Test Tones CD/DVD or Analyzer Rental  

Hi everyone,

I've looked in few places, but I haven't come across a DVD or CD that will generate the pink noise, 1/3 octave test tones that will allow me to config my eq. Can somebody recommend one?

Anybody in northwestern NJ area that will rent a decent spectrum analyzer?

Thanks,
Mike

Hmmm...

I have a CD-RW drive, but I don't have a DVD player that will read CD-R's.

Should I just use the line-out on my audio card? Use a cable that's 1/8" on one end that splits into phono plugs on the other? (This is kind of a bummer because it will be a pain to drag my PC into my HT equipment room and set it up there. Limited maneuverability.)

Thanks, Simon!

I want to calibrate my eq by measuring the SPL of 1/3 octave bands, rather than using a pink noise test tone that covers the entire frequency spectrum. I have the Avia DVD, which provides the latter.

Why do I want to do this? I can't find a local shop that rents spectrum analyzers and I certainly don't want to buy one. With my Radio Shack SPL meter and 1/3 octave test tones, I can plot the frequency response of my HT without using a spectrum analyzer. The procedure will be more cumbersome and the results not quite as accurate, but they should suffice.

Thanks, Dan!

Thanks, Will.

Your CD seems like a good fit, but I don't have a broadband connection at this time. Plus, I'm still trying to keep my PC out of the picture here. I don't want to cram it into my small HT equipment area. If my DVD player would read CD-R's, I'd have more options, but it does not.

Stereophile Test CD 2 looks like it will do the job. No 1/6 octave bands for bass, but I suppose that's ok. Test CD 3 is probably better, but I can't find any detailed info on it.

Thanks again for your help.

Mike

Hi David,

I wish I could tell you that I'm a sonic guru, but that would be WAY off the mark. However, I'll gladly let you know what I'm thinking. Then, if any of the gurus who peruse this forum see that I'm off the mark, they will hopefully chime in.

For L, C, R, speakers: My intention is to play each 1/3 octave tone, from approx. 80Hz to approx. 800Hz, sequentially through each speaker, taking an SPL measurement for each. The SPL meter will first be located at my primary listening position (in the first row) and pointing at the ceiling. I'll set it for slow response, C-weighting. I'll probably find something tall and thin to double as a tripod for the meter. I'll repeat the whole procedure at my secondary listening position in the first row. Then I'll repeat it two more times for two locations in the second row.

For LS and RS speakers: I'll take measurements from approx. 100Hz to 6.3kHz.

For LR and RR speakers: I'll do nothing. No equalization here.

For the sub: I'll take measurements from 22.4Hz to 80Hz using 1/6 octave bands of pink noise. (Well, probably not... depending on whether I can find a source that will accomplish this.) I have a Bijou eq that provides the ability to adjust within 1/6 octave bands in the sub's THX frequency range. Measurements will only be taken at primary listening position. I'll mess around with playing tones simultaneously through some combo of L,C,R, and sub to ensure a smooth crossover at 80Hz.

I'll average my four measurements for each speaker at each band and attempt to flatten the response. Cuts get preference over boosts. When I am done, I will repeat the procedure for the primary listening position only, to see to what extent corrections in one frequency range have affected other adjacent ranges. I'm hoping that my corrections will not so drastically affect adjacent ranges that I will want to jettison my SPL meter out the window. AudioControl, the makers of the Bijou, advertise a Constant-Q feature that supposedly minimizes this problem.

I haven't decided what I will use as a reference level. Anywhere from 75dB to 90dB. Might depend on what time of day I do this!

I've purchased a few things from ebay, including my projector! That was scary, but everything worked out fine. (So far...)

Thanks for the links! I'm going to check them out.

Mike