"Official" Audyssey thread (FAQ in post #1) - Page 1982

that's fine. you're really just trying to get into the right balpark so the receiver can calibrate the sub correctly. the test noise goes high enough in frequency that any deviation from absolutely correct (within whatever the RS meter's error range is) will not make asignificant difference in the end. Plus there's no way to accurately correct with a pink noise signal anyway.

After scanning through the FAQ, wondering if there is any guidance re: Audyssey and "Power tower" type speakers (specifically my Def Tech BP2002's)? I'm wondering if there is anything special that this setup requires for a good Audyssey calibration.

T.Y.!

FAQ Housekeeping

 

I have had confirmation from Mike Lang that the AVS 'Huddler' software will choke when a post reaches a certain length. The FAQ has almost reached that length. There is nothing that can be done, but it is possible, apparently, to hyperlink to the next post in the thread. Currently that post is owned by Jeff.

 

Jeff - the post is just a 'banter' one between me and you - would you, if it is possible for Mike to arrange it, be able to give your permission for that post to be transferred to my name so that I can carry on the FAQ into the next post?   I am not sure Mike can transfer ownership of the post, but if he can....?  I have asked him and am awaiting his response. Thanks.

 

AFAIK, Audyssey is 'speaker agnostic', so you should just proceed with the calibration as normal. No doubt others will chime in if this view is controversial in any way ;)

AVS help a half noob out please , this weekend i wil begin the process of setting up my speakers ( 7.1 ) and my receiver wich is a onkyo tx-nr616 for the 1st time , i know the 616 does not have the full or best audyssey but it atleast has something. I am new to audyssey and will be running a polktl1900 5.1 speaker set up http://www.polkaudio.com/products/tl1900 and the sony ss-f6000 as my two front floor standing speakers http://store.sony.com/p/SS-F6000/en/p/SSF6000 . I was on a huge budget , i know everything i am starting with is not the best but it will def be a upgrade i hope from my htib pioneer system. So any tips , settings , ect. before doing this will be great for me , i have been asking around on the forums and have gotten some great help but would just like some more advice as i am new to this . I stil have no clue as for crossover settings for sub and speakers and what it all means although a super helpful member here did give me some great advice and explained some of this to me and i appreciate that allot , just trying to get as much help as i can before i jump into this all. Thanks

 

This topic has been discussed extensively.  I believe one of the issues is whether to hook the bass drivers in the DefTech's to the sub out connection, or to treat the entire speaker as one speaker.  I am not in any way knowledgeable in this area, and would recommend the OP take this question to the Definitive Technology thread, as this is not an Audyssey question per se.

He asked if there is "anything special that this setup requires for a good Audyssey calibration" so it is an Audyssey question and the answer treat it like any other speaker. Many of us enjoy the power assist in the 80-130 Hz region provided by powered speakers.

 

Thanks for the correction, Gary.

I recently bought Def Tech BP8060 powered towers as well as front highs, center and surrounds, but those are a mute point for this discussion. I also bought a HSU VTF-15H subwoofer. I have been experimenting as I had these same questions. I have LFE to sub only. If I didn't have a separate subwoofer I would have hooked LFE to each tower. As far as the audyssey calibration With my current setup it was just like a normal setup, 7 speakers and a sub. Initially it set my towers at 40hz but I have bumped them to 70hz (I'm still listening, 60-80 will be my final resting place). I did this because it was taking away from my hsu sub which has enormous capabilities. The subs in the towers act as good mid bass for this setup. I was able to tell especially with a good clean strong acoustic guitar strum for setting the gain level on the tower subs. I have yet to try with just LFE to the towers. I imagine if you did this with no sub audyssey would treat them as a separate subwoofer. Just as if they were sitting in a their own enclosure. audyssey doesn't know they are in the same enclosure as the towers.

Yes

 

I'd start by reading the Audyssey 101 linked in my sig, and then read the relevant sections of the FAQ to clarify any remaining questions in your mind. The, if you are still unsure, post here.

OK, since you have Def Tech powered towers as well, why not actually HELP with some advice about the original question, as opposed to simply correcting others on a meta point?

This is a specialized topic that has come up many times, so I am legitimately curious what the consensus "best practice" is from Def Tech users like yourself?

Sure, I'm ok with that. If transferring isn't possible, I could delete my two posts after the FAQ leaving YOU with the next post after the FAQ.

Jeff
(Soon to be in freezing weather )

I don't think it's worth sacrificing some Jeff and Keith banter from the annals of history

I am not sure I can make it more clear than "treat it like any other speaker".

Batpig,
I'm not sure there's a 'best practice', but there's been a fair amount of discussion on the Definitive Technology Mythos thread about how to run those speakers in general, as well as with Audyssey. I'd think that conceptually, the issue is the same, whether it's a BP tower series or the Mythos supertower line.

