Pioneer VSX-LX50 Professional Acoustic Calibration EQ, How to interpret the graphical output

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The System Setup menu

08

Professional Acoustic Calibration EQ

This setup minimizes the unwanted effects of room reverberation by allowing you to calibrate your system based on the direct sound coming from the speakers. It can also provide you with a graphical output of the

frequency response of your room.1

How to use Professional Acoustic Calibration EQ

Level

 

 

 

 

 

 

Test tone

 

Acoustic Cal. EQ Pro

Standard Acoustic Cal.

 

 

calibration range

EQ calibration range

 

 

 

 

Time

0

80

160

(in msec.)

 

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 37 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.

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 100 ms 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.2

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).

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 30 ms to 50 ms 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 30 ms to 50 ms 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

1This system allows you to customize your system calibration with the help of a graphical output that can be displayed on-screen.

2Note 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 0 ms). This initial slope is not a problem (i.e. excessive reverb) with your listening room.

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Contents VSX-LX50 Risk of Electric Shock Do not Open Important the Moulded PlugOperating Environment Contents Other connections System Setup menu Controlling the rest of your systemOther Settings Using other functionsBefore you start FeaturesBefore you start Chapter Checking what’s in the box Installing the receiverEasy-to-use LCD remote control Before you startIntroduction to home theater Automatically setting up for surround sound Auto McaccMinute guide 02 5 minute guide ChapterMinute guide Playing a source Better sound using Phase ControlProblems when using the Auto Mcacc Setup 02 5 minute guideConnecting your equipment Chapter Connecting your equipmentRear panel When making cable connections Connecting your equipmentAbout the video converter 342 Connecting your equipment Connecting your TV and DVD playerConnecting a satellite/cable receiver or other set-top box Connect using a standard video cable or an S-video cableUsing the component video jacks Connecting a DVD/HDD recorder, VCR and other video sourcesDVR, VCR, etc Use a three-way component video cable Connecting digital audio sourcesAbout the WMA9 Pro decoder Connecting analog audio sourcesConnecting a component to the front panel inputs Connect using a stereo RCA/phono jack audio cableConnecting the speakers Connecting your equipment Installing your speaker systemPlacing the speakers Bare wire connectionsTHX speaker system setup Connecting antennasPlug the power cord into a power outlet Connecting external antennasPlugging in the receiver Controls and displays Chapter Controls and displaysFront panel Controls and displays Operating range of remote control unitStream Direct Phase ControlRtrv SoundSelect Controls and displays Remote controlRECEIVER Input SelectSOURCE StatusMulti OPE ShiftStandard surround sound Listening to your systemListening to your system Chapter Auto playback Listening in surround soundListening to your system Using the Home THX modesUsing the Advanced surround effects THX Games ModeStereo See Listening in stereo above for more on this Using Front Stage Surround AdvanceUsing Stream Direct Listening in stereoWhile listening to a source, press Mcacc Listening to your system Selecting Mcacc presetsChoosing the input signal Using surround back channel processingUsing the Virtual Surround Back mode Press Tone to select the frequency you want to adjust Listening to your system Using Midnight and LoudnessUsing the Sound Retriever Using the tone controlsBasic playback controls Using the USB interfaceUSB playback USB playback ChapterCompressed audio compatibility USB playbackListening to the radio Using the tunerUsing the tuner Chapter Saving station presetsAn introduction to RDS Using the tunerNaming station presets Listening to station presetsDisplaying RDS information Using EONPress Disp for RDS information Select the setting you want to adjust System Setup menuSystem Setup menu Chapter Making receiver settings from the System Setup menuPoint System Setup menuDefault setting Normal SB Surround back speaker settingFine Channel Level Manual Mcacc setupWhen youre finished, press Return Select ‘Fine Ch Level’ from the Manual Mcacc setup menuAdjust the level of the left channel Select ‘Fine SP Distance’ from the Manual Mcacc setup menuStanding Wave 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 EQProfessional Acoustic Calibration EQ Select ‘EQ Professional’ then press Enter Using Professional Acoustic Calibration EQSelect an option and press Enter Select ‘Data Management’ from the System Setup menu System Setup menu Data ManagementCopying Mcacc preset data Checking Mcacc preset dataClearing Mcacc presets Manual speaker setupSpeaker Setting Renaming Mcacc presetsAdjust the level of each channel using the / Buttons Select ‘Channel Level’ from the Manual SP Setup menuSelect a setup option Confirm your selected setup optionSpeaker Distance THX Audio SettingCurve Other connections Chapter Connecting an iPodConnecting your iPod to the receiver Other connectionsUse / to move to previous/next levels Watching photos and video contentOther connections Basic playback controlsAbout Hdmi Other connections Connecting using HdmiYou can also use the front panel controls Selecting the multichannel analog inputs Connecting the multichannel analog inputsSpeaker B setup Switching the speaker systemBi-amping your front speakers Bi-wiring your speakersConnect your speakers as shown below Using this receiver with a Pioneer plasma display Other connections Connecting additional amplifiersLarge DVD player Satellite receiver, etc Using the SR+ mode with a Pioneer plasma displayPioneer plasma DisplayInput function default and possible settings Other SettingsOther Settings Chapter Input Setup menuOSD Adjustment Other SettingsOther Setup menu SR+ Setup for Pioneer plasma displaysSetting What it does Options Using other functionsUsing other functions Chapter Setting the AV optionsPrepare the recorder Using other functionsMaking an audio or a video recording Select the source you want to recordPress Status to check the system settings Using the sleep timerSwitching the speaker impedance Checking your system settingsSetting Default Using other functions Resetting the systemDefault system settings Press System Setup to confirmControlling 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 namesMulti Operation and System Off Direct functionPress Multi OPE Using multi operationsUsing System off Select the button for the command you want to inputControls for other components Controlling the rest of your system Controls for TVsButtons Function Components Decide which component you want to use the remote sensor Operating other Pioneer components with this unit’s sensorAdditional information Chapter TroubleshootingPower Additional informationSymptomRemedy Other audio problemsAdditional information Video Settings96 kHz DisplaySymptom Remote controlUSB interface Noisy or distorted picture Symptom Cause ActionThere is a problem with the signal path from IPod messagesDolby Additional information Surround sound formatsWindows MediaTM Audio 9 Professional About THXTimbre Matching THX Select2 Cinema modeTHX Games Mode Re-EqualizationInput signal format Standard Stereo 2 channel signal formatsAuto Surround Channel decoding used for all sources Multichannel signal formatsChannel Dolby Digital Plus Straight decodingDecoding Surround Back speakers Input signal format Cleaning the unit Additional information SpecificationsPioneer Corporation