Anthem D2/D2v/AVM50/AVM50v/ARC1 tweaking guide - Page 482

Major disappointment tonight. My ARC-1 kit finally came today, 2 1/2 months after I ordered it. I spent several hours prepping my room, upgrading to v 1.33 and ARC 1.2.2, and when I am just getting really excited to measure and calibrate with ARC, it won't work. What's up? That's when I noticed that the serial numbers on the CD don't match the numbers on my D2! Apparently my dealer screwed up and sent me the wrong kit I really doubt that Anthem screwed up, as I emailed a tech at Anthem my serial numbers to make sure my kit was coming. This is not quickly fixed either, as my dealer is a five hour drive away, and my kit was probably shipped off to some other unlucky D2 owner.

Anyone out there in OK, TX or maybe KS get an ARC-1 kit from Audio Midwest in Stillwater, OK that has the wrong serial numbers too? Maybe we'll get lucky and if you have mine, I'll have yours, and we can ship to each other and cut out the dealer time. PM me with the serial numbers and we'll see if we match.

Deep Sigh!

The 2 license and calibration files have file names which are a combo of your D2's serial # and the serial # of the microphone. Double check the file names against your microphone as well. If the mic serial #'s match then you are probably correct -- the wrong kit was sent to you.

If the mic serial #'s are also wrong then that means the wrong CD was put in the box with the mic -- which is likely a mistake at Anthem unless your dealer opened up a pair of ARCs and swapped the discs.

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But you are probably correct that it is a dealer problem. The dealer probably didn't realize that ARC boxes had to be sent to the correct D2 owners, got more than one ARC box in, and screwed up who they got handed to.

This is a cautionary tale for ARC upgrade purchasers. If you are picking up your ARC kit or talking to the dealer about sending it to you, have your D2 serial # handy and make sure you get the correct upgrade kit!

ETA: If you *DO* manage to find the other unlucky D2 owner, remember that you can't just swap the CDs. You will also have to swap the microphones. Those files pair a specific microphone to a specific D2 -- i.e. they contain the calibration data for that one, specific microphone. The stand and cable don't have to be swapped of course.
--Bob

Hello,

Having been an owner of a TagMcLaren processor for quite sometime before the D2 I have benn using the RoomEqWizard extensively. It's a wonderful piece of software. I wish we could have it adapted to the ARC. Go have a look you will understand why.

I should have asked if it will decode all the current audio codecs to LPCM for the Anthem as well, but I'm quite sure it can.

Also, is the PS3 my best bet right now for a Blu-Ray player? Anything it doesn't have that I should be looking for?

Yes, I have been using REW for about 2 1/2 years now with a BFD and a Midi interface to allow me to send filter curves to the BFD. Very nice software, the price is right (free), and it was a huge step up from running manual test tones one at a time! I just unhooked all my BFD gear last night, thinking I could run ARC, but my previous post details why that did not happen. So I have not run ARC yet to be able to compare, but I fully expect the results to be way better than what I could achieve with anything else I have ever used.

Just to add to this: the PS3 comes with a hand held blue tooth controller remote. There is also an add-on PS3 blueray remote (like a traditional remote, only bluetooth). It's only necessary to go the IR2BT route if you want to use a universal remote.

For awhile, I had the mistaken impression that the ps3 was not remote controllable out of the box and that was probably one of the reasons it took me so long to jump on board.

Last night my D2 went nuts. My installer was modifying some programming on my RTI T4 when he turns on my system . . . and . . . no video.

The D2 starts up on my Tivo S3 connected by HDMI. It seems to lock on to the audio, but can't lock on to video. The D2 display flashes between Tivo (Sat 1) Main and "powering on." Occasionally the display goes purple. I switched to component in for the Tivo and it didn't help.

In some cases the D2 has displayed a video signal fine only to have it die after a while. When the video fails, it fails on all inputs and on HDMI, S-video, composite and component inputs.

I tried re-installing firmware 1.31 and 1.33 and back to 1.31 with not much success. This morning I was able to get a video signal eventually (in this case I started from a component in source and was able to switch to my HDMI Tivo). After about 2 minutes I powered down the system, so I do not know how long the video would have remained stable before it died again.

