Anthem D2/D2v/AVM50/AVM50v/ARC1 tweaking guide - Page 1041

I posted some recommendations to another poster here at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...6#post19489126 2 pages ago.

Hope this helps ...

It'd be nice to compare before and after ARC pics with the SubDude. I'm curious if the raising the sub off the floor really helps the woofer perform better. In theory its supposed to do so...

I didn't know that you had B&W's. I always had that dip with my 804, 805 and HTM3 setup on pre-ARC 3.0 runs. Since ARC 3.0 and 3.0.1, I get a gentle rolloff from 10 to 20KHz. In both cases, sticking with Anthem's 5K max correction freq recommendation sounded best to me. The charts are a guide and can be helpful in determining problem areas, but they can also lie. Get the bass right and treat your room for reflections and you will get the best sound your system is capable of.

thanks bob i caught what i did,i had originally set it in the d2 menue for 75db and then when i was moving my sub around i had to use a rca connection which i usually have balanced but i noticed the volume was down so i set it to 75db with the volume control of the sub with quick measure.so when i did a re measure with arc i left the volume up on the sub which should'nt matter because it is set properly in the d2, so when i uploaded the new measurments and played a movie i almost BLEW THE WINDOWS OUT OF THE HOUSE because the sub was turned half way up...i hop that explains it.....

Thank You. I will be giving them a call.

will do. I will post afters of pbk and arc results with the subdude

Bob,
Is this setting on the external amp forcing an 80kHz crossover for the subs?

Tom

Well it does change the vertical standing wave calculations which could be an improvement. See the Audioholics Room Modes document which can assist with this problem.

Cheers.

Thanks TKO1 ... I've read about the theory of this but yet to see results in practice. As i told MBMF earlier, It'd be nice to compare results before and after the SubDude. Another vendor has yo place your sub on his 2 foot tall basstrap and others like Auralex(SubDude) only have a few inches off the floor. I hope theory follows practice in this case as I'm on the fence on this one...

Switched from blue jeans lc-1 interconnects to xlr connections tonight. Noticed about a 6db increase in volume. Does that seem normal? Should I re-run ARC?

That's normal. XLR cables carry the signal two ways and combine them at the other end so the volume is doubled (6dB). See Section 2.2 of the Manual. Some amps have a switch to adjust for that.

Now if everything, including the sub, increased 6dB then no problem. Just lower main volume.

If you only changed connections (and thus volume) for some speakers then your speakers are now out of balance. One way to fix that is to re-run ARC.

Start over: Zero out all of Setup > Level Calibration, then set Test Level for 75dB, then set the volume knob on your sub for 75dB, then re-Measure for ARC.
--Bob

Thanks Bob. I changed every connection (5 speakers and sub) to XLR. I'll rerun ARC anyway sometime....just don't want to now as I'm enjoying the setup and have shows to watch!

just learned the same thing for myself, my whole system is balanced and when i was moving my sub around in the room and i was using rca because thats all i had available for the length i needed, and when i did my quick measure my sub chart was way out of whack, then i remember that the balanced was 6db higher for balanced, i'll have to get a long balance cable to do my test results because of the rest of the system being balanced?

Can someone describe the room gain parameter and explain what manually tweaking it can offer over the auto setting?

if you are using the real time test tone for testing placement it would not matter since you are looking at relative values. If you reposition you sub you will have to reset its levels anyway.

Room Gain is a desirable room response characteristic that ARC measures and attempts to preserve even as it is busily removing other room response characteristics. Room Gain shows on the ARC charts as the shallow hump in the black, dashed Target curve for each speaker in the vicinity of the crossover frequencies. The Room Gain value is the height of that hump (in dB) over the basic volume level of the solution -- the flat part of the Target curve to the right of the crossover frequencies.

Room Gain does just what you might expect from the shape of that hump. Altering the Room Gain value changes the shape of that hump. 0dB Room Gain means no hump at all.

Movie mixers assume a modest amount of Room Gain in home theaters. Room Gain values in the range 2-4dB are typical.

There is no such consensus for music mixers, but in general people feel music mixers expect somewhat less Room Gain.

Typically you wouldn't modify the Room Gain value that ARC finds. Preserving the inherent Room Gain in your room means that natural sounds in the room and on movie tracks will sound more similar for example. Room Gain is part of what it feels like to listen in a theater room. But sometimes making small changes in Room Gain can help get a "cleaner" looking result out of ARC's calculations without significantly altering what you actually hear as regards Room Gain.

But if you think ARC has become confused by the response of your speakers and assigned an odd-ball Room Gain value then you can change it. ARC will not, itself, assign a Room Gain over 4dB. And if your speakers have a dip near the crossovers -- i.e., if they look like the room has negative Room Gain, ARC won't go below 0dB as that has no useful physical meaning.

Rooms that are very large or that have extensive acoustic treatment will have little or no inherent Room Gain, and so adding some (perhaps setting 2dB) may make things sound better.
--Bob

Bob,
I think the above explantion should be in the FAQ if it isn't already. I hope you have it copied so you can paste it next time
John

Is anybody using a URC MX-980 wth an AVM 50v? What database are you using?

