Pioneer VSX-AX2AV-S, VSX-AX4AVi-S manual How to use Professional Acoustic Calibration EQ

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The System Setup menu

07

How to use Professional Acoustic Calibration EQ

If you find that lower frequencies seem overly reverberant in your listening room (i.e. it sounds `boomy'), or that different channels seem to exhibit different reverb characteristics, select Aco Cal EQ Pro. (or ALL) for the Auto Mode setting in Automatic MCACC (Expert) on page 33 to calibrate the room automatically. This should provide a balanced calibration that suits the characteristics of your listening room.

If you still aren't satisfied with the results, the manual Advanced EQ setup (below) provides a more customized calibration of your system using the direct sound of the speakers. This is done with the help of a graphical output that can be displayed on-screen, or using a computer (with software available from Pioneer — see Connecting a PC for Advanced MCACC output on page 59).

How to interpret the graphical output

The graph shows decibels on the vertical axis and time (in milliseconds) on the horizontal axis. A straight line indicates a flat-response room (no reverb), whereas a sloping line indicates the presence of reverberation when outputting test tones. The sloping line will eventually flatten out when the reverberant sound stabilizes (this usually takes about 100ms or so).

By analyzing the graph, you should be able to see how your room is responding to certain frequencies. Differences in channel level and speaker distance are taken into account automatically (compensation is provided for comparison purposes), and the frequency measurements can be examined both with and without

the equalization performed by this receiver.1

Setting Professional Acoustic Calibration EQ according to your room characteristics

Using the manual setup, you can set the time period at which the frequency response is analyzed, pinpointing the time that is best for system calibration with your particular room characteristics.

The graph below shows the difference between standard acoustic calibration and professional calibration (the gray circles represent the point at which the microphone captures the sound for frequency analysis).

Level

 

 

 

 

 

 

Test tone

 

Acoustic Cal. EQ Pro

Standard Acoustic Cal.

 

 

calibration range

EQ calibration range

 

 

 

 

Time

0

80

160

(in msec.)

 

As soon as audio is output from your speaker system, it is influenced by room characteristics, such as walls, furniture, and the dimensions of the room. The sooner the frequency analysis, the less it is influenced by the room. We recommend an earlier time setting of 20–40ms to compensate for two major factors that will influence the sound of most rooms:

•Reverberance of high vs. low frequencies – Depending on your room, you may find that lower frequencies seem overly reverberant compared to higher frequencies (i.e. your room sounds ‘boomy’). This may result in a skewed frequency analysis if the measurement is done too late.

Level

 

 

Low

 

 

frequencies

 

 

 

 

High

 

 

 

 

frequencies

 

 

Acoustic Cal. EQ Pro

Standard Acoustic Cal.

 

 

 

 

calibration range

EQ calibration range

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time

0

80

160

 

(in msec.)

 

 

•Reverb characteristics for different channels – Reverb characteristics can be somewhat different for each channel. Since this difference increases as the sound is influenced by the various room characteristics, it is often better to capture a frequency analysis early on for smoother mixing of channel frequencies/sounds.

Level

 

 

Left

 

 

surround

 

 

 

 

Right

 

 

 

 

Surround

 

 

Acoustic Cal. EQ Pro

Standard Acoustic Cal.

 

 

 

 

calibration range

EQ calibration range

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time

0

80

160

 

(in msec.)

 

 

If your room isn’t affected by the factors above, it is often not necessary to make a 20–40ms setting. Later time settings may provide a more detailed sound experience with your speaker system. It is best to try and see what works best for your particular room.

Note that changing the room (for example, moving furniture or paintings) will affect the calibration results. In such cases, you should recalibrate your system.

Note

1Note that due to an effect known as ‘group delay’, lower frequencies will take longer to be generated than higher frequencies (this is most obvious when comparing the frequencies at 0ms). This initial slope is not a problem (i.e. excessive reverb) with your listening room.