I will give Nick a call today, but does anyone have any thoughts? It seems hard to believe this is a hardware problem, since I get video intermittently. Maybe in programming the T4 the D2 was fed something through the serial input that corrupted my firmware? I am thinking of trying flash eraser and re-flashing the D2 firmware, although I have so many changes to the D2 that a full erase without being able to fully back up the D2 settings will be painful.

HELP!

It would be nice if the S/N of the microphone was printed on the mic, too. I had 2 D2s and 2 ARCs and, in doing the swap, I had no way to tell one mic from another.

One thing that I do to ensure that I have a stable system when I do the measurements is to run the audio on all channels for at least 30 minutes ideally 1 hour. I also unplug all triggers connected to my amplifiers. This is to ensure that when the D2 goes through the different on/off cycle for the measurements and the upload the amplifiers will always stay on and warm.

I agree with you PLIIx for music is killing some of sense of dept that we get out of a excellent Stereo system. I finally decided never to use it for music listening.

I will retry that with the ARC on.

Bob/LEVESQUE you should link that post to the first one.

owners of upgraded D1-> D2 units need to be aware that their dealer submits their "post" upgrade serial number to Anthem for the ARC kit since it gets a new serial number after the upgrade is complete. In my case I received the pre updated serial number on my software and it kept telling me there was a serial number mismatch. I called Anthem and they summized that the dealer had my pre upgrade serial # on file and submitted that one instead of the new serial number given to my D2 (D1-HD) after the upgrade. In this case
all Anthem needed to do was to send me the new files with the correct serial #, in this scenario I was able to keep te mic.

I read this forum almost every day and the advice is awesome. I don't think I could have made my D2 perform as great as it does without this forum and all of you smart people. This is my first post.
I installed and ran ARC yesterday. Everthing went as planned. I took Bob's advice and calibrated the sub as he suggested first. I used five positions in a quasi arc shape. Three positions on the viewing sofa and then the left and right off to the side and slightly in front of the sofa seat. I was surprised that it took a while in the calculate mode (must be a lot of crunching). When it was complete I grabbed "Dave Mattews and Tim Reynolds at Radio City". It started from where I had previously stopped it and instantly I was shocked. I heard sounds that I never heard before. I then went to "Celine", "Blackhawk Down" and "Master and Commander". The sound stage was so full and complete. Dialogue seems slightly reduced but seems to fit better with whatever else is going on. My room now sounds completly full of sound. Actually, it doesn't seem as loud and I grabbed my trusty Radio Shack SPM to check and I was right there at 85-90db.
My curves look well corrected but I don't know how to print them or open them with another program but that's OK.
When I checked speaker setup, ARC set all my crossovers at 80 THX. It says 80 THX. Most have reported a higher crossover and I don't recall anyone stating the THX term. It sort of caught me off guard but I assume it's OK or good. Has anyone else seen this?
Again, Thank you all for your great advice and I love my home theater and my PS3.

As I said, I recommend the 40GB PS3 for use with the AVM-50 or D2 as a Blu-Ray player (and ONLY! as a Blu-Ray player). I don't believe any of the crop of summer players is better. Some of the end-of-year players may give it competition. This is a rapidly evolving market, but right now the 40GB PS3 is, in my opinion, the clear choice for AVM-50 and D2 owners in the market for a Blu-Ray player "right now".

The 40GB PS3 *DOES NOT PLAY SACD DISCS!* Not even a little bit. As stated above, if the disc isn't Blu-Ray, I suggest you pair the PS3 with some other player such as the Oppo.

[Other PS3 models *DO* play SACD discs -- converting them to HDMI LPCM. But those are the hotter running models that will likely annoy you with fan noise. Stay away from them.]

No Sony player, including the PS3 will play DVD-Audio discs, and that is not likely to change. Sony is a major force behind SACD which is a competitor format to DVD-Audio.

