SV Sound 20-39PC, 16-46PC warranty SV Subwoofers

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SV Subwoofers

“Large”. Selecting the size accordingly will ensure bass goes to most appropriate speakers, and use the subwoofer correctly too. Also, is your subwoofer turned “ON”? We don’t mean “is your subwoofer amplifier on?” (that’ll be important later too!) but rather, is your receiver send- ing a bass signal to your sub amp? This can only happen if you say “Yes” (or “ON”) to the “Subwoofer” setting of any typical Dolby Digi- tal/DTS capable receiver.

•Is your receiver connected to the sub amp? Use a well-shielded RCA cable (sometimes called a “patch cord”) to hook to the subwoofer out- put of your DD/DTS receiver to either input jack of your subwoofer amplifier. As mentioned earlier, you’ll need to “split” the subwoofer signal with a “Y Cable” if you bought a pair of subs.

•Is your Radio Shack ® sound pressure level (SPL) meter ready? This tool is absolutely critical to proper home theater

audio calibration. It’s akin to a tire pressure gauge for your car. Set the meter to “Slow” and “C- weighting” (and turn the dial to 70dB). The manual which comes with the SPL meter is excellent, and we recommend you read it entirely. Haven’t got the meter yet? Well, head on down to your neighborhood Radio Shack ® and snag one. We prefer the analog instead of the digital display

model. Ask for part number 33-2050. At about $35 it’s a bargain.

Getting ready to start now: Just a few more checks. Make sure your re- ceiver/processor master volume is set at “00 dB” or some other easy to re- member reference level. Finally, ensure your subwoofer’s volume control is set at least 3/4ths up, to start. It’s also critical to check the subwoofer level control of your surround receiver before you begin the test tones. Set it to no higher than “-5 dB” initially (that’s one quarter way up, given a typical receiver’s channel limits of –10 dB to +10 dB) . Your LFE “trim”, if you have one, should be set to 0dB to start (that’s full up) but this can be dialed down later to tame peaks if needed.

Now play your receiver's internal test tones so you have something to meas- ure with your SPL meter. Or better yet, buy a calibration disk, like the Video Essentials DVD (go to Chapter 3-1). A test disk’s tones ensure your entire signal path, from the DVD player to your speakers, is set correctly. What- ever you use, when the tones start alternating from speaker to speaker (watch your sound meter now), set each full range speaker’s volume to about 75 dB (except for the subwoofer — read on!) by using the receiver’s dedicated channel level controls (leaving master volume the same). We recommend you turn down the receiver’s subwoofer output level, before you