[t6902wf]

I am running a single DTS-10. Before I get the more is better stuff lets think about this.


I am talking about watching movies, not turning the theater into an amusement park ride for a 10 minute demo. If you crank the bass up too much (run it hot) the rest of the movie can be overdone. Music gets bloated car door closing is not realistic.


My approach so far is to EQ the sub hot below 50hz and have it trail off above that. I then run it 3 db hot using standard receiver test tones. I watched Hurt Locker and with my standard master volume setting of -10 it was too loud and the bass was over done. I actually turned it down

.


What approach do you take to get the impact you want?

What peaks are you getting with that approach?


I think I want 115-118db peaks, for the big bass scene, that is quite the effect for me. An example of movies would be Flight of the Phoenix WOTW. In my room with one DTS not corner loaded, sitting 14 feet from the mouth that is pushing it. I don't have much headroom and I may be over driving the sub. For most movies I can get this level and the movie sounds fine. Sometimes the way the movie is mixed I have to be turned down.


Thoughts?

 

[reecew]

Once i played with setup and watched a few movies i found a comfortable level not paying attention to how hot i was running. I can tell you once i checked it, its super hot! Since then I have never had to turn my sub down do to TOO MUCH BASS or up due to the lack of. But then its never been loud enough to drown out my other speakers like your experiencing. I listen at a comfortable -10db from reference. I get 110db levels on some effects at my LP and spikes upwards of 114db at these volumes. Although i have more headroom and am confident i can get more SPL its simply not needed. To me thats enough LFE but if you ask others around here they want 130db on every LFE impact. Its what sounds best to you. If thats -6db from the reccomended tuning point or +10db from it who cares. Its your theater and your experience so its whats optimal for you.

 

[jpmst3]

I run mine 2-3 db hot as well.


It may be overdone sometimes, but I enjoy the impact more than the balance sometimes.


Like Reece said, it is all about personal preference.

 

[N8DOGG]

I run my subs +9 db's hot

Like reecew says, it's how you like it is all that matters.

 

[Warpdrv]

I think it also depends on the room, if the room is lossy it could conflict with the amount of perceivable bass - I always like mine hot, but in my huge great room the effect is just different then my single F112 in the small sealed bedroom. 10db hot in the sealed room is different then 10db hot in a 8200^3 room open to infinity.

 

[Drisco Z71]

Maybe I'm crazy but I've never put much interest in having my sub where it "should be" as far as spl, I just set it to what I like. As long as you're happy that's all that matters, right?

 

[kgveteran]

I think I'm right around 85-90db. What makes a system special is tons of headroom. The ability to deliver a soundtrack with little thought of over driving your subs or mains.

So, wts... figure where abouts you listen as far as SPL and give yourself a good helping of headoom. Sounds like you may be tapping everything your sub has. Build another and that should give you what you need.

I have to say it took years to get my system where I wasnt giving it the "stink eye" here and there, both audio and video.

Not to get to phylosophical, but its a journey not a destination, enjoy !!!


.... and without forums like this I would still be light years away. Salesmen lost their value years ago.

 

[noah katz]



Quote:
Originally Posted by t6902wf /forum/post/18177366


I don't have much headroom and I may be over driving the sub.

How do you know you don't?


You've said that a couple of times, but I haven't heard you give any evidence of it.


I get the impression that you're just worried you don't.

 

[MKtheater]

I calibrate my system at 75 db's testones and the subs which fluctuate in between 75-77db's. I then turn the volume to reference level but it varies with film. In general I have found that DTS movies are 3-5 db's louder than DD but some DD movies are slightly lower. I hit 123 db's peak on the Dark Night and I have not really measured another movie yet with the Danleys.

 

[t6902wf]



Quote:
Originally Posted by noah katz /forum/post/18178027


How do you know you don't?


You've said that a couple of times, but I haven't heard you give any evidence of it.


I get the impression that you're just worried you don't.

much higher then that and I can get the sub to bottom.

I am basing this on when I had one channel of the amp running each driver. I now have it bridged. I have not found the limit bridged yet. It may be the same it may be different.

 

[noah katz]



Quote:
Originally Posted by t6902wf /forum/post/18178262


much higher then that and I can get the sub to bottom.

I am basing this on when I had one channel of the amp running each driver. I now have it bridged. I have not found the limit bridged yet. It may be the same I may be different.

Then it sounds like the limit was the amp, not the DTS.


It can be hard to tell the difference between amp clipping and driver bottoming, because they are both flat topped waveforems.


If if it were the DTS, a 10 Hz HP filter might be all you need.

 

[Kanaris]

If I watch movies with my wife I keep the LFE channel at -12 db... if it's with friends -5 ... and when I am alone at -0 ...

 

[LTD02]

most folks run their systems at about -10db below reference, i.e. about 75db average spl. that suggests a lfe of about 105db. since most cross all the bass to the sub, that goes up to about 111db. then most folk run their bass a little hot, so add some more db for that. let's call that level 115db. if you are into music with large peak to average, you will need more db for that. let's call that level 120db. if you like it "loud", add more db for that. let's call that level 130db.

 

[t6902wf]



Quote:
Originally Posted by noah katz /forum/post/18178524


Then it sounds like the limit was the amp, not the DTS.


It can be hard to tell the difference between amp clipping and driver bottoming, because they are both flat topped waveforems.


If if it were the DTS, a 10 Hz HP filter might be all you need.

How do you add a 10hz HP filter?


I think what I heard was bottoming out. It was a mechanical sound.


I would run some tests with it bridged to see what happens.

 

[t6902wf]

I am sure none of you guys can relate to this type of obsessive thinking but here are my thoughts.


The nature of my install makes it somewhat permanent. Cutting holes in the walls and more importantly the upholstered sound panel has that effect. Adding subs to it in the future if I feel something is "not as good as it can be" would be kind of odd and hard to make perform well, with mixed alignments and such. I would hope that having 2 DTS 10's would quell my desire for upgrades. I mean where are you going from there?


So getting two while it is still available in kit form is a preemptive upgrade.


Obsessive? Let those among you without the upgrade bug throw the first sub!

 

[maxmercy]

I run at 10-15dB below reference, with Dynamic EQ engaged which gives me about a 3dB boost in the lowest freqs on the loudest passages. Peak levels reach around 107-110dB, most run around 100-105....watch 2 movies at that level, and my ears ring...


Cannot imagine these people listening at reference + some....though I would like the headroom. I'm at 5% THD at 13-17Hz, under 2% THD for the rest of the sub's range, and under 5% THD for my mains/center/surrounds at 10dB below reference with continuous sine tones...it's a pretty clean sound...


JSS

 

[jpmst3]

Ya, there is only so much one can take. Sometimes I really crank it up, but there are limits to what I can handle for very long. Even really clean bass can be too much at high SPLs.

I just never get tired of that "Holy ****e" experience when it hits you.

 

[Air Supply]

son of a........ my wife complained last night at -28


and I didn't even have the subs on

 

[notnyt]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Air Supply /forum/post/18180784


son of a........ my wife complained last night at -28


and I didn't even have the subs on

upgrade

 

[Air Supply]



Quote:
Originally Posted by notnyt /forum/post/18180835


upgrade

upgrade what, the wife?