The 40GB PS3, when paired with the AVM-50 or D2 will do everything that needs to be done for playing Blu-Ray content as well as you could wish. It also has the fastest load times and responsiveness of any Blu-Ray player. And it's a bargain given current Blu-Ray player pricing.
--Bob

Yes, thanks for that clarification!

You can use the bundled game controller as a wireless remote when playing Blu-Ray movies -- as well as for everything else the PS3 does. Some owners are quite happy with that. The optional, Sony, Blu-Ray wireless controller (also BlueTooth, and about $20) is much better for folks used to traditional player remotes. It's biggest problem is that it has no backlight for the keys. You can have that optional Blu-Ray remote and one or more game controllers paired with the PS3 simultaneously.

If you are a fan of programmable universal remotes such as the Logitech Harmony series, the IR2BT converter box is a must have. Be aware that you will have to fight off the crowd trying to get their hands on one of these gizmos.

One weirdness about the PS3's BlueTooth remote setup is that you can only have one "blu-ray style" remote "paired" with it at a time. So if you are adjusting the setup in your programmable remote (where the IR2BT box is the device paired with the PS3 as its one and only "blu-ray style" remote) you can't ALSO use Sony's optional Blu-Ray remote at the same time to compare functionality. That's a nuisance, but only while you are setting up your programmable remote.

Lastly, when installing firmware updates for the PS3, you *HAVE TO* use the game controller that came with the PS3. So don't discard it after you get your programmable remote set up. [The game controller pairs with "port 1" on the PS3 and that port has special privileges which are essential during PS3 firmware installs.]
--Bob

I wanted to add that the fan noise from the 80GB PS3 is just as Bob says. The fan is very loud.

Also, the PS3 is nice for streaming music from a PC, but it gives the D2 a "5.1" PCM signal through HDMI (have not tried it with the optical out) even if the music is stereo. You can only use the 5.1 processing and not the 2 channel processing such as AL-Music.

That's a really good point! You should pass it on to Anthem.

It shouldn't be hard for them to stamp the serial # on a sticky label and apply it to the mic as part of the pack out process in manufacturing, the same way they label the plastic case the ARC install CD comes in.

One thing I've not found out yet is whether the mic has an internal (electronic) serial # that gets validated when you fire up the ARC application?

I.e., if you accidentally plug in the wrong mic will ARC reject it since its electronic serial # doesn't match the serialized calibration files installed with ARC? Currently, that would be your only way to know that you had accidentally grabbed the wrong mic. The USB connection to the mic should support such a test, but I don't know if it actually does or not.
--Bob

I agree. LEVESQUE, that one should probably go in the Setup section of links.
--Bob

That's a great heads up! Thanks for that!
--Bob

I don't know if it checks the identity of the mic or if the salient point is the unique mic correction data (assuming it is unique). Of course, I could try the old mic but (1) it would involve unpacking the older D2 and (2) I am afraid I might mix them up!

The "THX" label is nothing special. When Anthem applies for THX certification, they need to state which settings are to be used for the testing. Apparently they just decided to label them in the Setup menu as well.

Unless your are trying to reproduce Anthem's THX certification testing (which would be kind of silly), you can safely ignore those "THX" labels. Selecting the settings that show them gains you nothing special. Find the "right" settings for your setup without regard to whether they happen to be the ones that also show that THX label.
--Bob

The mics are, indeed, separately calibrated. I don't know what variance there is in the manufacturing for the mics -- i.e., how much the individual mic calibration files might differ, but they do differ. Which means you really do want to get the right mic paired up with the right calibration file.

I'm going to send Nick an email and ask on this.
--Bob

It is certainly unusual for ARC to settle on the same cross over for all speakers. Have you had your room audio treated -- bass absorbing material applied for example?

Since this is so unusual, do me a favor and double-check. Run ARC in Advanced mode and Open (File menu) the file with your saved ARC Measurements and Calculations. The ARC computer doesn't have to be attached to the D2 to do this. Now view the Targets window.

Check that the cross overs in the Targets window all match the 80 Hz values you are now seeing in the D2's Setup menu.