The codes have not changed. I use the AVM 30 codes and my MX-980 works flawlessly with my AVM-50v.

Hello everyone, I recently became the owner of a D2v. I am a newbie in all this, thus please excuse me if my question is absurd. I am currently using PLIIx Movie mode to hear 5.1 sound tracks. Last night I gave a try to None (5.1) without any THX processing and I think I hear an improvement about general sound quality. Is it right to use None as my preset mode in all the sources playing 5.1 material or is it something that should not be done at all?

I prefer THX - OFF

This is all a matter of personal taste. There's no "right" answer. If you have a 7.1 speaker system, PLIIx will generate surround sound for your rear speakers based on the content present in the side speaker channels of 5.1 content input. The result will vary with different sorts of 5.1 content so you might like this with some but not with others. Raising 5.1 content to 7.1 speakers is pretty straightforward so the odds are you'll like PLIIx in most cases. Raising 2.0 content to 7.1 speakers takes more magic, so you might find you like Stereo mode better, particularly for music.

NONE will play 5.1 input on just 5.1 speakers, with the rear speakers silent in a 7.1 speaker setup.

Personally, I have a 5.1 speaker setup so I don't even have the PLIIx option available when playing 5.1 content.

-------------------------

THX post processing is an additional layer of stuff. What it does for 5.1 content played into 7.1 speakers is fairly well described in the Manual. Probably the most significant change for this combo is that it attempts to "de-correlate" some of the surround sound on each side to give more of a feel that surround sound is enveloping instead of coming from specific speakers.

Personally I prefer THX post processing OFF as I think it detracts from the quality of the surround sound that ARC produces.

Keep in mind that you can specify the default audio processing in Setup > Mode Presets for each Source. Then you can alter things on the fly by using the Mode button and/or the THX button along with Up/Down arrow. The choices you'll have available when you switch things on the fly depend upon the number of speakers you have, the format of the content (e.g., 2.0 or 5.1 or 7.1), and whether or not THX post processing is on at the moment. For example the Mono Academy mode won't be available for 5.1 or 7.1 content or when THX post processing is turned ON for the Source you are listening to at the moment. And PLIIx won't be available for 5.1 content when you have 5.1 speakers because there's no work for it to do.

ETA: One confusing thing is that Setup > Mode Presets will let you set combos that aren't actually available. For example it will let you set PLIIx as the "default" audio processing for 5.1 content even though you only have 5.1 speakers present. But not to worry. The Anthem will use the correct mode in its place (NONE in this case) when you are actually listening. To see what Modes are REALLY available while listening to any given content, press Mode and cycle through the choices with Up/Down arrow -- keeping in mind that some choices will vary according to whether or not you also have THX turned on for that Source. (Press THX to see.)

One portion of the THX processing -- THX Re-equalization -- can be separately turned on/off regardless of whether or not the rest of the THX stuff is turned on for a Source. Press THX twice to see, and use up/down arrow to change. This is provided because most movie content for home theater (e.g., TV movies and commercial movie discs) have ALREADY had their treble equalization adjusted for home theater vs. commercial movie theater. So there's no need to do it again.
--Bob

I use PLXiIIx for all 5.1 in my 7.1 setup and I can say that it is like chicken soup for colds, it may not help but it won't hurt. Never had a case where I didn't want it and when playing 5.1 without PLIIX, I don't feel there is a large deficit in my surround field.
John

I have been using PLIIx; but, lately, I have been also listening to THX ULTRA 2 CINEMA. I am a little torn between the 2. PLIIx definitely has more surround affect; however, THX ULTRA 2 CINEMA has more of a focus on the front sound stage. THX ULTRA 2 really keeps your attention on the screen. The center channel has a little more presence to it than PLIIx. The surrounds are present only when they are needed; but, then, it's not as present as PLIIx. So, right now, I am going between the two surround modes.

Thank to all for your replies, definitely I will have to play more with the modes to find a keeper .

Any reason why the THX flag is not embedded in the broadcast or DVD/BR streams so that pre-pros/AVR users wouldn't have to worry about manually engaging THX or not? It'd seem to be a no-brainer here to have the SetTop box or pre-pro/AVR decode this flag automatically.

Also make sure you have Dolby Volume OFF in Setup > Source Setup for every Source.

Once you've settled in on how you like to use your new Anthem normally you can go back and start playing with Dolby Volume if you like.
--Bob

I have the 980 and 400 with the D2, I use RCF and not CCP. If you have either file, PM me and I can show you a few programs that I have.

I have been looking at the D2v for almost two years. I gave up on buying one at the end of last year, and just became serious again -- only to find that the MSRP has gone up over 13%!!!

Is that to allow dealers more room to "deal"? Or did Anthem's costs really go up that much?

My local dealer is having a store-wide sale next week, but they don't have a D2v in stock. I don't know what that will mean in terms of a price on the D2v. Not knowing what the dealer's price is on these, I don't know what a fair price is.


John

You can always look at NONE IN STOCK as a good thing.

If he had one in stock it would cost him money to carry it.

If he has none and orders you one then ever dime he makes
he can KEEP

I theory the deal should be better