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Contents VSX-AX4AVi-S VSX-AX2AV-S Ventilation Caution Operating Environment Contents Additional information Other SettingsUsing other functions Controlling the rest of your systemChecking what’s in the box Installing the receiverBefore you start Before you start ChapterIntroduction to home theater Automatically setting up for surround sound McaccMinute guide Minute guide ChapterEnter 02 5 minute guidePlaying a source Better sound using Phase ControlProblems when using the Auto Mcacc Setup Minute guideConnecting your equipment Connecting your equipment ChapterRear panel Connecting your equipment When making cable connectionsAbout the video converter Connecting your equipment Connecting your TV and DVD player Use an optical cable for the connection Or other set-top box Other video sourcesDVD player Using the component video jacksFor a second recorder, use the DVR/VCR2 outputs Use a three-way component video cableAbout the WMA9 Pro decoder Connecting your equipment Connecting digital audio sourcesInput Selector dial front panel to select Connecting your equipment Connecting analog audio sourcesConnecting a component to the front panel inputs Select these inputs using Input Select remote orConnecting the speakers Connecting your equipment Installing your speaker systemPlacing the speakers Bare wire connectionsAssemble the stand as shown in the illustration Connecting antennasTHX speaker system setup AM loop antennaAC outlet FM wire antennaConnecting external antennas Plugging in the receiverSTANDBY/ON Controls and displaysControls and displays Chapter Front panelControls and displays Operating range of remote control unitControls and displays Display 6TUNE/ST /ENTER Controls and displays Remote controlReceiver Input SelectSource StatusMultiope ShiftListening in surround sound Listening to your systemListening to your system Chapter Auto playbackListening to your system Using the Home THX modesUsing the Advanced surround effects THX Games ModeListening to your system Listening in stereo Using Stream DirectSelecting Mcacc presets Choosing the input signalUsing the Virtual Surround Back mode Using surround back channel processingListening to the radio Using the tunerUsing the tuner Chapter Saving station presetsAn introduction to RDS Using the tunerNaming station presets Listening to station presetsUsing EON Displaying RDS informationPress Disp for RDS information Select the setting you want to adjust System Setup menuSystem Setup menu Chapter Making receiver settings from the System Setup menuMemory System Setup menuIf necessary, confirm the speaker configuration in the OSD.1 Surround back speaker settingFine Channel Level Manual Mcacc setupStanding Wave Adjust the level of the left channelWhen youre finished, press Return Fine Speaker DistanceAcoustic Calibration EQ Select ‘Standing Wave’ from the Manual Mcacc setup menuSelect ‘EQ Adjust’ from the Manual Mcacc setup menu Select the channels you want and adjust to your likingHow to interpret the graphical output How to use Professional Acoustic Calibration EQUsing Professional Acoustic Calibration EQ Select ‘EQ Professional’ then press EnterSelect an option and press Enter Checking Mcacc preset data Copying Mcacc preset dataData Management Clearing Mcacc presets Manual speaker setupSpeaker Setting Renaming Mcacc presetsConfirm your selected setup option Select ‘Speaker Setting’ from the Manual SP Setup menuSelect ‘Channel Level’ from the Manual SP Setup menu Select a setup optionSpeaker Distance Bass Peak LevelEnter Curve THX Audio SettingOther connections Chapter Connecting an iPodConnecting your iPod to the receiver Other connectionsButton What it does Connecting using HdmiOther connections Basic playback controlsUsing the i.LINK interface About HdmiOn a HDMI-compatible monitor.1 Checking the i.LINK inputs About i.LINKCreating an i.LINK network About Pqls rate controlUse standard RCA/phono jack cables for the connections Using the USB interfaceConnecting the multichannel analog inputs Selecting the multichannel analog inputsStart playback of a source on your computer Second Zone speaker B setupSwitching the speaker system Use the Input Select button to select USBBi-wiring your speakers Bi-amping your front speakersConnect your speakers as shown below Other connections Connecting additional amplifiers Multi-room listeningMaking multi-room connections Basic multi-room setup Room Multi-room listening optionsSub room Input sources available Input Connecting an IR receiverUsing the multi-room controls Multi-room remote controlsUsing this receiver with a Pioneer plasma display Switching components on and off using the 12 volt triggerPioneer plasma display DVD player Satellite receiver, etc Using the SR+ mode with a Pioneer plasma displayPioneer plasma DisplayAdvanced Mcacc output using your PC Other connections Connecting a PC for Advanced Mcacc outputOther Settings Other Settings ChapterInput Setup menu Select ‘Other Setup’ then press Enter Other SettingsOther Setup menu Input function default and possible settingsMulti-Room and IR receiver setup OSD AdjustmentSR+ Setup for Pioneer plasma displays Setting What it does Options Using other functionsUsing other functions Chapter Setting the AV optionsRecout Source Using other functionsPlaying a different source when recording Making an audio or a video recordingDimming the display Switching the speaker impedanceUsing the sleep timer Checking your system settingsSetting Default Resetting the systemDefault system settings Display shows RESET?Controlling the rest of your system Setting the remote to control other componentsSelecting preset codes directly Programming signals from other remote controlsControlling the rest of your system Erasing one of the remote control button settingsResetting the remote control presets Confirming preset codesProgramming a multi-operation or a shutdown sequence Renaming input source namesDirect function Multi Operation and System OffUsing System off Using multi operationsFunction Components Controlling the rest of your system Controls for TVsControls for other components Buttons Function ComponentsOperating other Pioneer components with this unit’s sensor Button s Function ComponentsDecide which component you want to use the remote sensor Additional information Chapter TroubleshootingPower Additional informationAdditional information Other audio problemsVideo SettingsProfessional Calibration EQ graphical output DisplayLink interface Remote controlLink messages USB interfaceMessage Explanation IPod messages Symptom Cause ActionAdditional information Surround sound formats DolbyWindows Media Audio 9 Professional About THX THX MusicMode Listening modes with different input signal formatsStereo 2 channel signal formats THX Games ModeMultichannel signal formats Input signal format StandardAuto Surround Input signal format Surround Back speakersUnavailable with only one surround back speaker connected Cleaning the unit Additional information SpecificationsOur philosophy FeaturesAdditional information 05F00001 Printed ARB7335-E Pioneer Corporation
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