If so, then you are good to go! If not, then something got messed up in your Upload of ARC results. The cross overs shown in the Targets window should be what got Uploaded into the D2's Setup menu. If you spot a problem will have to try to figure out what happened.
--Bob

Unless your are trying to reproduce Anthem's THX certification testing (which would be kind of silly), you can safely ignore those "THX" labels. Selecting the settings that show them gains you nothing special. Find the "right" settings for your setup without regard to whether they happen to be the ones that also show that THX label.
--Bob

Thanks Bob,
Maybe I did not make myself clear. I did not pick THX. When ARC was complete, that is the way my crossovers were set by ARC. All speakers are set at 80 THX by ARC and it sounds terrific. I have a Mirage BP400 subwoofer, Energy Veritas 2.4 fronts and rears and a Paradyne Studio center.
Does a crossover at 80 sound OK?

Did you by chance forget to turn ARC ON for your source in the D2 setup menu/source setup menu ?

My center speaker is a Paradigm Studio cc-590 and I get a xover of 40 Hz. Of course the xover points are set according to the combination of speaker performance and room acoustics.

Room EQ ON or OFF won't alter the cross overs displayed in the Setup / Speaker Configuration menu. Since everything is sounding fine for him odds are everything worked right. It's just unusual to have all the cross overs come in at the same value -- which is why I wanted him to check the Targets window in the ARC application to be sure.
--Bob

Sorry, deleted message

Room EQ ON or OFF won't alter the cross overs displayed in the Setup / Speaker Configuration menu. Since everything is sounding fine for him odds are everything worked right. It's just unusual to have all the cross overs come in at the same value -- which is why I wanted him to check the Targets window in the ARC application to be sure.
--Bob

I never set any targets. I ran ARC in the STD mode and not the advanced mode.
I just went and checked the history and they were set by ARC as follows:
L/R 45
Center 50
L/R surrounds 90
Sub 90
Room gain 3.94
Max equalizer 5000
Thanks again

Those Targets ARC chose for you look fine. Now, the big question -- are those the crossovers you are NOW seeing in the D2's Setup / Speaker Configuration? The ARC Upload should have uploaded those cross overs into the Setup menu, along with uploading the speaker calibration (volume trim) levels and the room correction parameters.

If your Setup / Speaker Configuration menu is *STILL* showing 80 Hz crossovers after the Upload of ARC results then something got messed up. Perhaps you did a Reload Saved User Settings or a Reload Factory Defaults after the ARC Upload and overwrote the settings ARC Uploaded for you.

If you find that your Setup settings are wrong, you can do the ARC Upload again without having to re-Measure:

Connect the ARC computer to the D2. You won't need the microphone. Run ARC in Advanced mode. Open (File menu) the file with your saved ARC Measurements and Calculations. The charts showing your measurements and ARCs calculations should now appear. Then tell ARC to Upload those results again. Among other things, this will re-Upload the Setup menu settings ARC is trying to make.

After the Upload, double check that the cross over settings in Setup / Speaker Configuration match what ARC displays in its Targets window. Also check your Setup / Speaker Calibration settings to see if they too make sense. ARC doesn't display what Speaker Calibration settings it is trying to Upload, but it will likely be obvious if something is screwy -- e.g., if the Setup / Speaker Calibration settings are still all 0dB after the Upload then something is screwy.

If you are using the latest version of the ARC Application (V1.2.2) with the latest version of the D2 firmware (V1.33), you should not be having any problems in the ARC Upload process, but of course that won't prevent you from manually screwing up the Setup menu settings yourself after the Upload if you aren't careful.

Once you are happy that the ARC Upload has got everything into the D2 correctly, then do a Setup / Save User (and/or Installer) Settings in the D2 to record those Setup settings in the 2 memories just in case you ever want to Reload from either of those memories down the road.
--Bob

Once you are happy that the ARC Upload has got everything into the D2 correctly, then do a Setup / Save User (and/or Installer) Settings in the D2 to record those Setup settings in the 2 memories just in case you ever want to Reload from either of those memories down the road.
--Bob
Thanks again,
I'll try your suggestion tomorrow