SV Sound warranty SV Subwoofers, Page, setup “menu” to check these critical choices

Page 6 SV Subwoofers

turned “ON”? We don’t mean “is your subwoofer amplifier on?” (that’ll be important later too!) but rather, is your receiver sending a bass signal to your sub amp? This can only 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).

•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 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. You only need feed one of the two in- puts (either Right or Left) of any single PB1-ISD subwoofer however.

•Is your Radio Shack ® sound pressure level (SPL) meter ready? This tool is vital to proper home theater audio calibration. It’s akin to a tire pres- sure gauge for your car. Set the meter to “Slow” and “C-

weighting” (turn the dial to 70dB). The manual which comes with the SPL meter is excellent; we recommend you read it entirely. Haven’t got the meter yet? Head down to your neighborhood Radio Shack ® and snag one. We pre- fer the analog instead of the digital display model. Ask for part number 33-2050. At about $40, it’s a bargain. Proper configuration without this meter is practically impossible.

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 SVS’s volume control is set no more than 1/4 to 1/3rd 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 subwoofer channel level 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. Turn off ANY sound-field processing modes, “peak limiters”, “mid-night mode” etc.!

Now play your receiver's internal test tones so you have something to measure with your SPL meter. Better yet, buy a calibration disk, such as Video Essentials, Sound and Vision HT Tune Up, or Avia DVDs. A test disk’s tones ensure your entire signal path, from the DVD player to your speakers, is set cor- rectly. Whatever 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 (or 85dB if using Avia or S&V), by using the receiver’s dedicated channel level controls (leaving receiver’s master volume the same). We recommend you turn down the receiver’s subwoofer output level before you significantly lower your sub’s volume/gain control. This helps keep input distortion to a minimum. You should not be set much lower than –5 dB however, since some adjustment room is needed to lower bass as needed. If your subwoofer reading is still too high then turn down the sub’s amp volume a little with each run.