happen if you say “Yes” (or “ON”) in the “Subwoofer” selection during the
setup of any typical Dolby Digital/DTS capable receiver (you’ll need to
enter your receiver’s setup “menu” to check these critical choices). Use your
receiver’s 80hz “bass crossover” setting if adjustable.
•
Is your receiver connected to the sub amp?
Use a well-shielded RCA
cable (sometimes called a “patch cord”) to hook to the subwoofer output of
your DD/DTS receiver to the RCA input jack of your SVS
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 essential to proper home thea-
ter audio setup. It’s akin to a tire pressure gauge for your car
(you don’t set your tires by “feel” right?). Set the meter to
“Slow” and “C-weighting” (and turn the dial to 70 or 80dB depending on
your test tone source). Haven’t got the meter yet? Order one from your
SVS Dealer. We prefer the analog instead of the digital display model.
Getting ready to start now: Make sure your receiver/processor master volume
is set at “00 dB” or some other easy to remember reference level. Finally, ensure
your subwoofer’s volume/gain control is set about 1/3rd up, for now. It’s also
critical to check the subwoofer level control of your surround receiver before you
begin the test tones. Set the receiver’s subwoofer output signal between -3dB to
-6 dB” initially (that’s about 1/3rd up, given a typical receiver’s subwoofer chan-
nel level limits of –12dB to +12 dB) . Your LFE “trim” or “peak limiter”, if you
have one, should be set to 0dB to start (that’s full up, with the least effect) but this
can be dialed down later to tame transients if needed. Turn off any sound-field
processing modes, “midnight mode” etc. Your LFE should go to the “subwoofer
only”, not “mains” too, if this is an option in your system.
Now play your receiver's internal test tones so you have something to meas-
ure with your SPL meter. Or better, buy a test DVD such as Ovation’s Avia. A
test disk’s tones ensure your entire signal path, from the DVD player to your
speakers, is set correctly. Whatever you use, when the tones start alternating from
speaker to speaker (watch your sound meter now), set each speaker’s volume to
about 75 dB (or 85dB if using Avia) by using the receiver’s dedicated channel
level controls (leaving receiver’s master volume the same!). Note: Hold the me-
ter at a 45 degree angle in front of you, pointing forward and don't move it during
this process (using a tri-pod directly in front of your prime seat is a good idea for
this reason). We recommend you turn down the receiver’s subwoofer output level
before you significantly lower your sub’s volume/gain control. This helps keep
distortion sent to your sub at a minimum. You should not be set this control
lower than –6 dB however (or say, about 1/4th up), since some adjustment room
is needed to fine tune levels later. If your subwoofer reading is still too high then
turn down the sub’s amp volume a little with each run.
SV Subwoofers
Page 8