Chapter | SV Sound |
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∙But what’s “too high” for your subwoofer?? Tastes vary, and so do movie soundtracks, but if you purchased an SVS subwoofer, it’s capable of tremendous levels of low distortion, low frequency bass — often much more than most subwoofers. Take advantage of this, especially if you like action movies with lots of bass action. You can do so by allowing your subwoofer levels to rise a couple dB’s louder than your other speakers during your level calibration. Since most audio enthusiasts don’t watch movies at full theater playback levels, this often yields a more satisfying movie and music experience.
∙What subwoofer levels do we recommend? If you pur- chased an SVS subwoofer, and watch movies at relatively moderate sound levels, audition a range of +1dB to +3dB above your other channels (as measured with your SPL me- ter). This means the test tone will waiver about 78dB for the subwoofer portion of the calibration run (88dB with Avia). (Note: You may want to rotate the sound meter SPL meter dial to 80dB to get a good reading with these higher levels.)
∙The above is a guide… experiment! The louder your master volume though, the more you should back off the subwoofer’s level to compensate. Audible distress is a sign to lower things a bit. Avoid your driver bottoming, resulting in a loud ―clack‖!
∙Location and measurement. You should take the above measurements from your typical preferred seat for watching movies. Be advised, strong bass levels can vary tremendously simply by moving your seat, or your subwoofer, only a few feet. Such is the nature of long
∙Setting levels for the subwoofer which are too high (and often, too low) is the most common audio system setup error. If you make any changes to your system configuration, or move your speaker or subs, you should always run your AVR test tones to validate channel levels a final time. If you ever hear a hard ―clack‖ from your subwoofer during movie or music playback, you should immediately turn down your sub- woofer level control at the AVR, or the subwoofer’s own gain control, or both.
