Quote:
Originally Posted by
pokekevin 
Since Audy set the sub level to -5 doesn't that mean it was hot so to compensate it lowered it? If it was "cold" it would boost right? And if he changed it to -2 than he would technically be running it 3db hot? Ahh headache lol
I think the confusion is that there are two settings one can simultaneously talk about and not be considered wrong. The first setting is the gain setting knob on the subwoofer. A good starting point is setting the dial at two of the ten possible choices on the subwoofer gain dial. In our case that works out to a position of about eight O'clock. I get confused as nobody tells me if it's A.M. or P.M., so as a morning person, I position the dial at 8:00 O'clock A.M., and of course, that's PST or -8 GMT.
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Balance each subwoofer to about 66dB @ a measured 1m sound meter reading distance with the sound meter microphone pointed directly at the subwoofer driver. If using a pair of subs, the combined adjusted output of the two subs should roughly translate into 70dB at main listening position. That's why the need of measured adjustments as one's listening position might be nine feet, or fifteen feet from a pair of asymmetrically placed subwoofers and it's all about the main listening position and if one is sitting in a sealed, 2,500^3 theater room or a 3,500^3 living room that's open to the entryway and kitchen. Doing what I suggest, hopefully takes all these variables into consideration.
The second number is the gain set internally by the AVR, based on the readings it receives from Audyssey or the AVR's provided room analyzer program. In our case, Audyssey (or the AVR, however one wishes to characterize the interaction), dials the internal AVR sub gain down, -9.5. You can interpret that to mean, overall, our sub's gain setting is running hot but the AVR provided sub gain, being set "below" zero, is running cold. Hence the confusion of "Hot-n-Cold" as one needs to know which gain setting is being spoken about and is it being spoken of in the context of being a dialed in system? Each person's listening room's gain is going be different (sealed vs open), hence why everybody gets different reported AVR settings. As long as the reading is somewhere between the two plus/minus extremes, you're good. Nine is better than twelve so one knows they're off the bumpers and as long as the settings are off the extremes, six is not better than nine as it's all good. The point, there is no internal perfect. Like a vehicle front end alignment, there are specs and as long as within specs, everybody is good to go. One is always welcome to be as anal regarding this issue as they wish. As the saying goes: "Knock yourself out."
First things first, if running one sub, two subs or more subs, before running the room analyzer, based on realtime, main listening position measurements, one must hand dial in the combined subwoofer SPL using a handheld sound meter and the subs gain control so their combined output is equal to 70dB. My understanding, the final setting of all the combined sub output, whether one or a dozen subs, should be 70dB at listening position. This is to maintain headroom capability. And anybody who wants can correct any errors or admissions in my above.
Now that the subs have been dialed in, run and set the room analyzer program. Once done, go back into the AVR and check the internal subwoofer gain setting and once again, using the AVR provided for internal gain setting, using realtime SPL readings, increase/decrease the balanced subwoofer output to a reference 70dB. At this point, subwoofer gain, internal AVR subwoofer gain setting, nothing (or nobody) is running hot or cold as now everything is dialed in and combined, is theoretically zero. From the dialed in position, sub gain being used or AVR gain being use, anything turned up/down from here, becomes "running hot or cold."
Hopefully the above ramblings help clarify why the generic term, "running hot/cold," can be so confusing.
To add more polish to the above, if, as an additional layer, one has an Anti-Mode system, before being run, one must also balance in the fashion described above and after the system is balanced and Anti-Mode has been run, then the AVR's room analyzer program needs to be run. Over all, based on the above, one need to hand balance their subs, two times before it's all said and done. And if using Anti-Mode, one also needs to hand balance two times, once before to set sub gain and once after the AVR provided room analyzer is run to set the internal AVR subwoofer gain to a 70dB Pink Noise reference level. Now "Hot-n-Cold" have meaning.
Recap:
1. Using AVR provided Pink Noise generator, with a handheld sound meter, individually measured (equalized) at 1m and combined output adjusted at main listening position, a combined measured subwoofer output should be a reference of 70dB.
................run Anti-Mode.
...............run AVR provided room analyzer.
2. At main listening position, adjust balanced AVR provided room analyzer output to a 70dB reference, using internal AVR provided sub gain control.
One is now good to go and play their favorite action based sound track. The results of the above, have a high grin factor because "That's what I'm talking about!"
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Edited by BeeMan458 - 12/1/12 at 7:50am