I'll spare you the history, but I've went down this road myself over the past two years, going from a Mythos ST setup without external subs (and using LFE input from the speakers to my AVR), to my current setup (Mythos ST on speaker wire only, standalone dual ULS-15 subs handling sub duties with discrete sub output from an Audyssey XT32+Pro equipped Denon 4311). After experimentation, what I've found works best is:

a) First, verifying that the 'powered' and 'non-powered' section of each powered speaker are level-matched, so that the speaker is "full range" to start
b) Running the powered speakers on speaker wire ONLY, and letting actual subs handle LFE and redirected bass
c) Conducting an Audyssey run, and choosing a crossover in the 60 or 80 Hz region. The more capable the subs, the higher the crossover can be
d) Using external measuring equipment (e.g. OmniMic or REW), run a sine sweep with at least 1/12 smoothing, and use the 'distance tweak' to determine the optimal mains/sub crossover splice that gives the flattest response

That's the short version. Where it made a difference was that I'd see a cliff in the crossover of each Mythos St speaker+sub if I didn't do the within speaker 'level matching' when I did post-Audyssey assessment with my OmniMic. I finally figured out that the discrepancy in volume between the 'sub' and 'non-sub' sections of my towers played some role when the distance tweak appeared to be less than optimal.

If anyone wants details about how to try the level matching, here's some places to start:
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1100995/definitive-technology-mythos-series-thread/4800#post_22311549
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1100995/definitive-technology-mythos-series-thread/4830#post_22318391

The only downside to the pre-Audyssey 'level-matching' is that I found that I had to do some LFE cable swapping, disconnecting my real subs, and then connecting the LFE input of each speaker (via LFE cable) to a sub input. I then ran test tones to match that 'sub' to approximately 75 db with the speaker onboard sub trim. Disconnect LFE input, then rinse and repeat on the speaker (or speakers, if you have a powered center as well like I do). Finally, remember to reconnect the real subs prior to running Audyssey!

So then you advocate simply using speaker wire and ignoring the LFE input? There are some complications as it's not "like any other speaker" as Stuart discusses in his helpful post. You have to be careful to make sure the powered sub portion is well integrated with the rest of the speaker no? Somebody could end up with a poor result if they aren't aware of these contingencies.

Hopefully Stuart's response is helpful to the OP.

 

Thanks Jeff. If it is possible Mike Lang may be in touch for your consent. If you deleted the post after mine, wouldn’t my next post just go to the end of the thread?  How would I 'fill in' the gap?

 

WRT to freezing weather, welcome to the real world, mate! :)

 

Hahaha. Ah yes - annals. Two 'n's..... ;)

so what i gather is let audyssey do the work for me and than go in and i can make adjustments to suit my listening needs , what do i do the sub before running audyssey ? do i set it at 120hz and full volume or half bc i think with my onkyo 616 it doesnt eq the sub ?

Whether or not Audyssey applies an EQ filter to the sub is irrelevant to the "basics" of sub setup. Everything you need to know is in the Audyssey 101 guide.

Keith, the first and second posts after the FAQ are mine. The third is yours. With mine deleted, you own the post just after the FAQ. I am working from an iPhone, so I might have incorrectly viewed stud thread.

Jeff

Well, I applied a peak filter boosting the range 4db from 40Hz to 160Hz and reran Audyssey. The crossover was then set (automatically) to 40Hz. I then increased the crossover frequency to 80Hz. I removed the peak filter afterwards and everything sounds good, even though I messed with the miniDSP filters after running Audyssey. I know I'm probably being a heretic by doing this but what works works re. sounds good, even if its not optimal.

You're much more experienced in all things speakers than me, but just in case it helps:-
Have you used the Omnimic to test all the microphone positions that are used when performing the Audyssey calibration? Could there be dips/nulls that only show up away from the MLP (where Omnimic is used?) that might be affecting the overall frequency response enough to lead to the higher crossover? Have you tried running Audyssey in just one position to see if it agrees with the Omnimic results?

Just thoughts, regards Mike.

 

f)3.    How do I set the controls on my subwoofer before running MultEQ?

 

Ah yes - thanks Jeff. I misunderstood you. That would be most gentlemanly of you...

Good points. No I did the Omnimic sweeps with the microphone in just one position assuming that the Audyssey measurement determined the 3db down point only from the first measurement. Got it to give me a 40Hz crossover by using a miniDSP to institute a 4db shelf filter between 40Hz and 160Hz. Then I raised the crossover frequency to 80Hz. Next time I run sweeps I'll use several locations to see if that reveals any dips around 150Hz. All is well now even though I'm an Audyssey heretic.
Edited by Theresa - 1/25/13 at 12:17pm

 

If it sounds good, it is good! Mike's suggestion is good too. And sometimes, the heretics are right you know :)

Yes just speaker wire to powered towers and LFE to sub. I have Def Tech 8060 powered towers and hsu sub. The towers have built in crossovers at 150-200 (thought it was weird DT couldn't give exact number). So right now as I am toying with the sound (audyssey initially set towers at 40) I have them at 70 which leaves the subs in the towers essentially as mid bass from 70-150/200. And hsu as 70 and below. Now if I had no external sub then I would LFE to towers and set AVR to 'no sub,' or whatever it's called on your AVR. Am I wrong here?

Sounds right to me. If you didn't have an external sub you'd want to use the built-in subs of the DT towers as the SW channel in the AVR.