way to see the true response in your room. Depending on the source of your test tones and your equipment things can vary. Similar discussion is going on here.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=978465

But if you lack those other tools, I'd recommend setting the sub about equal to the mains, so 75db as a starting point, and then listen to 2 channel music and set it to your liking.

Thanks primetimeguy. I actually went back and redid my calibration, and set my balance so the speakers would be closer...my right was running hot, and I added a bit of more balance to favor the left. That seemed to have tightened things up. For me it seemed easier said than done getting the speakers to 75db. I sat really still, held the meter out in front of my face near ear level, and about 8-10 inches out. The meter was upright. When the test tones were going it seems the needle can fluctuate at least 2-3db as it seems that portions of the tones are louder than others. In other words, the meter never sat perfectly still, but I got them darn close to 75. Each channel sat very close to 75 but there would be very small spikes.

Actually, looking at the meter again, I must have read it wrong. It was only fluctuating by about .5-1db on the channels, not 2-3.